NASHVILLE – The Titans returned to the practice field on Wednesday at Vanderbilt Health Football Clinic, this time with the Seattle Seahawks.
Here's a look at 10 observations from the joint practice:
-Quarterback Cam Ward and the Titans offense had more good moments than bad on Friday, and overall I thought it was a pretty solid day. From a statistical standpoint, I had Ward at 22-of-28 in the 7-on-7 and team periods combined, including going 20-of-26 in the team periods. Ward was good in a Red Zone period at the start of practice, and he orchestrated a beautiful two-minute drive at the end of it, completing a touchdown pass to tight end Daniel Belliger to cap it off. Ward also led a nice drive in a Move the Ball "Call It" period in the second half of practice, when he was a perfect 6-of-6. Ward threw an interception across the middle on the field, and a lot of his completions were underneath, in part because that's what the Seahawks defense was giving him. But Ward looked in control, and poised, during a day when the Titans had success on offense.
-Ward wasn't the only Titans quarterback who was efficient on Friday. Mitchell Trubisky went 17-of-22 overall, and Will Levis went 6-of-8 in his opportunities. Trubisky ran for a touchdown in a Red Zone period, led a touchdown drive in the No.2 offense's two-minute period, and he went 5-of-5 in the Move the Ball period, part of his 17-of-22 day in the team periods. Again, the Seahawks seemed to be OK giving up stuff underneath, but the Titans still made some plays downfield. And, on the day the final tally was 45-of-58 for the three Titans quarterbacks, with the one interception. I'd call that a pretty good day no matter what.
-I admit I didn't get to watch a lot of the defense, because I positioned myself on the field where the Titans offense vs. the Seahawks defense was in front of me. What I saw of the defense was from afar. I did see cornerback Alontae Taylor record a pick 6 on the first play of Seattle's two-minute period (he flapped his arms as if they were wings in celebration), and I saw defensive end Truman Jones with a nice pressure, and cornerback Cor'Dale Flott with a nice pass break-up. Hearing defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons tell it, the Titans won the day on defense, too. "I'm very satisfied with the way we attacked the practice today," Simmons said. "We came out with a great mindset, and I felt like we had a great day. A little BTA, if y'all know what that means." I, in fact, do know what BTA means, and it's not "Bring the Attitude" or "Be Thankful Always."
-Kicker Joey Slye was a perfect 7-of-7 in a kicking period, with makes of 33, 35, 38, 40, 42, 53 and 51 yards. Dating back to the team's joint practice with the 49ers, and including the preseason opener, I have Slye a perfect 23-of-23 in his last four outings. Staying on special teams, I saw punter Tommy Townsend hitting some bombs in a punting period.
-Tony Pollard and the running game looked impressive. Pollard scored on a touchdown run in an early red zone period, when offensive coordinator Brian Daboll lifted both arms into the air to signal the score. Pollard also broke off at least two more runs of 10 to 15-plus yards, when there were big holes to run through. Julius Chestnut capped off Trubisky's two-minute drive with a touchdown run as well. I had running backs D'Ernest Johnson and Michael Carter with a touchdown run in the Red Zone team period led by Levis.
-Receiver Wan'Dale Robinson had another busy day, with a practice-high six catches. But Xavier Restrepo had another good day in these joint practices, as he caught five passes, including a deep one downfield from Trubisky on the two-minute drive. Gunnar Helm had four catches, and so did Bellinger, who had the touchdown. Bryce Oliver, K.J. Osborne, Chimere Dike and Tyjae Spears had three catches each.
-Rookie receiver Carnell Tate has had a quiet week, and he didn't have a catch in Friday's work. Tate was the target on the Ward pass that was intercepted by Seahawks safety Ty Okada, and he also had a drop. Tate might've had a catch on another play, but he was badly interfered with by Seattle cornerback Noah Igbinoghene.
-The two teams were on their best behavior for the most part. There was one mini-skirmish, after Seattle nose tackle Byron Murphy II threw Titans running back Tyjae Spears down after a play. Players from both teams rushed to the scene, and there was some pushing, shoving and cussing, but emotions cooled. I heard some trash talk during the course of practice, but nothing crazy.
-One more receiver I'll mention is Elic Ayomanor, because he had an eventful day. Ayomanor made a great catch – he caught the back of the football on a Ward pass – for a Red Zone touchdown early. Ayomanor made another great catch early, but he was called for offensive pass interference. Officials flagged the Seahawks for defensive pass interference on a deep ball intended for Ayomanor in the two-minute drill led by Ward, and it set up a score.
-There was a big crowd at Vanderbilt Health Football Center, and a lot of them were wearing "Hard Knocks" t-shirts. HBO's Hard Knocks is following the Seahawks during camp, and they had 45 folks in town to cover the practices. So, if you're a Titans fan, check out the upcoming episode, although Simmons kidded they'll probably only show good plays from the Seahawks.
