Malik Willis dodges obvious bulletin-board bait ahead of Packers-Titans

The Green Bay Packers will visit the Tennessee Titans this Sunday. On the surface, it's not exactly must-watch television. Jordan Love's availability is still questionable at best and Tennessee's entertainment value through two weeks has been rooted primarily in Will Levis' penchant for uniquely catastrophic turnovers.

That said, we could be in store for a classic revenge game. Malik Willis was dealt from Tennessee to Green Bay weeks before the season after Mason Rudolph won the Titans' backup QB job in camp (he's about to win the starting job at this rate). As fate would have it, Jordan Love is on the mend for Green Bay, which elevates Willis from backup to temporary starter.

Now, there's an outside chance that Love plays and we don't get this fun, fringe storyline to follow. But, assuming that Green Bay takes the patient approach with its franchise quarterback, we should see Willis on the road against an imminently beatable Titans defense. After spending most of his first two seasons tethered to the bench on game days, one has to imagine that Willis is particularly motivated to perform against the Titans.

Well, stop imagining, because Willis spoke on the matter with reporters and his answer might surprise you. If we take him at his word, Willis has nothing but love for the Titans organization.

Malik Willis takes the high road when asked about potential for revenge in Packers-Titans

Willis deserves a ton of credit for his professionalism and generally positive outlook here. Frankly, more professional athletes should embrace their multimillionaire status and worry a little less about the specifics of their playing time. Tennessee poured two years worth of developmental resources into Willis and traded him when the backup job was out of reach. He's obviously in a better situation now. It really does seem like he was treated well all around.

There will still be fans would crave a more combative attitude from their quarterback. Even the standard "it's always sweeter to win against old friends" line would suffice. What really matters, though, is the outcome. Tennessee is not the caliber of team that should precipitate Love's return. The Packers can feel okay about holding him out one more week for good measure; Willis is more than capable of leading the Packers to a win on Sunday.

If Green Bay wins the game, that will satisfy the Packers fandom. As for Tennessee, well, the potential for Willis to outperform Will Levis head-to-head is terrifying. Levis has been especially bad these first two weeks. His decision-making is just not up to snuff with NFL quarterbacks. The Titans are probably 2-0 if Levis just limits his boneheaded mistakes. So, if Willis comes out and plays solid, mistake-free football, as he did in the Packers' Week 2 win over Indianapolis, that could serve as tasty revenge — whether Willis craves it or not.

Willis does seem like a good dude above all else, and it's always easier to root for good people. If you're not a Titans fan, part of you has to want a dominant performance from the dual-threat quarterback this weekend.