Tennessee Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley pulled no punches while expressing his frustrations about the Titans offensive game plan on Sunday.
Ridley was targeted eight times against the Colts, but had zero receptions in the game. It was the first time a wide receiver has recorded that line since 2015 when Amari Cooper had no catches on eight targets with the Raiders.
When I asked Ridley about the frustrating loss to the Colts and what contributed to the disparity between targets and receptions, the veteran wide out explicitly shared his perspective on wanting more targets earlier in the game.
"I need some in the beginning of the f---ing game too," Ridley told me about his targets coming mostly in the fourth quarter. "This s--- is getting crazy. I sucked today and got to do better. But I got to get the ball a little earlier so I can be in the game and here with the team and play well also."
Ridley's comments quickly gained steam on a national scale. Everyone seems to have an opinion about whether the Titans wide receiver is in the right or wrong and what this says about head coach Brian Callahan, who is also the offensive play caller.
Count Callahan in as one of the people who have Ridley's back. The Titans head coach was asked about Ridley's remarks and "culture concerns" in a press conference on Monday afternoon. He was quick to jump to Ridley's defense and shine light on why he loved Ridley speaking up.
"I believe in our locker room and everything that we do on a daily basis tells me that. Outbursts after a loss and frustration after a loss is normal. It means the guys care, it means that they want to win. And I don't have any problem with that. That's not to me a detriment. That means the guys are passionate about what they're doing and that they want the result to be different," said Callahan.
"I think that's great personally, because if you got guys that care and you got guys that want to keep going and they are frustrated by losing, that makes me feel really good that we can find ways to fix whatever it is and be able to win. But I love the locker room. Our guys are made of the right stuff. I've not wavered on that one bit and that's because I see it every day and you guys see some of it, but you don't see all of it. And you see the after the game and you see the back and forth. And look, that's pro football, it's emotional, guys get that way. I know there's times when I'm emotional too. But again, that makes me feel like we got the right people that want to win and want to do what it takes to win."
I love that Callahan is defending his player. And honestly, I loved what Ridley had to say after the game. It's something that should be celebrated instead of criticized. The fact that Ridley is comfortable enough to share his raw frustration is a good sign for Tennessee's locker room and Brian Callahan as a coach.
As Callahan said, this just shows how much Ridley cares. That offense is boring and frustrating to watch. I can only imagine how boring and frustrating it is to play in it when you get paid to catch passes.
Ridley has been watching his team lose and offense struggle while not being involved enough in the early game plans. Had he stood there and answered my questions with a nonchalant attitude and lack of passion, the world would be ripping him for not wanting to win badly enough and only being in it for the money.
As Titans wide receivers coach Tyke Tolbert often tells me, you don't want a wide receiver that doesn't want the ball.
It's indisputable that the Titans need to get more production from Ridley if they want to turn things around in 2-24 and start winning some games. He's too expensive (and talented) to be shutout in a must-win divisional game. The burden will be on Callahan and Will Levis moving forward to get him involved. Ridley just needs to stay hungry.
