Category: Latest News

Tennessee Titans make young fan’s birthday wish come true

This young Titans fan got some gift from the team and its players.

The coronavirus outbreak has put pretty much everyone’s life on hold, including a young Tennessee Titans fan who wasn’t able to have a birthday party as a result of the need for social distancing.

The boy’s mother reached out to the team on Twitter to see if she could still do something to make his birthday special, and the Titans and their players delivered in a big way.

Not only did the team directly answer the mother’s hope for a birthday wish, some of the players did also.

After A.J. Brown added to the birthday wishes from the team’s players, the mother shared a video of her son thanking the wide receiver.

A belated happy birthday to this young Titans fan, who might have gotten about as cool a gift as one could imagine.

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Ravens willing to trade up in 2020 NFL Draft but only for stud player

Baltimore Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said he’d be willing to trade in the 1st round of the 2020 NFL Draft but it would depend on what he’d get

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The Baltimore Ravens enter the 2020 NFL Draft with nine picks, including seven in the first four rounds. With few major holes and a roster that is already pretty stacked with talent — returning most of last year’s starters — there’s no guarantee that nine more players will actually make the cut. But with a philosophy that usually involves accumulating as many picks as possible to take as many chances on landing major contributors, Baltimore’s fortune of draft picks has many wondering whether the Ravens will be willing to move around to address their most pressing needs with star prospects.

When asked whether he’d be willing to trade in the first round, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta was clear he’d be open to it. But he also made sure to acknowledge it would depend on what they’d be getting in return, regardless of if they moved up or back.

“Yes, it just would depend on what that opportunity was,” DeCosta said in the Ravens’ pre-draft press conference. “Who is the player that’s available? What can we get in exchange for making a trade? What kind of picks can we get?”

Though they’ve only pulled off first-round trades in 2018 (moving back twice before selecting tight end Hayden Hurst and trading back into the first round to select quarterback Lamar Jackson), DeCosta noted that Baltimore has the ammunition to move up if they wish.

“This year, we do have a lot of [picks],” DeCosta said. “We have the opportunity to maybe go up and get a guy.”

However, DeCosta was quick to temper any enthusiasm by adding a dose of reality. When a prospect begins to slide, the Ravens won’t be the only ones on the phones trying to move up to grab him, with DeCosta adding that other teams are “usually willing to give up more than you’re willing to give up.”

While everything said by a team before the NFL Draft should be taken with a whole bag of salt, DeCosta was surprisingly candid as well. He acknowledged that even with all the scouting, film review and interviews, the draft often comes down to luck. And while he’d be willing to package some of the Ravens’ picks to move up and take a prospect they like, it would have to be for someone special.

Whether that means DeCosta has someone specific in mind in the 2020 NFL Draft or that he’d really only ever trade up for a quarterback is the big question. As is often the case with the draft, it’s a fluid situation that will have to be assessed in real time with limited time on the clock. However, it’s worth noting the only time since 2010 they’ve traded up in the first round was to take their franchise quarterback in Jackson.

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Bengals can’t buy into ‘more is better’ approach and trade away shot at Joe Burrow

The Bengals can’t overvalue draft picks in trade talks and pass on Joe Burrow.

“You have a choice. You can have the boat or
 the mystery box.”

“What are you crazy? We’ll take the boat.”

“Not so fast Lois – a boat’s a boat but the mystery box could be anything! It could even be a boat!”

The maniac obsession with hoarding draft picks has logical roots. The NFL Draft is a lottery and the more tickets you have, the greater chance you have of hitting the jackpot. In many ways, it is akin to Peter Griffin’s fixation on the contents of the mystery box; the allure of the unknown.

Perhaps this obsession stems from overconfidence on the part of talent evaluators in the league. General managers aren’t in the business of doubting their abilities to accurately evaluate talent. Scouting departments spend all year long traveling around the country to watch players, foregoing any semblance of a conventional, run-of-the-mill life by poring over thousands of hours of tape and conducting countless interviews in order to be as well-placed as possible to strike gold in the Draft.

