Tony Pollard, J.C. Latham explain why Tennessee Titans had most competitive practice yet
The vote was unanimous at the conclusion of Tennessee Titans practice on Aug. 2.
"Today was highly competitive and probably our most competitive day," linebacker Cody Barton declared. "I think it's only going to go up from here."
One after another, as they came off the practice field at Ascension Saint Thomas Sports Park, players spoke about the competitive nature of team drills. Whereas previously there's been a clear winner of the day − most frequently, the Titans defense has been dominant − this practice had wins and losses on both sides.
"The bar has just been going up and up," Barton added. "As a whole, I think everyone's gotten a lot smarter and learning how to play together."
That's not to say there weren't mistakes. During team drills in the red zone, the offense was called for three penalties, pushing them out of scoring range. Calvin Ridley dropped a touchdown catch along the sideline from rookie Cam Ward. The defense was called offside at least once during team drills. Kicker Joey Slye missed three of seven field goals.
But both offense and defense had successes, leaning into their strengths, showing improvement. Ward twice made smart decisions to convert on third down. Rookie tight end Gunnar Helm made a diving catch on a fastball from Brandon Allen. Tyler Lockett spun in and out of routes with precision and speed. Jeffery Simmons and Sebastian Joseph-Day were a constant presence in the backfield.
"It's great to have that back and forth between the offense and defense in practice," offensive lineman J.C. Latham said.
Tony Pollard, J.C. Latham explain why Titans had most competitive practice yet
Running back Tony Pollard, a seven-year veteran entering his second season with the Titans, explained that the unscripted nature of the practice made it more competitive.
"We did a few plays of pass install and 7-on-7, but after that everything else was just call it in the huddle," Pollard said. "It was like we were in a game situation, it was live action."
Most practices to this point have been scripted − the offense knows what plays they are running, and in what order, the day before. But this practice was more like a game situation, which made a huge difference.
"When you have the plays all written down for offense and defense, you know what you're going to do, you can get mentally geared up," Latham said. "But today was more like a game. You don't know what's coming. You know the down and distance, but you're kind of just gearing up and taking away all the what-ifs and you're just playing ball. That made it a lot more competitive for sure."
The Titans will travel to Tampa, Florida, next week for a joint practice with the Buccaneers ahead of their first preseason game on Aug. 9 (6:30 p.m., ABC).
Pollard said there's still work to do, but that the team is ready to face real competition for the first time.
"We're not exactly where we want to be for the season, but I like where we are for this point in camp," he said.
Alex Daugherty is the Predators beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Alex at jdaugherty@gannett.com. Follow Alex on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @alexdaugherty1. Also check out our Predators exclusive Instagram page @tennessean_preds.