The Titans started hot and finished cold in this one as they dropped their
preseason opener in Green Bay by a score of 31-17. The new uniforms were looking
sharp and so was the first team offense http://www.tennesseetitansteamonline.com/tajae-sharpe-jersey ,
but most importantly the team seemingly avoided any catastrophic injuries to
critical players tonight. Here are the players that I thought stood out for both
good and bad reasons.WinnersMarcus MariotaMariota only threw three passes, but
the first team offense looked extremely crisp, marching 71 yards in 9 plays for
a quick opening touchdown. You couldn’t have asked for a better start for the
Matt LaFleur era. Mariota completed 2 of his 3 passes for 42 yards, including
the 4-yard touchdown pass to Darius Jennings to cap it off. He also chipped in a
7-yard run on a play action bootleg where he kept it and outran a defender
around the edge. Mariota’s accuracy was on point, hitting a tight window throw
on a slant to Nick Williams for 38 yards on his first pass attempt. His sole
incompletion came on a well-thrown goalline fade to Taywan Taylor when Taylor
slipped during the route. After tossing the touchdown to Jennings on a nice rub
concept, Mariota threw on a ball cap and watched Blaine Gabbert and Luke Falk
mop up.The other positive development for Mariota was seeing him playing without
a knee brace for the first time since his rookie season. He had not been wearing
it during OTAs and camp, but it was good to see him playing without it while
facing live reps. He looked good moving around tonight.This is exactly the start
we hoped to see from Mariota and the first team offense. Harold LandryLandry
didn’t take long to make an impact in his first preseason game. With the Packers
offense on the move during their second drive of the game, Landry used his go-to
dip move and beat the Packers left tackle to get a strip sack on Brett Hundley.
The Packers were able to recover the fumble, but these are the types of game
changing plays that the Titans need from him. Landry followed that play with
another nice rush on the very next snap, nearly getting a hand on Hundley’s
throwing arm again. The sack essentially killed the drive though, as the Packers
punted just two plays later. It’s silly that Landry fell to pick 41 in the
draft. Anybody who saw him play in college saw this exact move and result on
tape countless times. We still need to see him translate that to top competition
in a real NFL game, but the early returns are extremely promising. LeShaun
SimsSims got his night started with an excellent special teams play Authentic
Rashaan Evans Jersey , punching the ball out of Packers punt
returner Quinten Rollins’ hands on the first punt of the night. The Titans
weren’t able to recover — and rookie Dane Cruikshank got hurt trying — but it
could have been a big play if the ball had bounced another way. Sims’ primary
contributions will be on special teams as long as the Titans top three corners
are healthy so it’s good to see him making a play there.Sims was targeted
frequently at corner after the first team defensive backs came out of the game,
but he held his own. He broke up several passes, including a nice play on a 4th
and goal fade route at the end of a long Packers drive. Sims may be the best CB4
in the NFL right now.Sharif FinchFinch was one of the guys I was excited to see
perform and he didn’t disappoint. After coming in for an injured Gimel President
— who was also very good — Finch regularly appeared in the Green Bay backfield
creating pressure. He picked up a sack early in the second half, drew a holding
call on a play where he was beating the tackle again, and added two more
quarterback hits throughout the game. Finch helped his cause to sneak on to the
53-man roster this week. David FluellenFluellen didn’t get a ton of work, but
what he did get, he made the most of. He finished with 3 carries for 21 yards,
including a really nice 11-yard run where he was able to make multiple defenders
miss. 
Also, helping his cause to remain as the third running back on the roster
was a couple rookie mistakes from his competition. LosersBlaine GabbertGabbert
wasn’t Matt Cassel bad, but he wasn’t good either. He has a big arm and some
mobility, but the accuracy just isn’t there. Gabbert missed some relatively easy
throws that could have kept drives alive. His 5.1 yards per attempt fell
squarely in the Osweiler Zone (or should I say Flacco Zone, it’s so hard to tell
them apart these days). I still think he’s going to be fine as a backup to
Mariota Womens Brian
Orakpo Jersey , but this is what he is honestly. Malcolm ButlerIt
was just one play and the coverage was actually pretty good, but Butler got
torched for a deep ball on his first opportunity in a Titans uniform. The play
was oddly reminiscent of Logan Ryan’s first opportunity against the Jets during
last year’s preseason. Davante Adams made a really nice late adjustment to catch
the perfectly thrown ball from Brett Hundley and there just wasn’t much that
Butler could do despite being in good position. Butler will have no doubt better
days, but I’m sure he would’ve liked a different start.Anthony FirkserOne of my
favorite players from camp struggled in his first preseason game for the Titans.
