Willis Laughs Off 'Mentor' Maelstrom

The rookie quarterback was poised, self-possessed when asked about veteran Ryan Tannehill's controversial comment about their working relationship.

NASHVILLE – In the midst of answering a barrage of questions on Friday, Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis might have stolen the show with one of his own.

When a media member got halfway through a query about Ryan Tannehill’s mentoring comment last week, Willis pressed pause:

“What comment?” he asked.

He kept a deadpan expression for a second or two before smiling and laughing, clearly aware of how much buzz had been generated when Tannehill – the Titans’ starter since midway through the 2019 season – had responded in a surprising fashion to a question about the competition at the position.

“That is part of being in the quarterback room, the same room,” Tannehill said. “We’re competing against each other, we’re watching the same tape, we’re doing the same drills. I don’t think it’s my job to mentor (Willis), but if he learns from me along the way, then that’s a great thing.”

It didn’t necessarily sound as if Tannehill planned to embrace the Titans’ third-round draft pick – and presumed quarterback of the future – with open arms. But if anyone thought there might be early bad blood between the 10-year veteran and the second quarterback selected in this year's draft, both appear to have since quashed the possibility.

Tannehill didn’t just welcome Willis on social media, but made a more tangible gesture during OTAs, inviting Willis and all the team’s offensive skill players to his home for some offseason bonding.

“It’s been cool,” Willis said. “He had us over to the house the other day ... He’s a cool dude. All my teammates cool. They all opened up to us, all us rookies. They had us over there, just gave us a little bit of game and (told us) what comes with this process. Just telling you to keep your heads up and know that a lot of work took place in order for them to get where they’re at, so that’s what it is going to take for us as well.”

Had Willis attached any significance to Tannehill’s mentoring comment?

“No, man, we chopped it up,” Willis said. “It was never anything negative. Ryan’s a good dude. Like I said, he had us over to the house, man. Everything’s cool.”

Still, the issue of whether a veteran should mentor a rookie – one who might be competing for the veteran’s job – is an interesting one, as NFL players have weighed in on both sides of the debate.

Former Green Bay quarterback Brett Favre famously had no interest in aiding Aaron Rodgers' development, nor did Joe Flacco when it came to Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts.

On the other hand, many veterans are on record saying they believe it’s their responsibility – for the good of the team and for the good of the game – to go out of their way to help younger players.

One example is former Titans cornerback Jason McCourty, who has throughout his career made it a priority to assist younger players, in part because his former Tennessee teammates – like Chris Hope, Cortland Finnegan and Rod Hood – were so helpful to him.

When he was in New England, for instance, McCourty did all he could to guide younger defensive backs like J.C. Jackson, Keion Crossen and Duke Dawson.

“Without the older guys I had in Tennessee, I don’t think I’d be where I am in my career today,” McCourty told the Boston Herald prior to the 2018 season. "I had older guys take me in under their wing, make me come get in the cold tub with them, make me stay after and watch film with them, just continuing to try to push me, and talk to me all throughout practices and games, trying to get my technique right, my knowledge and all of that.

“I feel it’s only right the way I repay those guys and continue no matter what team I’m on, what situation, but to continue to pass that down.”

Then there was former Pro Bowl edge rusher Cam Wake, who signed with the Titans at the end of his 11-year career.

He, too, felt a responsibility to pass on what he’d learned from veterans during 10 years in Miami, even if it meant that younger players might push him out of a job.

“I was blessed, at the beginning of my career, being under some pretty good guys who played in this league, like Jason Taylor, Joey Porter, and guys like that, guys I had an opportunity to learn from and ask questions, be a sponge around," Wake said prior to the 2019 season. "That wisdom they'd gained from all the years they'd played at the time I was coming in, I grabbed whatever nuggets I could.

"I've been fortunate to play in this league a long time and gained some of those nuggets myself. So being able to pass that on to whoever is upcoming in this league and on this team, it is something I think of as a responsibility -- for the older players to make sure the guys coming up can be successful as well."

In the end, it’s probably fair to say this entire debate could have been avoided had Tannehill not felt the need to – on his own -- go down the “mentor” road, especially considering that word wasn’t used in the question that was put to him about quarterback competition.

But outside of that questionable comment, Tannehill has shown through his actions he’ll be a welcoming teammate to Willis.

That seems more along the lines of the strong leader, the good teammate that Tannehill has shown himself to be here ever since the Titans acquired him prior to the 2019 season.

“I thought Ryan handled it very well,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “I thought he was genuine. I thought he was authentic.

“I know Ryan is a great teammate. Everyone here knows he’s a great teammate. (Mentoring) is not his job. His job is to prepare to win a bunch of games and be a great teammate and help out. I know that he’s going to do that. So that was not any sort of an issue for me.”

Nor, more importantly, was it to Willis.