We’ve seen the run stuff highlights. We’ve laughed about “the Andrew Adams game.” We’ve acknowledged that Terrance Mitchell has been pretty damn good as of late. And, we’ve examined all of the box scores. But, that doesn’t paint the complete picture of how good both of these guys have been. The value that both of these guys have brought to the Tennessee Titans defense as it’s clamped down and stifled opponents after its 0-2 start hasn’t truly sunk in. But, I’m here to tell you folks – these guys aren’t just warm bodies in the secondary. They are versatile difference-makers that Shane Bowen can deploy however he needs them – whether it’s effective zone coverage, 1:1 man coverage, blitzing, tackling, whatever. I’ve found a few plays that highlight each guy’s skill set from Sunday’s win over the Denver Broncos.
Play 1
Adams and Mitchell are both savvy veteran guys who have been in the league for a while now. That cerebral integrity is what makes them both weapons who are flying under the radar, even among Titans fans. Shane Bowen really deploys these guys in a number of situations. They line up far off their man. They come up to the line to press guys. They fill gaps. They hold their zone. Whatever it takes, they know where to be, who to cover, and they’re both willing to hit.
From a scheme standpoint, it’s all built on versatility, but it takes a deep understanding of the responsibilities of each position and communication to excel at it. We heard Kevin Byard talking about communication being poor in 2020 when the defense was the weak link of this team. The Titans made personnel changes, and voila! The defense was better. Adams and Mitchell are two guys who demonstrate an understanding of their responsibilities on their side of the field. I love the design of this play in particular:

Mitchell comes up to give the receiver a little bump, and Adams bails to cover deep. Russell Wilson looks to that side of the field, but immediately looks off. It looks like a good 1:1 opportunity at the start, but Mitchell and Adams completely remove the option. It’s a little bit of smoke and mirrors, a little bit of zone integrity, and it is executed perfectly. Wilson attempts the check down to Greg Dulcich here, but it’s dropped.
Conceptually, the secondary just has to hold its water for a few seconds before the defensive front can get home. That’s where this Titans defense is most effective. There’s a lot of this kind of stuff in this defense, and we’ve seen it hurt them in the past when guys don’t quite understand their assignments or things aren’t communicated clearly. Mitchell and Adams handle it effectively, and when you have trustworthy defensive backs back there working in symbiosis with the front, that’s where the defense makes sweet, sweet, beautiful music.
Play 2
The Titans don’t blitz an awful lot, but when they do they make it count. Adams is a little more rangy than I think people give him credit for, but he is an excellent tackler, and a physical presence when chasing people down.

The Titans did a smart job of utilizing Adams’ physicality on this particular play. It’s third down, and they just stack bodies at the line of scrimmage. If Adams is the one to get through, you can trust him to make the tackle. Quite simply, he can run a mf down in space. It’s almost like a shark that smells blood in the water once he realizes he’s got you dead to rights. He ends up being the one that the Broncos simply don’t block, and the Titans force a punt on this play.
Play 3
This play hits Dulcich and David Long Jr. makes a hell of a tackle in the open field, but I found it to be a good illustration of how tight Mitchell has been at times in these 1:1 situations. There’s clearly an open guy underneath Adams (it seemed like the Broncos tried to beat the zone in this fashion a couple of times early on, and on this play they were actually successful but Wilson was rushed and didn’t even look), but Mitchell has his guy completely removed from the play.

At one point, Mitchell was a scapegoat for this secondary, but hot damn…this man has turned it on. He has demonstrated for week after week that he is not going to shit the bed in situations where he’s one on one with a talented, physical receiver.
Play 4
I mean, wtf can I say about this? It speaks for itself. The Titans struggled with the size of Courtland Sutton at times on Sunday, but Mitchell just makes a hell of an effort to knock the ball away in this 1:1 situation. The man was on an island with Sutton right here, and he forced the punt.

Adams and Mitchell are both having solid underrated campaigns this season. Working in conjunction, they essentially lock down an entire side of the field. They’re making tackles. They’re disrupting passing games. They are weapons. It’s all about trust, and this staff can trust Adams and Mitchell with whatever they’re asked to do.
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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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