Tag: Eric Garror

Biggest takeaways from Titans’ Week 14 win over Miami

The biggest takeaways from the Titans’ Week 14 win over Miami.

Entering the Week 14 contest against the Miami Dolphins, we couldn’t find a single person who thought the Tennessee Titans would win — and that includes our staff, which also picked against the Titans.

The sentiment was understandable considering the quality of opponent and how badly the Titans have played all season long. However, thankfully games aren’t played on paper and miracles are possible.

This win was so great for so many reasons and was quite the result after what was an absolutely crushing defeat in Week 13.

We go over those reasons and much more as we take a look at the biggest takeaways from a historic win over the Dolphins.

Lip readers thought Mike Vrabel cursed out one of his players after special teams gaffe nearly cost Titans

Mike Vrabel did not look happy after this play nearly cost the Titans.

The Tennessee Titans snatched victory from the jaws of defeat against the Miami Dolphins on Monday night and it nearly wasn’t to be after a major special teams mistake almost cost them.

After Titans cornerback Eric Garror muffed a punt in a 13-13 game in the fourth quarter to put the Dolphins in scoring position, head coach Mike Vrabel looked to have given Garror an earful on the sideline.

If you watch Vrabel’s lips closely, you can make out him likely saying “I don’t give [an expletive]” to something Garror told him, presumably about the turnover.

The play did indeed lead to Miami scoring a touchdown, which put the Titans in a very difficult position after playing the Dolphins close for most of the game.

It didn’t help matters that the Titans literally fumbled the ball on their next offensive position to put Miami in position to score again.

Thankfully, the Titans were able to rally back for a stunning 28-27 victory in a dramatic finish, but Garror got quite the talk from Vrabel all the same.

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Titans make several roster moves ahead of Week 8 game vs. Falcons

The Titans made a flurry of roster moves ahead of Sunday’s game vs. Falcons, including promoting CB Eric Garror to the active roster.

The Tennessee Titans made a flurry of roster moves ahead of their Week 8 contest against the Atlanta Falcons.

The most notable transaction of them all was the team officially signing cornerback Eric Garror to the active roster. The Louisiana product was a preseason standout who made a lot of fans with his stellar play back in August.

According to Pro Football Focus, Garror only allowed 55 percent of his targets to be completed (5-of-9) while also accounting for a total of eight tackles. Despite being 5-foot-9, 174 pounds, the undrafted corner is an undersized, yet gritty athlete who isn’t afraid to get physical when needed.

Although he may not have made the initial 53-man roster, the former Ragin’ Cajun was someone the team successfully prioritized keeping around on the practice squad. Now, he gets his chance on the team’s active roster.

Head coach Mike Vrabel stated that the young corner would get a chance to work in the nickel role, especially now that Roger McCreary has been ruled out with his hamstring injury. Vrabel also mentioned how Garror could potentially get a chance to fill the Titans’ vacant punt returner job.

This is somewhere Garror excelled at during his time in the Sun Belt. Over his five-year college career, he returned a total of 96 punt returns for 860 yards (9.0 yards per return) and three touchdowns.

As for the rest of Saturday’s transactions, scroll down below to see what other moves the team made ahead of their showdown with the Falcons.

Titans rule out OL Peter Skoronski vs. Chargers

The Titans have ruled out rookie OL Peter Skoronski (illness) for Sunday’s game vs. Chargers.

After a strong showing in his NFL debut, many were excited to see how Titans rookie offensive lineman Peter Skoronski would follow up his impressive Week 1 performance.

Unfortunately, Skoronski popped up on the injury report on Friday with an illness designation, and it’s apparently severe enough to the point that he has already been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 2 matchup with the Chargers, per Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com

Tennessee will undoubtedly have massive shoes to fill, and the likeliest options to replace the rookie lineman are Xavier Newman-Johnson and Corey Levin. However, Dillon Radunz is set to make his debut on Sunday, so there could be a chance that we see him at left guard as well.

Nonetheless, this is a disappointing development for someone who is arguably already the team’s best offensive lineman.

Also, in separate news, Tennessee is elevating defensive lineman Kyle Peko and defensive back Eric Garror for Sunday’s showdown with the Chargers.

Titans cutting CB Eric Garror, WR Reggie Roberson Jr.

The Titans are reportedly cutting both CB Eric Garror and WR Reggie Roberson.

The Tennessee Titans are in the midst of making their final cuts before the 4:00 PM ET deadline to get the roster down to 53 players.

While most of these transactions were rather predictable, there have been a few shockers that have come to fruition over the past few hours. 

Two of the biggest surprises thus far have been the Titans’ decision to part ways with cornerback Eric Garror and wide receiver Reggie Roberson Jr, according to Justin Melo of Broadway Sports.

Both have done well over the last few months, with Garror being one of the true standouts of the preseason.

Despite his smaller stature (5-foot-9, 178 pounds), the Louisiana-Lafayette product made plays when covering on the backend while being fearless in the run game. Garror also provided some versatility in the return game, but in the end, Tennessee opted to go elsewhere.

Meanwhile, Roberson was an early standout in training camp but wasn’t able to do much in the preseason, which no doubt halted his momentum.

