The Tennessee Titans answered many burning questions in 2018.
The biggest of those was as to what type of coach will Mike Vrabel would be.
The answer? An aggressive, players’ coach.
Coach Vrabel has repeatedly defended his players to the media, and has made clear that he adapts his coaching style to put his players in the best position possible.
He’s showcased his boldness by going for the win in close games like those against the Los Angeles Chargers and Philadelphia Eagles last year.
In 2019, the Titans are faced with a whole slew of new questions to answer. Here’s a look at just small handful of those.
Q. Who will be the Titans’ starting right guard?
A. The Titans right guard position will be a full blown competition battle. Keeping a close eye on the preseason games and who is getting the starting practice reps should provide a clearer answer as the season approaches.
Newly drafted Nate Davis and veteran Kevin Pamphile both stand a solid chance at assuming the position.
Q. What will a Arthur Smith offense look like?
A. Smith has been with the Titans for a long time. He’s had numerous head coaches and offensive coordinators to work under, and he credits each one for teaching him something different along the way.
Will his offense put opposing defenses in a bind like Matt LaFleur’s did? Will it be a smash-mouth team like Mike Mularkey? Could it be a big goose egg like Ken Whisenhunt?
Smith and the Titans have made continuity important moving forward, so we should reasonably expect to see much of the same with a strong run game — and hopefully a much-improved passing game.
Q. Is Harold Landry ready to take on a bigger role in the defense?
A. While Landry wasn’t considered the “starter” last season with Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo healthy, he still was used as a heavy rotational player. According to Pro Football Focus, Landry played 63.2% of snaps.
That number should remain pretty similar in 2019. Yes, Landry will be the starter, but with Cameron Wake on the opposite side, could play less snaps. This means more playing time for Sharif Finch and Kamalei Correa.
Q. When will Jeffery Simmons be ready for game time action?
A. Simmons tore his ACL in February of 2019. Fast forward to April, and the Titans select him in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft.
Each player’s body is different, and certain individuals heal at different rates. One way to speculate as to when Simmons could return – given that there is no clear timetable for a full recovery – is to compare other athletes who have suffered the same injury.
For the Titans, Jack Conklin is a player to look at. Conklin was injured in January of 2018 and returned in September of that same year. But, it was evident Conklin wasn’t fully healthy and ended that year on injured reserve again.
Adrian Peterson tore his ACL in December of 2011 and returned of September of 2012. Peterson rushed for over 2,000 yards that season.
Another Titans player to tear an ACL was Johnathan Cyprien.
The safety sustained the injury in August of 2018, which opened the door for Kenny Vaccaro to step up in his play. Healthwise, Cyprien looks to be ready to play when another team picks him up.
Future hall of fame tight end Rob Gronkowski also tore his ACL, in addition to his MCL in December of 2014. He returned in August of 2015 and continued his stellar career, putting more Super Bowl titles under his belt.
JJ Watt is someone who plays a similar position to Simmons, and had both an ACL and MCL in October of 2017. He was able to return to action for the Houston Texans in August of 2018.
Given the track records of these players, late October would be the absolute earliest Simmons could return. However, it’s likely to be late November if we even see him at all in 2019.
Expect the Titans to be especially cautious with Simmons after the Conklin saga.
