\NASHVILLE, Tenn. – While upgraded, the Titans don't feel dangerous.
Cam Ward and Calvin Ridley’s connection sparked the offense for the team in camp and the preseason to the point I would imagine Vance Joseph and the Denver defensive coaches have made big plans to limit it Sunday. If they are going to get hurt by a rookie passer on opening day, it’s fair to speculate they’d prefer to get hurt by someone else.
“I hope not, but if that’s what they do, I’ve got all the faith in our guys; we’ve got some young guys in there that are going to bust some heads,” Ridley said. "Whatever they want to do, we’re going to adjust. But I hope (they arent' focused on taking me away).”
Brian Callahan takes it as a challenge, one he’s got to meet and beat.
Tyler Lockett said Denver’s top corner, Patrick Surtain II, follows a top receiver a lot of times, but he’ll also play a certain side at times. So, Ridley may see a variety of coverages.
If the Broncos are devoted to slowing Ridley, Callahan will clearly call plays that will offer Ward other completions, but he’s not going to give up on the Titans’ most threatening option, either.
“Yeah, that's my job,” he said. “My job is to find opportunities for those guys and find ways to get them the ball. And that's certainly what we'll be hellbent on doing is finding ways to get our best players the ball like every team in the league does. And it'll be a cat-and-mouse game of them trying to make sure they take away what we think we're doing well and us finding ways to take advantage of what we perceive as weaknesses. So, that's pretty, I think, standard process for us. But yeah, my job is to find ways to get the ball to the guys that can help us win.”
Elic Ayomanor “earned on paper” the right to be in the team’s top three receivers. He’s a bigger X while Lockett will be first in the slot with Chig Okonkwo lining up as the primary move tight end and Gunnar Helm as the inline guy who may need to help against a fierce pass rush no matter how much better the Titans are at tackle.
Out of that mix -- plus the rotational Chim Dike, Bryce Oliver and Van Jefferson -- Callahan expect to find plenty of alternatives to Ridley, too.
“They have to emerge,” Callahan said. “Someone's got to step up and make the plays. I feel good about the group of guys we have going in going into Denver. I like the work that we put in. But certainly, we've got some unproven players and we've got some young players that haven't done it yet. But I like where those guys are at. And we're going to use anybody that's up on game day. They're all going to have roles.
“We're going to make sure that they're in the right spots to have success. We're a team that's in prove-it mode right now. And all the things that we feel good about, we're going to have to go do and show it on game day, regardless of how good I feel about the process leading up to it. But I'm confident in the group we have, and I'm excited to go do it and we've just got to go do it.”
Said Ward: “It's going to be hard to stop zero. I mean, he's one of the best route runners out there. But we've got guys behind him who will make plays, with Van, Chim, Elic, tight end group -- Gunnar and Chig. So I'm surrounded by playmakers. I just got to do my job, put the ball in their hands, let them catch the ball, and they're going to do the rest.”
Lockett brings the Titans 10 years of experience, 661 catches and 61 touchdowns.
For him, it’s not about it’s far less often about plays called for specific people and far more about letting “the routes get everybody open.”
Lockett called Callahan’s determination to find ways to get Ridley the ball, “lovely.”
This is the veteran’s first time playing for an offensive head coach after nine years with Pete Carroll and one with Mike Macdonald.
“He does a really good job of being schematic, finding ways to create those one-on-one matchusp, where you can take advantage of certain situations and certain people’s play skills. And I think Cam is doing a really good job throwing guys open as well as being able to just run the offense.”