Cam Ward didn’t dodge the question. Three days after the Tennessee Titans fell to 0-3 with a 12-7 loss to the New York Giants, the second-year quarterback was asked Wednesday how the people closest to him deal with messages from what one reporter called “so-called fans.” Ward kept his answer short and steady. “At the end of the day, people are weird,” Ward said. “They can say whatever they want.”
The question had real weight behind it. After Sunday’s loss, which ended with Ward’s interception in the end zone with 17 seconds left, his sister Chantel Ward said people had flooded her direct messages with “threats, hate, bullying, personal attacks,” according to Heavy. Ward said his family understands what comes with his job. “My family knows the position I’m in,” he said. “And they know what I wanted my whole life. They’re in this position as well with me.”
Cam Ward puts the focus back on football
Asked whether he ever tells people in his circle to leave it alone, Ward said, “For sure,” before explaining why the attacks sting. “It’s also an aspect of knowing for myself, but somebody else’s life,” he said. “Someone’s kid, or could be your brother, sister.” Ward said the only fix he controls is on the field. “You can never get too high, never get too low,” he said. “At the end of the day, you make plays on the football field, everything else handles itself.”
He was just as direct about his own play. Ward finished 23 of 36 for 181 yards with a touchdown pass and the late interception against the Giants, and the Titans had just 54 yards in the first half. “I just don’t think I played my best in critical situations,” Ward said. He leans on “my guys in the locker room” and “people in my circle” when the criticism builds, and he isn’t running from it. “I asked for this position,” he said. “It’s one of the best positions in the world. … I need to play better. We need to win more games.”
Head coach Robert Saleh has already said the Titans won’t bench Ward, and on Wednesday he said the quarterback’s footwork is holding up longer into games. The pressure on the offense won’t ease this week, with Derrick Henry and the Baltimore Ravens next on the schedule. Ward said he’s excited for the challenge, and after the week his family has had, a strong start would help quiet some of the noise.
