Titans coach Brian Callahan furious over ridiculous Will Levis substitution – ‘It was stupid’

The second year of the Will Levis era in Tennessee produces some early lows for the clip reel.

There was a moment of surrender in Week 1 after Levis threw a late pick-6 to secure a loss to the Chicago Bears.

Week 2 produced one of the worst turnovers of the early season, drawing the ire of head coach Brian Callahan from the sidelines. The Titans would eventually go 0-2, losing 24-17 to the visiting New York Jets.

With Levis’ Titans leading 7-0 in the second quarter, Tennessee threatened to take a two-score lead. Levis took a shotgun snap on third-and-goal from the 6-yard line.

Jets pass rushers applied pressure, and Levis stepped through the pocket to avoid a sack. But he stumbled — and then panicked. Falling to the turf, Levis threw a backward shovel pass to running back Tyjae Spears — a decision that, predictably, did not go well.

Spears couldn’t catch the live ball, which bounced off his hands and onto the turf. Jets linebacker Quincy Williams eventually retrieved it for a turnover.

CBS cameras then caught Callahan in what you might expect from the sidelines. Perhaps the most common guess among amateur lip readers as to what Callahan said to Levis was something like, “What the f*** are you doing?”

After the match, Callahan made no secret of his disappointment in his quarterback in his sophomore year, telling reporters“I was mad. It was stupid,” Callahan said. “It was the exact same thing he did last week and cost us points in the red zone.”

Levis could only look at the grass in response. What looked like a two-possession lead ended in a Jets victory. Fortunately for the Titans, New York did not score. The Jets’ ensuing drive ended in a three-and-out.

But on the next Titans play, Levis gave the ball away again. This time, he threw a deep ball into double coverage that cornerback Brandin Echols intercepted. And this time, the Jets converted, driving the ball 73 yards for a touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.