First Down And Tenn: Still No Marcus Mariota Contract
By Les Bailey
The big news still surrounding the Tennessee Titans as we ease into July, and less than a month until training camp opens is they still haven’t signed Marcus Mariota to a contract. The 2014 Heisman Trophy winner is the lone unsigned player from the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
TitanSized staff writer P.L. Colter has a message for Zach Mettenberger: Stay Ready!
Why offsets shouldn’t be an issue for Marcus Mariota or Titans – Paul Kuharsky ESPN
What’s the issue between the Tennessee Titans andMarcus Mariota that has kept them from agreeing to a contract?
We don’t know.
The team’s record for having rookies in on time, even with a new CBA that provides virtually no reason for holdouts, is poor.
Even so, I suggest not panicking on Mariota until about July 29, the day before the Titans report for training camp.
Offset language is the one issue that remains for teams and players to haggle over in an era where the finances are based on slotting. It could well be the reason for debate between the Titans and Mariota’s agents, Bruce and Ryan Tollner and Chase Callahan of REP 1 Sports Group.
Titans’ Dorial Green-Beckham called ‘unique’ wideout – John Glennon The Tennessean
A couple of weeks before writing an article on Titansrookie receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, I had a lengthy interview with University of Texas wide receivers coach Jay Norvell.
Norvell was at Oklahoma last season, so he coached Green-Beckham during Sooners practices.
We talked mostly about Green-Beckham as a person, but Norvell – whose relationship with the receiver extends back to high school – also had some observations about his NFL prospects.
ESPN Insiders pessimistic about Texans’, AFC South’s future – Tania Ganguli ESPN
As with many power-ranking type projects, the AFC South did not fare well.
The team they ranked the highest was Indianapolis. The Texans ranked second in the division, but all the way down at 24th overall. And the Titans and Jaguars brought up the rear of the whole league.
The three Insiders looked most favorably upon the Texans’ coaching situation and least favorably on the Texans’ quarterback situation. They also seemed pleased with how the Texans rebounded from their horrid 2013 draft in 2014 despite Jadeveon Clowney‘s uncertain future.
Can Douglas Lead Titans’ Receivers in 2015? – Marc Macaluso PFSpot
When the Titans signed Douglas, Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter were the two players that Douglas would be competing with for snaps. After the draft and the remainder of free agency, Dorial Green-Beckham, Tre McBride and Hakeem Nicks were all added to that group. With the Titans having potentially their deepest, most-talented group of receivers in quite some time, will Douglas be able to separate from the pack and lead the group in 2015?
Did the Titans improve? QB edition – Jimmy Morris Music City Miracles
The quarterback position has been a disaster for this franchise for a decade. They haven’t had the same guy lead them in passing yards in back to back seasons since Vince Youngdid it in 2006 and 2007. That really tells the whole story. The hope, obviously, is that all of that chances with the drafting of Mariota.
Did they improve?
There isn’t a definitive answer to this question yet. Mariota was drafted to save this franchise, but we really don’t know if he can do that yet. You can make the argument that Mettenberger is better after spending a year in the NFL, in Ken Whisenhunt’s system and after getting some valuable starting experience under his belt. So there is slight improvement there, but the Titans are hoping that it goes a lot higher than that.
DeSean Jackson: ‘The Eagles tried to blow me up’ – Kevin Patra Around The NFL
The Philadelphia Eagles dumped DeSean Jackson last offseason, which resulted in a swirl of rumors regarding the reason Chip Kelly cut a star receiver.
On Tuesday’s debut episode of his new reality TV show, “DeSean Jackson Home Team” on BET, the current Washington Redskins receiver called out his former organization.
"“When I was released by the Eagles, I feel they tried to paint a picture that definitely wasn’t true. It was a slap in the face, coming off one of my best seasons in the NFL,” Jackson said, via ESPN.com’s John Keim.“The Eagles tried to blow me up. That’s cold how they did it,” he told friends during the show, one of whom offered that Philadelphia tried to “persecute” Jackson."
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