(1.) With the Patriots traveling to Nashville this weekend Andre Tippett Color Rush Jersey , many of the story lines have centered around the numerous roster and front office connections between the the two organizations. While the Malcolm Butler, Mike Vrabel, and Dion Lewis narratives are certainly the headliners, there are a couple familiar faces making a name for themselves in central Tennessee that should not go overlooked.The first is Titans GM Jon Robinson. After six seasons as a Patriots scout, Robinson was promoted to Assistant Director of College Scouting on 2008, and then transitioned into the team’s Director of College Scouting role in 2009. Five years later, Robinson followed colleague Jason Licht — a former Patriots scout and Director of Player Personnel from 2009-2011 — to Tampa Bay after Licht was selected for the Buccaneers’ GM job. In 2016, Robinson was hired for Tennessee’s vacant Executive VP and General Manager position following the firing of Ruston Webster — becoming the Titans’ third GM the since the current CBA was signed in 2011, and their fourth of the salary cap era.After back-to-back 9-7 seasons and a road playoff victory last season in Kansas City, an argument can be made that Robinson is off to the best start of any former Patriots front office staffer in the Belichick era — especially considering the circumstances he inherited. While Atlanta’s Thomas Dimitroff started 20-12 in his initial two seasons, the Falcons lost in the 2008 Wild Card round, and he was also afforded the luxury of handpicking his own quarterback in the 2008 draft. Interestingly enough, Mike Mularkey was an integral piece of each GM’s first two seasons, as he was the Falcon’s offensive coordinator in 2008 and 2009, and the Titans’ head coach in 2015 and 2016 before being fired by Robinson.(2.) Now in his third year in Tennessee, it has been interesting to watch Robinson execute his plan and adapt his roster building strategies. The Titans have traditionally been a conservative organization — as evidence by their 24th overall ranking in cash spending from 2013-2016. In fact, until Jurrell Casey’s extension in July of 2017, Tennessee hadn’t had a player with an eight-digit salary cap hit since Chris Johnson’s $12 million figure in 2013. That all changed in the spring of 2017. As we’ve seen many teams do, the Titans decided to maximize whatever window they felt Marcus Mariota’s rookie contract afforded them, spurring the signings of free agents like Logan Ryan, Johnathan Cyprien, Malcolm Butler, Dion Lewis https://www.patriotsfanstore.com/Irving-Fryar-Jersey , and Bennie Logan over the past two offseasons. Extensions for key in-house player personnel like the aforementioned Casey, left tackle Taylor Lewan, and tight end Delanie Walker have propelled Tennessee’s cash spending ranking from 18th a year ago to 11th this season according to overthecap.com. (3.) The biggest impact Robinson has had since his arrival in Nashville is the amount of depth he’s been able to build within the roster — particularly through the draft. Injuries aside, the Titans have selected somewhere between eight and ten starters from the three draft classes of Robinson’s tenure. Over that same span, the Patriots’ draft classes have yielded between three and four — depending on whether or not Elandon Roberts is starting.Here’s how the two teams’ last three draft classes stack up. This isn’t an indictment on New England, but more so an effort to highlight the work done by Robinson and his scouting staff.Number of players drafted from 2016-2018Titans: 23Patriots: 22Draftees from 2016-2018 currently on the 53-man roster or IR/NFI/PUP:Titans: 16Patriots: 14Games played for organization by 2016-2018 draftees:Titans: 393Patriots: 204(4.) Perhaps the most interesting aspect of Robinson’s first two years was the production the team received from the players whose cap hits accounted for at least 1% of the league salary cap — the “middle” and “upper” classes of the roster. In fact, the Titans led the NFL in the number of such players in 2016 and 2017, and no team in football had a higher percentage of their offensive and defensive snaps come from that specific roster group.(2.) Another former Patriot who has sustained success in the Music City is Titans guard Josh Kline. I wrote about Kline and his “lunch pail” approach as a Patriot back in January prior to the Divisional Round tilt in Foxborough. One thing that stood out was the comments made by Josh McDaniels with regard to Kline in a conference call to reporters that week:(5.) A quick update to that story from January: Kline’s consistent play since 2016 was rewarded with a second contract from GM Jon Robinson in March. The deal keeps the 28-year-old in a Titans uniform through the 2021 season, and is worth a total $28 million with $9.25 million fully guaranteed at signing. Another $2.75 million of his 2019 salary guarantees on the fifth day of the 2019 league year.Follow Brian Phillips on Twitter — @BPhillips_SB With the Super Bowl only eight days way, the Pats Pulpit staff is traveling down memory lane to share it most cherished memories of the New England Patriots’ previous 10 title games. Today, we’ll continue the series with SlotMachinePlayers’ favorite moment: New England’s first appearance on the