The Wells Report and “deflate gate” has dominated not only the world of the National Football League for the past 24 hours, but the entire sports community. With little or no Tennessee Titans activity happening on Wednesday, we may include news links from around the rest of the league in today’s post.
Insider shares his feelings about Marcus Mariota’s ‘inner fire’ – Paul Kuharsky ESPN
"Marcus Mariota has been largely perceived as very mellow. It’s certainly the vibe he puts off in his public persona.But with that and other judgments, we’d be wise to tap the brakes until we get to watch him and get to know him a bit more ourselves. Outward behavior and inward approach don’t always match up.In the football world, it often seems everyone uses every slight as motivation. I’m critical of that because so much of it is imaginary and because I’m a fan of self-motivators."
Titans’ Justin Hunter ready for Dorial Green-Beckham challenge – John Glennon The Tennesseean
"The last time Titans fans saw Justin Hunter on the field, he suffered a lacerated spleen that ended his season after 12 games.The next time Hunter steps onto the field, he’ll be catching passes from new rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota — and facing competition for his job from rookie wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham."
LeSean McCoy’s comments are a sign that Chip Kelly is caught in a trap – Phil Sheridan ESPN
"“The relationship was never really great,” McCoy said. “I feel like I always respected him as a coach. I think that’s the way he runs his team. He wants the full control. You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players. He got rid of them the fastest. That’s the truth. There’s a reason. … It’s hard to explain with him. But there’s a reason he got rid of all the black players — the good ones — like that.”McCoy cited comments by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith as support. Earlier in the offseason, former Eagles offensive lineman Tra Thomas, who spent two years as an assistant coach under Kelly, echoed those sentiments."
Connor Cook, Christian Hackenberg, Cardale Jones lead 2016 QB draft class – Jeff Chadiha ESPN
"It wasn’t that Michigan State’sConnor Cook was suffering from an acute case of being starstruck during those training sessions in San Diego with quarterback guru George Whitfield. After all, Cook was the offensive most valuable player in the 2014 Rose Bowl and a second-team All-Big Ten choice as a junior last season. It’s just that he knew how fortunate he was to be able to learn from the soon-to-be No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft."
Should Dallas Cowboys sign Chris Johnson? – Joe Soriano NFL Spinzone
"Former Tennessee Titans standoutChris Johnson is no longer a feature back himself, as a couple of seasons of mediocre play combined with a decline in his once fearsome speed and explosiveness have rendered him into a bit player at the position. That said, he did average 4.3 yards per carry last season in his only year with the New York Jets, and he’s still wading in the free agent waters after being shot in the shoulder early in the offseason."
10 leading candidates for rookie of the year – Andrew Garda FanSided
"Maybe Zach Mettenberger gets a shot at starting, but we’re all pretty sure that Marcus Mariota will be the guy under center come September.It won’t be easy for him to perform well enough to win this award, though he has the pure talent to do it.First of all, this team has offensive line problems. Yes, injuries were a massive issue, but Michael Oher was a bust of a free agent signing and Andy Levitre struggled too much. They’ve also addressed the line with high draft picks in Chance Warmack, who has been hot and cold, and Taylor Lewan, who was very good last season.The team cut bait on Oher, but are hoping for big improvements from Warmack and Levitre this season.If the line struggles again, Mariota’s mobility will factor into their success massively."
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