It was rainy. There was a lightning delay. Could it get any more Tennessee Titans than that? I feel bad for the organization, honestly. They put in their work to create a fun event for fans to enjoy, and the weather screwed them.
Props to them for making the best out of a tough situation with the whole interstate by the field shutdown and the weather fiasco.
However, there was football at Nissan Stadium on Saturday night. I am so thankful we’re approaching the best time of the year where all sports are going on, football being the focal point of American entertainment in the fall.
How much can you learn from a soaked intra-squad scrimmage? I think if you don’t extrapolate too much there can be modest gains from Saturday night. So, for a written version of the top 2 (usually on my Twitter handle @SmithACalvin) here is number one.
Tight ends, tight ends, tight ends
I quickly remembered this tweet from NFL Network Analyst Daniel Jeremiah about the usage of tight ends in the NFL in 2019.
Interesting trend to monitor from my tour— offenses have been falling in love with 12 personnel (1 RB, 2 TE). However, I spoke to 2 DC’s & they said they will stay in nickel vs that grouping this year. Basically daring teams to run the ball. Can your TEs block?
— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) August 3, 2019
You can take it to the bank the Titans will roll out with two tight ends often in 2019. Saturday night we saw lots of action from Anthony Firkser and Delanie Walker. MyCole Pruitt is in the mix too, but when Jonnu Smith can return the tight ends will be a prominent part of the offense.
This is comparable to the rest of the NFL as the league is seeing how much of a matchup nightmare tight ends can be to cover. Guys with size and some athleticism are valuable assets for moving the ball downfield and capitalizing in the red zone. I expect the Titans to feature them.
Adoree’ Jackson returning punts
Earlier in the week, Mike Vrabel alluded to Adoree’ Jackson needing to keep his focus on every play.
“Just making sure that there’s a sense of urgency each and every snap. That there’s not that let down. Those are things that we’ve talked about with Adoree’ (Jackson) that he could be really, really good and then all of a sudden just relax for a second and lose focus,” Vrabel said, “when you’re playing corner in the NFL, one loss of focus it doesn’t mean that you spell a word wrong in an article, it’s a 70-yard touchdown. We’re just always conscious of that and keeping focused and that the mental training that we try to do outside of the physical training.”
Saturday night Jackson was the first person out returning punts during that section of the practice. I’m all for letting his electric athletic ability be on the field more. The more ways Jackson can impact a game with his rare talent level, the better position the Titans are in.
Yet I wonder how much a distraction this could be for the third-year corner. If the coaching staff is trying to ensure their highly touted corner is focused, then returning punts seems a little risky. The question with Jackson has never been talent, playing corner in the NFL takes more than supreme skill.
For Jackson to remain focused on locking down TY Hilton and other top receivers in the AFC South, it’ll take an outstanding focus and work ethic to balance with returning punts.
This has been the written edition of the top two. If you’d like to see more of my Titans coverage you can follow me on Twitter @SmithACalvin.
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