Will Levis didn't need Brian Callahan to inform him that he made a carless decision during the Titans' eventual Week 2 loss to the Jets. Levis, though, took Callahan's yelling in stride while reiterating the fact that he needs to make better decisions moving forward.
Callahan ripped into his young quarterback immediately after he threw an errant pass to teammate Tyjae Spears that resulted in a costly fumble in what was an eventual 24-17 loss. The Titans' first-year coach called the decision "dumb" during his postgame press conference.
"He told us straight off, he's not a yeller and screamer, but he can be and there's certain situations that allow for that, and that definitely was one of those situations," Levis said, via Pro Football Talk. "I didn't bat an eye at it. I took the coaching.
"I was yelling at myself in my head the same way he was yelling at me. I know it's an emotional response that we all have after things like that. We were right back to it, and he had confidence in me on the next play taking that shot. That was cool to feel, coming back on the field after that turnover, even though we had another one after that. I don't have any problem with how he handled himself."
Levis' risk-taking approach is a double-edged sword. While it can result in some big plays, it can also lead to costly mistakes. His penchant for turning the ball over in college was surely a reason why he wasn't picked earlier before the Titans grabbed him with the 33rd pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Levis, during an interview earlier this year with CBS Sports, acknowledged that he could be considered a gunslinger in the same vein as Hall of Famer Brett Favre.
"I think in my definition of it," Levis said at the time. "But I think a lot of people, when they hear gunslinger, they think about recklessness. I definitely feel like I was a little too reckless in my college career and tried to make some throws that I would want to take back. I changed that mentality a bit in my play last year. Just realizing at the level that I was playing at where I had to be that much more careful with the ball. I was proud of how I was able to protect it a little more than I did in my college years."
In that same interview, Levis said that the goal for the 2024 Titans is to make "a playoff run." For that to happen, though, Levis will have to take better care of the ball after throwing three picks and fumbling twice in the Titans' first two games.
Ironically, Levis' first shot at redemption will likely come against Malik Willis, his former teammate who is currently filling in as the Packers' starting quarterback with Jordan Love injured. Tennessee (0-2) is hosting Green Bay (1-1) this Sunday.