Will Cam Ward turn into an NFL star?
Things are going well for the Tennessee Titans, and Cam Ward should have a chance to make plenty of plays as a rookie. They even added one of his old throwing buddies. Also, Titans general manager Mike Borgonzi revealed the Patrick Mahomes stuff he sees in Ward.
Yes, it's a huge stretch to compare a player with no NFL experience to one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time. But, aw, shucks, Borgonzi did it anyway, according to Sports Illustrated.
“I’m not comparing him to Pat,” Borgonzi said. “But some of the stuff I saw with Pat, just in terms of his instincts, spatial awareness, arm talent, arm angles, it kind of reminded me a little bit of Pat.
“And I was careful to say it. Pat’s a future Hall of Famer and, you know, he’s got a long way to go before he ever reaches that level. But some of the stuff, just the instincts, spatial awareness, vision for the field, reminded me of Pat when I watched him.”
QB Cam Ward hopes to shine with Titans
As for Ward, he's not short on confidence, stating, “You don’t draft me, and you’re gonna pay for it.”
Titans head coach Brian Callahan said Ward’s comment was dumb because it only parroted what Tom Brady said many years ago. But Callahan said, “Do you mean that? Is that really you?”
“I mean it,” Ward responded. “And I stand on it.”
Callahan said he got an impression of Ward’s ability when the quarterback played at the University of Miami.
“A couple of those throws you saw, like highlight-wise, you’re like, Wow, that was a real throw,” Callahan says. “The one against Louisville, and the one where he’s throwing rolling to his left against Florida. Those ones were, you’re like, jeez. That’s a really impressive throw for a young kid. And that was about it, really. I didn’t have a ton of exposure to him.”
Another impression came in a game against Syracuse, Callahan said.
“Double-A gap blitz, they blitzed the middle of the pocket, and Cam just sort of stands in there, and he changes his arm angle and delivers a strike,” Callahan says. “And it was a contested catch. The receiver dropped it, but he threw it right on the money. It was a third down. I kept rewinding and looking at him like, How did this ball even get to the target? The pocket was so muddy. And he just stood in there and ripped it.”
