NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Cameron Ward dropped back and scanned the field searching for a target. Ward saw tight end David Martin-Robinson coming open toward the middle of the field, so he let it rip.
The pass never reached its intended destination. It was instead intercepted by veteran inside linebacker Cody Barton. That interception helped Ward learn a valuable lesson.
Defenders in the NFL will diagnose and react much faster at this level.
"I've got to continue to move 'backers with my eyes," Ward explained.
Had he done that on the interception, Barton likely wouldn't have been able to swoop in and pick off the pass. Barton saw Ward lock in on his tight end rather than looking elsewhere before working his way back to the intended target.
The closing speed is a lot different in the NFL, and there's a lot less margin for error.
"The safeties close down real hard on the digs, shallows," Ward said. "It's really just about being on time with myself and the receivers."
Ward said he also recognized the way extra speed on the perimeter impacts how much air he can put on deep throws. Titans coach Brian Callahan is challenging him to attack all areas of the field.
Defenders pick up tendencies quicker at this level. For instance, Ward had found a lot of success throwing to receivers between the hash marks early in OTAs and minicamp. Perhaps Ward's prettiest throw of OTAs and minicamp came on a seam route to fourth-round rookie tight end Gunnar Helm. The pass went between multiple defenders -- just over the shoulder of a linebacker into the tight end's hands.
Ward attempted a similar throw the next day, but it was intercepted.
"I'm sure in college, that was open and got completed," offensive coordinator Nick Holz said of the throw. "This time, there was a different result. And he's kind of like, 'Well, I used to do this and that.' Now he sees the speed of the game, how quick those windows are."
In addition to the speed of the game, there are differences in the field spacing. College quarterbacks must adjust to the new spacing for the hash marks. In the NFL, hash marks are closer to the center of the field, at 18 feet 6 inches apart. In college, they are wider, set at 40 feet apart.
Ward said one of his biggest transitions has been getting used to the more condensed spacing from the different dimensions for the hash marks. At the NFL level, they're 70 feet and 9 inches from the sidelines, compared to just 60 feet from the boundary in the college game.
The narrower hashmarks in the NFL mean that plays are more often spotted near the center of the field. The wider hash marks in college allow for more varied offensive formations and can make it easier to spread out the defense.
"You come from college and you just feel like the wide field is so far out there," Holz said. "You get all these boundary pressures all the time. All the field pressures in college, you can kind of see them from a mile away. In the NFL, the ball is pretty much in the middle of the field."
That's not to say Ward hasn't already seen his share of pressures during minicamp. As the Titans progressed to third-down and red zone periods, defensive coordinator Dennard Wilson was given the green light to dial up more blitzes against Ward. There was no telling where the pressure was coming from on any given play. Sometimes it was the cornerback coming from over top of the receiver, other times it was the safety, and then there were the inside linebackers.
The range of blitz packages requires various ways to handle them, which was yet another thing Ward had to adjust to. Ward made sure to put in extra time learning the different protections from five-man to six-man to maximum protection.
The fruit of the work came to light on a snap during team period when Ward recognized where the pressure was coming from and checked to a different protection to block it up. But what was even more impressive was how Ward deciphered how the pressure was going to lead to single coverage on Calvin Ridley. Ward signaled Ridley to run a post route and threw a dime to the speedy receiver for a touchdown.
There will undoubtedly be bumps and bruises as Ward gets acclimated to the NFL, but to help ease his transition, Callahan's working to incorporate a lot of the concepts Ward executed in college.
Judging from Callahan's reaction at the end of minicamp, Ward is coming along just fine.
"He's gotten better every time he stepped out," Callahan said. "In every situation, a lot of things are new, and every time he did it again or had an opportunity to see the rep again, he did a nice job of taking the coaching points and improving on the next time out."
The next step is doing it all when the pads come on during training camp, especially in joint practices with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons.
