During the Tennessee Titans’ first few defensive series of the Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, we got an immediate taste of exactly what outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney brings to the table.
Clowney was an absolute menace early on. He was routinely getting into the backfield and creating pressure, and was also a force against the run. In fact, he earned the second-highest overall Pro Football Focus grade of any Titans defender in Week 1.
However, as the game progressed, Clowney made less and less of an impact, which at the time we chalked up to fatigue and a lack of sufficient time to prepare.
After the game, Clowney confirmed that he isn’t totally in shape yet, and he was still trying to figure things out with the defense on the fly. Overall, he was happy with his performance and believes things are going to improve from here, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online.
“It was fun. (I’m) still rusty, and (I) still didn’t know much of what was going on, but just listening. I know what I hear. Getting back in shape is going to be the biggest thing. For my days here (with Titans), with one full-padded practice? I felt pretty good. I was happy with my performance … but it’s going to get better from here.”
Clowney not being 100 percent with his conditioning is certainly understandable. After all, he didn’t take part in training camp and had less than one week of full practices prior to Monday night.
We didn’t even know how much Clowney would play in his debut, but the former No. 1 overall pick ended up being on the field for 80 percent of snaps.
Both Clowney’s conditioning and understanding of the defense will no doubt improve with the more work he gets in practice — and once that happens, look out.
If what we saw in Week 1 was a guy who was battling fatigue and “didn’t know much of what was going on,” we’re giddy at the thought of what Clowney can do once he has those things under control.
