Vrabel Says Shanked Punt 'Won't Define' Daniels
NASHVILLE – Trevor Daniel got off two punts in his Tennessee Titans’ debut last Thursday.
One was easily forgettable. The other is one he would rather forget.
Daniel’s 17-yard shank with just over four minutes to play in the third quarter gave the Indianapolis Colts possession at the Tennessee 27-yard-line. Four plays later, a three-point Titans’ lead turned into a four-point deficit and the Colts had the lead for good in what was a critical AFC South matchup.
A week later, coach Mike Vrabel is still well aware of what happened. He showed, though, that he is willing to forgive.
“I know that one punt is not going to define Trevor,” Vrabel said Wednesday. “We believe in him. We believe in his leg, the way that he has swung it. We’re going to have to protect better. So, we’ll move on to this week.”
The Titans decided to stick with Daniel as their punter while Brett Kern is sidelined by a wrist injury. That was assured Tuesday when they waived Ryan Allen, who initially was tapped for that role and served as punter in the Nov. 8 victory over Chicago, although franchise officials are not willing to put Allen out of their minds completely.
“We’ll see where Ryan is at and his availability to potentially return to the practice squad,” Vrabel said.
Daniel’s first punt for the Titans came with 5:13 to play in the first quarter against the Colts. It covered 47 yards and had enough hang time that return man Nyheim Hines called for a fair catch. His only other try – just over two minutes after his shank – was blocked and returned for a touchdown.
Allen punted eight times against the Bears and none of them were fair caught. Six were returned (for an average of 10.7 yards), one was a touchback and one went out of bounds.
The decision to go with Daniel, who initially was signed to the practice squad, was based on a similar evaluation of their respective skills during practice sessions.
“Practice is critical,” Vrabel said. “Game performance, obviously [is] something. Charting hang time and those types of things. “… We believe by watching practice and what those guys have done, we made the decision on the roster.”
