Through the first two weeks of the season, the Tennessee Titans have had a Will Levis problem. The second-year pro is struggling mightily, at times, and it's already gotten to a point where his head coach has had enough.
In the Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets, at one point, you saw head coach Brian Callahan scream the words "What the f**k are you doing?" at his quarterback, from the sideline.
There was another instance where Levis walked off the field and Callahan visibly yelled at his quarterback.
And then came the postgame press conference from Callahan, which went a little like this:
#Titans Brian Callahan calls Will Levis decision (on the fumble) “dumb.” pic.twitter.com/FqFMewbvKw
— Kayla Anderson ✨ (@KaylaAndersonTV) September 15, 2024
"I was upset. It was dumb. It was the same exact thing he did last week," Callahan told the media.
For those who hadn't yet heard Callahan's comments ... yikes.
This is becoming an early trend for the first-year head coach, as Callahan's comment about punting on 1st-and-10 seemed to be a dig at Levis following an abysmal performance in Week 1 against the Bears.
The worst part of all of this is, Callahan is showing absolutely zero remorse for his actions.
Ryan Fitzpatrick isn't a fan of Brian Callahan's coaching thus far
Longtime and former NFL quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick knows a thing or two about playing the position and dynamics that go into a relationship between quarterback and head coach.
A day or so following the conclusion of Tennessee's loss to the Jets, Fitzpatrick took to social media and expressed his displeasure with Callahan's handling of Levis through a couple of games:
"It’s difficult to play QB in this league especially as a youngster and there will be lots of growing pains with Levis ... holding any player accountable especially the QB is important but for a young kid do it in the QB meeting room ...
More Titans news:
"Do it in the team meeting room ... if you're comfortable in your own skin and you are a leader the blame in a press conference should always fall on you as the head coach, even if it’s not the case," Fitzpatrick finished.
To be frank, it is difficult to disagree with Fitzpatrick on this.
Callahan is a first-year head coach of an 0-2 team. Now, the difference between this situation and a situation like, say, the Carolina Panthers, is that Tennessee actually built around their Year 2 quarterback this past offseason. So, for those who want to draw any comparisons between the organizations, there are some stark differences.
This is a completely different situation, but it might be fair to argue that neither Callahan nor Dave Canales aren't handling their teams in a correct manner.
Back to Levis and Callahan, though. This is a delicate situation. We have seen organizations give up far too early on quarterbacks in recent memory, and some of those quarterbacks have gone on to do some very positive things.
Look at Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and even Justin Fields right now. They're all examples of being able to thrive in the correct environment.
Is Callahan providing the correct environment for Levis to develop and succeed? That, folks, is debatable.
For now, it's easy to see why people such as Fitzpatrick so vehemently disagree with the way Callahan has handled himself early on.