Subscribe
Follow Us
Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis knows how to keep a positive frame of mind despite dealing with adversity in the social media age. The 25-year-old quarterback has had an up-and-down campaign in his second NFL season. He's had some highlights, including his 278-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 32-27 win over the Houston Texans in Week 12. However, he's had some lowlights, including his four-turnover outing in the Titans 37-27 Week 15 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals that has since led to his benching.
With that being said, Levis knows how to keep a balanced mindset, and he recently detailed his technique in dealing with negativity on social media.
“On social media, I'm aversive to anything that comes my way,” says Levis in a one-on-one interview on behalf of his partnership with Optimum Nutrition. “It's because it's so easy for people to reach you with notifications. I've found a good method over the past few years of just being able to glaze over things and not really pay mind to what people have to say.”
Levis also attributes his positive frame of mind — regardless of performance — due to keeping his “circle tight.”
“Keeping your circle tight and really understanding the people in your life who actually matter and whose opinions you should value,” says Levis. “That's really important because at the end of the day, no one else does.”
The Titans are reportedly planning to bench Levis for backup Mason Rudolph entering their Week 16 game against the Indianapolis Colts, according to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Rudolph relieved Levis in the third quarter of their loss to the Bengals and finished with 209 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception to go along with an 80.8% completion rate and 109.8 passer rating.
Levis certainly has the look of a franchise quarterback at 6-foot-4 and 230 pounds. He also has solid mobility and a strong arm that made him a candidate to get selected in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
However, turnovers and pick-sixes (he has four on the year, which is the most in the NFL) have been a major issue early on in Levis' career. The young quarterback acknowledges that learning two different offensive systems in two years has been a challenge. However, he downplayed the difference in current head coach Brian Callahan and former coach Mike Vrabel's coaching styles, saying that he's learned a lot and responds well to both of them.
“There isn't anything that I can point to that's glaring,” says Levis when asked about the difference in coaching styles. “I respond to a bunch of different coaching styles. Obviously, I have different head coaches that have different styles of coaching. They both have their own things and I respond really well to both of them. That's all I can really say about that.”
The one difference Levis points to is that Callahan is more involved in the offensive meetings than the defensive-minded Vrabel. Levis mentions that his relationship with Callahan is “great” and continues to grow throughout their first season together. The 40-year-old Callahan served as the offensive coordinator for the Bengals over the past five seasons, coaching Joe Burrow and helping lead Cincinnati to a Super Bowl appearance in 2021.
“It's cool seeing a head coach go up there and install an offensive unit for that week,” says Levis of Callahan's contributions to the offensive game plan. “It's cool having a guy with so much experience and a great offensive mind like that leading the charge.”
It'll be interesting to see where the Titans go with Levis moving forward, but he stresses that he wants to continue to get better and help Tennessee improve as a team entering next season.
For now though, the Titans may be giving Levis a chance to reset by moving forward with Rudolph as the starter for the remainder of the season.
