Outsiders' Opinions Fuel Titans' Fire
At times it felt overwhelming. And sometimes, the suggestions seemed unrealistic.
Many people across the NFL landscape want the Tennessee Titans to be punished -- and harshly -- for potentially violating coronavirus protocols.
The Titans do not need many more reasons for motivation. They had not played or practiced in nearly two weeks before Saturday. However, after watching media and fans criticize the organization and clamor for the league to bring the hammer down on them, one more reason has been added to the list, according to Pro Bowl safety Kevin Byard.
“Yeah, most definitely,” Byard said. “I have been doing nothing but sitting in the house watching all of the different stuff in the media saying things about the team. We’re still in a pandemic. The protocols that we had and we have, they are not foolproof. But at the end of the day, they're supposed to help mitigate the risk and things like that.
“So, to see a lot of the comments I have seen around the league, I took note of that, for sure. It’s definitely going to motivate me, for sure. ... At the end of the day, we are 3-0 and we are trying to go 4-0 at the end of this week.”
In total, 23 members of the Titans organization, including 13 players and 10 staff members, have tested positive for COVID-19 since the outbreak began early last week. The Titans have not reported a new case since Wednesday. Thus, the team resumed in-person activity at Saint Thomas Sports Park on Saturday.
Things have not been smooth sailing to get to this point.
In between the start of the outbreak and the resumption of in-person practices and workouts, the Titans have been in the news for more bad reasons than good. The NFL and NFL Players’ association opened an investigation last week to look into whether the Titans violated COVID-19 protocols.
On Wednesday, PaulKuharsky.com reported that at least two groups of players gathered for workouts a short time after league officials ordered the Titans to suspend in-person activities until the outbreak was under control. Kuharsky’s report included photos taken by bystanders of more than a dozen players on the football field at Montgomery Bell Academy, a local private high school, and a smaller group at Belmont University’s baseball field.
A subsequent report indicated that the Titans did not enforce mask guidelines before the outbreak began.
Many then began to publicly bash the Titans. Some wanted the league to force the Titans to forfeit their games against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Buffalo Bills. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk told Nashville’s 102.5-FM on Thursday that a higher up with another team guessed that both head coach Mike Vrabel and general manager Jon Robinson would be suspended for rest of the season in addition to the organization losing a first-round draft pick in 2021 and a $10 million fine from the league.
The Titans did not have much to say on Saturday regarding the potential violations of COVID-19 protocols. Vrabel said that the team has been open and available with the league and players’ association throughout the pending investigation.
Starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill said in the current snap-to-judgment society people feel empowered to have strong opinions without knowing specific details of a situation.
“At the end of the day, it doesn’t affect me if someone has an outlandish opinion,” Tannehill said. “I’m of the opinion you should really speak for yourself and find out some more details before you jump down someone’s throat.”
As the Titans continue to prepare for their Tuesday night matchup against the 4-0 Buffalo Bills, they will work under the NFL’s post-exposure protocols. Under the additional restrictions, the Titans must conduct all meetings virtually, limit the number of players in the weight room to a maximum to 10 at any one time and all players must wear protective facemasks and gloves on the practice field (quarterbacks may go without a glove on their throwing hands). No player gatherings are permitted away from the facility.
The next two days will be important for the Titans. One more positive coronavirus test will presumably force the NFL to find a later date for the Titans’ matchup against the Bills.
If all goes well, the Titans will carry a little extra motivation into their first contest in more than two weeks.
“I think so,” Vrabel said. “I think that this is a close football team. I think that there's a lot of respect that goes on between each player, and then the players and the coaches trying to work towards a common goal of winning. We all understand we have a job to do, and this is the circumstances that we've been presented with.”
