Titans Trust Offseason Dialogue Will Pay Off
NASHVILLE – To quote Billy Joel: It’s a matter of trust.
The NFL’s virtual offseason meant that teams did not build muscle memory. Players did not put their playbooks into motion during organized team activities and minicamps the way they usually do. They did not get the opportunity to correct mistakes and work out kinks is the systems.
Beyond the obvious classroom work that took place, though, the mix of online meetings and national events provided a forum that did not exist during any other offseason. Discussions went beyond Xs and Os and included the Black Lives Matter movement, national anthem protest and personal experiences of team members of all backgrounds.
It is easy to imagine that the teams that did the best job in that regard will have an advantage on the field when – or if – games are played this fall.
“You don’t have to be best friends in this league, but I think that the closer you are and the maybe the more that you trust somebody can do nothing but help the performance on the field,” Tennessee Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “We talk about when you trust somebody – when I trust the players and they trust each other, they trust their coach – that it’s easy to hold people accountable because there’s no pushback. They trust you that what you say is true and they respect that.
“If they say, ‘Hey, you’ve got to pick it up,’ or ‘you’re not playing as hard as the next guy, you’re making too many mistakes,’ when you trust somebody, it’s easy to recognize and to fix that. But if you don’t trust them, it feels like it’s a personal attack.”
Titans players and executives have expressed confidence that they did gain something in that regard during their virtual meetings, which ended last month. Words such as “educational,” “meaningful” and “empowering” have been used to describe them. Even controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk left no doubt about her stance on the idea that players might kneel during the national anthem.
Contrast that with a team like the New Orleans Saints, which spent at least some time repairing fissures created when quarterback Drew Brees made public comments that dismayed some of his teammates. Whether those issues were adequately addressed or whether they will lead to breakdowns in the heat of the season remains to be seen.
Then there are the Dallas Cowboys, whose owner Jerry Jones has remained uncharacteristically silent on the issue of player protests this fall even as other owners and even NFL commissioner Roger Goodell unequivocally have supported the idea. In recent years, though, Jones has made his position perfectly clear and it is easy to imagine a certain tension among the players on his roster as they weigh what to do this season.
Tennessee, which reached the AFC Championship game last season and has designs on going farther this year, did what it could to create clarity during April, May and June.
“I’ve had several personal discussions with our players, with members of our staff, all of which have been extremely educational for me,” general manager Jon Robinson said. “Those conversations have been real. They have been empowering. Our players, especially, have been outstanding. They were open and they wanted assurance from the organization that when they do use their platforms, their voices, to speak for those whose voice may not be as loud or who don’t have a voice, when they use their voices to speak out against these injustices, that they have our support. And they do.”
Will that help them convert and third-and-1 in a crucial late game situation? Will it provide the necessary belief when they trail by two touchdowns in the fourth quarter? Will it help them overcome an untimely turnover or dropped pass or missed field goal?
It is difficult to say with any certainty that it will. But if the Titans believe it, perhaps that is what is important. And they do believe it.
“The game is relational, right? You spend a lot of time with your teammates,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “The closer you are, the more you trust and believe in each other, the better you’re going to end up playing on the field.
“The support Vrabel has given the players throughout this whole process has been great. He’s been very open, honest and hearing guys out, and supporting whatever guys are willing to do. I think that’s been huge and will definitely pay off down the road for us.”
