By Bill Murphy
ATLANTA- After six long months, football is finally back for the Tennessee Titans will open up their preseason in Atlanta against the Falcons. Last year the Titans finished with an 11-5 record winning the AFC South but lost in the Wild Card round of the playoffs to the Baltimore Ravens 20-13. Running back, Derrick Henry was named the NFL’s offensive player of the year, rushing for 2,000 yards, making him the second player in franchise history to do so (the other being Chris Johnson ). Aside from Henry, there is also Quarterback Ryan Tannehill, who threw 33 touchdowns and only seven interceptions last year. Wide Receiver AJ Brown had his second straight 1,000 yard season, scored 11 touchdowns, and was named to the Pro Bowl.
Now fast-forwarding to this season, the Titans have made some moves to benefit the offense and defense over the offseason. The most substantial pick this offseason was, of course, Julio Jones from the Atlanta Falcons. Acquiring Jones will give Tannehill another weapon along with Brown and Henry. The Titans would have to look out for Jones and his health because last year with the Falcons he was injured a good portion of the season and is also getting up there at 32. Jones’s appearance can be good for the fans. According to USA Today,” Titans ticket sales went up 61% from this time last year .”
There will be two significant additions to a struggling Tennessee Defense this season with Outside Linebacker Bud Dupree, who the Titans signed from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dupree has high-end athleticism and motor, but he is coming off a torn ACL injury and just got removed from the physically unable to perform list, so we will have to see. The other addition is Caleb Farley, a first-round draft pick from Virginia Tech who was on the ACC all-conference team in 2019 but did not play during the 2020 season because of Covid.
With the gains, there are, unfortunately, losses. The Titans lost their playmaker Corey Davis. Davis ended up going to the Jets and will be a top receiver for Zach Wilson. Losing Davis is a good and bad thing for the Titans. They lose their slot receiver, but with Julio Jones, he has been replaced. On top of losing their playmaker, the Titans also lost their offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who is now the head coach of the Atlanta Falcons. Smith molded Ryan Tannehill into an NFL Quarterback, strengthened the offense here, and brought them to the playoffs twice in a row.
It does not sound like many starters will be on the field tonight when it comes to tonight’s game. Coach Mike Vrabel has officially announced that Derrick Henry will not be starting. In his place will be Darrynton Evans. Ryan Tannehill is not likely to start so that the ball will be given to either Logan Woodside or Matt Barkley. Julio Jones is still coming off an injury and is marked as questionable, and it looks like Jones will not get his big start at his former team. When it comes to the new draft picks picked up this year, all of them will be starting except for Farley, who Vrabel said is “not ready. “When it comes to the Atlanta Falcons, we won’t be seeing much of their starters either. It has been announced the quarterback Matt Ryan will not start.
With a team full of backups, the key to victory for tonight’s game will be for the defense to cover Atlanta’s new tight end, Kyle Pitts. Another key is to make sure Julio Jones and Bud Dupree stay healthy. This season, the keys for victory are the strong offense by Tannehill, Brown, Henry, and now Jones. My expectation is that the Titans will at least make the playoffs.
The Sports Insanity Network 