HOUSTON ― “You get what you emphasize.”
That’s what Tennessee Titans president of football operations Chad Brinker said on July 22, a day before the start of training camp. He had just been asked about the characteristics he wanted to see from the new-look Titans coming out of the wish-it-never-happened 2024 season and toward the hope-springs-eternal 2025, headlined by No. 1 pick Cam Ward at quarterback. The team, in Brinker’s eyes, would be smart. They’d be dependable. They’d be tough. Big. Fast. Physical.
“This is a tough game to play, and we’re trying to find those guys who can show up not only every day during practice and perform, but especially on game day,” Brinker finished. “You’ve got to be able to step up and play, make plays with the team.”
These Titans aren’t that. But don’t worry, they still got what they emphasized.
The Houston Texans kicked the Titans while they were down at NRG Stadium on Sept. 28, dropping coach Brian Callahan’s squad to 0-4 in a 26-0 pounding. That’s cataclysmically bad for a team and coaching staff that has lost 10 games in a row.
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Consider the past four times the Titans went home without any points before this beatdown: There was 2019 against Denver, the game when Marcus Mariota was benched for good.
There was 2018 against Baltimore, the game Mariota was sacked 11 times.
There was 2010 against Houston, the unforgettably ugly game in which Rusty Smith was the quarterback.
And there was 2009 against New England, the 59-0 loss at the end of an 0-6 start that landed Kerry Collins on the bench.
Now this. Doesn’t quite seem like the kind of team that shows up especially strong on game days.
Because it’s not.
“During the week, the guys work,” Callahan said. “There’s no ifs, ands or buts about it. We had one of our best Thursday practices of the week. It’s hard to stomach that when you show up to a game and it looks like that.”
“I feel like we put a lot of effort on task in being precise in certain situations,” right tackle Oli Udoh said, “and starting the season out 0-4, I feel like it doesn’t reflect what a good amount of this team has put forward to starting the season out on the right foot.”
“We haven’t played good football on Sundays to win football games,” defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons said. “We have to eventually play good football to win on Sundays. That’s it.”
What are the Titans, anyway?
So what are the Titans? They’re not a team of “kneecap biters” — something Detroit Lions coach Dan Campbell wants in his players — keeping scores tight and heart rates high despite talent deficiencies. They’re not a team forcing opponents into shootouts with clever, creative, innovative offensive schemes, despite the pedigree of the offensive minds brought in. They’re not a more disciplined team, or one that’s better in pass protection, or a team that starts hot, or a team that finishes strong.
What the Titans are is closer. There’s no denying it. Because, to once again borrow Brinker’s parlance, the Titans are what they emphasized. This offseason was about togetherness. Callahan bet on brotherhood, wagering that a closer-knit team is a team that cares more, a team that plays more connectedly, a team that pulls in the same direction.
Again, there’s no denying the effectiveness here. These Titans like each other. A lot. This week saw the locker room duct-tape a four-square court to six squares so more teammates could play at once. Linemen are friendly with receivers, who are friendly with defensive backs, who are friendly with the quarterbacks. Camaraderie is winning.
But the Titans aren’t. The theory that a closer team is a more successful team just isn’t proving true.
“You guys see us during the week,” safety Quandre Diggs said. “You see how we get along and how we compete at practice and how we’re still sticking together as offense, defense and special teams. It’s just putting it all together on Sundays. I know people say we’re far off, but I don’t think we’re far off.”
To manage one win, maybe the Titans aren’t very far off. They trailed 13-12 in the fourth quarter in Week 1 against the Broncos.
They trailed 20-16 in the fourth quarter in Week 2 against the Los Angeles Rams.
They trailed 6-0 in the fourth quarter against the Texans.
One-score games in the fourth quarter aren’t abject failures. But being outscored by 37 points in the fourth quarter through four weeks is. Getting shut out by a division rival that went into the day winless is failure. Averaging fewer than 4 yards per play three times in four weeks is failure. Doubling your whole-season sack total with two sacks is failure.
These Titans wanted to be the kind of team that rises to the occasion on Sundays. Instead, they’re playing like a team that shrinks when the moments matter most.
“That’s a good question that I can’t really explain,” Udoh conceded when asked why a team that feels good on Thursday and Friday can play so badly on Sunday. “You just play the game and you’ve got to play whatever situation comes at you. I just can’t really explain how that translates on Sundays. I know everyone’s fighting their asses off. It may not show, but there’s a lot of hard work being put in for sure.”
Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X @nicksuss. Subscribe to the Talkin’ Titans newsletter for updates sent directly to your inbox.