The Titans Think They Have It, Fans Think They Don't: Why the team can't yet prove what we're desperate to see in Cam Ward Era

The Titans Think They Have It, Fans Think They Don't: Why the team can't yet prove what we're desperate to see in Cam Ward Era originally appeared on A to Z Sports.What are the Tennessee Titans?Thats not the easiest question to answer these days.

But it sure is one Im regularly hearing people ask, myself included.

Often times, it feels like a teams stars define them.

Sometimes its a coach.

Sometimes its the teams perceived culture.

Sometimes (or as Ill argue later, all of the time) its a combination of these things.But the Titans roster of stars is currently in flux.

And everybody wants the coach to prove himself this year.

So that leaves us with culture.

What is the Titans culture?How The Titans Define CulturePerhaps the better question is simply: what is culture? Its such a popular buzzword we love to throw around, especially in the offseason.

What does it actually mean?Well I asked the Titans what the Titans think culture means.

I dont mean any one individual, I mean the organization.

And the Titans were kind enough to tell me.

Turns out, they know exactly what they think culture means.

Here it is, to the letter:Specific conditions that encourage growthAuthentic commitment to:Our missionOur teamOur teammatesOver the commitment to ourself.Culture is how we work together for a common goal & how we treat each other!Steve Kerr, Head Coach, Golden State Warriors:Culture is way more important than scheme.

Coaching is 20-30% strategy.

Everything else is about communication & what your players feel everyday when they come into the buildingWhat culture means to me is what the players feel when they enter the building everyday.

What do they experience? Whats the vibe in the building? What that is, thats the culture.A lot of that tracks with what we've heard and seen from the Titans all summer.

But that's an exact, cold, somewhat corporate definition.

It does a very good job of laying out exactly what a culture is, but what is this team's culture? I have a take on what it is...

or isn't...

and why it's hard to feel it so far.

But first, we turn to some of the players living it right now for their thoughts:Titans Players Describe Their CultureAfter Day 2 of joint practices in Atlanta, LB Cedric Gray had this to say as he reflected on the Titans preseason road trip:I think one of the biggest things that I love that (coach Callahan) is doing this year is really trying to establish a culture and a standard within our team.

Just the different things that he talks about in the team meetings, of what we're going to be about.

He talked about how this trip should bring us together.

This has been a 10 day trip.

We came straight from Tampa, straight here, so just trying to get everybody to build a culture and come closer together."Embracing the suck" in an effort to force togetherness and resilience has been a stated goal for Callahan on this trip, and it's one he said on Wednesday he feels they've accomplished.

Veteran EDGE Arden Key said with confidence after joint practices that he thinks this is a team closer to where they want to be than the Titans team he was on 365 days ago:I think we are farther where were at now than we were last year.

Were all locked-in on details...

We're a young team, so some of the stuff weve just gotta be consistent on coming in and having a good practice.

Being consistent in that.

But I think we're very close.But what do these veterans, who have spent time on other teams with much stronger and more established cultures, think about the process they're in the middle of to build a new one? What's the common thread? LB Cody Barton spent last season with the Broncos (who the Titans face in three short weeks) and told me the players have talked about this amongst themselves, and that the common thread is them:We've talked about this as groups in the past.

You know, one thing that we all have in common is all the stories is that its got to be player led.

There's trust between the teammates, there's that cohesiveness, that chemistry, that belief in each other.

And, you know, these are all things we've been building here, and we have that here, and weve just got to continue to grow that and cultivate that.So what does all this actually mean? We know that the team thinks culture means.

We have some progress reports from players.

We've even seen their team building on display during this road trip on players' social media accounts: goofy karaoke with passionate Arden Key dance moves, laser tag, and a river cruise dinner are just a few of the things that have been on the itinerary.

But when will it mean something to the fans at home? When will they see it impacting the football? When will the answer to "what are the Tennessee Titans" be easy to identify?How We Measure Culture As SpectatorsReady for an anticlimactic take to wrap this up? Culture doesn't reveal itself until stars emerge.

Whether its you quarterback, a collection of other players, your coach, or some combination therein: the people make up the team, and they make up the culture.

And for a team with so many young careers in key positions, unable to really prove themselves to us until September rolls around, this just isn't a question that can be answered in August.The prediction isn't all that hard: Cam Ward.

The hope is that Ward becomes everything to this team and it's fans.

I think in 2025, the offensive line can begin to establish themselves as an identity of this team as well.

Skoronski, Latham, and Moore are young enough and talented enough to form a foundation fans point to in the coming years.

The defensive line could theoretically extend that identity to more broadly be "the trenches", but that's only if Jeffery Simmons and T'Vondre Sweat solidify themselves as a star duo (sorry pass rush enjoyers, not happening this year).That identity, a culture of trench dominance, would be aligned with the timeline those in charge of this Titans rebuild intended.

A brief tease of some upcoming work: A handful of us covering the team in Atlanta met with assistant GM Dave Ziegler at the Titans hotel on Tuesday to get some answers on the record.

I spoke with Ziegler and President of Football Operations Chad Brinker off the record for a while afterwards.

I'll have a piece up on the front office's "Ideal Titans Roster" in the coming days, but the first step is being good in the trenches (and really, the first first step is to get a good offensive line somehow).Whatever this team is in 2025, it's being built now.

The coaches and players agree that serious progress is being made.

But teams with strong cultures, strong identities, aren't built in a day.

And sometimes the vision isn't reached without some serious ups and downs are endured.

That could easily be the case for this team.

The bottom line is that the Titans in 2025 will live and die by Cam Ward, and maybe by their trenches.

And until we reach September, I just don't think outside efforts to feel that in August are going to yield pleasing results.Related: "I think we stole him" QB Cam Ward props up Titans rookie as four pass catching targets the offense is feeding most emergeRelated: Titans Training Camp Notebook: The biggest reason for optimism after two days of joint practice vs falcons, road trip reviewThis story was originally reported by A to Z Sports on Aug 15, 2025, where it first appeared..

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