I sat, soaking wet with sweat, in the stands at Nissan Stadium on Saturday night as the team rallied around UDFA kicker Brayden Narveson after he hit a 46-yard field goal to secure a 16-15 win for the Tennessee Titans. Thanks for coming, Seattle. Though plenty of fans had already begun filing out of the stadium at the top of the 4th quarter, plenty stayed behind to see it through. “We’re on real sicko time here,” I thought to myself. But, I heard a father behind me explaining the game to his son, who was full of questions. “They have to get the ball past that white line, and if they do, they score points.” The guys next to me we’re discussing the merits of having a backup the caliber of Mason Rudolph.
Here, with sweat calcifying on my shirt, I felt like football was truly back. It’s alive. Narveson lined up for that 46-yard kick, and like the others around me, I rose to see it. My problem? I’m 6’2″ and 280 pounds. I take up a lot of space. I turned to the family behind me and asked, “I’m not in your way, am I?” The man took a break from teaching his son the rules of football to smile and say, “no, brother…enjoy the game.” The guys who had previously been chatting about Rudolph stood, one of them pulling out his phone to capture the potential game-winner. When Narveson hit, the stands erupted…happy families, happy fans. The guys next to me were screaming “Titans 2-0 preseason” into their recording. I couldn’t help but smile. Here I was, thinking no one would care about this meaningless game, and our section was celebrating like the season was on the line and Narveson just hit a kick that sent them to the playoffs. Maybe I was the foolish one for not succumbing to the moment and just enjoying it.
I fear I may have been too cynical about the preseason, and what it means for fans. It’s the perfect opportunity to coach up your kid before the season starts. It might be your only shot of catching Mason Rudolph in action if you’re a big Mason Rudolph fan. I won’t hate on that. I’d stop short of exaggerating any on-field implications such a game could make beyond another chance to evaluate the roster and players in key position battles. But, apart of me did wonder as my wife and I walked back across the pedestrian bridge and uphill five blocks to the car, is it good for this team’s DNA to figure out how to win a game like that?
I certainly don’t think it hurts for players to see the fruits of their practice schedules translate on the field. But, I do think we should entertain the possibility that winning these close games inspires the depth on this team and builds momentum for the organization as a whole. Specifically, I think about this within the context of the last couple of seasons. How many close games did the Titans lose? If you think in terms of wins and losses, the math here is quite simple…winning breeds good morale and losing poisons it. To have these dramatic moments, winning a game as time expires, feels like a hopeful and helpful thing to a team that is essentially starting from scratch.
It’s also a sign that guys are fighting in the 4th quarter during a game that really has no bearing on your season whatsoever. The personnel people have found players that are scrappy from the top of the depth chart to the bottom. The messages of the coaches seem to be setting in, and guys are playing hard. It’s important for the sanctity of those teaching for it to matter on the field, and so far, it has! If this team gets into a battle in late November, when some starters are hurt, it could be useful to have this experience to draw confidence from to say “hey, we can go out there and do this.” Exaggerating? Maybe. I’m not going to come on here and say the Titans beat the Texans because they won this game against the Seahawks in August. No, the point I’m trying to make is that these games can serve as a sort of morale foundation for everyone within the organization to build off of. Coaches talk about stacking good days in training camp all the time – this isn’t much different to me.
So, we may talk our shit about the preseason, but I think there could be more silver linings to this 2-0 start than people realize. One of those is that this young rebuilding team is using these games as an opportunity to learn how to win again.
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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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