Titans HC shows he's not afraid to call out Levis' shortcomings

Tennessee Titans Head Coach Brian Callahan. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Titans HC shows he's not afraid to call out Will Levis' shortcomings

By Victor Barbosa | Last updated Sep 9, 2024 2:22 PM ET

Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis had a rough season-opener during the team's 24-17 Week 1 loss against the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

The second-year pro finished 19-for-32 for 127 passing yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, losing a fumble as well. Both of Levis' turnovers came in the fourth quarter and led to points for the Bears, as he was strip sacked with 11:54 left in the frame and threw a pick-six with 7:35 remaining for the final score of the contest.

When addressing the media on Monday, Titans head coach Brian Callahan wasn't afraid to criticize the young signal-caller.

Callahan: Surprised with some of the mistakes Will Levis made. Has to learn from it, and get better. Really poor decision on INT. @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 9, 2024

Titans HC Brian Callahan says he had a conversation with Will Levis BEFORE his game-ending interception: the Bear haven’t done *anything* on offense. We need to protect the football.

So to see that happen was disappointing.
— AtoZ Sports Nashville (@AtoZSports) September 9, 2024

Callahan is in his first year at the helm in Tennessee after spending five seasons as the Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator. He compared some of Levis' issues with ones that Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow dealt with early in his career.

#Titans' Callahan: Levis has to learn to protect himself. Some of that (taking the hits) is just too much ... Just have to keep hammering at that same point ... Similar things with Burrow early in his career. Learned early on that that's not sustainable.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) September 9, 2024

The Kentucky product gained a reputation for taking unnecessary big hits in his first year in the NFL.

Former Titans head coach Mike Vrabel addressed the topic last season, saying he wanted to teach Levis how to slide at the end of scrambles rather than lowering his shoulders into defenders.

"I guess we'll have to show him examples of quarterbacks not sliding and getting the s--t knocked out of them," Vrabel said following Tennessee's Week 14 "Monday Night Football" win over the Miami Dolphins last December.

Though the Bears scored 24 points on Sunday, they had no offensive touchdowns.

In addition to Chicago's interception return for a score, the team also had a blocked punt return for a touchdown. Kicker Cairo Santos added three field goals in the victory.

Callahan: If we'd just punted it on first and 10 every time we might have won the game, the way the defense was playing @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) September 9, 2024

Victor Barbosa

Victor Barbosa is a passionate follower of MLB, the NBA and NFL, with a deep interest in Boston-area teams. He graduated from Springfield College -- The Birthplace of Basketball -- in 2013 with a degree in Communications-Sports Journalism. Previous bylines include FanSided, Heavy and Syracuse

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