Titans HC Wants Cam Ward to Grow Up

In this story:
Tennessee Titans rookie Cam Ward is one of the youngest quarterbacks in the league this season, so his age and inexperience has shown sometimes.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan is navigating Ward's growing pains as the team tries to win its first game of the season.
"He's still a young player," Callahan said of Ward via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "He's the number one overall pick. He's a face of a franchise, if you will. He's got high expectations for himself. We have high expectations around him. We all want to meet those. His ability to be in that spotlight in that moment I think is a growing process for him. I think he's growing up. I think he's starting to understand the weight of his words.
"What those things mean when he speaks and everyone's listening and watching. Even though he follows up the commentary with a lot of the right things, it's the one-liner that gets taken. He's learning how to deal with you guys and how to understand how to have those conversations and still maintain the image that he wants to maintain as a starting quarterback. Growing up is not always easy. I think there's some things that he's learning along the way just like we all do."

Ward has been dealt a difficult hand to start his NFL career, losing his first four games by a combined 69 points, including a 26-0 rout against the Houston Texans in Week 4.
Ward was disappointed after the loss to the Texans, expressing his frustration in a postgame press conference. However, it's time to turn the next page so that the Titans can get back on track in Week 5 against the Arizona Cardinals.
In order for the Titans to grab their first win, Ward will have to bounce back and lead the team to victory. The Titans will follow his lead, so Ward needs to look towards himself to be the change he wishes to see in the team.
If Ward can do that, the Titans may leave the desert with their first win of the season.

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several On SI sites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid and resides in Central Florida. He graduated from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener.