The NFL Thursday evening released the entire slate for the 2018 NFL season, including the 16 game schedule for the Titans, an annual big day in the life of football fans everywhere.
Here’s a quick look at the Titans schedule, along with two quick thoughts on the good of the schedule, and the not so good.
The Good: Four of the last five games for the Titans are at home, meaning that if this team is .500 or better having some games at home should really help this team pad their schedule as they look to make another playoff run.
The Bad: Two of the first three games for the playoff Titans from a season ago are on the road, meaning that hopefully they will quickly become road warriors. Plus the Titans really got screwed in the fact they are one of two playoff teams from a season ago (the Bills being the other) that are not on Sunday night this season.
The Titans agreed to terms on a one-year contract with former Ravens wide receiver Michael Campanaro, an NFL source confirmed to Jason Wolf of the Tennessean on Tuesday.
The 5-foot-9, 192-pound Campanaro could help in the return game and provide the receiving corps with depth.
Campanaro averaged 10.8 yards on 27 punt returns last season, including a 77-yard touchdown against the Bears. He also averaged 26.5 yards on six kick returns.
The Ravens drafted Campanaro out of Wake Forest with a seventh-round pick in 2014
Spain started 14 games and both postseason contests at left guard in 2017, one season after starting 13 games in 2016. Spain, who initially joined the team as an undrafted free agent out of West Virginia in 2015, took over as a regular starter at the end of his rookie season.
Last month, the NFL announced Spain led the league in performance-based pay compensation, which rewards players who play a lot of snaps.
The NFL is investigating a photo released on social media that is claiming to be a leak of the Titans’ new navy blue uniforms, a league source confirmed to Camerson Wolfe of ESPN.
The Titans are set to unveil their new uniforms, which will feature jersey and helmet changes, during a downtown Nashville street party on Wednesday night.
The Titans and NFL have no official comment on the possible jersey leak or ongoing investigation. The Tennessean was the first to report the investigation.
A league source told ESPN that there likely would be some form of punishment, which would be up to the employer — which appears to be an apparel company — of the person or people responsible for the leak.
The photo shows a Marcus Mariota jersey with a pointed number eight, a navy blue base, accents of Columbia blue on the sides, a red Nike logo and shades of gray on the shoulders.
A small group of players and team employees have seen the jerseys, including Titans safety Kevin Byard, who had to sign a nondisclosure agreement before seeing them.
Apparently the retail version of the @Titans navy jersey has leaked.
Compton, who visited the team last month, will compete for a spot inside for the Titans.
Compton has played in 57 games, with 33 starts, during his five-year NFL career. The 6-foot-1, 235-pounder initially joined the Redskins as an undrafted free agent out of the University of Nebraska in 2013.
Compton was a full-time starter for the Redskins in 2015 and 2016. He started 15 games in 2016, and racked up 106 tackles, five passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and an interception. He tallied 96 tackles, a sack, an interception and a fumble recovery while playing in all 16 games in 2015, while making 10 starts.
Compton played in nine games, with three starts, in 2017, when he suffered a separated shoulder early in the season, and a Lisfranc sprain later in the year. He was placed on Injured Reserve. Compton collected 19 tackles, three passes defensed and an interception last season before ending the year on IR.
A defensive captain in 2016, Compton missed just one game the previous three seasons combined.
Marcus Mariota is heading into the fourth and final season of his rookie contract. He knows the Titans will pick up the fifth-year option at some point this offseason. And he knows a big second contract is likely coming a year from now.
“Those are things that are outside of my control,” Mariota said this week in Hawaii during an interview with KHON2 Sports Director Rob DeMello, before the quarterback’s annual Motiv8 Foundation charity golf tournament at Oahu Country Club. “Obviously, there are certain things that you can do to kind of speed up the process, but if I started to concern myself with that, I lose sight of what it means to be a team guy and what it means to put this team first, and whenever that gets done, it will get done, and I just kind of focus on what’s going on on the field.
“I’ve always kind of been that way. I trust the organization, and I trust (general manager) Jon (Robinson). He’s done an unbelievable job since he stepped in, and whenever that gets done, it will get done, and I’m kind of just focused on what’s going on on the field.”
Mariota, 24, was drafted second overall in 2015 after winning the Heisman Trophy at Oregon.
In three pro seasons, Mariota has completed 61.8 percent of his passes for 9,476 yards, 58 touchdowns, 34 interceptions and an 88.6 passer rating. He’s also rushed for 913 yards and nine touchdowns on 154 carries, and lost 12 of 21 fumbles.
Mariota also has caught two touchdowns, including a deflected pass to himself in last season’s wild-card playoff victory against the Chiefs.
The hype for USC quarterback Sam Darnold has b3en growing by leaps and bounds the last few weeks, to the point where many feel he’s going to be the first overall pick in the NFL Draft in April.
