Tag: Kristian Fulton

Titans not ruling out sitting Kristian Fulton in Week 6

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel said all options are on the table in regard to CB Kristian Fulton in Week 6.

After the Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel admitted he considered benching struggling cornerback Kristian Fulton but ultimately didn’t pull the trigger.

However, making a change in the secondary is very much on the table this week, according to Vrabel, who says he’s confident in the guys they have behind Fulton if Tennessee goes that route.

“That’s why everybody is here, and (sitting Fulton is) something that could happen,” Vrabel said, per Jim Wyatt. “We’ll see where things go the rest of the day in our meetings as we work toward Baltimore.”

If Fulton does get the nod once again, his leash will likely be short. Vrabel said he thinks the LSU product’s struggles are correctable but noted he needs to figure things out quickly.

“They’d better be correctable quickly,” Vrabel said of Fulton’s issues. “Would hope that we wouldn’t be having these conversations about putting our eyes in the backfield and grabbing guys down the field.”

The Titans have a few routes they could go with the Fulton situation.

The most likely scenario is moving Roger McCreary to the outside, but that will leave a void in the slot. Tennessee could move Fulton there in the hopes a change of scenery helps him, but defensive back Elijah Molden and safety Amani Hooker could also be options if the Titans want to flat out sit Fulton.

If the Titans don’t want to move McCreary to the boundary, they could roll the dice on Tre Avery on the perimeter instead, although I don’t think he’d be any better than Fulton.

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Kristian Fulton’s dad claps back at Titans CB’s critics on social media

The father of Titans CB Kristian Fulton had some interesting responses to his son’s critics after a poor Week 5 showing.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton had yet another bad game in Week 5 after he was arguably the biggest culprit in the 23-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

Granted, there were more issues than just Fulton, but he was a pretty big one. Not only did he struggle in coverage, but Fulton’s pass interference penalties aided in two Colts scoring drives.

Making matters worse for him, Fulton didn’t exactly take full accountability.

“I feel like I was very sound today,” Fulton said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Besides one play, the one with No. 11 (Michael Pittman) when he caught that out, it was on me, I guess. For the most part, I think today was technically sound.

“Obviously, they made some plays or whatever, but it’s hard when you’ve got to play against the refs and the receivers. It’s life as a DB.”

Fulton had no shortage of critics on social media, and rightly so, he simply wasn’t good on Sunday. But his dad wasn’t having any of it and came to the defense of his son with some interesting replies to his critics.

3 truths, 1 overreaction from Titans’ 23-16 loss to Colts

Shaun Calderon takes a look at three truths and one overreaction from the Titans’ Week 5 loss.

The Tennessee Titans dropped their third game over the first five weeks of the 2023 season, losing to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, 23-16.

Tennessee entered the day with a golden opportunity, considering all four teams in the AFC South had identical 2-2 records to start the day. A win would’ve given the Titans a share of first place.

This was a demoralizing loss in nearly every possible way. Indy was without its starting quarterback for most of the game, yet the Colts still found a way to move the ball with relative ease, regardless if they tried to pass or run.

This game has naturally led to some overreactions by the fanbase, but it’s also led to some hard truths that it may be time to start accepting as a reality instead of downplaying their overall significance.

This article is going to look at some of the narratives floating around and we’ll discuss which category these particular topics fall under.

What Kristian Fulton, Titans said about Week 5 loss to Colts

A look at what CB Kristian Fulton and the rest of the Titans said about their Week 5 loss.

The Tennessee Titans continued their inconsistent ways in Week 5 by dropping their third game of the 2023 campaign in a 23-16 loss to the Indianapolis Colts.

In what was a surprise, the Titans’ run defense was absolutely shredded in this game. In what wasn’t a surprise, cornerback Kristian Fulton struggled mightily, as he was bad in coverage and committed a pair of awful pass interferences to aid two Colts scoring drives.

When asked about his performance after the game, Fulton pointed the finger at the officials and not really at himself.

“I feel like I was very sound today,” Fulton said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Besides one play, the one with No. 11 (Michael Pittman) when he caught that out, it was on me, I guess.

“For the most part, I think today was technically sound. Obviously, they made some plays or whatever, but it’s hard when you’ve got to play against the refs and the receivers. It’s life as a DB.”

Now, a look at what head coach Mike Vrabel and more Titans had to say about their Week 5 loss to Indy.

Titans’ Mike Vrabel considered benching Kristian Fulton

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel considered sitting CB Kristian Fulton in Week 5.

As Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton struggled in every way possible in the Week 5 loss to the Indianapolis Colts, fans and media alike were wondering if the team would bench him as a result.

