Tits the season, ladies and gentlemen. It’s late summer in Nashville, and that can mean only one thing: time for the Tennessee Titans to hit the practice field to sort their shit out. The season is just around the corner, or if you’re the type of person who subscribes to the theory that the season starts when camp starts, then fuck man – IT’S HERE! Your time to shine, the-season-starts-in-training-camp guy! We even got a bit of cool weather this morning to tease us even more about the return of football season. There’s plenty of Titans training camp storylines to get to, so let’s dive right in!
2019 Titans training camp storylines
The right guard battle
The Titans didn’t fuck around when it came to shoring up the left guard spot this offseason. “Oh, we need an upgrade at left guard? Let’s go get the #TopGuy on the market!” That’s what I imagine BDE GM Jon Robinson said just before the team snagged free agent Rodger Saffold.
We know what we have in all-star podcaster Taylor Lewan. Ben Jones is going to start at center. And, Jack Conklin should be healthy and making plays at right tackle. Fuck, if not, “Touchdown” Dennis Kelly will be there to put on his cape and save the day. But, there’s still a HUGE question mark at right guard.
Right now, the incumbent would appear to be Kevin Pamphile. But, the team drafted Nate Davis in the third round of this year’s NFL Draft. I don’t know that either guy is inspiring the kind of confidence you have in the rest of the o-line. But, the hope is that Davis rises up to claim the spot and you have a solid line because of it.
Regardless, it is without question the most riveting position battle the Titans have going right now.
Pass rush
The prospects of a healthy, strong Cameron Wake opposite a budding star in Harold Landry sounds L E G I T. But, how realistic is it to expect that? This is an interesting duo, but did the Titans do enough to fix the pass rush? I think it speaks volumes of what they think about guys like Kamalei Correa and Sharif Finch. But, neither of those guys have firmly established themselves in the league right now. Neither has rookie fifth round pick D’Andre Walker. Is this the year things come together? Or, will the Titans be forced to get creative in generating a pass rush?
We all read the book on Rashaan Evans when he was coming out of Alabama. The dude can get to the quarterback, so maybe they pull him in, or find a way to get all three MLBs on the field at the same time. Maybe they do more with guys in the secondary to get them involved.
There’s more than one way to skin a cat, but this is definitely one of the areas to watch this camp.
Who’s the return man?
The Titans have the kind of depth you like to see, whether the national media wants to fuckin’ admit it or not. So, that means good players are going to be cut, and it’s going to come down to how many different ways players can help the team. Darius Jennings did a stand-up job a season ago, but with the recent upgrades in the receiving corps, he could be one of those casualties. You have people talking about Amani Hooker and the diversity he brings to the table – I don’t know, y’all. I think this could actually be an interesting battle to watch.
Oh, Marcus…
Have you guys heard? The Titans have some question marks at the quarterback positions? Did you know that Marcus Mariota is going into the final year of his deal and the Titans have to make a decision regarding his long-term status with the team? There’s also something about some guy named Arthur Smith taking over as offensive coordinator…
Not sure if these items have been beaten into your heads well enough this offseason.
But, the truth is, all eyes are going to be on the quarterback in 2019. I wouldn’t really consider it a training camp storyline, though, because it’s been firmly established that Ocho is #TheGuy moving forward. There’s no battle to be had.
What does interest me about this, though, is to see how sturdy he is now that he’s reportedly bulked up. Also, what kind of chemistry does he have with new additions at receiver in Adam Humphries and A.J. Brown? Is there still a spark between Delanie Walker and Mariota? The kind of spark that could ignite a passionate love-making session on the beach between consenting adults, or the kind of spark that could ignite a fuck ton of touchdowns for the Titans. Those two are interchangeable, essentially one in the same.
Besides, just the general state of the offense is going to be fun to watch develop. I doubt you’re going to see any other flavor than vanilla this preseason, but there are still things you can watch to measure progress. How good is the rapport between Smith and the players? Is he communicating effectively? Or, is the offense committing a lot of miscues? Has this team finally given up on running the jet sweep to Taywan Taylor?
Plenty to learn over the next few weeks. Titan UP!
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, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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