Tag: Jack Gibbens

Titans’ Jack Gibbens talks preseason debut, ‘Dr. Gibby’ nickname

Titans LB Jack Gibbens talked about the nickname given to him by head coach Mike Vrabel.

Linebacker Jack Gibbens has made a positive impression on the Tennessee Titans since being signed as an undrafted free agent in May, and he has even earned a nickname from head coach Mike Vrabel.

Vrabel, who calls Gibbens “Dr. Gibby,” recently explained how the nickname came about and heaped praise on the rookie for his progression and ability to answer questions and help his teammates out.

“Dr. Gibby is smart. He’s picked up the defense extremely well. He’s going to be fun to watch playing in the [preseason opener],” Vrabel said. “He gets everybody lined up. He knows exactly what to do. He can help other guys. He’s always around the football. That’s kind of what we saw last year watching film at Minnesota.”

After practice on Saturday, Gibbens touched on the nickname bestowed upon him by Vrabel.

“He started out calling me ‘Gibby’ early on and then I guess a couple of days into being here for OTAs, I was kind of answering some questions right and, I don’t know, he thought maybe I was a doctor and he started calling me ‘Dr. Gibby,'” Gibbens said.

“I didn’t really get it, I was like ‘coach, you know I wasn’t pre-med.’ I thought that maybe he thought I was studying to be a doctor. He was like ‘it’s just a joke,’ Gibbens added. “I guess that one went over my head. But I guess it’s good to have a nickname. I feel like it’s a positive one, so I’ll take it.”

Gibbens, who made his preseason debut against the Baltimore Ravens and led the team with nine tackles, also touched on his first live-game action in the NFL.

“It’s just football out there. Kind of get a little pre-game nerves but once the ball is snapped, it’s the same game you’ve been playing,” Gibbens said. “It was a lot of fun… just obviously some plays you want back, some things you want to do different but I felt like it went well.”

Gibbens is facing an uphill climb in making the roster at a position the Titans already have three roster locks at, but his ability to catch the attention of Vrabel and Co. will go a long way towards helping him make the cut.

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7 under-the-radar Titans to watch during the preseason

Shaun Calderon lists seven under-the-radar Titans players to watch during the preseason.

Although it’s only the preseason, the Tennessee Titans finally play football this week when they travel to Baltimore to face the Ravens on Aug. 11 at M&T Bank Stadium.

These exhibition games are largely seen as irrelevant to the casual football fan; however, the preseason has several intriguing storylines that go well beyond the scoreboard.

This article is going to identify seven players who aren’t exactly stealing the headlines, but may end up stealing a roster spot when it’s all said and done.

The majority of the players on this list will likely be playing a ton in the coming weeks. Truth be told, a lot of these players are probably competing to stick around via a spot on the practice squad more than anything else.

Nonetheless, there are always those hidden gems every year who sneak their way onto the final 53-man roster.

It should be noted that rookies who were recently selected in the 2022 NFL Draft were excluded from this list since they naturally garner a ton of attention in the preseason.

With all that said, let’s take a look at which under-the-radar players we should be keeping a close eye on in preseason games over the coming weeks.

Biggest takeaways from Day 9 of Titans training camp

Titans RB Hassan Haskins had a good day while running with the ones on Sunday.

After an off day on Saturday, the Tennessee Titans returned to the practice field for their ninth session of training camp on Sunday as the team prepares for its preseason opener on Thursday against the Baltimore Ravens.

Following practice, Titans head coach Mike Vrabel met with the media and one of the more standout quotes coming from him was about rookie linebacker, Jack Gibbens.

“Dr. Gibby (Vrabel’s nickname for Gibbens) is smart,” Vrabel said. “He’s picked up the defense extremely well. He’s going to be fun to watch playing in the game. He gets everybody lined up. He knows exactly what to do. He can help other guys. He’s always around the football. That’s kind of what we saw last year watching film at Minnesota.”

We pegged Gibbens as a longshot to make the roster at the start of training camp, but it appears we need to be paying more attention to the 2022 undrafted free agent.

Now, a look at the biggest takeaways from Day 9.

Titans’ Jack Gibbens earns praise and a nickname from Mike Vrabel

Rookie linebacker Jack Gibbens is picking things up quickly, and that has caught the attention of Mike Vrabel.

One of the Tennessee Titans’ undrafted free agent signings following the 2022 NFL draft, linebacker Jack Gibbens is trying to earn a spot on the team’s 53-man roster in training camp.

While Gibbens had been quiet for much of the first week-plus of training camp, he has made some nice plays in the last two practices, as Terry McCormick of Titan Insider pointed out.

Gibbens had an interception of a pass off receiver Josh Malone’s hands in Friday’s practice, and on Sunday made a nice strip of the ball in goal line period of a pass for rookie tight end Chig Okonkwo to force an incompletion.

Perhaps more noteworthy is the fact that Gibbens has caught the attention of head coach Mike Vrabel, who praised him for the job he’s doing in not only picking up the defense, but helping his teammates, also.

Gibbens has even earned a nickname from Vrabel, who calls him “Dr. Gibby.”

“[Gibbens] said, ‘Coach, I wasn’t in pre-med.’ I said, ‘I know. It’s a joke,” Vrabel revealed after Sunday’s practice.

“Dr. Gibby is smart. He’s picked up the defense extremely well. He’s going to be fun to watch playing in the game,” Vrabel added. “He gets everybody lined up. He knows exactly what to do. He can help other guys. He’s always around the football. That’s kind of what we saw last year watching film at Minnesota.”

Gibbens had an uphill climb in making the 53-man roster upon entering training camp, as the team had three roster locks in David Long, Zach Cunningham and Monty Rice.

Making matters worse, the Titans drafted linebacker Chance Campbell in the sixth round this year and have two special teams contributors from last season, Dylan Cole and Joe Jones, also competing for a roster spot.

In order to make the cut, it was imperative for Gibbens to stand out as much as possible, and after hearing Vrabel’s comments on Sunday, it’s clear he’s doing just that.

You have our attention, doctor.

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