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NFL Takeaways: Cam Ward Will Get More Attention Soon
The No. 1 pick in the draft made the most of his first training camp. Plus, notes on Nick Sirianni, Joe Flacco, Michael Penix Jr., Pete Carroll and more.
What does matter is actually taking place at 5:30 a.m., most mornings, in the Titans’ facility. Back in June, we told the story of Ward holding these meetings for the rookie skill-position players, most prominently the team’s draft picks at receiver (Chimere ****, Elic Ayomanor), tight end (Gunnar Helm) and running back (Kalel Mullings). And those meetings, where Ward goes over the day’s practice script and the guys watch film together, are still going.
“To his credit, I’ve seen players come in during the offseason, in the spring, and they’re all gung ho—I’m gonna do this, and I’m gonna be here until eight o’clock,” Titans coach Brian Callahan told me. “And it lasts for a little bit. And, sometimes, it definitely falls away, and by the time you get to training camp, they’re right back in the normal routine like most players are. But Cam’s been impressive—he hasn’t. He hasn’t changed, and he probably never will.
“That’s just who he is. And that’s always cool when you can say, O.K., this is for real, this is who he is, it’s not an act, this is just his process. For a player his age to have a routine and a process that he sticks to is also impressive. A lot of guys are trying to figure it out—they’re trying to figure out what it looks like for them, and Cam very much already knows what it is.”
