NASHVILLE – Titans coach Robert Saleh conducted a zoom conference call with reporters on Monday, one day after the team's 23-10 season opening loss to the New York Jets.
The Titans will return to action this coming Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Nissan Stadium.
Here's a look at some of the hot topics from today's call:
-Saleh gave an honest assessment of what happened on Sunday: "Overall, it was not good in any facet, in any phase of the football game yesterday."
-Since taking over as head coach back in January, Saleh has talked about the team, and quarterback Cam Ward, needing to work their way up from what he's called the floor. Saleh repeated that verbiage this morning when discussing Ward's performance, and where he is at the start of his second season in the NFL. "You look at Cam, and he's had seven different coordinators over the last seven years," Saleh said. "We're trying to build a foundation for him, and we're trying to give him some stability. … His growth will happen throughout the year, his growth is going to happen next year, and the year after. This young man is at the floor, again, on what it takes to be an NFL quarterback. But he has all the tools, the mental makeup to get to where he needs to go. It's time on task, and giving him stability, and a chance to be repetitive in the day-to-day process with the right coaching to help him get better."
-Saleh said he believes linebacker Cedric Gray, who was inactive for Sunday's game, will be available for Week 2: "Ced, I think he is good for Week 2, I believe I received that he cleared concussion protocol, I've got to double-check. I'll have more on that later."
-Saleh raved about the performance of rookie linebacker Anthony Hill Jr, who was credited with 16 tackles and two passes defensed: "I thought Anthony flew around. I thought he did a good job controlling the huddle. I thought Cody (Barton) did a great job helping him with pre-snap checks. At the same time I thought Anthony was wear he needed to be, when he needed to be there. Damn near caused that fumble, with a recovery. He is going to be a hell of a football player. He was all over the field, made a lot of tackles, really good range. I can't think of one glaring thing he did wrong." Saleh said Hill might have played with some hesitancy, which is common for a young player, but said he'll improve the more he plays.
-Twice the Titans were caught with too many men on the field, and the team avoided one penalty by calling time out. The plays happened in goal line defense, inside the five. "100 percent on coaching," Saleh said. "100 percent on me, on our staff."
-Rookie receiver Carnell Tate caught four passes for 38 yards in his NFL debut, and Saleh said "I thought he had a good first game. I thought he played fast, I thought he played really violent in the run game. If you are comparing it to his preseason outings, I thought it was by far his best performance. He is going to be a good football player … and hopefully we'll get more opportunities to get him the ball."
