NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A number of Tennessee Titans players expressed their frustration in the locker room after the team's 20-17 loss to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, but veteran wide receiver Calvin Ridley's frustration rang the loudest.
"This s--- is getting crazy," Ridley said after the game. "I sucked today and got to do better. But I got to get the ball a little earlier so I can be in the game and here with the team and play well also."
On Monday, Titans coach Brian Callahan said there were plays called to get Ridley the ball early, but with those plays not working out, he understood the star wide receiver's frustration.
"I love his passion," Callahan said. "I know Calvin wants to win. Calvin is not the first one to know that he wants to get in a rhythm, and he certainly won't be the last."
Ridley went without a catch despite being targeted eight times against Indianapolis. Five of Ridley's targets came in the fourth quarter after the Colts scored the go-ahead touchdown with a little over seven minutes left in the game.
It was the third one-score loss for the Titans this season and each of those losses came with the opposing team taking a lead in the fourth quarter.
"Man, we got to stop shooting ourselves in the foot," Titans team captain Jeffery Simmons said. "I'm tired of coming to you guys saying the same stuff every week. It's frustrating as hell because I know how hard we work and that we can be a good team."
Callahan said he has no issue with the players expressing their frustration and doesn't believe the locker room is unraveling despite their disappointing start to the season.
"Frustration after a loss is normal," Callahan said. "It means the guys care; it means that they want to win. That means that the guys are passionate about what they're doing and that they want the result to be different."
The Titans are now 1-4 with trips to Buffalo and Detroit in the coming weeks. If they don't show immediate improvement, they could easily fall to 1-6.