Special Teams is the Key to Success for the Tennessee Titans in 2017
By Kyle Zwiazek
The most underrated part of any professional football team is special teams. Fans do not necessarily appreciate special teams players, but that aspect of the game can change seasons.
The Tennessee Titans have a fresh start going into the 2017 season. With that comes a chance to improve in all three aspects of football: offense, defense, and special teams. The offense and the defense are the most talked about aspects in Tennessee, but let’s not forget about special teams. The three major sections of special teams are kicking, punting and receiving. If the Titans can excel in all three of these categories, they will be a force to be reckoned with next season.
Kicking
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Historically speaking, the Titans have been a pretty solid team when it comes to kicking. They have had names like Al Del Greco, Joe Nedney, Gary Anderson, and Rob Bironas consistently holding down the position since the franchise moved to Nashville. The newest man at the helm is Ryan Succop. He has been just as consistent as the rest of them. Succop came to Tennessee in 2014 after he was cut by the Kansas City Chiefs. Since coming to Nashville, Succop has had a bit of a revitalization of his career. He has posted the best three kicking seasons he has ever had in his career with Tennessee. Going into 2017, Succop looks to continue that.
Last season was the best kicking season of Succop’s career, as he made 22 of 24 field goals. The two missed field goals were beyond 50 yards, meaning Succop had a fantastic season in 2016. To accompany that, Succop converted 39 of 41 extra points. Since the extra point was moved back, more kickers have been missing the kick. Succop still made 95.1% of those kicks.
To bring in some competition for Succop in the preseason, the Titans signed kickoff specialist Jordan Gay. It is possible Gay and Succop will both make the roster, but is very unlikely. Gay has a history of pinning the ball in the endzone for touchbacks. This is a useful skill to have on kickoffs. Where he is unproven is the field goal kicking game. Gay will bring competition, but Succop is the guy going forward into 2017.
Punter
Tennessee Titans
To go along with the consistent kickers, the Titans have had basically two punters since coming to Tennessee. Of course there was Reggie Hodges, who you probably do not even remember played for the Titans in 2009, but otherwise the only two Titans punters in Nashville have been Craig Hentrich and Brett Kern. When the Titans find a punter, they get longevity out of them. Kern has been very consistent over his career. Averaging 44.2 yards per punt in 2016 and having a long of 71 yards, Kern looks to continue his success in 2017. The Titans punter has a habit of pinning opponents inside the 20 yard line.
The punting game is very important for field position in football. The more times a team can be pinned inside their own 20 yard line, the easier it is for the defense. A lot of times fans do not realize the importance of field position and punting. Without a solid punting game, the Titans are at a severe disadvantage. Kern is a solid professional and will surely have another solid season in Tennessee.
Kick/Punt Return
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The return game is one of the biggest question marks on the roster going into 2017. The Titans have had a few years of decent production out of the return game. With the absence of Marc Mariani, the Titans are looking for production from a new group of guys. The players most likely to get the first crack at returning kicks and punts are Eric Weems, Adoree’ Jackson, Taywan Taylor and Khalfani Muhammad. Weems is the proven veteran that has had a lot of success as a return man. He does not have the amount of touchdowns that the Titans would like in the return game, but will surely get the first crack at the job.
The other three are rookies that will be looking to secure a spot on the Titans roster. Jackson will most likely be a starter on defense, but had success in college as a return man. Overall, he is a playmaker that needs to have the ball in his hands as much as possible. With success in the preseason, Jackson may be the return man to start the season. Taylor and Muhammad are more unknown commodities. They both possess speed and will look to make a difference on special teams. It will be fun to see who takes hold of the position going into 2017.
Conclusion
Overall, the Titans actually have a very good special teams group. They have consistency in the locker room that brings consistency on the field. If the players can replicate what they did last year, it will surely be a good season for the Titans. The only real improvement is in the return category. If the Titans can return well they will definitely be an all around team that will be tough to handle.