NASHVILLE – The Titans returned to the practice field on Thursday at Vanderbilt Health Football Center, this time with the Chicago Bears.
Here's a look at 10 observations from the joint practice:
-For the second joint practice in a row, I thought the Titans held their own against another good football team. Again, I spent most of my time watching the offense, while trying to keep an eye on the defense from afar. But from my vantage point, I saw quarterback Cam Ward and the offense make a lot of plays, especially in the "Move the Ball" and two-minute periods, which both ended in touchdowns. Ward was 21-of-34 on the day in the 7-on-7 and team periods combined, with three touchdowns and an interception in the team periods. Ward's lone interception came on what looked like some miscommunication between Ward and Helm across the middle. Ward got into a great rhythm finding one receiver in particular (keep reading for more).
-From my vantage point, I also saw Titans receiver Wan'Dale Robinson get lit up across the middle by Bears safety Xavier Woods on what even coach Robert Saleh called a "cheap" hit. Robinson left the field with trainers, and he was being evaluated by trainers for a concussion. Woods was with the Titans last year, and I know him as a good guy. But the hit on Robinson was something you don't see often in these practices – it was late, and forceful, against a defenseless receiver. I liked how teammates quickly came to Robinson's defense, from receiver Chimere Dike to offensive linemen Austin Sclottmann, Peter Skoronski, and more. The hit led to a lot of pushing and shoving, and a lot of the Titans were ticked off. I heard one assistant say "That's bulls..t! That's bulls..t!" over and over again. I didn't like how Woods returned to the Chicago sideline with a big smile on his face.
-Receiver Carnell Tate had been quiet in recent practices, and he still doesn't have a catch in two preseason games. But Tate was a force on Thursday, when Ward targeted him again and again and again. I had Tate with a team-high seven catches in the session, including two that went for touchdowns. Tate caught a touchdown pass from Ward to cap off a "Move the Ball" period, and he also caught a touchdown pass in the corner of the end zone to cap off another drive. It was arguably Tate's best day of camp, considering it was against another team, and the competitive juices were flowing. Tate kept getting open, and Ward kept finding him.
-Again, I spent most of the time watching the Titans offense, and the defense was two football fields away. Safety Tony Adams had an interception in practice, and so did safety Erick Hallett II. Saleh said he was pleased with how the team performed in the second half of practice, which I took as meaning the defense didn't play as well early. I have to admit I saw Bears quarterback Caleb Williams and a lot of the Bears celebrating plays early.
-Running back Tony Pollard had another good day, and his gritty performance was noticed by everyone. Pollard made an incredible tough catch on a 50-yard pass downfield, with Bears defensive back Dillon Thieneman all over him. Earlier, Pollard ran through a bunch of would-be tacklers to get into the end zone for a score – signaled by one of the officials, although the Bears protested Pollard would've been down. What made Pollard's performance even more impressive was the fact he'd been under the weather. He sure looked like a gamer on Thursday.
-Receiver Chimere Dike had a really good day as well. Dike capped off the two-minute drive engineered by Ward with a touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone, catching a beauty of a pass as Ward ran to his left. I liked Dike's celebration, and I liked his competitiveness all day as he hauled in four passes, including two touchdowns. Dike has had a really good camp, and I think he's one of the team's most underrated players.
-The catch of the day came from Helm, who snagged a Ward pass out of the air with one hand. It was one of two catches on the day for Helm on a day when Kylen Granson led the tight ends with four grabs, and Joel Wilson had three. Tight end David Martin-Robinson had a touchdown catch of his own, as I'll get to again in a bit.
-Kicker Joey Slye continued his hot streak, making field goals from 33, 35, 39, 41, 44 and 47 yards. Slye's 6-for-6 day means he's made 25 kicks in a row in practices, and 33 kicks in a row counting the two preseason games.
-Quarterbacks Mitchell Trubisky and Will Levis had solid days as well. I had Trubisky at 19-of-26 on the day, and Levis at 8-of-9. Levis threw back-to-back touchdown passes to Martin-Robinson and Lance McCutcheon in a team red zone period. Add Ward, Trubisky and Levis together and they were a combined 48-of-69 in the session.
-Just adding up the reception totals for everyone else today. Behind Tate's seven catches, I had running back Tyjae Spears with five, and Xavier Restrepo, Dike and Granson with four each. Restrepo had a nice one-handed catch himself.
