Cam Ward - Press Conference, titans Event: Press Conference | Date: 2026-09-09 | Full transcript (primary source).
Cam Ward addressed the media during a press conference for the Tennessee Titans on September 9, 2026. This event marks the team's preparations as they head into the new NFL season, with Ward discussing his growth and readiness for the challenges ahead.
Transcript
Ward: I liked it. I liked it. We see they played the stadium this week. You got to tell them to do it. I'm fine.
Ward: What's the biggest difference, Cam Ward here, going into year one, Cam Ward going into year two? I think more prepared early in the week that Coach Daze and Coach Shadd has helped me with. You know, already knowing, you know, the idea of what we have going to the game, what we think they're going to run. You also got to be, you know, you got to be able to see stuff post nap because it's week one, they can do any type of blitz, any type of coverage they want. So I think, I think we're very prepared. So I think we're, you know, we're ready to set the challenge.
Ward: How about you broadly as a football player? I think I'm way more, you know, noble, way more, you know, intelligent in terms of the NFL game. I think playing on time is a, is a, is a big factor in us being successful on offense. So, you know, I think the, the more I can do that is going to put, you know, myself and the offense is a better situation.
Ward: How excited are you to manage the game, to not have pre-step penalties, to make sure that you don't have to burn timeouts to get a play in, those sorts of things that keep you in manageable balance distance? It's very important. The best teams in the NFL, they keep all through the timeouts. And for, for us, you know, for myself and offensive line, the whole, the whole unit as a, as a whole, you know, we have to, you know, limit the pre-snap penalties. We weren't, you know, that wasn't a strong suit of ours last year, but we've definitely grown in that aspect. That's one thing that can't, you know, beat us, you know, if, you know, we want to win, we got to stop ourselves, you know, from beating ourselves first, you know, just continue to put, you know, nice aggressive drives, whether it's run the ball, throw the football, and then put some points on the board to help the defense.
Ward: What kind of idea of being a game manager? Sometimes it gets a negative connotation, but, you know, playing well enough to win the game or not, well enough not to lose it is a positive thing. What's your take on the idea of being a game manager, and how much do you want to do that for this offense? You have to be a game manager for at least 60 to 70 percent of the time. You got to be able to play on time, whether that's, you know, hitting the deep route, hitting the intermediate game, or taking the check down. All of it plays a factor into, you know, playing in the green, playing in, you know, and what we call, you know, our, you know, domain where we can run anything we want. We don't have to be pass heavy or true run heavy. And it's going to be able to help us be successful. It's going to be able to help me be successful. And the game manager part is, it's a big reason of, it's a big part of every quarterback's job because, you know, they have to continue to, you know, take what the defense gives them and not try to live for the big play. That's something that I've grown and gotten better at. And it's something that, you know, I'm going to continue to, you know, strive for and be better at.
Ward: How excited are you, Cam? I guess to get going, maybe how confident are you in the work you put in and how things are going to go, son? I'm really excited, excited for everything to, you know, continue to pay off each and every day for us. It's an opportunity that, you know, we get to have as a whole, you know, it's basically a whole new team. Be able to, you know, get a good environment out there in Nissan. Have a lot of fans out there, you know, try to get a win for them.
Ward: Cam, how do you balance playing mistake free but also continuing to play loose, too? It's easy, continue to play at the same mindset each and every play. Just got to know when and when to turn the switch on and off. You got to continue to, you know, be more of team oriented than more of trying to make a play. But it's easy, it's continued to, you know, practice and make that the game. Like it's always been for us this whole training camp and continue to, you know, have some good plays.
Ward: Your teammates have said you feel, you've seen more comfortable being yourself this year. Where does that come from? What makes you more comfortable playing like yourself? I think the building, they've allowed me to, you know, be myself from upstairs, downstairs. The new system that we're in is more of my style. Coach Davis has a big part of that. And I think the entire, you know, offensive and defensive staff, they don't, you know, try to change the person or anything. They just want you to be yourself. And, you know, they try to, you know, continuously motivate you and get you ways that's going to help you and the team. But at the end of the day, I think the best thing about, you know, us is our building that, you know, we see, you know, the truant people and, you know, what we all want to do to win.
Ward: Specifically with Dave's camp, what is showing you that that relationship is where it needs to be starting this season? I think it shows since he first got here, not a lot of coaches would give a young quarterback the input that he gives me in this offense. And so, for me, that's all I need, you know. Dave's, if he wanted to play a game each and every week, you know, we all strap up our pads on offense and we go play a game, you know, each and every day of the week. And so, he's a great leader. He's a great offensive mind. He's a great play caller. And, you know, he's fun to be around because, you know, he never lets us, you know, get too high, never lets us get too low. But, you know, he always keeps it, you know, real with us. And, you know, he wants his best for, you know, the team and, you know, us individuals.
