Titans' Cam Ward addresses threats, poor play amid benching whispers

The sister of second-year Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward recently took to social media to share that she and her family had received threatening messages amid Ward's on-the-field struggles this season.

While speaking with reporters on Wednesday, Ward addressed the matter. 

Cam Ward on threats: "People are weird"

"I mean, at the end of the day, people are weird," Ward said, per Turron Davenport of ESPN. "They can say whatever they want at the end of the day, but I think football will take care of a lot of it. My family knows the position I'm in and what I've wanted my whole life. They're in this position as well with me."

Ward received criticism and blame after he tossed a brutal red-zone interception late in this past Sunday's game at the New York Giants, as that pick ensured the Titans would suffer a 12-7 loss and fall to 0-3 on the season. Following that defeat, whispers suggesting the Titans could and should bench Ward in favor of backup Mitchell Trubisky for the club's Week 4 game at the 2-1 Baltimore Ravens this coming Sunday grew louder. 

A Wednesday report hinted that Titans players could begin to lose "patience" if Ward doesn't soon notch some victories as the club's starter. That same story said that "there's an obvious disconnect between Ward and the coaching staff, or at least the scheme." 

According to ESPN stats, Ward began Wednesday ranked 23rd in the league among qualified passers with a 47.2 adjusted QBR for the season. Over the campaign's first three weeks, he threw just two touchdown passes. 

Cam Ward shares big admission about struggles

"I just don't think I played my best in critical situations," Ward admitted in reference to the interception against the Giants, per Jim Wyatt of the Titans' website. "You look at over the course of the game, it was good to win. But when I needed to play my best, I didn't. And that's something I have to get better at. It's something I have to attack this week going into the next game. But it is something you get to learn from … and you make sure it doesn't happen again in the future."

Eventually, first-year Titans head coach Robert Saleh is going to need Ward to do more than just learn lessons to keep the 24-year-old in the lineup. As of Wednesday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook had Tennessee as a huge 11.5-point road underdog against Baltimore.

"I asked for this position. It is one of the best positions in the world," Ward added about facing criticism as an NFL QB1. "So, (adversity) comes with the job at the end of the day. I need to play better, and we need to win more games. I think if we do that, a lot of stuff will take care of itself."