After Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Malik Willis made his NFL preseason debut on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens, he was not shy about criticizing his own game.
Willis finished the game completing 6-of-11 passes for 107 yards. He also had five carries for 38 yards with a 7-yard touchdown and impressed the NFL world with his running ability.
It was a fine debut. However, the rookie quarterback admitted after the game “missed some things,” and relied on his athleticism more than he should have.
“I just made up for it with my legs. Can’t continue to rely on that, though,” Willis said, according to Pro Football Talk. “But that’s what the preseason is for — so you can just see those things against a live defense, one we hadn’t played before.”
Even though he might have run the ball a little more than he wanted to, Willis did reveal that he wasn’t predetermining his reads or decisions before the ball was snapped.
“I mean, all you do is go out there and play the game,” Willis said. “You don’t have a play like, ‘I have to pass the ball this play. I have to run the ball this play.’ You just play the game. I probably ran it a little more than I threw it tonight. That’s why we’ve got to look at film. But I don’t know. We’ll see on film.”
Even though it wasn’t a perfect debut, Willis is still just a rookie playing his first NFL preseason action. There is plenty of time for him to improve.
