The Titans are attempting a franchise turnaround that requires a culture improvement, a process that was on display Monday when a scuffle broke out between the offense and defense.
Given time for tempers to cool, quarterback Cam Ward saw nothing but positives from the fracas.
"Jeff is strong as s---," Ward said Wednesday, via ESPN. "It was fun, and I think it was what we needed. We love competing, just with me and Jeff, and I'm excited to have that man as my teammate."
The skirmish broke out after the Ward-led Titans offense scored a touchdown in a red zone drill, with Ward celebrating and placing a hand on Pro Bowl defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons. That move irritated Simmons, who shoved Ward and sparked the conflict.
Simmons admitted afterward he should've kept his hands off the No. 1 pick in April's draft, but was encouraged by the offense's immediate defense of Ward.
"At the end of the day, you know can't touch a quarterback," Simmons said, via the Associated Press. "We at a joint practice and somebody touch our quarterback, trust me I'm going to be the first one in. So I respect the (expletive) out of the offense for having ... our quarterback back."
Monday's incident wasn't the first time Ward and Simmons traded some trash talk. The two have been chirping at each other for more than a month, with Ward quickly informing Simmons he wasn't afraid of his elder teammate by jawing with Simmons during mandatory minicamp.
That hasn't changed in the preseason.
"I get here, and he's damn near the first one I'm ready to talk s--- to," Ward said, via ESPN. "He's the first one that come at my head every day at practice."
With less than three weeks remaining until they take the field for the start of the regular season, the Titans know they'll need to approach each game with a chip on their shoulder. They're seen by some as an also-ran in the larger NFL landscape and that won't change until they start producing positive results.
The first step toward achieving that goal: adopting a scrappy mentality. Monday's incident proved they'll bring plenty of it in 2025.
