Camp Quotes and Notes: Aug. 10

NASHVILLE – Denico Autry changed more than just teams this offseason.

The defensive lineman altered the way he prepared for eighth NFL season, his first with the Tennessee Titans. In short, he stayed inside and out of the heat.

“I did some CrossFit a little bit,” Autry said Tuesday. “I changed up my traditional summer beatdown in the sun and did a little more CrossFit.”

CrossFit, of course, is the most recognizable brand of high intensity interval training and combines numerous movements and equipment. The idea is to produce maximize results in a relatively short workout.

Autry is listed at 6-foot-5, 285 pounds, the same as he was last year with the Indianapolis Colts. He said, however, that the approach has improved his endurance. He played at least 60 percent of the snaps on defense for the Colts each of the last two years, and is expected to play a big role on Tennessee’s defense this year.

“He has a lot of versatility for us,” defensive coordinator Shane Bowen said. “He can play inside or outside. And he is able to go in there on third down and do some things, he is able to go outside on third down and do some things – his multiplicity and his alignments – obviously being a bigger guy, which we really haven’t had in there on third down at times.

A bigger, longer, more powerful dude that will be able to just push the pocket a little bit too and keep those edges a little bit shorter for our guys.”

And the conditioning to do it all.

Fast learner: Matt Barkley has been with the Titans less than a week, but already he has exhibited a good grasp of the playbook and has gotten a lot of work in team drills during practice sessions. The 30-year-old backup quarterback is with his seventh NFL team in a career that dates back to 2013, when the Philadelphia Eagles drafted him in the fourth round.

“(Barkley) is a pro,” offensive coordinator Todd Downing said. “He has been around a lot of different systems, so he is able to adjust and do some same-as-type concepts which has allowed him to grow a little bit quicker into a chunk of the playbook here.”

The Titans signed Barkley last Thursday and released DeShone Kizer, who had been battling Logan Woodside for the job as No. 2 quarterback behind Ryan Tannehill.

“We are looking for backup quarterbacks that will take care of the football, make good decisions, go to the right spots and be able to run the offense,” Downing said. “Thus far, I am liking what I have been able to see out of him and I am excited to see him get a little bit more exposure and get into a bigger chunk of the playbook.”

Matching wits: Bowen’s first preseason game as defensive coordinator will pit him against former Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, who will be in his first game as head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.

The teams meet Friday in Atlanta (6 p.m., CDT), and Smith’s staff includes defensive coordinator Dean Pees, who was Tennessee’s last defensive coordinator before Bowen.

“I am excited,” Bowen said. “Obviously last year a little bit in training camp, we went at it the same way. We will see how it goes but I am excited. (Smith) is a good friend of mine. [I] learned a lot from him while he was here so I am excited about seeing him, excited about seeing (Pees), all those guys. There are a lot of them over there that I know.”

Roster move: Tight end Donnie Ernsberger was waived (injured) having spent less than a week on the training camp roster.

Ernsberger was injured a day earlier during practice. Tennessee signed the 24-year-old who was undrafted out Western Michigan in 2018 last Thursday after another young tight end prospect, rookie Briley Moore, was placed on injured reserve with a knee injury.

The last word: “We compete. We’re teammates, but it’s also a competition. You know, we’re competing for roster spots. We’ve got to prove it every day. … So, we push each other because we know that’s how we’re going to get the most out of each other.” – cornerback Breon Borders, on the approach to training camp.

Add us as a preferred source on Google