Delanie Walker Embodied What It Means to Be a Tennessee Titan

Delanie Walker was a junkyard dog in that two-tone blue.

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Yep – another instance of your boy being a little late to the ball game. But, the more I thought about it, the more I wanted to write about it. I don’t have to answer to a fucking editor anyway, so I’m going to go ahead and write it ’cause it means something to me even if it is a week and a half late at this point. Former Tennessee Titans legend Delanie Walker decided it’s time to hang up the cleats last week.

Walker played for the Titans from 2013-2019. He retires at 4th in receiving yards among Titans (behind only Derrick Mason, Frank Wycheck, and Nate Washington), and 9th in franchise history (including the Houston Oilers record books). He’s third among Titans in career receptions with 381. And, his 28 touchdowns are tied with Washington behind only Mason for the second most among Titans. Walker topped 1,000 yards once in his career, in 2015, when he amassed 1,088 yards. He was known for his tenacity and the explosiveness with which he played the game. Dude’s a junkyard dog that played relentlessly. He was as steady and reliable as they come.

He’s one of my all-time favorite Titans, and I find two things particularly impressive about Walker. For one, he was a bit of a late bloomer, and he’s a testament to the importance of patience and working hard to earn your spot. Drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2006, he hung around there for seven seasons before the Titans signed him in 2013. He never even sniffed 50 catches or 500 receiving yards in his time in San Francisco, but the Titans saw something special in him. His first season with the team, he caught a career high at the time 60 balls for 571 yards and six touchdowns…all career highs. He would never catch fewer than 60 balls in a season again until an injury in 2018 sidelined him for the season after the first game into Mike Vrabel‘s tenure as head coach. That fucking Dolphins game…

For another, I can’t believe this dude played with such heart for some of the worst teams in the Titans history. Those 2014 and 2015 seasons are widely considered rock bottom for this franchise, but it didn’t slow Walker down. He approached each and every game with an indomitable competitive spirit no matter how bad the team was, and it’s a foundation he helped build back then that reminds us of what it means to be a fucking Tennessee Titan today. Walker is one of those guys who just personifies the best of this franchise. It’s what endeared him to so many here in Nashville, and why he’s a crowd favorite to this day. If this man doesn’t get his name up in the Ring of Honor for this franchise, it’ll be the biggest scam of the century. His words after a defeat of the preseason Super Bowl favorite Cleveland Browns in 2019 are making the rounds on Twitter again this week after the Titans swept the preseason AFC South favorite Indianapolis Colts on Sunday.

While that is prime Delanie Walker content right there, I’ll see it and raise it “draft a fuckin’ tight end.” This was one of my favorite quotes of his from his appearance on Bussin’ With The Boys, and when we started talking “favorite moments” with Delanie Walker, this was the first thing that came to mind. This man is a champion:

*tips cap*

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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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