Is Carnell Tate on a 'cold streak?' Cam Ward on why Titans rookie WR isn't catching balls
· Yahoo Sports
Carnell Tate didn't catch a pass in the Tennessee Titans' joint practice against the Seattle Seahawks.
He didn't catch a pass in the preseason opener against the San Francisco 49ers either. And he wasn't much of a factor in the joint practice against the 49ers. Throw in a practice missed with some "lower body stiffness" and it's fairly safe to say that Tate, the Titans' top-five pick and standout performer from early in the offseason, is experiencing his first real adversity as a professional.
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Well, scratch that. It's not safe to say that in front of Cam Ward.
"He doesn’t have a cold streak," the quarterback said, beginning a ringing endorsement of his new receiver. "He plays one of the hardest positions in sports. You’re either going to get the ball or not get the ball. He never shows that to the team whether he’s frustrated or not.
"The thing about Carnell, whether he has a drop or I have a bad pass, he never points fingers at nobody. He always comes back with a next-play mentality. I think the best thing about him is he wants the ball, so when the ball does get thrown his way, he’s urgent to it. He high-points it. There’s times where he bails me out when the ball needs to be better. He’s been great. He may not have had the splash plays like he always does today, but he’s going to be a key reason why we’re successful on offense."
The Titans host the Seahawks at 7 p.m. CT on Sunday (WZTV-17 FOX)
Ward targeted Tate just two times in the Aug. 21 practice against Seattle by The Tennessean's count. One of those targets was an attempt over the middle where Tate and Ward weren't on the same page and the ball was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. After practice, Ward explained that he needs to do a better job of reading coverages after turning his head quickly late in a progression, but he and Tate can also learn from the moment by perhaps agreeing for Tate to break of his route at a sharper angle in the future to wiggle open more freely.
Ward finished his day 20-of-26 passing with a pair of touchdowns in team drills, so it's not as if the Titans had trouble moving the ball. But by Ward's own admission, the plan revolved more around dinks, dunks and quick throws to counter against Seattle's defense that makes it so difficult to hunt for explosive plays.
That left Tate empty on the scoreboard for the second time in as many weeks against another opponent, but Ward isn't concerned.
"He can’t control where I put the ball each and every play," Ward said. "But he can control how fast he plays, how much violence he plays with and just the urgency that he has getting in and out of the huddle and running his routes. He’s been doing all that. We’re going to continue to find ways to get him the ball, but 14 he’s going to be a playmaker for sure."
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at [email protected]. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Is Carnell Tate on a 'cold streak?' Cam Ward on why Titans rookie WR isn't catching balls