Tennessee Titans general manager Jon Robinson is a fan of giving out nicknames to rookies, and that’s especially true with the lesser-known ones on the roster.
Nicknames for players in general are very common, and anytime you hear Robinson or head coach Mike Vrabel speak, chances are you’ll hear some semblance of a nickname for players they talk about, rookie or not.
Robinson, who spoke at the Rotary Club of Nashville recently, explained how he comes up with nicknames for first-year players, using undrafted free-agent signings Blake Haubeil and James Smith as two examples.
Robinson revealed that Haubeil, who played his college ball at Ohio State, is known as “The Buckeye”, while Smith is known as “Keith Urban”, a singer-songwriter who, like Smith, is Australian. (H/T Emily Proud of WKRN).
In case you were wondering how #Titans GM Jon Robinson comes up with nicknames for rookies… 😂 pic.twitter.com/a1M47dHu0n
— Emily Proud (@emily_proud) July 12, 2021
Haubeil is set to compete for the starting kicker job at training camp, while Smith is just hoping to secure a spot on the practice squad with the great Brett Kern also on the roster.
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