A firm belief in the merits of their evaluation process naturally leads to a belief that a greater number of draft picks leads to a greater number of talented players being added to the roster. And in many scenarios, trading down to acquire additional picks is a sensible move. A team that has multiple glaring holes on its roster would be smart to convert a single selection into numerous picks in order to plug as many gaps as possible. Likewise, if there is no standout prospect sitting pretty atop the team’s draft board, a southbound move down the draft order makes a great deal of sense.

In the context of the current debate surrounding the Bengals and the first overall pick, none of the aforementioned acceptable trade-down scenarios are applicable. The Bengals have been presented with a key on a silver platter – it unlocks the door to an elite quarterback prospect that can alter the fortunes of the franchise for years to come. At surface level, three or four first-round picks from the Miami Dolphins may sound like an enticing haul that would bolster the roster with premier talent at multiple positions. However, such a projection involves making an incorrect assumption that each of these first-round picks translate into high-end NFL starters that prove to be worthy of a first-round selection.

A first-round pick generally sounds substantially more attractive than the name of the player ultimately selected with that first-round pick. When pondering whether Joe Burrow is worth sacrificing for multiple first-round selections, it’s worth bearing in mind that the Bengals could be punting away the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck in exchange for 2020/2021 equivalents of Jonah Williams, Billy Price, John Ross and William Jackson III. Or perhaps the haul is more akin to a combination of players that proceed to have NFL careers in line with those of Cedric Ogbuehi, Darqueze Dennard, Tyler Eifert and Kevin Zeitler. Suffice to say, the franchise quarterback wins out on both occasions.

Of course, all of this is premised on the belief that Burrow will pan out in the NFL. Down the line this article may prove to be evidence of a deranged belief that Burrow was a can’t-miss prospect with elite traits, preferable to a bevy of first-rounders offered by the Dolphins. However, my belief is that when a quarterback with the talent and resume of Burrow comes along, you politely field trade offers to fulfill due diligence requirements but don’t get cute – there is no adequate compensation for a franchise-changing quarterback.

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Stephen A. Smith shreds Bengals in odd Joe Burrow-Tua Tagovailoa rant

Stephen A. has some thoughts on the Bengals and Joe Burrow.

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Stephen A. Smith says Tua Tagovailoa will have a better career than Joe Burrow primarily because Burrow will have to play for the Cincinnati Bengals.

The ESPN personality was in full character Monday, suggesting spots like Miami and Detroit would be better for Burrow. Here’s a blurb from the lengthy, strange rant:

“I’m gonna say Tua because he doesn’t have to play for the Cincinnati Bengals…that’s football’s version of purgatory.”

Smith goes on to throw out words like “cheap” and “ineffective” while noting a “plethora” of other quarterbacks have been ruined by the organization — the last point, specifically, is factually inaccurate over the last 20 years.

Besides the misfire on Cincinnati going through many quarterbacks, some of the talking points here are a little outdated during an offseason where the Bengals committed more than $100 million in free agents as they get ready to build around Burrow’s rookie contract.

Which isn’t to praise the way the Bengals got in this hole as of late. But we can have lengthy conversations about drafting mishaps, retention mishaps and coaches overstaying their welcome as opposed to ruining quarterbacks and not paying players. In comparison to some of the other teams mentioned as good landing spots, the Bengals have had plenty of modern successes.

So why point this out at all? The Bengals like being underdogs. Burrow thinks he can turn them around. Feel free to chalk up Smith in the “doubters” column for when the occasion comes.

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Tennessee Titans’ A.J. Brown makes a ‘Top 25 Under 25’ list

A.J. Brown is one of the best young players in the NFL.

Tennessee Titans wide receiver A.J. Brown is one of the budding superstars in the NFL today, and he’s rightfully receiving recognition as a result.

Brown was an absolute stud for the Titans in 2019, his rookie campaign. The Ole Miss product and former second-round pick totaled 1,051 yards and nine total touchdowns (eight receiving), both tops among rookies.