Fulton, who was already having a rough season to begin with, was getting burnt in coverage all game long, and he committed a pair of brutal pass interference penalties that assisted the Colts on two scoring drives.

After the game, head coach Mike Vrabel admitted he considered sitting the struggling cornerback while also noting he had a conversation with Fulton during halftime about the double moves he had issues with.

If Fulton’s performance wasn’t enough to earn a benching next week, perhaps his reaction to it after the game will be. The LSU product didn’t exactly take accountability for his poor showing.

“I feel like I was very sound today,” Fulton said, per Paul Kuharsky. “Besides one play, the one with No. 11 (Michael Pittman) when he caught that out, it was on me, I guess.

“For the most part, I think today was technically sound. Obviously, they made some plays or whatever, but it’s hard when you’ve got to play against the refs and the receivers. It’s life as a DB.”

Many (myself included) had Fulton pegged for a breakout campaign in what is a contract year for him. However, the Titans’ supposed No. 1 cornerback has been nothing but a liability through five games.

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Whether or not the Titans bench him remains to be seen, but they do have the kind of depth to at least try it, with Roger McCreary having the capability to move outside opposite Sean Murphy-Bunting.

From there, Tennessee could deploy guys Elijah Molden or Amani Hooker in the slot, or even give Fulton a look there in the hopes a change of scenery helps turn things around for him.

If Fulton’s leash hasn’t run out already, it should be very short moving forward.

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Titans social media rips Kristian Fulton, run defense for awful showings

Titans CB Kristian Fulton got shredded on social media for his awful performance in Week 5.

After dominating the rivalry for the majority of the last three seasons, the Tennessee Titans finally got humbled by the Indianapolis Colts in Week 5, losing 23-16.

The Titans have lost all three of their games on the road in 2023, with this one being arguably the most gut-wrenching of them all.

Tennessee was simply beaten at its own game, as the Colts were the more physical team on a day in which Indy ran for nearly 200 yards.

To make matters worse, Kristian Fulton continued to be a complete liability. The LSU product was often getting cooked by the opposition whenever he was targeted and bailed the Colts’ offense out with ridiculous pass interference penalties that extended drives and led to points.

It’s hardly an exaggeration to say that Fulton has mostly been horrible this season in a contract year in which many (myself included) genuinely believed he was on the verge of a breakout campaign.

Instead, he’s likely cost himself a lot of money with the type of play he’s been putting on film.

Titans fans and media members certainly agree, as they rightly ate him alive on social media following his disastrous afternoon. Tennessee’s run defense certainly didn’t get a pass, either.

Titans’ Kristian Fulton talks what went wrong against Browns

Titans CB Kristian Fulton talks about his poor showing against the Browns in Week 3.

Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton is in the midst of a contract year and could net himself a nice payday if he performs at a high level. However, after three weeks, Fulton has certainly not been at his best.

Fulton’s injury issues creeped up in Week 1, forcing him to miss much of the game with a hamstring injury. He was able to return to the game but also allowed a key reception that helped lift the New Orleans Saints to a win.

After sitting out Week 2, Fulton returned for last week’s contest against the Cleveland Browns, where he was promptly roasted for four receptions on four targets for 95 yards and a touchdown. He would have given up more yards and quite possibly another touchdown if not for a bad call by refs.

Making matters worse, Fulton committed a pair of penalties, one of which bailed the Browns out of a second-and-26 situation. Cleveland went on to capitalize, scoring a touchdown later in the drive.

In all, Fulton has surrendered receptions on 7-of-8 passes thrown his way for 165 yards and a touchdown, which amounts to a perfect passer rating of 158.3, according to Pro Football Focus.

“I just didn’t play my best game,” Fulton said of Week 3, per John Glennon of Nashville Post. “That’s what it is. It’s got to be better from my end.”

When asked to elaborate on his showing last Sunday, Fulton said it came down to technique.

“Everything I gave up I knew was on me not playing my technique,” he said. “I’d say [I just need to be] more patient at the line. I feel like I wasn’t really as patient. That could be from coming back from that week off, just not being as confident or whatever in my actions. But I felt great as the game went on.”

Defensive coordinator Shane Bowen also pointed to his week off, saying that might have impacted Fulton’s play.

“I think just being out here — he’s just got to practice,” Bowen said. “He was dealing with some stuff early on. The speed of practice, lining up and going [against teammates will help].”

Focus is something else Bowen talked about for the entire defense, something that applies to Fulton.

One example of Fulton’s lack of focus came on Browns wide receiver Amari Cooper’s 43-yard touchdown grab in which Fulton looked to be asleep at the wheel, allowing Cooper to run right by him.

