NASHVILLE, Tenn. — After Robert Saleh was hired as Tennessee’s coach in January, his first move was to hire Brian Daboll to run the offense, and early returns showed up during the team’s first OTAs available to the media. Saleh said he hopes to tap into Daboll’s documented success with quarterbacks; Daboll previously was Buffalo’s offensive coordinator, where he helped plant the seeds for Josh Allen’s growth into a perennial MVP candidate.
Second-year quarterback Cam Ward ended his rookie season trending upward, passing for 10 of his 15 touchdowns over the final eight games despite suffering an injury to his throwing shoulder on the opening drive of the season finale. Ward has since resumed throwing and has been a full participant in OTAs. “Right now, things are good. Everyone’s receptive. Everyone’s paying attention, and there’s a lot of good dialogue, and right now is a great opportunity to build trust,” Saleh said.
One OTAs sequence illustrated the new staff’s emphasis on detail. During a two-minute team period Ward threaded a pass to tight end Gunnar Helm. Daboll called for the group to stop celebrating and focus on the hurry-up. Two plays later Ward found rookie Carnell Tate across the middle on a play Daboll said was designed to create space for an easy pitch-and-catch that appeared to be a touchdown. Daboll instructed officials to mark the play short of the end zone to create another chance, and Ward threw to Tate again in the back of the end zone, where he caught the ball over veteran cornerback Joshua Williams.
Tennessee scored touchdowns on 68 percent of its visits inside the 10-yard line last season, 25th in the league, a situational area the staff will look to improve. Ward summed up the early working relationship with Daboll: “He’s going to put us all in great situations. I think he’s a perfect fit. He’s going to put the ball in my hands as much as he needs to. He believes in not only myself, but the playmakers I have around me, and the O-line to protect. He just wants to put the ball in the end zone and score a lot of points.” Ward said they discussed some of what Daboll did with Allen.
Daboll described his approach as a process at his introductory news conference. “Every situation is unique,” he said. “The most important thing is to first develop the relationship with the young man. Then, get a feel for how he’s seeing the game. I always like to see the game through the quarterback’s eyes. That communication is really important.” Daboll added that growth comes from talking through plays “with a fine-toothed comb and ironing out the details.”
