Yeah, yeah – I know. I’m late to the party yet again, and I already know every other Titans creator in town has written about Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis. But, I’m going to add to the noise because I wanted to take a look back at my initial report on Willis and how it compares to where he is now. So, at 11PM last night, I fired up the Chiefs-Titans replay, and I’m here to share what I found.
First, let’s look back at my early notes on him. From my quarterback rankings back in March, on which I had Willis as QB2 behind Matt Corral: “He has all of the physical tools to excel in the NFL, but his 2021 season at Liberty feels like a bit of a puzzle. At times, the level of talent around him was evident. You can watch some of his tape and think, “better receiving options make that catch.” But then again, there are also moments you watch Willis and think, “not even NFL talent could’ve caught that.” He showed a ‘feast or famine’ demeanor in pocket manipulation, as he routinely looks to make plays down the field for better or for worse.”
Do I make a joke about Willis having better receiving options at Liberty than with the Titans? Or, do I just keep it moving? Let’s keep it moving. The Titans coaches – whether it’s Todd Downing, Mike Vrabel, or any damn one of ’em – deserve a ton of credit. I’m willing to say I was probably wrong about how they’d handle Willis after watching how he’s played in meaningful game action. I initially laughed at the idea of the Titans drafting Willis because who could possibly trust this caveman football staff to properly utilize Willis’ skill set, right?!?! Well, they put together a hell of a plan for him on Sunday night. It put him in position to succeed, and while it may have been frustrating to watch him scramble and hold onto the ball too long, I actually think it’s a byproduct of coaching hammering in the concept of not making the big mistake.
To start, he looked a lot more loose and confident than he did against the Houston Texans. The Titans got him started with some easy throws, namely a safe little screen to Chig Okonkwo that Okonkwo turned up field for a gutsy, tough big gain. He was either throwing the ball away, or he simply overshot Robert Woods, but I noticed a particular area of improvement on a throw he made on that opening drive when he appeared to go through his progressions and land on his best option.
A concern about Willis coming out of Liberty was the simplicity of the offense he ran there, and how quickly he'd be able adjust to reading/processing NFL Ds. I think this is an area of progress for him. In this example, he scans the defense before coming back to Woods. #Titans pic.twitter.com/YxCq3ywWcg
— The Unofficial Titans Podcast (@TitansPod) November 11, 2022
Level up on the Willis Progression Tracker. He had two throws to Austin Hooper in the first half that were simply perfect. On the first one, he was chased out of the pocket, used his elusiveness to evade the sack, kept his eyes downfield, and ripped the ball to an open Hooper on the run. That shit was Mahomes-esque, and it’s a great example of the potential we mean when we say Willis evokes massive potential in the NFL. The other one was just a perfectly placed ball, highlighting the potential Willis has as a placement passer. We know he has that in him. It was always just about seeing that more consistently, and we saw that more consistently on Sunday night.
His legs came into play as well, as he ripped off a few big runs. The Titans were abusing the Chiefs with the read option early on and timing their passes just right. That second completion to Hooper was a brilliant call. Downing saw his moment to attack on a drive when the Titans had been gashing them with the run and might not have expected such a pass. Willis’ play-making potential impacted the Kingcat play that Derrick Henry scored on, too. He scooted out wide and took a defender with him that could’ve very well hung at the line and clogged up a lane for Henry. They can use Willis in so many ways, and he really stepped up in the first half when they needed him.
Oh man – Hilliard's walking in for a TD here. Pressure immediately gets around NPF and impacts the throw. #Titans pic.twitter.com/qeSlMe7vVQ
— The Unofficial Titans Podcast (@TitansPod) November 11, 2022
My initial reaction to the second half as it ended live was that Willis was showing some of the troubling tendencies we all saw on tape at Liberty. But after watching the film, I’m not so sure that’s the case. It was a weirder half of football than I initially realized. For one, Willis seemed a little hesitant to throw into tight windows. He overshot Okonkwo on a pass that would’ve been a huge gain, and he scrambled around on a play that might’ve moved the chains had he dumped it off to Cody Hollister. But, frankly, I don’t know if that was on Willis, or if that was coaching in his ear saying “don’t make the big mistake while we’re sitting on this lead.”
For another, the Chiefs just seemed to figure things out on defense a little bit. The coverage was downright disrespectful, and they started putting more bodies at the edges to help combat the read option stuff the Titans were running. It also seemed like the way the Chiefs defensive backs were covering the receivers, they were trying to funnel guys to the inside knowing that the Titans were only calling pass plays outside the numbers because it’s Willis’ strong suit.
Willis was also hurt by a few drops. Hooper went to the ground on a play that if he had managed to stay on his feet and contest the catch, he might’ve at least drawn a penalty if not actually caught the ball. Westbrook-Ikhine lost out on a contested catch opportunity. And, Okonkwo had a drop in the 2nd half too. I’m leaning a lot less “the timid rookie showed back up” and a lot more “the Titans were too conservative with the lead and void of reliable play-makers” having watched the game back. And, folks – I just don’t think it’s fair to put that all on Willis.
All in all, this was a net positive for Willis. I’m not sure he gives the Titans the best chance to win a Super Bowl this year, because it’s clear they have to specifically tailor their game plan to him instead of with Ryan Tannehill, who the playbook is completely open for. But, I think we can at least say that based on how much he’s improved from the draft process to damn near securing a win on the road against arguably the best team in the AFC, he has a real chance to succeed as a starting quarterback in this league. There weren’t any real head-scratchers on Sunday night, he’s reading the defense better, and there’s a lot fewer “feast or famine” throws. Pair his willingness to learn with his electric capability, and it sure as fuck seems like he’s on the right track.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley.
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