NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Something strange is happening to Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Reavis.
So he finally took the idea to new coach Brian Callahan at OTAs last month.
When Levis executed a play-action pass, he realized he was moving his feet too much and wanted to “stay a little more stationary.” The two made it a point to discuss this after practice.
Levi’s, obsessed with gadgets, is always looking for correlations with outcomes, whether positive or negative.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone this good at all the mechanical stuff,” offensive coordinator Nick Holtz said.
Looking back on his rookie year, when he started seven games of the season, Levis recalled how he sometimes didn’t like the way he felt throwing the ball.
“Quarterbacks are weird,” Levis said at the start of minicamp. “We’re always adjusting things, and something feels off. The ball wasn’t coming the way I wanted it to, and I started looking at what could potentially be causing it.”
#Titans Will Levis has been working with Brian Callahan to fine-tune the dynamic. He has also been working with Rob Williams and QB Motion for quite some time. Levis said he plans to bring the two together to bridge the gap between what they are working on. pic.twitter.com/n1OmTn6RT6
—Turron Davenport (@TDavenport_NFL) June 4, 2024
decision Make the tweaks became a joint project for Levis, Callahan, Holz and quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree. Levis’ personal position coach, Rob Williams of QB Motion, is also expected to join the mix this summer.
After studying Levis’ game film, they zeroed in on the changes from spring to summer and looked for specific areas to work on.
What are they trying to adjust?
“One of the big things I’ve stressed to Will is his foundation, how important that is to playing quarterback,” Callahan said at the start of mandatory minicamp earlier this month. “It’s his ability to make plays on time and get the ball out quick.”
Callahan said Levis has always had a natural quick release, but they are working on consistently playing with a great base. Two areas of focus include more discipline in his footwork leading up to the base of the drop top and being able to take a shorter first step before the ball comes out. Strengthening his footwork and combining it with Levis’ already quick release should help him better time the system Callahan implements.
Callahan’s schemes feature a variety of offenses he’s been a part of, and an impressive list of quarterbacks. Levis watches cuts of Hall of Famers Peyton Manning, Matthew Stafford and Joe Burrow, all of whom have worked with Callahan over the years, and gets a visual sense of how playing with a good base can help play within the timing of an offense.
On the field, Hardigree spent the most time with Levis during OTAs and minicamp. He was a driving force in making sure targeting was right. Hardigree had quarterbacks throw a small bag to their feet to avoid getting in the way while throwing to their designated pass catcher.
“It’s really important for him to tie his lower body to the timing of the play and learn what the drops are and what movements are needed,” Hardigree said. “Some routes have certain concepts, so I’m practicing them.”
result Sometimes it shows — like the last OTA practice, when Levis connected with wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine for two touchdowns. But there’s room for improvement, like when Levis was late on what should have been an easy deep pass to Westbrook-Ikhine and Treylon Burks early in minicamp.
One of the things Callahan discovered was that Levis was “incredibly coachable.” Holz praised Levis for the way he took the suggestions to heart, showing how intentional he is to focus on specific adjustments the next time Levis is on the field.
But not all the changes come from the coaching staff alone. Callahan and Crews are proud to have Levis make an offer. This freedom allowed coaches to see how well-versed Levis was with his machine.
“He’s a guy who can feel it,” Hardigree said. “If a particular throw isn’t where he wants it to be or it’s not coming out on time, he gets immediate feedback.”
The sense of it all comes from the tremendous effort Levis has put in with Williams, his personal quarterback coach. The two first met when Levis was at Penn State (before transferring to Kentucky in 2021). Levis said he helped Williams develop from an arm thrower into a full-body passer.
“It’s a very different way of generating power, using the big, powerful muscles in your midsection, your hips, your core, your legs,” Williams said. “It’s more efficient, more precise, and you’ll have more power.”
#Titans QB Will Levis and QB Motion (a position-specific coaching service in Canada) have been working with a group of young QBs over the past few days. A lot of attention was paid to details. pic.twitter.com/S4OiUiGSvZ
—Turron Davenport (@TDavenport_NFL) May 12, 2024
Williams believes: He emphasizes footwork, helping quarterbacks find the most effective way to pass the ball in tight spaces with limited time, a skill he calls “rotational mechanics.”
A great example of the lower-body focus that Williams preaches was on display during a passing camp Levis collaborated with QB Motion in Nashville in the spring. The camp included a handful of high school quarterbacks, including Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula and former Georgia Tech signal caller Aiden Semo.
With Williams leading the way, the passer group spent much of the first session focused solely on building a solid foundation from feet to hips without the football in their hands. Almost two hours later they tried to throw the ball.
Callahan knows he won’t be able to coach Levis all year long, so he sees the benefit of having a personal coach. But it only works when everyone is on the same page. Titans personnel would relay goals to Williams via Levis.
“Will had done this before. He had never had direct communication with the coaches,” Williams said. “But when we called, he’d say, ‘Okay, we’re working on this footwork. Or they want me to narrow the base a little bit or shorten this step.'”
Williams then devises the most efficient way to carry out the mission, but from a kinematics perspective. For example, Williams has already worked with Levis to reduce the number of steps and “get more deceleration on the second step so that when you take the third and final step, your hips are loaded and you can easily shift your weight and get more into the throw.” I did.” The goal is to get things done at a faster and more efficient pace.
Williams plans to spend time in Nashville with Levi, and the two said they have also discussed flying to Vancouver, where Levi is based. When they are not together, they will have several passing sessions each week with Williams supervising Levis’ throwing moves via video cam.
Levis plans to get back to work with Williams after some time off with his family, and earlier this week he already began a break with the receivers in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
In his first year, Levis had 1,808 passing yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions in nine games. So the Titans and Levis know that their success depends largely on Levis taking a step in the right direction. If Williams gets his way, the steps will be much shorter but much more efficient.