At 6-4, 220 pounds, he’s got the look of a player who with some time learning could be a very good to excellent quarterback in the NFL, but time will tell when he might get that chance.
In his final season at USC, Darnold threw for 4143 yards, with 26 touchdowns to go along with 13 picks. This after throwing 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions the season before.
Here’s a look at Darnold and what various places are saying about him in our latest scouting report.
Strengths:
Naturally accurate passer
Fits passes into tight windows
Excellnt ball placement
Throws a catchable ball
Pocket presence
Has poise
Advanced anticipation; instinctive thrower
Throws with good timing
Can accelerate his throwing motion
Quality arm strength
Pushed team to wins
Good internal clock
Mobility
Throws very well on the run
Throws accurately off platform
Displays some feel in the pocket
Not easy to sack
Can hurt defenses on the ground
Can make all the throws required
Can pick up yards on the ground
Threads passes into tight windows
Weaknesses:
Ball security
Too many interceptions
Too many fumbles
Had some confidence issues in 2017
Doesn’t secure the ball well when getting sacked
Good enough not doesn’t have elite arm strength
Throwing mechanics are a bit unorthodox
Needs to start games faster
Summary: Darnold took college football by storm during the 2016 season, and even though he wasn’t eligible for the 2017 NFL Draft, the redshirt freshman had scouts buzzing about his pro potential. After a 1-2 start to the 2016 season for USC, Darnold was made the starting quarterback. For his debut season, he was an extremely efficient passer who led the Trojans to a 10-3 record. Darnold lost his first-ever start against a good Utah team, but after that he led his team to ripping off a nine-game win streak to close out the year, including impressive wins over Colorado, Washington, and a comeback Rose Bowl win over Penn State. Darnold completed 67 percent of his passes in 2016 for 3,086 yards with 31 touchdowns and nine interceptions.
The 2017 season was more of a mixed bag for Darnold. The redshirt sophomore completed 63 percent of his passes for 4,143 yards with 26 touchdowns and 13 interceptions. He had an up-and-down season with too many turnovers – fumbles were a particular issue beyond the interceptions. Darnold also made some beautiful anticipatory throws with excellent accuracy in just about every game.
There is a lot to like about Darnold as a future starter in the NFL. First and foremost, he is an accurate pocket passer who throws with good ball placement and is very precise in the short to intermediate part of the field. Darnold has excellent anticipation to know when and where receivers are going open. With his feel and timing, Darnold hits receivers on the run, leading them to picking up yards after the catch. He also regularly will throw receivers open and help them to find space to beat tight coverage. Darnold is a natural rhythm thrower who would fit best in a West Coast system to maximize his ability to throw accurately in the short to intermediate part of the field. He is a smooth precision passer who can be deadly when he gets into a good groove.
Darnold is comfortable in the pocket, but also has the ability to move around to buy time. While he is not a running quarterback, he is functional to avoid sacks and will move around to help his offensive line and receivers. Darnold made a number of really nice plays during the past two years when things went off script as he got creative to move the ball for his offense. Routinely, Darnold would buy time with his feet and then make an accurate throw downfield with the rush closing in on him.
In my eyes, Sam Darnold is a very odd prospect. Talked about as a number 1 overall draft pick. Talked about as the best Quarterback coming out of college this year. However, I am not seeing any of this. When I watch Darnold, I see one of the most streaky Quarterback play I think I have seen in awhile. At time looks very hesitant to throw, missing an opportunity. Other times he looks too eager and makes a bad decision. He has his good moments, but then a play later he will have a combination of bad plays. Moving in the pocket too early and too often, inconsistent accuracy, and staring down a play for too long are major turn offs to me.
The first thing I notice about Darnold when watching him is that he seems to ignore his dump off routes. He seems so locked in on making a big play, he forgets about the guys that are 5 yards away from him. I can respect wanting to make a big play for the team, but after staring downfield for eternity it’s time to hit your shallow routes. At least LOOK at them to see if they are open. There is no shame in taking an easy three to five yards. Not every throw has to get the crowd on their feet.
The second thing I notice is how much he likes to move around in the pocket. And that is just not his style. I get running to avoid a sack, but too many times I saw him run with a clean pocket. Multiple times he would take off to the outskirts of the pocket, making it easier for defenders to get off their block. He seems to just panic unless he has the cleanest pocket one could possibly have. If he would stand tall in the pocket and deliver, his accuracy issues would go down as well. His deep balls are inconsistent, and the times he does go to dump it off, those are not always pretty either. His best throws come from his 10-15 yarders. Which always happen to be when he stands his ground.
I will say though, 4th quarter Sam Darnold seems to be a better player than in other quarters. He reads the field better, has better ball placement, and doesn’t try to run around as much. It just seems something clicks a bit better for him during the 4th. Like he has calmed down. He just needs to be able to play similar to that all game if he is gonna be the number 1 overall pick this upcoming draft.
