The Tennessee Titans finished off the most physically taxing week of Training Camp most of the players on this team have ever experienced on Sunday, the fifth padded practice in six days. And frankly, they looked like a group that wanted a break. Here's the big picture you need to know from Sunday's action:
Guys, this was a total waste of my Sunday morning. I arrived at practice annoyed that I was missing church with my family for training camp practice. When I left, that annoyance had turned to anger. This practice stunk. Brian Callahan let it be known to his players (and a couple hundred others within earshot) how he felt about this one as the team ran sprints to finish up the day. I'd tell you exactly how he phrased his displeasure, but then the team would get mad at me for sharing what needs to stay on the field. I don't think my parents would be jazzed about me repeating it either.
Ultimately, it's not that big a deal. Teams have ugly days of practice. It's a long camp. But these can come as a wakeup call. Now, I'm fascinated this time of year with the "why" behind each drill and each day's stated areas of focus. The context of what these coaches and players are trying to do in any given period can be completely lost on those of us merely watching along. Sometimes things look ugly because they're designed to be impossible. Sometimes things look fantastic, but that's the expectation of the drill. So I do my best to speak with those who understand the plan of the day whenever something strikes me as notable or odd. I asked around today, and here's what I heard:
It was a brutal day for the offense on paper. That translated to, well, a really brutal performance by them on the field. Cam Ward looked inaccurate. He was holding the ball too long. All three QBs kept getting sacked. Guys weren't getting open very well. The OL wasn't particularly stout. And while the defense wasn't as markedly bad themselves, It wasn't like they lit it up today either. This offensive dysfunction felt much more like a result of the offense not working than the defense dominating with sticky coverage, pressure and turnovers.
But thinking back on each period and talking to those who designed them, it was bad for the offensive on purpose. They did a lot of work backed up and in the low redzone, which are some tricky spots to be in. They ran a long zero blitz "bring it or bluff it" period that allowed Dennard Wilson to put Cam Ward's offense in a blender. There were a lot of "funhouse mirror" war games going on here, designed to harden Ward and the rest of the unit before the real bullets start flying. That remains a common theme of camp so far, which is annoying and increasingly hard to really accept, but the coaching staff swears it's true. Whether you want to see it more as a reason or more as an excuse is up to you.
But that's why what really made Sunday's practice disgusting wasn't the inefficiency. It was the slop, the attitude, and the way these guys seemed to respond to adversity. There was an air of frustration and exhaustion at times that translated poorly to the level of play. When a unit was put in a bad or tricky spot, there wasn't much doubling down and overcoming going on. And the way these players respond to things is honestly more important to me (and surely their coaches) than the things themselves. How many times have you heard a leader say it's ok to make mistakes, just don't repeat them?
That's what ultimately rubbed me the wrong way leaving this practice. It was sloppy like a 3-14 team would look. That's what the Titans remain, until they start proving otherwise with wins. And as RT JC Latham said after practice, any time they behave like that old, losing version of themselves, it shouldn't be just coach Callahan who takes issue with it.
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