Both Garror and Roberson should be prime practice squad candidates for the team unless they’re claimed by another team.

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Titans’ Eric Garror talks his mentality against the run as a smaller CB

After another impressive showing in preseason Week 2, Titans CB Eric Garror spoke about his mentality when playing against the run.

Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Eric Garror has been one of the most pleasant surprises over the team’s two preseason games.

After receiving some hype during training camp, the Louisiana-Lafayette product has introduced himself to the fanbase in a massive way during preseason play.

Despite his smaller stature (5-foot-8, 174 pounds), Garror has been one of the most impactful defenders on the team whenever he’s out there. Whether he’s making plays on the backend or sticking his nose in the run game, it seems like No. 33 is consistently around the football.

After preseason Week 2, ESPN’s Turron Davenport asked the impressive young cornerback about his willingness to stick his nose in the run game in spite of his smaller build.

“When you’re short, you just got to go in there and throw your body in there and just take one for the team,” he said. “You know you’re not big enough, so they’re going to try to run you over, so you just got to go in there and throw your body in there.”

Davenport then asked how Garror approaches that task from a mentality standpoint.

“I don’t even have it on my mind (being smaller than the opposition), I just go,” said Garror. “Whatever you see, just go. Don’t even wait on it because if you wait on it and let it come to you, you might not make (the play).”

Garror was then asked to explain the highs and lows that he’s experienced with being an undrafted rookie battling for a job in training camp and the preseason.

“It’s been fun, just getting to the NFL and getting my feet wet against NFL teams, it’s very exciting right now. I’m enjoying the moment.”

However, it was Jim Wyatt of TennesseeTitans.com who asked the really important question about the Dolly Parton shirt Garror wore postgame.

The rookie defender stated that he bought the shirt at Walmart simply because he liked it.

Sadly, another strong performance by Garror probably won’t lead to Dolly wearing a shirt with his face on it, but it could do wonders for his chances of making this football team.

In total, Garror has tallied eight tackles, one pass defended, and one fumble recovery over the last two weeks.

Titans’ Eric Garror carries underdog mentality, chip ‘built in’ shoulder

Titans CB Eric Garror stands at just 5-foot-8, 174 pounds, but he played big in his preseason debut.

Arguably the biggest surprise of the Tennessee Titans’ first preseason game was the performance of rookie cornerback, Eric Garror, who the team signed as an undrafted free agent back in April.

Before the Titans’ first preseason game, Garror wasn’t realistically on many people’s radar.

But following his impressive debut where he finished with the second-most tackles on the team (four) while also earning the eighth-highest overall grade by a defensive player (64.7). Among Garror’s four tackles were two impressive open-field ones, and he had a pair of tackles for loss.

The rookie has now given himself a puncher’s chance at sticking around beyond the preseason in some capacity. In fact, in his latest 53-man roster projection, our Mike Moraitis has Garror making the cut as of right now.

The rookie’s impact was positively felt on special teams, as well. The UDFA added two punt returns for a total of 26 yards, including a 17-yard return with under one minute left in the game to give Tennessee another chance at a game-winning drive.

“I really just want to come out here and show my abilities and try to make it on this team,” Garror said after practice Monday, per Sam Phalen of AtoZ Sports. “I’m trying to get right and do good for the team this year.”

Garror was asked about his size (5-foot-8, 174 pounds) and how he compensates for his physical limitations.

He stated that it’s his mentality and heart that allows him to play much bigger than he actually is. Garror added that he’s been embracing the underdog role ever since he was in high school, and all it does is motivate him to keep grinding, even when the odds are seemingly stacked against him.

“Since high school, I’ve been a little underdog,” he said. “That didn’t hurt me, it just made me want to work more and grind more.”

Earlier in the day, defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said the Louisiana-Lafayette product attacks each day with a chip on his shoulder, something that Garror explained he’s had his entire life.

“That chip on my shoulder, it’s built in my shoulder,” he said. “I just come out here and every day I know I can’t do what other people do. I’ve got to go harder because everybody is overlooking me.

Garror appeared in 62 games over four years at Louisiana-Lafayette, recording a total of 129 tackles, three tackles for loss, 35 passes defensed, one sack, and nine interceptions while also returning a whopping 93 punts for 778 yards and three touchdowns.

There will need to be a lot more positive days between now and cutdown day for the Alabama native to make the final roster, but there’s no denying that Garror is at least trending in the right direction.

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Lions 2023 draft: A cornerback for every round

Identifying a cornerback projected from each round for the Detroit Lions in the 2023 NFL draft

The Detroit Lions have nicely fleshed out the cornerback position for 2023 in free agency this offseason. Long-term, however, there is still quite a bit of room for GM Brad Holmes to add more help at CB. Only newcomer Cameron Sutton, holdover starter Jerry Jacobs and little-used slot Chase Lucas are under contractual control beyond 2023.

Here is one cornerback prospect that fits the Lions from each round of the draft. Detroit doesn’t currently have any picks in the fourth or seventh rounds, but players from those ranges are included because trades happen all the time on draft weekend.

This is not meant to be a comprehensive list, just one from each range.