Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Will Levis is like a lot of rookies in that he didn’t set the world on fire during his first week of Organized Team Activities with his new team.
But there is always more attention paid to the quarterback position than others on the field, and Levis also endured a surprising fall from first-round draft prospects to the 33rd overall pick at the top of the second round.
“I know I have more opportunities tomorrow and the next day, so I’m not going to beat myself up,” Levis said about the dismal performance, according to ESPN. “High standards is the name of the game. It’s not to beat yourself up. It’s to motivate you to go out there and perform to the best of your ability.”
But Levis has a high-profile defender in future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt. The former Houston Texans and Arizona Cardinals defensive end took to Twitter to defend the rookie quarterback from criticism.
“Rookie has a rough practice in his first week of OTAs.’ Yeah, that’s called being a rookie. It’s called the first week of OTAs,” Watt said in part in the video.
“I understand, this is a business. We’re paid millions of dollars, and you expect greatness right out of the gate out of every single guy, and you’re going to say, ‘Suck it up and deal with it.’ But let’s let guys develop,” Watt said.
Titans fans will no doubt hope Watt is right. But if Levis can’t right the ship before the season, he can expect even more criticism from his team’s fanbase.
[JJ Watt]