[FREE] Titans OTAs: A New Era Taking Shape

The 2024 Tennessee Titans look drastically different than any iteration we have seen. What does this new era mean for the team going forward?

All of our content is powered by you, our paid subscribers! No corporate overlords. No sponsorships (except Senior Bowl). Nothing. What we can and can’t do is up to you! Our goal is to bring you the most unique coverage of the sport we love, football, with a Tennessee Titans spin. So, please, share and subscribe! It’s only $5/month!

If you took a look at the title and still decided to read this, I have two things to say.

For starters, thank you, because you could’ve easily ignored this and went on with your life without ingesting another article diving into the natures of the Titans’ previous head coach.

Secondly, dont leave just yet aha, I still have some things to say.

All bases covered? Are we clear? Alright, alright good deal.

Backstory, I was sitting around trying to watch random college football moments from last season — one of my favorite summer traditions…somehow — when I came across some quotes from two specific Titans players during a Wednesday OTA.

Arden Key and Chig Okonkwo.

What caught my eye wasn’t what they said about their respective units, their expectations for the season, or their personal thoughts on their own games and situations.

Instead, their explanation regarding the present environment and how different it was compared to the last one, made my ears perk up the most.

Again, I know people are ready to move on from the talk of Vrabel and his era that’s no more. But it was interesting to hear what they said, while having the image of Vrabel’s player friendly facade — one that met a swift, yet unsurprising end — resting in my brain.

Interesting enough for me to write about it at least.

“Hell yeah”, Arden Key said in response to Paul Kuharsky, asking if the defense moved on before details were fixed.

“There's a lot more relaxed environment now, people feeling much more free in the locker room, on the field.”, from Chig Okonkwo via John Glennon.

These comments were made yesterday after an OTA session.

But they aren’t the only ones that were made regarding the previous tenure.

Different cases like the interview from Wesley Woodyard this past January — one that included some juicy details — or parting disgruntled words from players that left the team. Wherever they came from, it seemed like the environment under Vrabel was one drenched in professionalism, toughness, and accountability.

But you know this already, because these words were shoved down your throat and you couldn’t resist.

However, what came with that same professionalism, toughness, and accountability did, included some instances of inflated egos and macho man outbursts that rubbed some people the wrong way.

That was always going to be the case with a personality as abrasive as Vrabel’s, but with the sheer quantity of examples of that personality going overboard, you figured something was up.

Granted, some players can take it too personally and blow up a situation more than it is. It’s happened before and it’ll happen again and again, but this case was a different one.

A unique one you could say.

With OTAs well underway though, it seems like the Titans are showcasing the differences in communication, intensity — a good difference — a newfound openness from players, and the transition to an environment based on comfortability and expression.

Which if you could tell, is wayyy different from years past.

It’s a bit of a welcome sight, since players previously felt like robots and stereotypical leaders you see in robotic football related movies. That’s just a personal thought of mine though, so digress if you want.

You want players to be able to express themselves, show the world for who they really are.

Not having to walk on pins and needles, because the environment around them feels like a rabid jungle infested with predators waiting for its prey to make one last fatal move.

The latter feels restrictive, and as an advocate for people to freely show themselves to the world without fear of rejection, that doesn’t sit right with me.

So kudos to the players for sensing immediate changes that’ll really help with their preparation and day to day experience.

That’s all you can ask for while working a job that can be taken away from you at any moment.

This is just one example of the new era the Titans seem to be moving towards. Of course, the philosophical and schematic changes offensively stand out as the biggest ones.

But the environmental changes feel the most apparent right now, as players seem to be having fun and seem less tense than in previous years, when an “all work, no break” mantra created a weird looking cloud over the organization.

These changes will only matter if results roll in and are better than the disappointing ones that were seen over the last few years.

For now though, you can find good in the little things.

Which is something we could all do a little more these days.

---

---

You can also share Stacking The Inbox to anyone you may think will enjoy this comment! sharing is caring!