When it comes to pressure,Tennessee Titans quarterback Cam Ward said he must take it on himself to avoid it. He's far from ready to call out his offensive linemen for the struggles he's endured in the Titans' 0-5 start.
Ward has only been sacked 10 times, with four of those coming in the last game on Oct. 11 against Houston. But he was pressured 25 times against the Texans, and that was the second-most pressures Ward has faced since the New York Jets threatened to take him down 27 times in the season opener.
Two of Ward's worst games were against the Texans and the Jets.
"I should be able to avoid some of those," Ward said Oct.
14 when asked about facing pressure or being sacked. "Those guys (the offensive linemen) have been busting their tails since they got here, and (offensive line) coach (Carmen Bricillo) has really helped them. He's helped me, especially with defining my drop in the pocket where I need to sit so I don't make it hard on Dan (Moore Jr.) and JC (Latham). I have all the confidence in the world in those guys."
The Titans (0-5) play at the Indianapolis Colts (2-3) on Oct. 18 (noon CT, FOX).
Cam Ward said he can help players like OT Dan Moore Jr.
Moore has received heavy criticism for being a big part of the seven pressures allowed against Houston, including a missed block while protecting Ward's blindside that went viral. He also gave up a sack and stepped on guard Peter Skoronski’s foot, which led to a sack.
Moore has allowed 15 pressures, the seventh-most in the NFL among tackles.
But even when a defender sheds a block and gets a shot at Ward, he remains unwilling to lay the blame on his protection.
"At the end of the day, if they let somebody come free, I see that as a one-on-one and I've got to make them miss," Ward said. "They help me out a lot, so I've got to be able to help them too."
Robert Saleh met with Cam Ward about Titans offensive line issues
Titans coach Robert Saleh said he addressed the issue of pressure with Ward in a one-on-one meeting Oct. 13. Saleh said he is happy with how Ward is handling the matter.
"He's in a good headspace; he's got a lot of confidence in the O-line," Saleh said. "We came out of OTAs and out of our training camp feeling really good about our offensive line, and it performed in those three joint practices and even against our front."
Saleh said, however, there was nothing to feel good about after the 26-3 loss to Houston when Ward completed 23 of 36 passes for 170 yards with no touchdowns and an interception.
"Up until Sunday I feel like our offensive line has done a really, really nice job protecting Cam and really opening up run lanes," Saleh said. "We took a terrible setback, period, as an entire football team, coaches, players, all of us. But I don't want to lose perspective in terms of what they had been doing prior to that and I'm not going to allow one game to define what I think of the trend at which they're trying to develop an identity."
Ward has been accurate when the pocket is kept clean but has one of the lowest NFL completion rates under pressure at 36.6%. He ranks 26th in the league in passer rating (77.2), 24th in passing yards (896) and is tied for 27th in passing touchdowns (3).
Ward said he appreciated the patience Saleh and the staff have shown in him and the offensive line and was encouraged that Saleh took time to meet with him.
"It was really valuable, especially for myself being so young," Ward said. "He's helping me get up to speed on what I want to be at a faster rate ... just continuing to play the quarterback position in the NFL. It was extremely helpful with somebody like Saleh; as soon as he got here, he's always been in contact with me. He's always brought me along. He's showing that he loves not only myself, but everybody."
Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or on X @MikeOrganWriter.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Titans coach Robert Saleh met with Cam Ward to discuss offensive line issues
