When OTAs wrapped up last week, Mike Vrabel told reporters that the next six weeks were going to be very important for the Tennessee Titans.
How can a month and a half without practices and with players scattered across the country, be very important for the Tennessee Titans? In a word, health.
Despite having the most injured roster in the NFL in back-to-back seasons, Mike Vrabel firmly believes that all of that comes from a lack of discipline and work during the time when players are away from the building. That is why it is imperative that the players do what they are supposed to do and follow the plan that the Titans' trainers are giving them.
Ross Tucker recently wrote an article for the 33rd Team where he outlined how difficult it can be to stay in shape during the dead period in the NFL. Players want to take this time to enjoy and spend it with their families before the long NFL season, but they also need to do that in a place that has a high-end workout facility and someone who can program their workouts.
Even if the players get perfectly outlined workout plans and manage to find the right equipment and a trainer, they still have to worry about sticking with their diet which is treacherous according to that Ross Tucker article.
There isn't a one-size-fits-all solution for the Tennessee Titans
Now some players have chosen a different path and decided to roll the dice. For example, Kristian Fulton has tried it the Titans' way in the past but he after that failed again last year he decided to try his own thing. He started a plan earlier in the offseason and he is planning to continue it once he leaves Nashville.
Other players like Denico Autry, Derrick Henry, and Kevin Byard have all decided to do their own thing and stay away from OTAs in the past because they thought that was what is best for them. For the most part that has worked for them, but that doesn't mean that every player will find the perfect system for them.
It is going to be interesting to see what the Tennessee Titans players do because the players who have stuck to the program over the last two years have no reason to trust that the strength and conditioning staff will make a program that helps them stay healthy.
Will this push them to try different routines and programs that might help them stay healthy, but also might run counter to what the training staff will ask them to do when they come back?
No matter what the players do, the health of this team is going to be closely watched after two years of historic injuries and no change to the S&C staff from Mike Vrabel. On paper, the Tennessee Titans actually have a solid roster if they can stay healthy, but that is a massive "if" and what the players do over the next six weeks will have a big impact on that.