Well, I’ll be damned y’all – we got real life NFL action to break down this morning! Okay, so it was just the preseason opener..but I’m excited to talk about football nonetheless. The Tennessee Titans ventured up to the Windy City for a date with the Chicago Bears on Saturday, and after giving up two big plays to Justin Fields and the Bears’ first team offense, the Titans fell 23-17. Given that the team gave TWENTY FOUR guys the day off, I actually came away from the game feeling pretty positive.
For one, the first team offensive line was in its bag. They blocked well and showed some finish in grinding out that opening drive and punching it in for a touchdown. I was particularly impressed by how they opened up the run game for Tyjae Spears given the Titans spent the offseason stockpiling athletic pass protection specialists. For another, while I’m sure we got a dialed back vanilla version of the offense, it was nice to see so many wide open spread-out formations. All in all, it looked like a much crisper unit than it did a season ago.
I’m not all that worried about the defense. The Titans deployed one guy who figures to be a starter, Jack Gibbens, against the Bears’ first team offense. There also wasn’t a whole hell of a lot of smoke and mirrors from this group. You want to talk about vanilla, that defense looked about as basic as you could’ve called. Between that and not seeing any of the stars on Saturday, I’m willing to give that unit a pass. Now, if we see the Titans down 10 defensive starters simultaneously at any point this season, it might mean trouble. Let’s get to the game balls.
Game Balls
Chance Campbell – As we’ve seen in years past, chances are, the Titans are going to have to play more than two inside linebackers at a certain point this season. While Gibbens figures to be the starter next to Azeez Al-Shaair, it feels like this unit is pretty thin when it comes to depth. They could use a guy like Campbell or Monty Rice to show up and make for a stable of contributors. I thought Campbell played with some fire on Saturday and his pass-breakup was *chef’s kiss* – the athleticism to track that play down and the discipline to not get called for interference at the same time was impressive.
Eric Garror – Garror got some serious run in this game, playing a boat load of snaps and making the most of the opportunity. He finished the game with four total tackles, two of those were for a loss. He shined on a play when he was able to penetrate and get into the backfield using his hands to fight through traffic and get to the ball carrier. He also had a couple of fantastic open field tackles in one-on-one situations.
GREAT open-field tackle by #Titans UDFA DB Eric Garror. Prevents a BIG gain. Type of stuff that gets you noticed. pic.twitter.com/LYXRoWPlJY
— Justin M (@JustinM_NFL) August 12, 2023
Kearis Jackson – Jackson stood out to me later in the ball game as a guy who can make men miss in the open field. I’d expect to see him get a larger role in the next preseason game.
Tyjae Spears – What can I say? I simply love to see it – if you haven’t been following my work for awhile, allow me to inform you that I’ve been a huge Spears fan since February. He looked explosive. He looked fast. And, he looked like he could be a legitimate weapon for this offense. They gave him the clear RB2 treatment – it’s just a shame that he doesn’t have any knees.
Malik Willis – Good for Malik Willis! While there was some inconsistency overall, I thought the offensive looked a little more dynamic with him in the game, and really, this game ball is simply all about the improvement this guy has shown from season one to season two. He looks like a much more poised quarterback that was going through his reads comfortably and only tucking the ball to run when he had to.
Malik Willis vs The Bears [preseason]
— awthentik (@awthentik) August 13, 2023
⌲ Great velocity
⌲ Looks trimmed down.
⌲ Making some tight window throws
⌲ Still a threat running the ball
⌲ Occasionally inaccurate #Titans pic.twitter.com/5Yr89Ze5NF
Notes
*I do have a few game balls contingent upon rewatch, and no, I still haven’t had the chance to re-watch the game. Give me a break – I actually had a weekend off, so I took the opportunity to relax for a change. Sue me. Anyway, those *pending review* game balls – Ben Niemann, Mike Brown, Anthony Kendall, Armani Marsh, Steven Jones Jr.
*I thought Will Levis was fine – where Willis may have provided a bit of a spark, Levis provided a little more security. The interception doesn’t bother me – it’s virtually the last play of the game…you’re probably throwing that ball no matter what, and the Bears had like 20 defensive backs back there to intercept it. By and large, he held onto the football when he was hit, and he flashed good placement and a firm command of the offense.
*Jaelyn Duncan is another guy that I want to go back and watch a little more closely. He played at his normal position of left tackle after the right tackle experiment ran its course, and on the surface, I thought he played a pretty decent ball game. But, I saw a few people on X criticizing him, so I need to go back and see what I could’ve missed.
*Running back Julius Chestnut showed off a couple of nice cuts and an ability to protect the ball through heavy traffic. He looks like RB3 to me, but he’ll probably end up on the practice squad because Hassan Haskins is so “valuable” on special teams.
*Tough scene for Josh Whyle, but let’s be patient given that he got a late start to training camp due to injury. I also don’t think they’re really going to count on him for much right away. It’s fine.
*Ton of work for Colton Dowell, Thomas Rush, and Caleb Murphy, all of whom I wanted to see some fight from, and I’m not sure we got that. Murphy had a sack in the game, and I’d say probably did the most to improve his stock, but I still want to see a little more from all of these guys.
The Titans play the Vikings at Minnesota on Saturday night at 7PM CST.
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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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