big stage.Some kids grow up hearing their parents argue all the time. I can’t think of a single time that happened. In our house, it was the quiet times that got your attention. Those tense you can hear pin drop moments. Perhaps that’s why I learned to turn to humor to disarm those quiet situations.Mom was a Packers fan from Wisconsin, and I was 4 when the first AFL-NFL Championship (later to be called a “Super Bowl”) was played. I’m sure the game was on and I was there playing in front of the TV as Mom’s Packers won the first two such games. I don’t remember a bit of it.Dad was a Bears fan from Illinois, and there were a number of quiet times when the Bears and Packers (two of the oldest NFL teams) met. You were better off being somewhere / anywhere else. When it came to talking about Super Bowl wins, Mom could talk, and Dad was silent. Uncomfortably silent. When it came to picking an NFL team, I couldn’t choose the Pack, and I couldn’t choose the Bears. I wasn’t getting in the middle of that, so I learned to watch games in silence.Eventually I went to college, and my Big Ten QB seemed poised to do well in the NFL. When he was drafted, he went to this seldom heard of team called the New England Patriots. Hell, they weren’t even in the NFC! That QB was Tony Eason, and I became a closet Patriots’ fan to cheer him on just as I had in college. It was tough to find any of their games in Illinois in part because they didn’t have any impact to the Bears John Hannah Color Rush Jersey , and in part because they really weren’t all that good. I’d find one here and there, but mostly I’d read the scores in the newspaper next to a lot of L’s.The date was January 26, 1986 and somehow, miraculously, the Patriots were in the Super Bowl. I’d get to see my team on the big stage, albeit quietly because they were going up against Dad’s Bears. The Pats faced the Bears earlier that season and hadn’t fared very well. Neither had any other team beyond the Dolphins. Dad having a team in the big game brought him an optimism that I hadn’t seen before. As he’d often told me, “Bears’ fans aren’t allowed to have nice things ... like quarterbacks.” BTW, the Bears still waiting for Sid Luckman’s replacement - maybe that’s Trubisky, or maybe not. In 1986, the hopeful was Jim McMahon. He was an absolute a-hole, but he was just good enough that Walter Payton didn’t have to run against a loaded box EVERY snap. Just every OTHER snap.Now watching Bears football damned near every Sunday, I’d developed a healthy respect / fondness for Walter Payton, AKA Sweetness. He’d run hard in the last minutes of the 4th quarter when they were down by 4 scores. He just never took plays off or went down without hitting someone. I was a little torn as the game started. I wanted Tony to win, yet Dad was down two championships to none in the parent bowl. Hannah and Tippett deserved rings, but so did Sweetness. I had to make my choice, and I determined to to cheer for the Patriots ... of course in silence.In the end, it didn’t matter. There wasn’t much to cheer for, and I largely just suffered in silence. The Patriots offense fell victim to one of the greatest defenses the game has ever seen. Hannah played possibly the worst game I’ve ever seen him play, but the Patriots were able to put up points — ten of them. Three mostly from a defensive turnover, and seven when the game was largely out of hand. Still scoring points was something neither the Giants (Phil Simms) nor the Rams (Dieter Brock) were able to do that post-season. It was something of a moral victory. Eason, who was 0 for 6 (the first Super Bowl starting QB to fail to complete a pass), was replaced by Steve Grogan who was able to get a TD early in the 4th quarter. Even Sweetness was robbed when after moving his team the length of the field, his TD carries went to William “Refrigerator” Perry and Jim “a-hole” McMahon. So I was none too fond of either Ray Berry or Mike Ditka after that day. The entire Super Bowl was thoroughly unlikable Tedy Bruschi Jersey , but it did put the Patriots on the national map for the first time and make me hope they’d get there again. Something I never thought was possible before that.The three things that make this a positive memory for me:It’s the first time I had to chose a team and suffer with them. Winning is easy, but losing develops character. The Pats had a lot of fans with character in those days. I’ve stuck with the decision ever since, but it’s easier now that they drafted that other Big Ten QB.My Dad wasn’t silent when Championships were discussed anymore, and that made the whole house a little brighter.An all-time great got a ring, and if it couldn’t be Hannah or Tippett, at least it was Walter Payton, who was taken from us all too early in 1999. Right about the same time Dad died.Oh, my time and the Patriots time would come. That lone Super Bowl (1986) was soon accompanied by another (1997), and another (2002), and another (2004), and another (2005), and another (2008), and another (2012), and another (2015), and another (2017), and another (2018), and now another (2019). Dad’s passed (he was spared the loss to the Colts in 2007), but if he was still here, I doubt we’d talk about Championships. What could he say? These days, I’m blessed to have a lot to talk about.