He stumbled after catching a short pass in the flat during the second drive of
the game which cost him a likely first down. Later he had a bad drop on an easy
throw from Luke Falk. I think we’ll see more from him next week, but for a guy
fighting for a potential roster spot, this was less than ideal. Akrum
WadleyWadley wasn’t terrible tonight. He had some nice moments and looks like a
very natural pass catcher out of the backfield. However, he put the ball on the
ground with a costly fumble and bobbled a kickoff that luckily rolled out of the
endzone instead of at the 1-yard line. That’s life with a rookie and you hope
that he’s able to bounce back from those miscues as the preseason continues.The
Cornerback DepthOutside of the top four, the Titans don’t have a whole lot to be
excited about among the cornerbacks. The Packers backup quarterbacks and wide
receivers absolutely roasted Kalan Reed, Rico Gafford, Joseph Este, Jarell
Carter, and Joshua Kalu for the entire second half. It was an embarrassing
performance from many of these guys. Reed was definitely the best of the group —
really not saying much — and seems likely to be the 5th corner on the 53-man
roster. This shouldn’t matter a whole lot because all the rest of these guys are
likely to be cut, but I’m not looking forward to seeing this bunch play second
halves for the next few weeks. It was like watching 5 Perrish Cox’s running
around out there at the same time — the stuff of nightmares. More coverage of
the reaction to Titans-Packers as well as previews of Titans-Buccaneers to come
throughout the week!We broke the game down on the podcast here. The Tennessee
Titans will showcase a new backfield tandem in Miami. Derrick Henry returns for
his third season under a new regime that will not hesitate to feed the towering
tailback. Henry’s 2017 workload was an appetizer. He’s hungry for more.Joining
Henry is the shifty Dion Lewis Womens
Delanie Walker Jersey , who spent time contributing both on the
ground and as a receiver in a Tom Brady ran offense. Lewis was forced to share
carries with a handful of other running backs. His usage correlated to the who
the Patriots opponent was, but his production was constant.Henry is familiar to
sharing the backfield, although the 2017 carries should have been more evenly
split between he and the ailing DeMarco Murray. Both backs know the team will
find ways to put the backs in the best situation to help the team and be
productive within their given skill-sets.Carries vs TouchesHow the workload is
divided will be observed Sunday, but I don’t think the split will be consistent
on a weekly basis. The Titans will game plan for their opponents and will use
the back that gives the team the best advantage or the ball carrier who could
exploit the defenses areas of weakness. There will not be a single game we won’t
see both Henry and Lewis finishing with zero carries or touches, but the leader
in each category will vary week to week.Henry will presumably lead the Titans in
carries and rushing yards, but Lewis could lead in total touches and total yards
from scrimmage. Both backs will be instrumental in opening up OC Matt LaFleur’s
passing game. Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsHenry brings familiarity with the
offensive linemen. He’ll know each lineman’s tendencies a little more than Lewis
starting out. Lewis’ football acumen and ability to absorb, process and digest
information will help him familiarize himself with his blockers sooner, rather
than later. Lewis’ speed and savvy awareness will help him find and work open
space. He is comfortable in playing the role of the safety valve and helped bail
out Brady on numerous occasions. The usage of each back will be calculated and
LaFleur will gauge each players first half performance to determine who has the
hot hand and who should get the lion’s share of carries after halftime.D & D
vs the DolphinsSo what can we expect from the Henry and Lewis combo in Miami?A
heavy dosage.Mariota will be given the opportunity to move the ball through the
air and occasionally “let it rip”, but the number of reps he’s had with his top
two pass catchers Delanie Walker and Rishard Matthews in this new offense cannot
be overlooked. Yes, Mariota is comfortable and can read both Walker and
Matthews’ body language, which will help in salvaging some plays that would
otherwise be doomed due to miscommunication or unfamiliarity. However, the
established chemistry will only take the offense so far in terms of
execution.Mariota will explore his connection with Corey Davis. Expect LaFleur
to call rhythm building plays early. Bubble screens Authentic
Austin Johnson Jersey , quick slants and confidence throws will be
on the menu early in Miami.Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY SportsWith all that said,
expect Henry and Lewis to be a big part of the game plan. Lewis has familiarity
in doing damage to the Dolphins, and LaFleur will provide him with opportunities
to do so. Henry only had four carries against Miami last season, but in his
rookie season he had 7 and went for over 50 yards and added two receptions for
20 yards.Dennis Kelly will likely get the start, although Jack Conklin being
injected into the starting offense would be somewhat of a shocker. Whoever lines
up on the right side won’t slow down the offense too much as the Titans will
more than likely put their trust in running to the left behind the highest paid
offensive lineman, Taylor Lewan.I don’t expect Mariota to throw the ball 41
times as he has the past two seasons, and part of that is because I think the
Titans will lean on the run throughout.Henry and Lewis are capable of
shouldering the offensive load in the Florida heat.
