CHANDLER'S CROSS, ENGLAND – A relaxed – and maybe a little sleepy – DeAndre Hopkins found himself surrounded by reporters here on Friday.
The Titans receiver talked some football just two days before the team's game against the Baltimore Ravens in London. But on this day, he also spoke with a reporter from Germany, in German, and he discussed the best shopping and dining options with a reporter from London.
"I hear Fish & Chips is too easy," Hopkins said with a smile.
After an overnight flight from Nashville to London, the Titans arrived at their hotel early Friday morning.
The drive to the hotel – located about 18 miles from downtown London – took them through some beautiful countryside.
"This is a wonderful setup," defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons said. "The country feeling coming down the road – you saw the animals. I grew up in the country, so this is kind of my thing. … This is an amazing setup, it's pretty dope out here."
After the drive, the Titans had breakfast, a team walkthrough, meetings and then a practice.
The practice field is located just steps away from the team's hotel.
Countdown to Sunday's game is just two days away, and the Titans got down to business once they arrived in town after spending over eight hours on a Virgin Atlantic flight.
"Really, really well," Titans Coach Mike Vrabel said of how the team has handled the travel. "I appreciate our ops staff, how smoothly everything ran. Our ability to get in here early, to have breakfast ready and meetings and everything. I thought there was a little lull at the beginning of practice, which was probably expected, but after we started stretching and moving around a little bit, I thought it was exactly what we needed, and our players responded. I thought we had a good day."
While players and coaches have the option of taking a bus into the city on Friday night, Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill made it clear this is a business trip.
It's the fourth time Tannehill has been in London for a game.
"I don't think I have seen Big Ben in all my trips over here," Tannehill said of the world's most famous. "I really need to get out and check it out, right? I really need to come back and check it out when I am not getting ready for a game. I would love to see a little bit more of what London has to offer – my wife and kids are exploring, and they are sending me pictures from Big Ben and all the hot spots around town, but we are here to win a game and get mentally and physically prepared to do that."
