OPTIONS ABOUND
Titans offense brings back plenty of playmakers this season
NASHVILLE — For all the really good things the Tennessee Titans did on offense last season, they feel rather confident they can be even better this year.
Much better, actually. “I think the sky’s the limit,” Pro Bowl running back DeMarco Murray said this past week during the team’s minicamp. “It’s all about us controlling the game and protecting the ball. The ball’s in our favor.”
Murray added that the amount of talented offensive players Tennessee has means defenses will have a harder time double-teaming top passing targets such as Delanie Walker, a Pro Bowl tight end last season, and Rishard Matthews.
Yes, the Titans missed the playoffs for the eighth straight time. But they finished 9-7 thanks to a big leap in coach Mike Mularkey’s first full season, going from 30th in the NFL to 11th in total offense. They averaged 358 yards, which was the fourth-best season in franchise history. No since 1991, when the team was still the Houston Oilers and operated the runand-shoot scheme, had its offense been so prolific.
Besides Tennessee, only Atlanta, Pittsburgh and Washington had more runs of 10 or more yards or passes of 20 or more yards last season. The Titans averaged seven such plays per game with 112 for the season. They also have very sure hands, dropping only nine of 316 catchable passes, according
to STATS LLC. Dallas (2.4) and Washington (2.6) were the only teams with fewer drops on catchable passes than Tennessee (2.8).
And then there’s a running game anchored by Murray that finished third in the NFL by averaging 136.7 yards per game. Murray earned a Pro Bowl nod by running for 1,287 yards with nine touchdowns, while Derrick Henry added 490 yards and five scores as a rookie.
Walker believes Tennessee’s offense can be really dynamic, especially considering the formidable line — which features Pro Bowl left tackle Taylor Lewan and All Pro right tackle Jack Conklin — and a quarterback named Marcus Mariota.
“We look good on paper,” Walker said, “but it all counts once you get on that field.”
Continuity is the biggest reason for the Titans’ confidence. Every starter who finished the 2016 season is back, though rookie wide receiver Corey Davis — the fifth pick overall in April’s draft — is expected to join Matthews as a starter.
This is also the second time around for all those Titans with Mularkey and offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie.
“You get to watch tape from last season,” said Mariota, who is recovering from broken leg as he prepares for his third year in the NFL. “You get to talk through things, talking scenarios, talk through more football things than focusing on the X’s and O’s.
“I think for all of us, it’s been good. Guys feel comfortable. They feel confident in what they’ve been doing, and I think it shows on the field.”
The Titans started slowly last season in the new offense after Mularkey was hired for the job he was given on an interim basis in November 2015. Once they got comfortable, they went through seven games averaging 31.7 points per game, including a season-high 47 points in a rout of Green Bay on Nov. 13.
“I think the potential’s through the roof,” said Matthews, who led the Titans with 945 yards receiving and nine touchdowns despite starting only nine of 16 games. “There’s really no telling. I know a lot of us and a lot of people are excited for this upcoming year to just piggyback off what we did and improve and get better.”
One more option
Late Sunday night, the Titans announced they had agreed to terms on a one-year deal with wide receiver Eric Decker.
The 6-foot-3, 214-pounder visited the Titans on Wednesday, met with coach Mike Mularkey and took a physical. He was released this month by the New York Jets after three seasons with the team.
Decker, who spent his first four NFL seasons with Denver, has three 1,000-yard seasons and 12 100-yard games in his seven-year career. He has 33 touchdowns in the red zone since 2012, second in the league only to Brandon Marshall (35) in that span. Decker also ranks 18th in the NFL with 43 touchdown receptions and 4,535 yards receiving since 2012, but hip and shoulder injuries limited him to three games last season.