First Down And Tenn: Tennessee Titans Prep For Preseason Finale
By Les Bailey
After being taken to the woodshed on Friday night at Arrowhead Stadium, the Tennessee Titans will get ready for roster cuts that come on September 1st and the Minnesota Vikings who come to town on Thursday night. They will need to trim to 75 players by 4:00PM Eastern on Tuesday and down to 53 by 4:00PM Eastern on Saturday September 5th.
Teams like the Green Bay Packers and Carolina Panthers who have had key injuries at the wide receiver position in the last week to Jordy Nelson and Kelvin Benjamin, will have their eyes on the receiver-rich Titans as the cuts get closer to reality.
More at Titan Sized: Takeaways from Preseason Game Three
Tennessee Titans Rumors: Justin Hunter, Hakeem Nicks Released if Dorial Green-Beckham Starter? – Lauren Morenor US Sports
With the first round of roster cuts right around the corner in the NFL, all eyes are on Justin Hunter and Hakeem Nicks of the Tennessee Titans. The team loaded up on receiving options in the offseason, making the position group crowded and cuts likely in the near future. With several teams losing top receivers for the season, they are waiting to see if the Titans drop a player or two with Hunter and Nicks the intended targets.
Titans QB Marcus Mariota impresses again in third preseason game – Frank Schwab Yahoo Sports
So far during the preseason, the story with Tennessee Titans rookie quarterback Marcus Mariotais how well he has handled adversity.
He turned it over twice in his preseason debut at Atlanta, but rallied after that for a long drive. In Mariota’s second preseason game, his helmet headset went out, and he wasn’t bothered by that either.
Mariota seems mostly unflappable. He started 0-for-3 in a tough road environment (albeit a preseason crowd) at the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday night. He didn’t have a completion a few minutes into the second quarter and the Titans found themselves down big. No problem.
Jameis Winston struggles against feisty Browns D – Marc Sessler Around the NFL
Cleveland’s aggressive front controlled Tampa’s offensive line, with defensive end Desmond Bryant chalking up two sacks in the first quarter alone while owning Bucs rookie guard Ali Marpet. Bryant and his teammates allowed just 3.5 yards per play during Winston’s time on the field, holding the rookie to 6-of-15 passing for 90 yards. The former Heisman winner absorbed four sacks and a whopping seven hits during a rough outing.
Do Titans run risk of being too multiple? – Paul Kuharsky ESPN
The Titans call themselves a two-tight end base, but they aim to be multiple on offense. It creates matchups and gets the best people on the field for plays Ken Whisenhunt sees as the best for a given situation.
But for a second-year offense with a first-year quarterback, can a team be too multiple? Is the good of the variation at all offset by the lessened chances for certain players and themes to find a rhythm and to be repeated more?
Chiefs 34, Titans 10: Quick Reaction – Stoney Keeley ProFootballSpot
The first team offense couldn’t seem to get anything going, while the first team defense was rocked by Alex Smith and Jeremy Maclin. Special teams coverage was sporadic. As a whole, the Titans were pretty awful.
Blame it on a short week, Marcus Mariota’s first glimpse of the 3-4, or whatever you will.
As was the case against the Atlanta Falcons, the Titans defense struggled to contain a good quarterback with a legitimate playmaker. Smith finished 16/18 for 171 yards and 2 touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 143.3. He appeared to be in midseason form, much like Matt Ryandid in preseason Week 1.
Titans’ offensive line appears to be set – John Glennon The Tennessean
For the second straight week, the Titans started the same unit up front – left tackle Taylor Lewan, left guard Byron Bell, center Brian Schwenke, right guard Chance Warmack and right tackle Jeremiah Poutasi.
That group played the entire first half, with the Titans posting 14 carries for 61 yards (4.4-yard average) and suffering one sack.
“It’s fair to say they’ve made a case for themselves,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “I still think we’ve got time to work through some things, but they’ve done some good things and made a case to be the five guys.”
Next: Marcus Mariota continues to reinvent himself