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2016 Titans Special Teams – Upgrade, Downgrade or Push?

By Robby Brayton

Nov 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Angelo Blackson (95) watches as kicker Ryan Succop (4) makes a field goal from the hold of punter Brett Kern (6) during the first quarter of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 19, 2015; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Angelo Blackson (95) watches as kicker Ryan Succop (4) makes a field goal from the hold of punter Brett Kern (6) during the first quarter of a football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at EverBank Field. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Titans roster will continue to evolve prior to the start of the season, but as of now this is how each position breaks down from a simple upgrade, downgrade or push perspective based on player turnover at the starter position since the previous season. Although the grades are based on new (S)tarters, (B)ackups are included to provide a sense of the overall talent that this squad possesses.

Kicker – Push

Ryan Succop (S) & Brett Kern (B)

A rare push that actually remains a push – Ryan is a reliable kicker whether kicking off or for points. This becomes an upgrade if a position player wins the kickoff duties. See “Specialization in Special Teams: A Letter to Bobby April” for more details.

If nothing else, it may provide a smile. You may also wonder why Jeff Fisher never attempted this in Joe Nedney’s injury plagued years of 2003 & 2004 when he basically missed two full seasons due to injuries sustained while kicking off.

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Punter – Push

Brett Kern (S) & Ryan Succop (B)

Another rare push, push – Brett is so consistently good that it makes it tough to believe that the position will be an upgrade or a downgrade. Sometimes, status quo is good enough. What’s up with Titan punters being so athletic & versatile? In a pinch, Brett, Like Craig Hentrich before him, could probably fill in anywhere on this squad if needed. It wouldn’t surprise me to find him selling tickets, dropping into the stadium by parachute, or announcing the game before trotting onto the field to pin the opposing team back with a perfectly placed punt…He makes it look that easy.

Kick Returner – Upgrade

Derrick Henry (S) & Tre McBride/Kalan Reed (B)

This was already going to be an upgrade with Tre as the starter and Kalan in the backup role, but was revised after viewing an interesting read from Will Lomas.

https://titansized.com/2016/06/09/derrick-henry-should-start-just-not-at-running-back-yet/

If Derrick is slated for a substantial role on offense and Will’s suggestion doesn’t come to fruition, Tre can be relied upon to upgrade the position. He had little success on his handful of attempts in 2015, but made quick decisions and headed up field – generally great traits when a team can create any semblance of a crease. Unfortunately, the Titans were terrible in this regard. So much so that Coach Mularkey “asked” the return men to take a knee, instead of bringing the ball out of the end zone. It made things boring, but no more so than starting every offensive possession inside the Titan 20.

Punt Returner – Upgrade

Kalan Reed (S) & Tre McBride (B)

This position will be an upgrade as long as anyone other than an underperforming veteran that plays the RB or WR position is handed the gig. Kalan and Tre should at least prove motivated as a good showing here will go a long way toward securing a roster spot on a team with substantially more depth than previous seasons.

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    • Here’s the breakdown:

    • Two (50%) new starters
    • Two (50%) new backups
    • Two (50%) upgrades
    • Two (50%) pushes
    • Zero (0%) downgrades

    No downgrades on the NFL’s #4 special team unit sounds amazing, but the visual eye test suggests that they were nowhere near that good. Sure, Succop and Kern were extremely reliable and coverage was solid for the most part, but the return game was nonexistent, if not abysmal. The 2016 Titans have much better depth across the board, which means the bottom of the roster will have more talent to help improve these units – They may not rank as high as 2015, but they will be much more exciting to watch.

    Final verdict: The 2016 Tennessee Titans special team units will be an upgraded downgrade (viewed as better than 2015, but ranking lower than #4 overall).

    Comments welcome, so let me know what you think.

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