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.
“He’s so physically gifted and I think sometimes when you have those tools you can get away with things at the collegiate level, and I think he is starting to find out some of those tight-window throws, or if you’re a little bit late on something, you can’t necessarily just make up for it with ball speed. The DBs are going to close that window a little bit faster,” Downing explained, via Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“So, there’s a development there, right? And there’s a dependency on physical tools that sometimes needs to progress to more of the footwork and listening to your feet and letting your feet redirect your eyes and those kinds of things. But Malik is on a good trajectory. He’s had some learning experiences out there, but he’s a great kid with high character who comes in and wants to know the why and wants to understand what occurred with the mistakes. I’m excited about where he’s at.”
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.
Despite his need to improve in the aforementioned area, he feels he’s “light years” ahead of where he was upon being drafted.
“I’m light years ahead of where I was, but that’s just from my coaches and dedicating my time to study the situation,” Willis said. “That’s everything regarding my job description – operating the huddle, operating the line of scrimmage, all the plays and being comfortable with them.”
