The Tennessee Titans’ offseason was arguably their most aggressive, and most entertaining since moving to Nashville over 15 years ago. Several high profile moves were made, and as a result, the beleaguered fan base has been energized to the point of hope for brighter days.
That hope begins in 11 days, when Tennessee takes the field for their first official practice of the 2015 season. Today, we’ll discuss the 5 most pressing questions that fans have heading into training camp.
1. Will Marcus Mariota be there?
Now that’s the million dollar question. Or in this case, the $700,000 question. That’s the rumored amount causing Mariota to be the only unsigned first round pick. To date, neither side is willing to budge on offset language being put in his contract….and with each passing day it looks like it may very well spill over into training camp. While the Titans are historically slow when it comes to getting their first round picks in camp, they always do. This deal will get done, everyone involved has everything to lose if Mariota misses considerable time.
2. How much different will the offense and defense look?
If you ask head coach Ken Whisenhunt? A lot. For starters, Tennessee has a new quarterback under center, so in that sense he’s absolutely right. Mariota’s ability to escape the pocket and extend drives with his legs give the Titans a dimension they have not enjoyed since Vince Young. There may also be a new starting running back if rookie David Cobb is able to wrestle the job away from Bishop Sankey. Tennessee also added a slew of rookie and veteran receivers.
On defense, expect a more polished product with Dick LeBeau overseeing that side of the ball. Veteran free agents were brought in to upgrade key positions…outside linebacker, corner, and safety. LeBeau likes to bring pressure, so you may be in for more blitz packages this year. And with another veteran cb to play opposite Jason McCourty, you will hopefully see an uptick in forced turnovers. Tennessee will also sport a new duo at middle linebacker with Avery Williamson and Zach Brown. This year’s starting unit will have much more experience in the 3-4 scheme than last year.
3. Who will start opposite Kendall Wright at wide receiver?
Now this will be one of the most entertaining camp battles of all. In play are Justin Hunter, free agent acquisitions Harry Douglas (Atl) and Hakeem Nicks (Indy), and rookie second round pick Dorial Green-Beckham. If it were merely a fan vote, then DGB would be the unquestioned number 2. But realistically, I see Harry Douglas as the front runner heading into camp…followed by Hunter, Nicks, and then the rookie.
4. How healthy are we…really?
One of the reasons that training camp is so highly anticipated, is because we saw very little of the key new additions in mini-camp. David Cobb missed camp because of a hamstring, and essentially, so did DGB. Rookie center Andy Gallik missed considerable time, delaying his quest to vie for a starting job.
On defense, Brian Orakpo missed mini-camp while recovering from an injury, and so did fellow linebacker Jonathan Massaquoi. Corner Blidi Wreh-Wilson and safety Michael Griffin also missed camp while recovering. With the exception of Wreh-Wilson, all of the above mentioned players are scheduled to fully participate on July 31st. At least, that’s what we hope.
5. Are any practices open to the public?
Yes. You do not have to wait until August 23rd, Tennessee’s first home preseason game, to get an up close look at your new franchise qb. Below are the Titans’ nine scheduled public practices.
Fri, July 31st 9:30am – 11:30am
Sat, Aug 1st 3:20pm – 5:20pm
Sun, Aug 2nd 9:20am – 11:30am
Mon, Aug 3rd 6:50pm – 9:00pm
Thurs, Aug 6th 3:10pm – 5:30pm
Fri, Aug 7th 9:20am – 11:30am
Tue, Aug 11th 9:20am – 11:30am
Wed, Aug 12th 3:10pm – 5:30pm
Sun,Aug 16th 3:10pm – 5:30pm
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