Callahan backs struggling Levis as Titans' QB
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Turron Davenport, ESPN
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee Titans coach Brian Callahan said with no hesitation that Will Levis will remain the quarterback despite having two turnovers in the Titans’ 30-14 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
“Oh yeah,” Callahan said when asked about Levis as his starter. “We’ve also got to play better around him. I’m not going to overreact to an interception. Those things happen, guys throw picks, we just can’t give it to their team. It’s a killer. But we’ve not played a complete game in any phase at any point yet.”
One of Levis’ two turnovers was an interception that got returned 35 yards for a touchdown by Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander. Levis now has a league-high eight turnovers through three games, the most by a quarterback in his team’s first three games over the past three years, and the Titans are 0-3.
“I’m still confident,” Levis said. “Something needs to click with this team and we’re just waiting for it. We really thought that this was going to be our turning point, and it sucks that it wasn’t, but we’re going to keep working every day to try to make it happen.”
Not all the blame should fall on Levis, who was under constant duress and sacked eight times by Green Bay. The Titans’ defense failed to generate a takeaway, and collectively, Tennessee’s minus-8 turnover ratio is an NFL worst. The Packers also rushed for 188 yards.
Titans defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said everyone must do their job and he is still confident in Levis being the starter.
“I mean we saw the first [scoring] drive,” Simmons said. “I believe in Will, I believe in his team, but at the end of the day, we all have got to play better.”
Veteran receiver DeAndre Hopkins scored his first touchdown of the season on an 11-yard pass from Levis. Hopkins also endorsed Levis going forward.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else out there on the field the way he prepares and goes about his day,” Hopkins said. “I think he’s going to learn from his mistakes. He hasn’t even played a full season. It’s going to come with time. But it’s not just Will.”
