Titans rookie gets late season confidence boost
Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Roger McCreary is defying the rookie wall and getting a boost in his confidence late in the 2022 season. It's not unusual to see NFL rookies fall off towards the end of the season. Because the NFL schedule (17 games) is a substantially longer than the one played in college (12 […]
Tennessee Titans rookie cornerback Roger McCreary is defying the rookie wall and getting a boost in his confidence late in the 2022 season.
It's not unusual to see NFL rookies fall off towards the end of the season. Because the NFL schedule (17 games) is a substantially longer than the one played in college (12 games), the last month of the season is usually quite taxing on inexperienced rookies.
While McCreary acknowledged he has begun to notice things getting more difficult on him physically, the Titans' rookie is persevering and continuing to thrive. Sunday's game in Los Angeles against the Chargers was one of McCreary's best efforts of his rookie campaign, earning him the highest PFF coverage grade among Titans' defenders.
He also showed incredible awareness and IQ when he assisted safety Josh Kalu on one of the craziest interceptions of the season:
Growing Confidence
According to McCreary, Sunday's performance did more than help his team stay in the game. Having success while matching up with Mike Williams also went a long way towards building his confidence for the remainder of the season.
"The rookie wall, that's no joke right there. I did not know that was a thing until that game. That's when it finally hit me," McCreary said about Sunday in Los Angeles. "It was great. I feel like my confidence became a little higher because of playing against a guy like Mike Williams. I just gotta learn from my mistakes because there were some plays I could've been better."
While the Titans effort in LA came up short, confidence is exactly what this team needs right now. McCreary currently has it in spades.
McCreary also made references to the positive energy he is trying to bring into the Titans locker room at this time and the positive example being set by players in leadership roles. When he gets down on himself or begins to think about how hard things feel, he is pushed to carry on by veterans on the team, namely Kevin Byard.
With the heavy emphasis on creating turnovers for the Titans' defense in recent weeks, perhaps a confident and savvy rookie like McCreary can continue to provide the energy Tennessee needs to get over the hump and into the playoffs.
Image via Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports
