It’s pretty easy to tell that Tennessee Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt and his staff were unhappy with the passing game by the end of the 2-14 disaster that was an unforgettable 2014 season.
The Titans have stacked the deck this year with hopes of ending the Wide Receiver drought in Music City
Tight End, Delanie Walker led all receivers last year on the NFL’s 28th ranked receiving corp and with all the talent currently on the roster, I don’t see that happening again this year.
With only four of the 12 wide receivers currently on roster from 2014 season, the coaching staff has thrown down a gauntlet and you can bet that only the best will be catching passes from last year’s Heisman Trophy winner when the season get started on September 13th.
As David Climer from the Tennessean pointed out in his May 28th article, the Titans have not had a good crop of receivers since moving out of Houston in the late 90’s. With all the talent they have brought in this year, that statistic needs to change if they are to become a significent factor in the AFC South going forward.
"The wide receiver position has been a weakness since this franchise landed on Tennessee turf in 1997. Outside of a few upticks here and there, the only consistent go-to wideout the Titans have had in the past 18 years was Derrick Mason.The Titans have invested in the position, with uneven results. Kenny Britt, a first-round draft pick in 2009, never really took flight for a variety of reasons. With the noteworthy exception of Nate Washington, the bulk of free agent pickups washed out.Yes, Kendall Wright has caught 215 balls in three seasons. But his average of 11.3 yards per catch leaves something to be desired from a player who was the 20th overall draft pick in 2012."
With Nate Washington out of the picture, it’s hard to tell at this point who is emerging as a leader of this group, but my early money is on newly acquired free agent Harry Douglas.
Douglas has brought his “Team Bonding” philosophy over from Atlanta where he was the third receiver in a stable of perennial Pro Bowlers.
He has organized the youngsters in a group that works out together, eats together and plays cards together in the clubhouse.
"“It’s a friendly competition,” wide receiver Harry Douglas said. “We want to make each person as an individual better.”"
On a receiving corp that has an average age of 23.5 years, it will be up to the likes of Douglas, and Hakeem Nicks who is only 27 years old but entering his seventh year in the league to step up and mentor these youngster though the process.
"“I think guys are still grasping the terminology and whatnot,” Nicks said. “It’s still early in OTAs, so this is the time of the year where guys can learn all that type of stuff. By the time training camp gets here, we’ll be locked and loaded, and we’ll be off to the races.”"
The season and Marcus Mariota’s success in 2015 could very well ride on the ability of this collection of questionable veterans, and a hand-full of rookies.
If Hakeem Nicks can return to his glory days when he was catching touchdown passes in the Super Bowl, and the group can keep rookie Dorial Green-Beckham on the straight and narrow for the season, either or both could provide the kind of outside speed this team needs to spread the field, and 2015 could be the break-out season the Titans need.
The Titans have stacked the deck this year with hopes of ending the Wide Receiver drought in Music City. As Climer pointed out in his article “Justin Hunter knows the time to produce is now”(link above), that if he doesn’t improve, he is an endangered species in 2015.
You would think that with twelve receivers in camp, the Titans can find a passing game that can be effective in the new season, and provide a Red Zone threat. Add that to an improved running game, and an 8-8 season is not out of the realm of reality.
If not, Titans fans could be in for another long NFL season!
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