George Walker IV / USA Today Network
Will Too Many Turnovers Cost Woodside the No. 2 Job?
NASHVILLE – One of the Tennessee Titans’ biggest training-camp questions has been whether rookie Malik Willis will be able to unseat Logan Woodside as the backup quarterback.
After two preseason games, another question must be asked: Is Woodside losing the No. 2 spot all by himself?
Willis, the third-round draft pick out of Liberty, has been predictably up-and-down against the Baltimore Ravens and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He has produced some splash plays and has missed open receivers, all while struggling to become more decisive when throwing from the pocket.
But if the thinking was that Woodside would shine comparatively because of his consistency and error-free football, it has not been the case.
In his two preseason appearances, the 2018 seventh-round pick out of Toledo has completed 21 of 35 passes for 158 yards and zero touchdowns. He’s thrown three interceptions, tied with Houston’s Jeff Driskel and Green Bay’s Jordan Love this preseason (through Saturday's contests). Driskel and Love, however, have also thrown three touchdown passes.
Thanks to those interceptions, Woodside’s quarterback rating is 35.2, lowest in the NFL among 36 qualifying quarterbacks.
“Coach [Mike] Vrabel harps on (turnovers) a ton, so yeah, it is a little bit frustrating,” Woodside said. “But (I’m) going to continue to let it rip, and try to make great decisions with the football and give our guys a chance, and I know they’ll come up with the next one.”
In Woodside’s defense, there was at least one contributing factor in the interception he threw against the Buccaneers on Saturday.
As Woodside prepared to deliver a pass deep down the left sideline to Treylon Burks, Tampa Bay defensive lineman Willington Previlon was a split-second away from smashing face-first into the quarterback. Woodside appeared to anticipate the hit, resulting in an underthrown pass that was picked off by Don Gardner.
“That’s not a very good job of protecting the guy with the ball,” Vrabel said. “We’re trying to take a shot to Treylon and he gets hit.”
Added Woodside: “I think it did (impact) a little bit. Obviously, I’m not going to make any excuses. Probably shouldn’t have thrown it. But I wanted to give Treylon a chance to make a play and unfortunately it was a turnover. … I pride myself personally on not turning the ball over, and that’s something I need to continue to get better at doing.”
Vrabel did praise Woodside’s overall decision-making, noting that Ryan Tannehill's understudy for the past two seasons recognized a zero-blitz by the Buccaneers on one play and connected with Reggie Roberson for a first down. On another play, Woodside smoothly went through his progression before he completed a throw to Roberson.
Overall, Woodside was seven-for-11 passing for 56 yards and an interception against Tampa Bay, posting a 38.4 quarterback rating. Hampered by a couple of penalties, the Titans under Woodside totaled five first downs on five drives, compared to nine first downs in eight drives for Willis.
“That (interception) aside, we moved the offense well,” Woodside. “Hung in there and made some throws and the offensive line did a great job. It’s just the penalties kind of hurt us. We start getting in the drive and have a penalty. That’s something we’ll clean up on tape, and I’m definitely excited for this week coming up.”
Woodside seemingly will need to offer more production and – even more importantly – fewer turnovers in the preseason finale Saturday against the Arizona Cardinals if he hopes to hang on to his spot behind Ryan Tannehill.
The Frankfort, Ky., native has managed to fight off the challenges of players like Trevor Siemian, Matt Barkley and DeShone Kizer over the past three seasons.
Will Willis’ potential – and Woodside’s sub-par play – change things this year?
“I try as much as I can not to worry about it,” Woodside said. “Just kind of focus on myself because in the past -- the whole immaturity back in the day -- I would worry about it, and it would get me all fired up.
“As I’ve gotten older, I’ve realized I control what I control. Malik’s been great. I’ve been trying to help him out as much as possible. He’s been great in the room, and we’re trying to push each other and get better.”