Ward: They want to win every week. But how important is it to get a win in week one and kind of start the season off on the right part? Oh, very important. So, one chance you go one and no. So, you know, it's the only chance that we'll get to go one and no. And so, you know, we have to do what we, you know, can to limit the bad plays and, you know, maximize all the good plays. It's going to be bad plays here and there. But I think the more we can be, you know, from my job protecting the ball, defense getting stops for us, you know, making some nice three downs and us, you know, capitalizing, you know, off that, you know, I think it'll lead to a win.
Ward: How has this been pretty brutal out here? Do you think that gives you an advantage on Sunday? Oh, for sure. And they probably got a lot of, you know, boys from the south who dealt with heat. But, I mean, it's hot down here. And especially being on that turf at Nissan, they're going to be easy. So, you know, we're going to have to be hydrated. Hydrated they are. But it's going to be a good environment, though.
Ward: How much do you think it means to camp huge in the players that this is Coach Thomas's performance team? Well, it means everything to us. We want to win, not only for, you know, ourselves and the culture that we're setting, but we want to win for him, too. You know, not a lot of coaches, you know, coach the style that he coaches with. He's very straight to the point. And, you know, this is a big opportunity for all of us. We get to go, you know, show, you know, the new tight ends, you know, what we're about, the physicality, the fast, the violent that we continue to preach each and every day. And, I mean, I'm happy to be a part of it. I'm happy to be, you know, a key, you know, factor in whether we want to lose a game. And, you know, continue to, you know, help my teammates and, you know, the whole building, you know, try to win each and every week.
Ward: How much do you welcome and want man coverage? What kind of advantages does that give you and how good do you think your receivers are against it? We live for it. It makes, you know, my job easier. It makes their job easier. All you got to do is be the person in front of them. And, you know, you can't hide from it. It's going to be somebody you'll face. And they may play off of you, man, coverage. At the end of the day, you know, they have to get open. I also got to throw them accurate footballs to, you know, when they're not as open, throw them open. So it's both sides. So we just got to, you know, continue to see the same things out of our eyes. We're watching film on them and connecting the game.
Ward: What do you expect from these Jets? I expect a lot of, I would say a lot of physicalness. I think they're very physical up front. They're the new secondary that is very good at Minka and Cisco back there. We got a very, very good linebacker, Davis, his true vet. And I played against, you know, one of the guys out there back in college. So, you know, they're very good. They're a young team, you know, as well. But it's game one for them. You know, they're looking to come in here and win. And, you know, we just got to, you know, make sure that, you know, we play our best ball to win a game.
Ward: Can you talk a little bit more? You talked a lot about Sam on schedule. Obviously, last year's coaches preached that a bunch too. What's kind of making it stick or what's kind of making it come through easier this year than maybe it would last year? I just think the more emphasis on it, more emphasis on it from my room in particular, from myself as being a better quarterback. And I think we're allowed to get in the rhythm more in early games, whether it's practice, whether it's in the preseason games. I think we're able to get in the rhythm. And once we get in the rhythm, it's hard to get us out of it.
Ward: What do you mean more emphasis? How is it being emphasized? Continue to learn situationally football. First and 10, trying to, you know, at least get five yards, trying to stay out of second to nine, second to eight, just trying to at least, you know, try to gain, you know, four to five yards each and every play.
Ward: Cam, as Paul said, considering what happened last year with the Jets, they've probably been working on takeaways all off season. How much more of an emphasis to maybe fall as a carry-on this week? Very big. It's going to be the reason we win or lose a game in every NFL game, whether it's interceptions, fumbles, anything. The ball, you know, from my half, the receivers, the running backs, you know, the ball can't be on the ground. It's something that, you know, we go over each and every day, not just during this week. And, you know, I mean, I'm excited. You know, you get a chance to, you know, go out there with, you know, new teammates, new guys on the back end on defense, new guy, a couple new guys up front. And, you know, everybody can see all their hard work pay off, and we all get a chance to, you know, express ourselves the ways that we know how to on the football field, cause all the lessons be us when we're on the field, when we're in between those lines. And it's something that, you know, I've been looking forward to, you know, for a little while now.
Ward: You looking forward to seeing Meatloaf? Who's Meatloaf? Andre. He gonna be fired up. You know, we gonna be ready. But, I mean, he's a great player. He can really push the pocket back. So, you know, I think for us, you know, it'd be us containing that. And then me, when he does give me a rush lane, you know, whether if I want to get up in the pocket or get out in the pocket. So you didn't call him Meatloaf, then? No, I ain't calling him Meatloaf.
