COLUMN: The Tennessee Titans Need an Attitude Adjustment Heading into Week Two
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Heading into Week Two, the Tennessee Titans need an attitude adjustment. Tennessee, which prides itself in its ability to respond well to adversity, crumbled in the face of pressure during its season opener, a 38-13 loss to Arizona. "At times, we didn't play to our standard, obviously, with effort, finish, and passion," QB […]
NASHVILLE, Tenn. ⏤ Heading into Week Two, the Tennessee Titans need an attitude adjustment.
Tennessee, which prides itself in its ability to respond well to adversity, crumbled in the face of pressure during its season opener, a 38-13 loss to Arizona.
"At times, we didn't play to our standard, obviously, with effort, finish, and passion," QB Ryan Tannehill said.
"I think we got hit in the mouth early. We went out, didn't get the start we wanted, and we didn't respond well."
Translation: the Titans were mentally weak on Sunday.
TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE
Let's face it: this is a team that bought into its own hype going into the first game of the season.
After a blockbuster offseason that included the pricey additions of WR Julio Jones and OLB Bud Dupree, the Titans became the clear-cut favorites among local and reasonable national media members to win the AFC South.
Players frequently spoke about the level of confidence the team had built up after two straight seasons with a playoff appearance.
"The vibe is, a lot of guys have a lot of confidence," WR A.J. Brown said on Friday.
Titans fans were excited, too, and it showed by the way they filled up Nissan Stadium for the opener.
Unfortunately, it seems as though the players thought that their confidence, the media's blessing and the fans' excitement would be enough to waltz by the Cardinals and start the season 1-0.
Spoiler: it wasn't. And, when the Titans realized that, they all but quit.
"LOOKING LACKADAISICAL"
There's no better indication of that than what RB Derrick Henry, one of the Titans' captains, told his teammates during a fiery sideline address.
"Telling that, you know, we’ve just got to play better, looking lackadaisical, just walking around, not playing how we play," Henry said.
The Titans didn't have to use words, though, to show that they had an attitude problem on Sunday; their completely underwhelming play did all the talking in that regard.
Head coach Mike Vrabel certainly seemed to take notice.
"I hope that we have an attitude that is ready to compete and not just think that we can just show up in this league," Vrabel said after the game.
"It doesn't matter where you came from, where you're drafted, how expensive your suit is or what kind of car you drive, you’ve got to prove it on the field."
Vrabel is not the type of person to randomly launch into a mini-treatise about something that doesn't apply to his team. That message meant something.
All of the little problems that hindered the Titans against Arizona⏤poor offensive rhythm, bad pass blocking, inability to create separation in the passing game, lack of defensive discipline, etc.⏤have a singular root cause: the team thought it had a 1-0 record in the bag before the game even kicked off.
That's a problem that needs to be quickly fixed.
"We've got to be hungrier," WR Chester Rogers said. "We can't rely on what we have on paper. Nobody's going to give us anything."
Luckily, a swift kick in the pants like the one the Cardinals dealt the Titans on Sunday can serve as a pretty good wake-up call.
The Titans know they screwed up, mentally. They know their performance was both uncharacteristic and unacceptable. They're ready to turn the page.
"Guys are trying to get the bad taste out of their mouths," Brown said.
Will they turn the page? We'll find out on Sunday.
Cover image: Andrew Nelles/The Tennessean
