I took a whopping two notes on Saturday’s preseason game between the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. One read, “good pressure on #14 to force three and out.” The other read, “#14 starting PR.” How is THAT for impeccable journalism? But, admittedly, I had a ton of stuff going on that day. We had a long morning out at Cedar Creek Sports Center with the inaugural SoBros Putt Putt Open, followed by a post-game feast at Corner Pub Mount Juliet. I barely had enough time to shower up and head over to Poppa Bear’s place to watch the Titans and NXT TakeOver: Brooklyn IV. And, by the time, I got settled in, I basically said, “fuck this, I’m tired. I don’t feel like doing shit.”
I didn’t watch the game with the intent that I usually do. Just threw in the white towel and said I didn’t feel like being a writer that night and spent more time watching the graps than the foosball. But, one thing that stuck out like a sore thumb to me was the game that Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston had, and how he sliced apart the Titans reserves.
Courtesy of the legendary Jim Wyatt on TitansOnline.com:
Winston completed 13-of-18 passes for 226 yards and two touchdowns working against Titans reserves.
On Sunday, Vrabel wasn’t making any excuses.
“We didn’t cover good enough, we didn’t rush good enough, we didn’t coach how to rush good enough, we didn’t coach how to cover good enough,” Vrabel said. “That’s how it goes.
“… You saw a couple of play extensions where (Winston) was able to keep the play alive, get a touchdown, or is able to take advantage of an isolation coverage over the top, and they hit a big play. We just need to limit the big plays and penalties which leads to usually scoring opportunities for the offense.”
Well, it sounds like people are being held accountable. That’s all well and good. But, it’s one thing to say you need to be better, and it’s another thing to have the horses to be better. I don’t think I’d be so spooked by this if it was anyone other than Winston. But, since I don’t believe Winston to be an elite-level NFL quarterback, yeah – I’ll admit it. This makes me a little wary.
And, yeah – let’s go ahead and get that “it’s just the preseason crap” out of the way. I get that that’s going to be the answer for a lot of things this month. But, is it not fair to look at that performance and criticize it? Was it a bad night for the Titans reserves? Sure…and it could just be an issue for one night, and time will tell.
But, considering the way the Titans have already been bit by the injury bug, and given how tight the AFC South figures to be this season, can you really blame me for being a little concerned? The Titans have lost valuable defensive backs to injuries, first round draft pick Rashaan Evans has yet to see the field, and it doesn’t appear as though anyone is truly stepping up to answer the bell.
It’s fair to look at this unit with a cautious eye moving forward. It will undoubtedly be the biggest question mark going into the Steelers game on Saturday. And, that’s your hard-hitting real Titans journalism for the day.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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