As Tennessee Titans quarterback Malik Willis takes part in a battle for the backup quarterback job with Logan Woodside in training camp, he’s also trying to get acclimated to the NFL game ahead of his first season.
Willis has been having an up-and-down camp thus far. While he has made some nice plays along the way, the rookie has also struggled, which is to be expected from a young signal-caller.
During his time in college, Willis was able to get away with things simply because of his physical gifts, but as offensive coordinator Todd Downing points out, the Liberty product won’t be able to do the same in the pros.
.@Titans OC Todd Downing: @malikwillis is physically gifted, and because of that you can get away with things in college. But windows are tighter in the NFL, and he’s learning that. He’s on a good trajectory.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) August 2, 2022
#Titans‘ Downing: Where Malik’s development will take off is when he starts to see things for a second or third time, gets more comfortable facing new challenges.
— John Glennon (@glennonsports) August 2, 2022
After practice, Willis spoke about how his mental processing is ahead of his footwork, making the latter even more of a point of emphasis for him.
“I’m processing faster than what I’m used to going within my footwork processing. I’m processing the information and knowing what I need to do, but in order to be on time and be able to throw with anticipation I need to help my feet get up with my processing abilities,” Willis explained, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport. “Knowing what to do but just getting the reps where you’re able to do it without thinking.”
And how does he accomplish that?
“Reps,” Willis answered.