I’m not sold that Levis is a NFL quarterback but cam ward is not either. I’ll eat my words but I think can ward will get killed in the nfl. He just sleeps in the pocket and then just slings it. This was a pressure pick by the titans
Cam Ward vs Levis
- Thread starter wobycat
- Start date
Neither can be successful until they have a modestly competent O line. The Titans still do not have that.
^This. No one believes this is a particularly strong QB class. I think they should've traded back, picked up an extra pick or so and continue to shore up that awful OL (free agency helped some) and provide some weapons besides Ridley. Ward could very well be better than Levis but the Titans may never know it if he's getting hit all the time and/or has no one to throw to. If I were a GM, I'd always build from the OL/DL first. Several teams have won SBs with good OL/DL and adequate QB. The best QBs struggle under constant pressure and having no one who can consistently get open.
Levis days are numbered in Tennessee.
He’s still pretty cheap. I can see the Titans holding on to him this year unless they can get a decent trade offer.
I'm sure both could be fine in the right situation with a competent organization that surrounds them with the necessary pieces to succeed.
Could have used that pick to daft an OL, WR, RB...could have traded back gotten a haul of picks and used them to get all of the above.
Could have used that pick to daft an OL, WR, RB...could have traded back gotten a haul of picks and used them to get all of the above.
I feel like that was the right move. Build a team in this draft or at least get it severals steps above where it was last year. It would have made them an attractive free agent spot or draft a QB in next years draft. I just don't feel like Ward. was a true #1 pick, but he does have a great attitude, hopefully it works out for Ward and the Titans.
I agree. We should have taken the Giants trade offer.
I have said many times on this board Levis isn't the answer for the Titans. Maybe he will figure out how to read a defense or stop being a turnover/sack machine if he gets another start elsewhere.
Extreme arm talent, bad decision maker. The second half of his first UK season Coen figured out how to limit his reads and be productive. He was able to dismiss his underachieving second season because stoops and everybody blamed the entire season on scangarello. I thought he had a chance with vrabel in a run oriented offense that set up deep play action shots where there isn't a lot of parsing through defenses or making bad pocket decisions too late...just take shots down field when appropriate and let all else be. But when they hired a replacement that puts the ball in the qb's hands to live and die with it was a total non-fit. I think he could be a back up somewhere but I still believe it has to be somewhere that predicates the game on running the ball first and there are fewer and fewer of those options left.
Hoping maybe Coen will pick him up at some point and work with him some more as Trevor Lawrences backup. Lawrence can be a bit injury prone. I'm holding out hope that the light will click on for Levis at some point and that he will have a serviceable NFL career. I look at Baker Mayfield who had his struggles for a while before Coen got hold of him in Tampa and he blew up and had the best year of his career.
1st - I would have taken the trade with NYG.....then drafted someone in the 2nd rd.
2nd - Levis is a cheap back up with potential. If you can get value, then you trade him. He's a good locker room guy and might be a good insurance policy. It makes sense to keep him on the cheap to finish out his contract.
3rd - The Titans improved the OL quite a bit prior to the draft. It's not perfect, but at first glance it's quite a bit better than during the season last yr.
4th - It is likely true that Ward would've been in the 4th QB taken in last yr's draft......but he would've been worthy of the #1 pick in many (but not all) drafts. So, yes, this draft was fairly poor as far as the QB position, but Ward is actually decent. I think McShay noted that just about everyone in the drat had Ward in their top 15 overall draft picks.
5th - Ward does seem to have the right mindset. He didn't show up to the draft wearing fancy clothes or wearing expensive jewelry. He is not interested in side deals. When Shadeur and Ward worked out together, Shadeur kept asking Ward if he wanted to make a rap song together and do other side deals. Ward kept saying, "No, football is what pays the bills.....I am going to focus on that."