“Every single guy on the field has to assume they’re going to get the ball thrown at them on every single play,” Bowen said. “That’s how we’ve got to play. We can’t take plays off. We’ve got to be locked in because the moment you don’t, they find you.”

Things aren’t going to get any easier for Fulton in Week 4, as he draws a matchup with Bengals star wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. The LSU product can redeem himself with a strong showing there, but nothing we’ve seen so far this season suggests he’ll be able to do that.

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Mike Vrabel’s message to struggling Titans CB Kristian Fulton: ‘Do your job’

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel believes Kristian Fulton will be just fine and his message to the struggling cornerback was simple.

Heading into the 2023 season, Tennessee Titans cornerback Kristian Fulton was one of the most hyped-up players.

Many felt that the LSU product was on the verge of a true breakout season, considering he was in a contract year that could end up leading to a massive payday had he played well.

Unfortunately, after three weeks you could make a strong argument that he’s likely lost a lot of the projected money he was expected to make rather than setting himself up for a major raise in 2024.

Head coach Mike Vrabel recently discussed ways for Fulton to improve, and the Titans head coach gave a very blunt and straightforward answer.

“Do your job,” said Vrabel. “You asked me a couple years ago what you can do to help a pass rusher pass rush. Do your job. Cover your man, play cover two, re-route, play inside number one when you’re in quarters.”

Vrabel did go on to say that Fulton did some good things and believes he’s going to be OK. He also attributed the blown coverage on Amari Cooper’s 43-yard touchdown reception to a “mental error.”

“Kristian did some cool things,” he said. “Kristian challenged, he tackled, he had a penalty and late in the game, he made a mistake. I think Kristian is going to be just fine. He triggered, he tackled, I think he was trying to do the things that we want him to do, just had a mental error late in the game.”

Whatever the case may be, the reality is Tennessee needs much better production out of its top cornerback.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fulton’s overall grade sits at 39.8, largely due to the fact that his passer rating when targeted this year is 158.3, which is a perfect passer rating in the NFL.

In total, opposing quarterbacks have completed 87.5 percent of their passes against him (7-of-8) for 165 yards and one touchdown. Fulton would have allowed even more yardage and another touchdown had it not been for a blown call by officials in Week 3.

Things won’t get any easier for Fulton, who will draw a matchup against Ja’Marr Chase and the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 4.

If this defense is going to get back to being one of the league’s best, it needs Fulton to get back to being the dominant player he once was.

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6 burning questions for Titans going into Week 4 vs. Bengals

The Titans potentially making a change at left tackle is just one of the team’s burning questions going into Week 4.

The Tennessee Titans have no shortage of issues going into their Week 4 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, a team that shares the same 1-2 record.

The team is coming off one of its worst performances in the Titans era and now has to face an opponent that is the worst possible matchup in multiple areas when you consider Tennessee’s current weaknesses.

Much of the focus this week will rightly be on the offensive line — and namely left tackle — but there are more concerns on offense, along with a few on the defensive side of the ball.

We address those concerns as we take a look at six burning questions for the Titans going into their Week 4 game against the Bengals at Nissan Stadium.

Titans CB Kristian Fulton allowing a perfect passer rating when targeted

It has been a rough start to the season for Titans CB Kristian Fulton.

Before the 2023 season officially kicked off, many considered cornerback Kristian Fulton as the Tennessee Titans’ best player at the position and a potential breakout candidate.

Prior to this year, Fulton had produced impressive numbers throughout his career, but he was hardly seen as a top 10 corner by people outside of the Titans’ community.

Unfortunately, the LSU product hasn’t exactly done anything to change that opinion. To be honest, all he’s done thus far is turn the people who did believe into skeptics.

We all know about Fulton’s injury history at this point, and before the season, that was rightly the biggest knock on his resume. However, three weeks into 2023, it’s his on-field play that is becoming just as concerning.

According to Pro Football Focus, Fulton’s overall grade sits at a dismal 39.8, largely due to the fact that his passer rating when targeted this year is a 158.3, which is a perfect passer rating.

In total, opposing quarterbacks have completed 87.5 percent of their passes against him (7-of-8) for 165 yards and one touchdown. Fulton would have more yardage and another touchdown if not for a blown call by officials in Week 3.

This was supposed to be the year that Fulton puts it all together, considering he’s in a contract year that will make-or-break his ability to bring in a big payday.

Instead, it’s looking like we could be nearing the end of the Fulton era in Tennessee, unless there is a significant turnaround in the near future.

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