EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- After Robert Saleh was hired to be the next coach of the Tennessee Titans in January, his first move was to hire Brian Daboll to run the offense. Now he's hoping to tap into Daboll's documented success with quarterbacks, and the early returns were on display last week when the team opened up OTAs.Saleh knows having the right quarterback and offensive coordinator pairing is critical, and the Titans will be in great shape if Daboll can find the degree of success in Tennessee with second-year quarterback Cam Ward that he had as the offensive coordinator of the Buffalo Bills, where he helped plant the seeds for the growth of Josh Allen to help him become a perennial MVP candidate.There's already something to build on after Ward ended his rookie season trending upward by passing for 10 of his 15 touchdowns over the last eight games despite suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder on the opening drive of the season finale. Ward has since resumed throwing and has been a full participant in OTAs up to this point, and the two have gotten off to a good start."It's been great," Saleh said. "Right now, things are good. Everyone's receptive. Everyone's paying attention, and there's a lot of good dialogue, and right now is a great opportunity to build trust. There'll be bumps in the road, and it'll be exciting to see how those interactions take place when that happens."A good example played out during the first OTAs available for the media when Ward threaded a pass to tight end Gunnar Helm during a two-minute team period. Ward and the offense celebrated, but Daboll's reaction was quite different. He implored the group to stop celebrating and get on the ball because they were working on their hurry-up offense.Two plays later, Ward found rookie wideout Carnell Tate open across the middle on a play Daboll designed to free up space for an easy pitch and catch that appeared to be a touchdown. Daboll wanted more, so he instructed the officials to mark the play short of the end zone. It gave Ward another chance to execute a play inside the 10-yard line, and the second-year quarterback went to Tate once again, this time clearly in the back of the end zone -- where he snatched the ball out of the air over veteran cornerback Joshua Williams.The Titans scored touchdowns on 68% of their visits inside the 10-yard line last season, placing them 25th in the league. So, it's one of many areas Tennessee will look to Daboll to provide improvement this season.Ward jogged off the field toward Daboll, who simply nodded his head in a manner that read, "I told you!" That exchange exemplified the range of emotions Daboll and Ward are bound to experience on game days."He's going to put us all in great situations," Ward said. "I think he's a perfect fit. He's going to put the ball in my hands as much as he needs to. He believes in not only myself, but the playmakers I have around me, and the O-line to protect. He just wants to put the ball in the end zone and score a lot of points."Ward said they discussed some of the things Daboll did with Allen in the past. But it doesn't stop there. He mixes in some of the things he learned from working with Hall of Famers Brett Favre and Tom Brady. Whether it's an established veteran or a rookie such as New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dart last season, Daboll's formula for getting the most out of his QB boils down to a process."Every situation is unique," Daboll said during his introductory news conference. "The most important thing is to first develop the relationship with the young man. Then, get a feel for how he's seeing the game. I always like to see the game through the quarterback's eyes. That communication is really important."Daboll said it's easy to ask the quarterback, "What the hell did you do that for?" when a mistake happens. But in his opinion, the growth comes from talking through plays with a fine-toothed comb and ironing out the details, something he and Ward have already started doing."When we're watching the tape, he's able to communicate the things that he sees," Daboll said. "He can explain why he did certain things when we watched the tape from last year."In their time in the film room, they have taken on the task of mirroring their desires to see the game through each other's eyes."The biggest thing that I'm trying to do is get better and see the offensive call from a playcaller standpoint and why he's calling the play," Ward said. "Whether it's first or second down, try to see where his mindset is. It's been going good so far."It's no secret the Giants made a push to trade up to the No. 1 spot to get Ward last year when Daboll was the coach. Daboll watched all of Ward's college plays leading up to the draft. The two had a series of touchpoints ranging from Ward's workout at Miami to a visit at the Giants' facility.New York's interest in Ward was fueled mostly by Daboll's desire to work with him. Daboll loved Ward's athleticism, accuracy, and his unique ability to turn broken plays into positive yardage. He was drawn to Ward's "moxie and physical toughness." Ward's football intelligence also stood out.One year later, Daboll is delighted to have the opportunity to work with Ward in Tennessee. It's why, despite other opportunities, Daboll wanted to be the Titans' offensive coordinator. His initial focus is on finding what concepts Ward is most comfortable with and making them a firm part of the offense.Understanding why Ward likes certain route combos, etc., will allow Daboll to construct an offense that maximizes his talent. They hope adding Tate with the No. 4 pick in the draft in April and veteran free agent receiver Wan'Dale Robinson in March will bring the offense to life. But ultimately, the Titans' success on offense comes down to how well Ward and Daboll work with each other."He's a young professional that wants to be great," Daboll said. "When we're installing the new system to him right now, concepts and things like that, he picks it up very quickly. It's been awesome to work with him and the rest of the quarterbacks that are in that room."