It's worth noting that Levis really got wrapped up in the side deals. He had many side deals.....mayonaise, cologne, etc. It's also worth noting that when Levis went to the Manning Passing Academy, both Eli and Peyton asked if the QB attendees had any questions and Levis asked about marketing. It's an awkward question in that situation. It's also worth noting that Peyton was very complimentary about Levis......soooo, don't read much into this more than face value. I don't know if the side deals affect Levis' performance, but it's worth mentioning.
6th - Pros/Cons of play between Ward/Levis -
Ward - Decent height/weight, but not spectacular. Good overall arm strength.....better than average, but not stellar. Decent enough athlete to scramble at times, but is not a running QB. Exceptional at reading defenses when the play is still on time. Plays "Hero Ball" too often when the play breaks down which can lead to costly mistakes.
Levis - As Peyton Manning said about Levis, "If you could scientifically engineer a human to play QB, it would be Levis." Exceptional height, weight, strength, arm strength. He's surprisingly fast and can run fairly well. Not the best at reading defenses. Plays "Hero Ball" too often and at random times which can lead to costly mistakes.
Let's start off with a scenario. Let's say that read #1 is a quicker slant inside......and read #2 is a out/flat to the outside. Ward is ridiculously good about reading the defense and making the correct decision. When the #1 throw is there, it's darn near perfect. He throws with anticipation and it's money all day. Ward is really good about not forcing the #1 read and then checking down to #2. Once again he's very accurate, processes it very fast, and throws with anticipation. He is "ok" with going to read #3, but in college there isn't as much of a need. However, once these reads close up, Ward will resort to "Hero Ball". He has a good ability to escape pressure and keep his eyes downfield.....but he has a reputation of a gunslinger and trying to do too much. Now, he doesn't panic.....as a matter of fact, he's often too calm which can lead to some carelessness. He can make insane plays when the play breaks down, but he can also lead the team into trouble.
Levis doesn't do as well with reading the defenses. He'll read the defenses pre-snap, but isn't very good recognizing movement during play. Levis has a cannon of an arm and is fairly accurate, but you never know what he's going to do at any time. He might decide to force read #1, or read #2, or take off immediately to try to play "Hero Ball." You don't know when/where he's going to try something too much. Whereas Ward appears too calm at times, Levis appears to hyped up at times.
7th - There is only a handful of scenarios which can play out this coming year.
-Best - Ward is able to adjust to the pro level and plays really well.....leaves us a feeling that we found our guy. My guess is that we'd win 6 games +/-, but the the record isn't really the thing to focus on. We likely pick top 10-13 in the draft next yr.
-Medium - This is probably the most likely scenario. Ward's play is so-so. There are times when he his play is great and times when it isn't. Maybe we win 4-5 wins +/-. It's not enough that gets Callahan fired. It's not enough that we completely bail on Ward and take a high draft pick in next yrs class. We pick top 7-10 in the draft.
-Worst - Ward does not play well at all. Callahan is likely fired, but Brinker/Borgonzi still are in charge. We win 3 games again and pick in the top 3-5 picks. Would they draft another QB?
I don't know if this helps anyone about Ward, but the more that I research him the more I like the pick. Though, keep in mind, that I still would've traded with NYG.
2nd - Levis is a cheap back up with potential. If you can get value, then you trade him. He's a good locker room guy and might be a good insurance policy. It makes sense to keep him on the cheap to finish out his contract.
3rd - The Titans improved the OL quite a bit prior to the draft. It's not perfect, but at first glance it's quite a bit better than during the season last yr.
4th - It is likely true that Ward would've been in the 4th QB taken in last yr's draft......but he would've been worthy of the #1 pick in many (but not all) drafts. So, yes, this draft was fairly poor as far as the QB position, but Ward is actually decent. I think McShay noted that just about everyone in the drat had Ward in their top 15 overall draft picks.
5th - Ward does seem to have the right mindset. He didn't show up to the draft wearing fancy clothes or wearing expensive jewelry. He is not interested in side deals. When Shadeur and Ward worked out together, Shadeur kept asking Ward if he wanted to make a rap song together and do other side deals. Ward kept saying, "No, football is what pays the bills.....I am going to focus on that."
