With another Ryan Tannehill injury, Tennessee Titans confident Malik Willis has improved
It's deja vu all over again for Ryan Tannehill, Malik Willis and the Tennessee Titans.
The Titans (7-7) host the Houston Texans (1-12-1) on Saturday (noon, CBS) with the same quarterback uncertainty they had nine weeks ago the last time they faced the Texans. Tannehill is dealing with the same right ankle injury that kept him out for the game in Houston. Willis, the rookie backup, is once again preparing as if he'll start, even though Tannehill hasn't been ruled out and coach Mike Vrabel said the veteran will start if he can.
Tannehill might be able to play. Willis might have to play. Vrabel and the Titans juggled this quandry and won 17-10 on Oct. 30. The difference this time is, Willis has the experience he didn't have two months ago.
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"I've seen a lot of maturity and growth, seen the way that his reps are coming in our show team and trying to get him to act like the starting quarterback and lead that unit and communicate our language, the call that's on the card, the operation, the snap count, the cadence, whether we go on the ball the next play," Vrabel said. "All those looks that we try to give him, I've seen a lot of maturity and growth in that regard."
Willis was hardly inspiring in his two midseason starts. He completed 11 of 26 pass attempts for 135 yards with no touchdowns and an interception and added 13 carries for 52 yards. In the win over the Texans, Willis only attempted one pass in the second half, and he threw it away. Across those two games, Willis led 10 drives that failed to convert even one first down.
Vrabel is seeing growth in practice, however, and it's starting to translate a little bit in games. Willis played one drive in Sunday's loss to the Chargers. He completed 3 of 4 passes for 20 yards and scrambled once for 8 yards and a first down before sliding safely. Vrabel complimented how decisive Willis was on the possession.
But Willis' exposure against the Chargers was short. Tannehill came back from the locker room and played the final three quarters with a taped-up ankle. He led a game-tying drive in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, going 6-for-6 with 54 passing yards and sneaking up the middle for a 1-yard touchdown.
Playing through an injury is tough, and Vrabel said no one should ever question Tannehill's toughness. But in some ways, it's easier to play through an injury that happens in-game than it is to play a week after the injury occurs.
"You see guys kind of come back and finish, there's adrenaline and there's a lot of things that go into trying to go back out there and allowing a player to finish," Vrabel said. "Then I think there's a lot of trauma that happens. You're talking about a shoulder or a hand or a wrist, or there's even things where a guy may leave the game and then the next day they wake up and they're like 'Holy... I didn't really feel that.' We've had cases of that that have happened. I think for those three hours, every athlete, especially football players, put their bodies through a lot. Sometimes those injuries come to light maybe a day or two after, especially the ones that have something happen and then go back in."
As Tannehill tries to push through, Willis has no choice but to prepare as both the starter and the backup. Titans cornerback Roger McCreary, who has known Willis since they were teammates at Auburn as underclassmen, is confident in Willis' ability to wear both hats.
"He tries to have a positive energy and tries to get better every day," McCreary said. "I promise you, he's the one who picks me up. So I feel like he's going to be good at the end because he pushes everything, works hard every day and I feel like he's a great team leader."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Tennessee Titans: Malik Willis improved with Ryan Tannehill hurt again
