Behind Enemy Lines: 5 Questions with All Titans Publisher David Boclair

As we get you ready for this weekend's game between the New York Giants and Tennessee Titans, let's hear from All Titans publisher David Boclair, who took some time to answer five questions we had about the Giants' Week 1 opponent.

Q: All eyes are likely to be on Derrick Henry. With him coming off that season-ending foo injury last year, how has he looked so far?

It is tough to say. Henry was involved in team drills for a couple days early in training camp and late in the preseason. The rest of the time he took part in individual drills and then went off with a strength coach or trainer and worked on his own for the majority of practices. That actually was more than he did prior to last season, though.

However, he looks as fluid and as strong as ever when he runs. Coaches and teammates have made subtle references to his speed being back to normal. So, there is a lot of optimism that he will be back to form this season.

With rookies Hassan Haskins and Julius Chestnut, the Titans have more and better options to take carries from Henry and lessen the risk of another injury, but coaches have leaned heavily on him in recent seasons and will do so -- as heavily as possible, at least -- again this season.

Q: How big of a loss is OLB Harold Landry and what is the plan to replace him in the lineup?

It’s a huge loss. People focus on the pass-rush numbers – he led the team in sacks each of the last three years and finished among the top 10 in the league last season – but Landry has played multiple positions and even would drop into coverage regularly.

This is a situation where three or more players probably will be called upon based on the situation. Rashad Weaver, a fourth-round pick last season, was a standout in the preseason and will get the majority of Landry’s playing time. Ola Adeniyi showed some pass rush skills last year, however, and lineman Denico Autry can and will line up on occasion, probably moreso now.

Funny thing, coaches have talked for the past two seasons about wanting to cut back on the number of snaps Landry plays but have been unable to do it. From 2019-21, he was on the field for 90 percent of the defense’s snaps (only safety Kevin Byard played more). Now, they are going to have to figure out what to do without him.

Q. How much concern is there with playing a rookie, Nicholas Petit-Frere, at right tackle against the Giants pass rush?

No one will say so publicly, of course, but it is a huge concern. Petit-Frere, a third-round pick out of Ohio State, has the job not because he won it but because Dillon Radunz, a second-round pick in 2021, could not keep it. Radunz started the offseason in that spot and coaches gave him every opportunity to stay there. Finally, during the final week of training camp, Radunz was playing more guard than tackle.

In a vacuum, Petit-Frere probably would not be considered good enough to be a starter, but there was no one better. He is smart, athletic and has faced top-caliber opposition in college, but there are a lot of technique flaws that need to be fixed. Long-term, he probably is going to be a solid player. Early on, though, he probably will need help from tight ends and backs to make sure that defenses don’t take advantage of him.

Q. How has QB Ryan Tannehill grown over the years as a quarterback since his time in Miami?

I don’t know if he is dramatically different. He is just more experienced. One thing he did really well from the moment he replaced Marcus Mariota six games into the 2019 season was to make the proper pre-snap reads and adjust the protection or play call to give the offense the best chance for success. Most of his stats are better than they were in Miami, but he also has been on better teams.

On the plus side, he has been good in tight games during the regular season. Of his 30 wins as a starter with Tennessee, 13 have included a game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime and 10 were the rest of fourth-quarter comebacks. On the downside, he has come up small in the postseason.

In five playoff games over the last three years, he is 2-0 when he has finished with 15 or fewer pass attempts and 0-3 when he has thrown more than 15 passes, including January’s loss to Cincinnati that included three interceptions and sent him to a “dark place” during the offseason.

Q. Which position group still has the biggest question marks ahead of the regular season opener?

Wide receiver, without question. A.J. Brown is in Philadelphia. Julio Jones is in Tampa Bay. Marcus Johnson is on the Giants’ practice squad, and a bunch of other targets from the last couple years have moved on as well. Of the wide receivers on the current roster, Nick Westbrook-Ikhine has the most career receptions on passes thrown by Tannehill – 40 of them.

Robert Woods, acquired in a trade with the Rams, has looked healthy and fit, but he is still less than a year removed from reconstructive knee surgery and was limited through much of the offseason.

First-round pick Treylon Burks struggled with conditioning and asthma following the draft and has battled through minor injuries late in training camp. There is such an obvious need for a deep threat that Josh Gordon was added to the practice squad last week.

Kyle Philips, a fifth-round pick this year and a prototypical slot receiver, looks to have forged the best relationship with the quarterback to this point, but the passing game is likely to be a work-in-progress for weeks.

Join the Giants Country Community

Sign up for our FREE digest newsletter
Follow and like us on Facebook
Submit your questions for our mailbag
Check out the new Giants Country YouTube Channel.
Listen and subscribe to the daily LockedOn Giants podcast.
Subscribe and like the LockedOn Giants YouTube Channel
Sign up for our FREE message board forums