On top of that, Brown proved to be one of the most explosive receivers in the league overall thanks to his physicality and underrated speed, as evidenced by his 20.2 yards per reception, the second-best mark in the NFL.

From Week 7 on, which is when Ryan Tannehill took over under center, Brown was graded as the third-best receiver in the entire league, per Pro Football Focus.

One can only imagine the kind of numbers Brown can produce with a full season of Tannehill throwing him the football after he totaled four of his five 100-yard games following the change at quarterback.

All of these impressive numbers has led to Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon ranking Brown on its list of the “Top 25 Under 25” NFL players. He comes in at No. 22.

“A.J. Brown doesn’t get as much attention as fellow young receivers like Metcalf and Smith-Schuster, but the Tennessee Titans second-round pick was the only rookie in the NFL to accumulate over 1,000 receiving yards in 2019, and he also tied for the rookie lead with eight touchdown catches.”

“Most encouragingly, Brown was that outlet’s third-highest-graded receiver dating back to Week 7, which, not coincidentally, is when Ryan Tannehill took over at quarterback in Tennessee. The future is wildly bright.”

While a lot of us had Brown pegged as the NFL Rookie of the Year, he ended up finishing third behind the winner, Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray, and the runner-up, Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs.

At the time, Brown wasn’t happy about getting snubbed, and understandably so; however, that will only serve as motivation for Brown to come back even better than he was in 2019 — and that should scare the rest of the league.

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Will Dolphins even be brave enough to give Bengals godfather offer for Joe Burrow?

The narratives around the Bengals, Dolphins and Joe Burrow keep changing.

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The narratives during the weeks before the 2020 NFL draft — also known as smokescreen season — never stop shifting.

Newest up? The Miami Dolphins aren’t even interested in going after Joe Burrow via trade with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Per Peter King of NBC Sports:

“I do hear that he and coach Brian Flores are very much against trading the farm to move up to get Burrow—which some in the organization want to do. I doubt owner Stephen Ross will pull the owner card and force a mega-offer to try to move up to number one, but we’ll see.”

That’s probably good for the Dolphins considering Zac Taylor went on radio Monday to shoot down the idea the Bengals would trade the first pick and the rights to Joe Burrow.

Other reports have said the Bengals have received calls on the first pick but that Tayor and Co. aren’t playing ball.

Those Dolphins probably made a call or two to put feelers out in the form of due diligence. But unless something changes from up top within Miami’s organization, it doesn’t sound like a historic godfather-type offer will arrive in Cincinnati before the Bengals make Joe Burrow the first pick.

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Titans picking up Adoree’ Jackson’s 5th-year option is a no-brainer

This is an easy one: the Titans should pick up Adoree’ Jackson’s fifth-year option.

The Tennessee Titans will have to decide whether or not to pick up the fifth-year option of Adoree’ Jackson by May, but that decision should be an easy one.

Jackson was drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2017 NFL Draft (No. 18 overall), and while there have been some definite growing pains, Jackson really emerged as the corner the Titans thought he could be in 2019.

After an early-season struggles in the punt return game overshadowed his play on defense, Jackson settled in nicely after that and finished as the No. 15 cornerback in the NFL during the regular season, per Pro Football Focus.

While Jackson did allow a completion rate of 66.7 percent, receivers weren’t getting big chunks of yardage against him, as PFF notes he allowed the 10th-fewest first down receptions on the season. Jackson allowed 11 yards per completion and permitted just one touchdown in 11 games.

Jackson’s contributions to the Titans’ secondary never became more apparent than during the five games he missed last season.

Of course, things were really bad when both he and Malcolm Butler were out at the same time, but things definitely stabilized when Jackson returned for the playoffs, where he totaled five passes defensed.

On top of his toughness, Jackson has excellent speed, which makes him an ideal cornerback in today’s NFL that features more and more burners at the receiver position.

If all goes well in 2020, the Titans could consider giving Jackson an extension prior to 2021 in order to avoid him hitting the open market in 2022.

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Zac Taylor shuts down narratives about trading No. 1, Joe Burrow

Taylor’s comments sure quiet Joe Burrow trade rumors.

