The GM Floyd Reese joined ESPN 102.5 The Game’s morning show for his weekly segment at 6:30 AM to talk about the Titans snapping a nine-year playoff drought.
Their first playoff game in nine seasons means this young Titans squad has little NFL experience, much less playoff games under their belt. For the Titans to compete with an explosive Chiefs team in Kansas City, they can’t get swept up in all the extra attention they’ll receive for reaching the playoffs.
“Part of this for a young team is to learn how to manage all the hoop-lah that is going to be thrown their way,” Reese said, “It’s just like any other playoff game, the season opener is always a little sped up then when you get to the playoffs things jump another notch.”
Marcus Mariota and his strong stiff arm on Jaguars safety Barry Church late in the fourth quarter led the Titans to victory. Floyd noted how Mariota has perhaps realized the value his legs provide despite prior injury history. A 60-yard rushing game with an average of six yards per carry on Sunday has given Mariota a confidence boost he needed in his legs.
“We really haven’t seen a running display like that from Marcus in a while,” Reese said, “I think we saw the impact it can have on a game. I think that will reinforce thoughts about how important it is and now that we’re healthy maybe there is a place for some more of that in a gameplan.”
With this win Head Coach Mike Mularkey appears to be safe, but the hot seat rumors grew when reports came out over the weekend about his job security. Despite ending the playoff drought and posting back to back winning seasons, the Titans somewhat disappointed this season with regression from Mariota and the offense as a whole.
“I think there’s a whole group of fans who will look at [Mularkey] differently than he looks at himself when he wakes up and looks in the mirror.” Reese said, “The bottom line is where do you end up, if you can end up at any point in time in the playoffs that’s a pretty good deal.”
To hear the full interview with Floyd Reese check out the SoundCloud link below to ESPN 102.5 The Game’s page below.
