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Brian Callahan laments Will Levis' costly 'dumb' fumble in Titans vs. Jets
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- Brian Callahan laments Will Levis' costly 'dumb' fumble in Titans vs. Jets
Will Levis squandered a chance to allow the Tennessee Titans to build a two-possession lead in the first quarter of Tennessee's Week 2 matchup against the New York Jets .
Levis faded back to pass on a third-and-goal from the Jets ' 6-yard line but tried to step up as the pocket collapsed. The second-year quarterback tripped over a Jets defender and tried to dump the ball off to running back Tyjae Spears while tumbling through the air.
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The problem? Levis threw the ball backward. Spears wasn't able to hold onto it, and the Jets managed to recover the loose ball, denying the Titans a chance at a chip-shot field goal.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan appeared irate with his second-year quarterback when shown on the broadcast following the gaffe. He continued to express his displeasure following Tennessee's 24-17 loss.
"I was upset. It was dumb," Callahan said when asked about Levis' fumble during a postgame news conference. "It was the same exact thing he did last week, and it cost us points in the red zone."
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Indeed, Levis had a similar mistake in the Titans' Week 1 loss to the Bears. He tried to throw a pass away late while under pressure but it was intercepted by Tyrique Stevenson . The Chicago cornerback returned for what ended up being a game-winning touchdown.
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Levis' mistake against the Jets came early enough that the Titans could have recovered, but Callahan was still annoyed his team didn't at least get a chance to attempt a lead-extending field goal.
"He's a grown up, and he knows better, so I was really irritated that it cost us three points in a game that we probably needed it," Callahan told reporters.
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Callahan further detailed that he didn't know what Levis saw on the play, as his quarterback "didn't have an answer" for what he saw immediately after the play.
The first-year coach also downplayed the back-and-forth he and Levis had after the turnover.
"He knows things happen in football games," Callahan said. "Good things, bad things. I'll get mad at him, and he'll get mad at me, and whatever. It's just the way it goes."
Still, the fumble seemed to stick in Callahan's head, but one particular bit of Levis' performance stuck with the rookie head coach:
"He did slide today, in case anybody cared about that."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Brian Callahan rips Will Levis' 'dumb' fumble in Titans-Jets game