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It’s well accepted by those close to the team that the Cincinnati Bengals will use the first pick in the 2020 NFL draft on Joe Burrow.

While the usual pre-draft buzz has tried to stir up narratives and speculation, the desperation from Cincinnati paired with the incredible stock on Burrow (also a hometown kid) has made the union a lock.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor essentially confirmed as much Monday on the Dan Patrick show:

“It doesn’t look that way…if there’s a guy there that you believe in that can really change the franchise over the next 10-15 years, that’s a hard thing to pass up on…If there’s somebody there that people are willing to give up a lot for, that they believe in…that really verifies what we think about those players as well.”

Translation: If we’re getting big trade offers for No. 1 and the rights to a guy we like, we feel good about liking — and taking — that guy.

And that guy is Burrow. The Bengals have reportedly had trade offers for the first pick but aren’t playing ball. No shocker. They’ve also maxed out the allotted time they’re allowed to spend with Burrow before the draft. Ditto.

The Bengals haven’t been shy about liking Burrow throughout the process. And it’s trending like no sort of offer could sway them at this point.

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Report: Bengals have maxed out pre-draft meeting time with Joe Burrow

The Bengals aren’t hiding the plan.

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The Cincinnati Bengals haven’t worked too hard to mask what they want to do at the top of the 2020 NFL draft — it’s all about Joe Burrow.

The latest confirmation of this comes from a new report stating the Cincinnati front office has used up all of its allotted time in meets with Burrow.

Per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer:

“I’m told the Bengals have maxed out their time with Burrow over the last few weeks, as they work to build a relationship with him. What does that mean? Well, each team is allowed to do three one-hour calls with each prospect per week. So every week, Cincinnati has done, yes, three one-hour calls with Burrow.”

These trying times globally have shifted the nature of the pre-draft process but the Bengals haven’t let it stop them from getting as much time with Burrow as possible.

Cincinnati has only met Burrow in person once at the combine and won’t get an in-person meet with him before the draft itself.

But Burrow himself has remained adamant he’s been focused this whole time on getting ready to be the best possible rookie he can be, not proving himself in the draft process to earn draft positioning.

Getting on the phone with Zac Taylor and Co. and talking shop about the offense and more is one way to get ahead of the curve.

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Marcus Mariota’s coach believes nerve injury impacted him in 2019

Was Mariota still not healthy in 2019?

Marcus Mariota’s longtime coach believes the former Tennessee Titans quarterback’s 2019 season was impacted by a nerve injury he suffered during the 2018 season.

Mariota dealt with a slew of injuries in his fourth season, but none more serious than the nerve issue. It was so serious that Mariota faced the possibility of permanent damage to his arm, which forced him to miss a do-or-die Week 17 game against the Indianapolis Colts.

According to Vic Tafur of The Athletic, Vinny Passas believes the nerve injury lingered into the 2019 season, impacting his play.

“The timing was just bad for him,” Passas said. “He wasn’t fully healed and then he took a lot of punishment in the preseason. But he did have an opportunity to make plays and he didn’t, and it’s a bottom-line league. And he wasn’t the new staff’s guy when it came in, in 2018.”

This would make sense, as Mariota’s throws didn’t seem to have a lot of zip on them and he would miss what should have been easy completions. At the time, there was speculation that perhaps he wasn’t fully healthy.

But those weren’t his only issues, as the Oregon product played behind putrid protection to start the season, and he exacerbated that issue by holding on to the ball for too long.

Mariota was eventually benched for Ryan Tannehill, who went 7-3 in the Titans’ last 10 games to help lead them to the playoffs.

Now, Mariota has signed with the Las Vegas Raiders and will get the change of scenery that many, including Passas, believe will be good for his career.

“He needed a change of scenery,” Passas said in a telephone interview Thursday. “Some new chemistry around him. Even though he is making another change at offensive coordinator and learning a new language, it’s good for him.”

Can the former No. 2 overall pick unseat the current starter in Las Vegas — Derek Carr — and revive his career, much like Tannehill did in 2019?

Only time will tell.