It's worth noting that Levis really got wrapped up in the side deals. He had many side deals.....mayonaise, cologne, etc. It's also worth noting that when Levis went to the Manning Passing Academy, both Eli and Peyton asked if the QB attendees had any questions and Levis asked about marketing. It's an awkward question in that situation. It's also worth noting that Peyton was very complimentary about Levis......soooo, don't read much into this more than face value. I don't know if the side deals affect Levis' performance, but it's worth mentioning.
6th - Pros/Cons of play between Ward/Levis -
Ward - Decent height/weight, but not spectacular. Good overall arm strength.....better than average, but not stellar. Decent enough athlete to scramble at times, but is not a running QB. Exceptional at reading defenses when the play is still on time. Plays "Hero Ball" too often when the play breaks down which can lead to costly mistakes.
Levis - As Peyton Manning said about Levis, "If you could scientifically engineer a human to play QB, it would be Levis." Exceptional height, weight, strength, arm strength. He's surprisingly fast and can run fairly well. Not the best at reading defenses. Plays "Hero Ball" too often and at random times which can lead to costly mistakes.
Let's start off with a scenario. Let's say that read #1 is a quicker slant inside......and read #2 is a out/flat to the outside. Ward is ridiculously good about reading the defense and making the correct decision. When the #1 throw is there, it's darn near perfect. He throws with anticipation and it's money all day. Ward is really good about not forcing the #1 read and then checking down to #2. Once again he's very accurate, processes it very fast, and throws with anticipation. He is "ok" with going to read #3, but in college there isn't as much of a need. However, once these reads close up, Ward will resort to "Hero Ball". He has a good ability to escape pressure and keep his eyes downfield.....but he has a reputation of a gunslinger and trying to do too much. Now, he doesn't panic.....as a matter of fact, he's often too calm which can lead to some carelessness. He can make insane plays when the play breaks down, but he can also lead the team into trouble.
Levis doesn't do as well with reading the defenses. He'll read the defenses pre-snap, but isn't very good recognizing movement during play. Levis has a cannon of an arm and is fairly accurate, but you never know what he's going to do at any time. He might decide to force read #1, or read #2, or take off immediately to try to play "Hero Ball." You don't know when/where he's going to try something too much. Whereas Ward appears too calm at times, Levis appears to hyped up at times.
7th - There is only a handful of scenarios which can play out this coming year.
-Best - Ward is able to adjust to the pro level and plays really well.....leaves us a feeling that we found our guy. My guess is that we'd win 6 games +/-, but the the record isn't really the thing to focus on. We likely pick top 10-13 in the draft next yr.
-Medium - This is probably the most likely scenario. Ward's play is so-so. There are times when he his play is great and times when it isn't. Maybe we win 4-5 wins +/-. It's not enough that gets Callahan fired. It's not enough that we completely bail on Ward and take a high draft pick in next yrs class. We pick top 7-10 in the draft.
-Worst - Ward does not play well at all. Callahan is likely fired, but Brinker/Borgonzi still are in charge. We win 3 games again and pick in the top 3-5 picks. Would they draft another QB?
I don't know if this helps anyone about Ward, but the more that I research him the more I like the pick. Though, keep in mind, that I still would've traded with NYG.
Trade back
Roll with Levis
Suck because the team sucks.
Draft arch next year and have the fanbase absolutely hyped for a manning to be back in Tennessee
Roll with Levis
Suck because the team sucks.
Draft arch next year and have the fanbase absolutely hyped for a manning to be back in Tennessee
Probably but I would think he'd be a high value backup. If Will can hang on and stay in the league thru the 26 season he will have earned around 10M. That should have him set unless he's foolish with his money.
I tend to agree on the high value back up. We are judging him for his performance with a terrible team, who knows how he would perform on a really good team that just needs him to manage the game for a couple of games while the starter is out. His scrambling ability might make him pretty valuable in that scenario.
