I hopped up on a barstool at TennFold Brewing out in Donelson yesterday evening. I was set to meet a friend there for dinner, but it was a beautiful day and I was particularly in the mood to partake in the good cold beers. So, I arrived early, greeted our favorite bartender Reno, and struck up a conversation with him and the gentleman next to me (shout out to Scott – thanks for the talk, Scott). At top of mind was the conversation Jon Robinson had had with the media earlier in the day, and a vulnerable moment he shared when pressed about the things he could’ve done better in 2021.
It immediately sparked a longer conversation between the three of us at that bar about how things all went south for the Titans after the 2021 season, what exactly went wrong, the work there is to do, and just how long this window is going to be open for this franchise. I share this to illustrate just how open those wounds still are among the Titans fan base. Here’s a man I just met, and he’s passionately breaking down the interceptions that Ryan Tannehill threw, the play-calling of Todd Downing, and how this team needs more play-makers. I imagine conversations such as that are happening all over Nashville, still to this day. And, it’s obvious that from the top down, the Titans organization is still feeling that hurt, too.
Want to know how much winning means to @Titans GM Jon Robinson? Watch this.
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) March 2, 2022
He teared up and paused for over 20 seconds when asked what he could have done better in 2021.
He said the trust of #Titans ownership and the fans means a lot to him. pic.twitter.com/3bl4xkPxAG
That is gravity, baby. Cue up the John Mayer, folks. He could have damn well written that song about Robinson’s feelings right here. It’s obvious that that loss to the Bengals carries a lot of weight with the Titans GM, just as it carries a lot of weight with Titans fans who really felt like this was the year for this franchise.
And, maybe that’s a big part of why the loss still hurts so much. The Titans overcame a barrage of adversity and still managed to come out on top of the AFC. Whatever “it” is, they had it. It was beginning to feel like this team was un-killable…unless it killed itself. And, well….you don’t need me to tell you how that all worked out.
Maybe you want to hang Kevin Dodd or Isaiah Wilson over Robinson’s head. But, by and large, this man has done a tremendous job as GM of the Titans. He’s completely turned this roster around from where it was in 2014-15…probably the absolute worst this franchise has ever been, at least during its tenure in Tennessee. He’s done a fantastic job in free agency and the middle rounds of the NFL Draft. It’s not like his track record in the first round is spotless, and while I understand how us fans can say crazy things when we’re hurt or mad, there’s absolutely no reason for fans to think this man is on the hot seat.
Why? Because this is who he is. This is how much he cares. And, it shows exactly why he’s the guy that should be helping to guide this franchise forward. You can boil the success of this franchise down to its culture. You hear national analysts talk about it. You hear Patrick Mahomes at the Pro Bowl talking about how Mike Vrabel would be awesome to play for. You see the players responding well to what has been built here in Nashville over the course of the last six (winning) seasons.
It comes from the top down, and if you don’t watch that clip and think Robinson and company are going to do everything they damn well can to get back to the mountaintop, then I don’t know what to tell you.
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Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network, and a Dogs Playing Poker on velvet connoisseur. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD, #BeBetter, and ‘Minds right, asses tight.’ “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, Yankee Candle, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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