I think Darnold has a lot to work on. Personally there are 4 other Quarterbacks I would take before drafting him. He does good things, unfortunately, his good things just are not consistent enough and are overshadowed by his flaws. I believe if he can work on sitting in the pocket longer instead of trying to escape right away (while not holding the ball for too long), a lot of his issues will start fading. I think Darnold will have a real rough start to his career, but if keeps his confidence and keeps fixing his game, it will work out for him in the long run.
Darnold’s entire game is predicated upon his ability to create. Darnold is an athletic player; he is able to pull the ball down and gain chunks of yardage with his legs. His agility and change of direction catch many defenders off guard.
That is why offensive coordinator Tee Martin built an offense that maximized his legs. USC ran a heavy dose of run pass options (RPOs), a concept that gave Darnold many options pre- and post-snap, and he absolutely flourished. On a majority of their plays, Darnold had the ability to give the ball to star running back Ronald Jones, keep it as a runner, or throw it to one of his many weapons outside. This multi-dimensional structure of a play was obviously super productive. His decision making was very good all season, especially on these RPOs. He can process the coverage, find the conflict defender, and distribute the ball quickly.
But what is often overlooked is the accuracy and velocity needed on these kinds of concepts. At times, after the mesh with the running back or play fake, the passing lane is cluttered with defenders coming downhill to defend what they perceive to be a run. Once they realize that it is a pass, they immediately try to get their hands up in the passing lanes. Darnold makes these throws look easy. Standing at 6’4? and 220 pounds, he is able to place the ball in optimal locations, allowing his weapons to make plays.
At the next level, Darnold is going to make his money in the short area. While his elongated release and sloppy footwork will cause issues at times, something I will cover later, it isn’t an issue from 0-9 yards. That bodes well for Sam, because that is where football is won and lost on Sundays. His mechanics aren’t an issue because he is throwing in rhythm and not having to worry about mechanics.
According to SportsInfo Solutions (SIS), Darnold’s short game is phenomenal. From 0-9 yards, he had the highest completion percentage (75.4%), the 4th-most passing yards (1,534), 12th-most touchdowns (10), the 3rd-highest yards per attempt (7.6), and the 5th-highest rating (107.2).
Weaknesses:
As productive as Darnold was over his 27 games at USC, he has some serious flaws that need to be addressed, the first of which is turnovers. Darnold threw 22 interceptions over two years and added another 20 fumbles. This lack of ball security will get you benched quickly.
While the offense surrendered an average of 2.14 sacks a game and a grand total of 30 sacks in 2017, he admitted that he was pushing it too much.
Many of his turnovers are linked to his mechanics. Darnold has some of the worst mechanics I have ever seen from a quarterback. Let’s start with his delivery. Typically, a quarterback with an elongated delivery like Darnold’s will struggle at the next level. From the time he begins his delivery to the time of release is often the difference between a tight window completion and an interception. Defensive backs are just too good on Sundays. If he is slightly late anticipating a throw and needs to drive a pass, the split second longer that it takes to release the ball due to his delivery could lead to an interception, much like it did versus Washington State. The safety bails post-snap, baiting Darnold to throw the speed out as he gets the 1-on-1 coverage. The defensive back reads the route, breaks, and picks him off.
A two-year starter at USC, Sam Darnold is widely praised for his toughness, football IQ and leadership. A coach with the Trojans told me Darnold only cares about football and not the benefits of being a star quarterback. He did turn the ball over 22 times in 2017, which should at a minimum send scouts back to the tape to find the context of each turnover. But Darnold’s tangible and intangible traits are tops in the class.
Scout’s Quote: “Crystal clean off the field. Smart, poised, tough, accurate. He might be the only one that could work in Cleveland because he won’t let the pressure go to his head.”
Coach’s Quote: “The release and turnovers bother me, but he has the makeup to be good. He’s better than [Mitch] Trubisky was last year but he’s not on the level of [Carson] Wentz or Jared [Goff].”
Scout’s Comparison: Tony Romo, retired
Darnold impressed at his Pro Day, throwing in the rain back on March 21st
The Titans added another guard to the mix, agreeing to terms with former Texans offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo, Jason Wolf of the Tennessean reports.
Su’a-Filo, 27, started 31 of 32 games over the last two seasons and all 16 games last year. He’s the second offensive lineman to sign with the Titans in the last week, joining former Buccaneers guard Kevin Pamphile, who can play all five positions.
Su’a-Filo was drafted out of UCLA with a second-round pick, the 33rd overall, in 2014. He’s started 41 of 56 career games in the NFL, playing at right guard as a rookie and left guard ever since.
April 20th, 2018 
Matt Loede 
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