First Down And Tenn: AFC South News
By Les Bailey
I’m sure that when the Tennessee Titans get their OTA’s underway tomorrow, the on-the-field news will begin to flow out of the NFL, and Music City. For the last day of a big holiday weekend, we will get to some news from around the AFC South.
As Memorial Day comes to an end today, I am going to kick it off with a great story out of the Tennessean with a military connections….enjoy!
Titans rookie marks deep military ties on Memorial Day – John Glennon The Tennessean
He’s gone by “Tre” since he was a child, but his full name — Douglas McArthur McBride III — offers a true glimpse into the McBride family’s military history.
Titans rookie wide receiver Tre McBride is the son of an Army colonel and the grandson of a Vietnam veteran. He is the third generation of his family to be named in honor of Douglas MacArthur, even though his middle name is not spelled exactly the same as the legendary U.S. five-star general.
While Memorial Day is special to all Americans who honor the memories of those who fought and died for their country, it’s especially significant for military families like the McBrides, who’ve had firsthand experience in the Armed Forces.
The Titans’ long-term plan with Mariota – Greg Cosell Yahoo Sports
They had a conviction in quarterback Marcus Mariota and took him with the second overall pick in the NFL draft. I won’t knock them for that, and for the most part I like Mariota. But the rest of their draft showed they want to play a certain way that you don’t necessarily think of when you think of Mariota.
Mariota comes from a spread shotgun offense at Oregon. There has been a lot of talk of how coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff will incorporate some spread concepts for Mariota, and they likely will, but they don’t appear to be trying to build a spread-based offense over the long haul. Two of the Titans’ picks tell us that.
This Could Be the Last Great Season from Arian Foster – Mattis Holt PFSpot
Arian Foster, the undrafted, four-time Pro Bowl selection has been the back bone of the Houston Texans offense for six seasons. 65 touchdowns, 6,309 rushing yards and 2,041 receiving yards. And, last season, he even threw a touchdown pass to CJ Fiedorowicz. And, here is both the most impressive and depressing part of it all: He’s only played two full, 16-games seasons.
Injuries will be the end of this great running back, let’s not fool ourselves. He won’t magically be healthy from all of the injury problems that have been hurting him over the years. And, the older you get, the harder it is to get back.
Rookie WR Phillip Dorsett already impressing Colts – Chris Wesseling Around The NFL
The Indianapolis Colts‘ selection of University of Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett at No. 29 overall in the 2015 NFL Draft was widely panned as a head-scratching luxury pick.
After rookie minicamp and a round of OTAs, the Colts couldn’t be happier with their speedy first-round choice.
“He looks really good,” coach Chuck Pagano said of his initial impressions, via The Herald Bulletin. “He’s really fast. He’s got really good hands. He’s really smart. He’s picked things up. He looks really good.”
Can Ryan Davis Improve With More Playing Time? – Luke Sims Black and Teal
Ryan Davis was an ultra-productive pass rusher for the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2014. In fact, he was productive by pretty much any standard you measure him by. He comes in as the second most productive pass rusher from the defensive tackle position(among defensive tackles with at least 25% of a team’s snaps) per Pro Football Focus, the 24th most productive pass rusher (among all 93 4-3 defensive ends) according to PFF and Sports Illustrated just noted Davis as one of the best multi-gap rushers in the NFL.
Next: Tennessee Titans: Pre Camp Power Rankings By Positions