Rival NFL Coach Defends Titans QB Cam Ward

Although the Tennessee Titans haven't been in the NFL for very long compared to other franchises, they still have their fair share of rivals. 

The first one that comes to mind is the Houston Texans for obvious reasons. Before the Titans became the Titans, they were the Houston Oilers for many years until Owner Bud Adams moved the franchise to Tennessee after a stadium dispute. 

Then, the NFL brought a franchise back to Houston with the Texans in the early 2000s. The two teams have been at each other's throats ever since. 

There's also a rivalry between the Titans and the Jacksonville Jaguars. It started during the Titans' first season in 1999, when the Jaguars finished the regular season at 14-2. 

The Jaguars had already lost to the Titans twice that season and saw them again in the AFC Championship Game. The Titans punched their ticket to the Super Bowl with their third win over the Jaguars that season. 

That rivalry is still alive and well today. The Titans are actually wearing their Nike Rivalry jerseys against the Jaguars on Sunday. 

Even though the two franchises don't like each other, Jaguars head coach Liam Coen still understands why the Titans are being patient with Cam Ward. 

He spoke about the Titans quarterback at a recent press conference and noted the importance of patience with young quarterbacks, which is the approach the Jaguars took with Trevor Lawrence. 

He credited the Titans for staying the course with Ward. 

"Yeah, threw for 300, you know, and you can see that he's just getting more and more comfortable, right?"Coen said. "It's a new system. I mean, there's just so many times where we're a little impatient with these things, and I think they're having a good moment of staying the course and saying this is what we're going to continue to evolve to." 

Lawrence has been in the NFL since 2021 after being drafted out of Clemson. He's had multiple head coaches since then.

He started out under Urban Meyer, who left after one season. Lawrence was then coached by Doug Pederson for three seasons before being coached by Coen for the last two years. 

Ward experienced a head coaching change before his second season in the NFL. He was coached by Brian Callahan for half of his rookie season before the Titans fired and made Mike McCoy the interim head coach. 

There have been ups and downs with Lawrence as the Jaguars' quarterback. He had 12 touchdowns and 17 interceptions as a rookie. He then bounced back in 2022, throwing for 4,113 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions. 

He then regressed in 2023, finishing with 21 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, before missing time due to injury in 2024. 

Lawrence has had a resurgence under Coen. He had another 4,000-yard season last year and has 1,932 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and four interceptions this year. 

It wasn't easy, but the Jaguars stayed the course with Lawrence, and it has paid off. The Titans are going through a tough time as a franchise but have remained patient with Ward. It's why we are starting to see games like Week 8 from him. 

It says a lot when a rival coach like Coen has this to say about Ward.