Three Tennessee Titans who need a good season in 2019
This upcoming 2019 season for the Tennessee Titans will be a very important step for Coach Mike Vrabel and his Tennessee Titans, but there are three Titans players that really need the Titans to have a good season.
One thing is very clear for the Tennessee Titans, there are high hopes for this team in 2019.
After inconsistency or a disappointing 2018 season, these players will need to thrive if the Titans are going to live up to those high hopes. For better or worse, these are the three players with the most focus on them so if something goes wrong they will be the players who get the most criticism.
Henry is a stellar talent, and he showcased that last year with his 12 TD, 1000-yard season.
I think fans have watched his 99-yard run against the Jacksonville Jaguars so many times that last they can quote Mike Keith’s call verbatim.
Henry needs to continue from where he left off last season if he is going to stay out of the limelight for the wrong reasons. If he comes out slow and has a bad season in 2019, people will be calling for a trade or a new RB behind Marcus Mariota, which is exactly what was happening during the bye week last year.
Even though he is loved by a majority of the fan base, nothing will turn a fan on a player more than bad play. Henry did a 180 last year in the middle of the season and needs to keep that trend going into 2019.
Nobody criticized Butler harder than me and for good reason.
Butler had some atrocious games that be remembered less by Titans fans and more by fans of opposing receivers who see him on the highlight reels for years to come.
You can almost pin the Miami Dolphins victory on Butler for some terrible deep ball coverages, though he did have a redzone interception that somewhat redeemed him.
With people rushing to call him overpaid, you can expect that when there is a break down in the secondary that everyone will be scanning the field for #21. I will be fair, he did do a better job in the second half of the season for the Titans, but unlike with Derrick Henry fans and analysts had already made up their mind that Butler was having a bad season.
Butler has a lot money coming his way and needs to prove his worth for the Titans and fans in 2019. If he can take this secondary from top-5 to top-3 then people will stop chirping so much about him.
3. Marcus Mariota
Look, I didn’t want to write him in here because I have been MM8’s biggest supporter in many ways.
However, if the Titans have a bad season people will be looking at Mariota as the problem instead of a potential solution, that is just the truth for any team and starting QB.
Add in the extra pressure of a former starting QB in Ryan Tannehill behind him, and you can see how it would be a problem for Mariota if the season takes a bad turn for the Titans.
Marcus has proved himself to be worthy to be the starter for the Titans, but he needs to take that next step into the “franchise QB” category this season. He has the tools, but if another year goes bye without a dramatic improvement in record, Marcus will take that blame no matter what.
Lets all hope it doesn’t come to that.