Titans Duo Named 3rd Worst in NFL

National outlet shows little respect to Tennessee Titans.

Quarterback Will Levis (8) goes through warmups during Tennessee Titans practice at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park in Nashville, Tenn., Wednesday, May 29, 2024. / Denny Simmons / The Tennessean / USA

NASHVILLE — New Tennessee Titans head coach Brian Callahan and their second-year quarterback, Will Levis, are working hard to earn respect from national writers and pundits through their performance on the field.

However, despite their efforts, they feel that they are not receiving the respect they deserve, as indicated by a recent Sports Illustrated article.

Matt Verderame wrote an article ranking the top coaching and quarterback combinations. It's probably not surprising to anyone that the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and coach Andy Reid were considered the top tandem. Reid and Mahomes were both regarded as the best at their position.

What might be more disheartening to Titans fans than the team's rating is the sight of division rival Houston Texans at No. 4 with head coach DeMeco Ryans as the ninth-best coach and C.J. Stroud as the fourth-best quarterback on Verderame's list.

Both the coach and quarterback are emerging from impressive rookie seasons, with Ryans leading the Texans to a worst-to-first finish in the AFC South with a playoff win and Stroud winning Offensive Rookie of The Year.

Verederame has little confidence in the Titans, ranking the Callahan and Levis duo as the third-worst in the National Football League. He has Callahan at No. 30 on the coaches' list and Levis at No. 24 for quarterbacks, with the Titans ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders, Carolina Panthers, and New England Patriots.

"Callahan is highly regarded in NFL circles as an offensive guru," Verderame wrote. "After helping lead the Cincinnati Bengals to consecutive AFC championship games in 2021 and ’22, Callahan now takes over a Titans roster teeming with talent, including running back Tony Pollard and wideouts DeAndre Hopkins and Calvin Ridley."
"The big question is whether Levis is more stopgap or savior. In his rookie season, the second-rounder threw for 1,808 yards and eight touchdowns in nine starts."

Callahan knows he can't control anything but his efforts each day with the season a little under three months away.

"My focus doesn't veer too far from the hour in front of me most of the time," Callahan said. "We try to make sure that our players feel the same way. Potential doesn't really mean much. You still got to go prove it. You got to earn it. And I think our guys are up to that task. But I don't spend too much time thinking about much other than what can we do better tomorrow than we did today? I think that's a pretty safe space to live in for me."

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