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NFL

Marcus Mariota, ball-hungry D show Titans have tools to contend in AFC
6:47 PM ET

  • Cameron WolfeESPN

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    • Covered the Broncos for two seasons with the Denver Post
    • Graduate of the University of Houston
    • A native of Jackson, Miss.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — It took a game to knock off the rust, but the Tennessee Titans looked like the AFC contender they were built to be, and more, Saturday against the Carolina Panthers in their second preseason game.

Marcus Mariota got even closer to the quarterback the Titans saw during their peak last season by accurately completing passes, using his legs to make plays and having the pocket presence to make the correct read. He hit Delanie Walker in the back of the end zone for his first touchdown of the preseason in the first quarter.

Titans coach Mike Mularkey challenged the offense after their lackluster preseason opener against the New York Jets a week ago. Mariota, running back Derrick Henry and the Titans’ bevy of receiving options responding with up-tempo play, long chain-moving drives and touchdowns.

“It was a lot better. I thought we came out fast, made a couple big plays, were able to go down and score,” Mariota said. “We’ve just got to continue to build this momentum, build the foundation and get ready for the season.”

Marcus Mariota was efficient on Saturday, going 6-for-8 passing for 61 yards and a touchdown. Mark Zaleski/AP Photo

Mularkey agreed, saying he was “pretty pleased” with the Titans’ response, particularly from the starters who jumped out to a 17-0 lead during their first-quarter action. Tennessee held on for a 34-27 win.

The biggest positive outside of the offense’s resurgence was how often Tennessee’s defenders got their hands on the football. Two first-quarter turnovers led to 14 Titans points. That’s a recipe for winning.

QB depth chart: The Titans’ backup quarterback battle continued Saturday, with Matt Cassel looking solid in his first action of the preseason. He finished 8-of-13 for 88 yards and found Tre McBride for a would-be touchdown in the end zone, but the pass was dropped. Cassel also turned heads by running through a tackle attempt by Panthers linebacker Jeremy Cash. Alex Tanney improved upon his two-turnover performance in the opener, finishing 7-of-12 for 85 yards. Cassel appears to be the No. 2 quarterback, with the question being if Tanney will remain on the active roster as the No. 3 quarterback.

When it was starters vs. starters, the Titans looked …: Invigorated. Mariota started the game hitting rookie receiver Taywan Taylor for a 20-yard completion over the middle to get the crowd involved early. Tennessee’s offensive line had a drastic improvement keeping Mariota completely clean and the defense was the biggest catalyst for the day, forcing two turnovers in the Panthers’ side of the field. The Titans simply looked faster, more physical and better than they did last week.

One reason to be concerned: Penalties were one of the few negatives out of the Titans’ play Saturday. Tennessee committed 11 penalties for 93 yards. A couple of penalties in early drives forced them to work harder for scores and it was an apparent issue late in the game. The preseason is a good time to work out those issues, and Mularkey will certainly mention it.

Rookie watch: Taylor splashed from the first play and throughout the game. The third-round pick out of Western Kentucky has taken advantage of injuries to Eric Decker, Corey Davis and Tajae Sharpe by making plays in each game. He finished with three catches for 41 yards and will force the Titans to figure out ways to put him on the field.

Bounce back: Cornerback Logan Ryan gave himself an “F” after a rough performance last week against the Jets, giving up three completions, including a 53-yard catch. He responded Saturday by forcing a fumble on the Panthers’ first drive. That turnover led to a Titans touchdown. The starting secondary didn’t give up any big passing plays, either. There was a lot to be excited about for Ryan and the Titans’ defense. “Excellent,” Ryan said. “But that’s what we expect.”

Injuries to watch: Running back DeMarco Murray did not play, a mild surprise after Mularkey said he anticipated him playing earlier this week. Murray suffered a hamstring injury on Aug. 2 and returned to full-practice action this week. Decker (ankle) and Davis (hamstring) also were among those who sat out on Saturday. Fullback Jalston Fowler suffered a thigh bruise during a Titans kickoff return and did not return.

Locking up a roster spot? No Titans player had a better day than running back David Fluellen, who finished with 10 rushes for 76 yards and two catches for 15 yards and a touchdown. He also made a great tackle on special teams. Fluellen is the leader for the No. 3 running back spot, and his leading competition, seventh-round pick Khalfani Muhammad, had one carry for 1 yard.

No overtime award: Fluellen had the best day, but Aaron Wallace is the true award winner because his strip sack with two minutes left in the game saved everyone from preseason overtime. One play later, Fluellen punched it in for a 3-yard touchdown to put the Titans up 34-27.

NFL

Broncos want Paxton Lynch or Trevor Siemian to 'take the reins' now

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Reading the tea leaves about what the Denver Broncos want to see before coach Vance Joseph names a starting quarterback has been a popular summer activity for the team’s faithful.

Folks have tried to decide how much experience will matter, how much arm strength will matter, how much practice will matter, how much the preseason games will matter. There are some who believe it only matters that one quarterback was selected in the first round — and the Broncos moved up to do it — and the other was not.

But as the Broncos try to decide if 2016 starter Trevor Siemian or 2016 first-round pick Paxton Lynch should be first string, the team’s top football decision-maker, John Elway, let the cat out of the bag — at least a little bit — after two days of joint practices with the San Francisco 49ers this week.

“We’d like the decision made by itself,” Elway said. “We’ve talked about that decision being made by itself. We want one of them to take the reins and take over; it would be the ideal situation. We’re getting through this game and we’ll go from there, see what happens.”

This is not the first time Elway has hinted at this or even offered it as the key piece. But Thursday afternoon, Elway knew exactly what he was saying. As the second preseason game approaches, Joseph is headed toward a decision and he and Elway are on the same page on this, so anything Elway said publicly this week is no surprise.

Paxton Lynch made some “big-time throws” in practice Thursday, Broncos coach Vance Joseph said. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY Sports

It’s clear that Lynch’s arm alone won’t be enough for him to win it, and Siemian’s timing and consistency won’t be enough for him to win it. The Broncos will name a starter, possibly as soon as next week, if they see what they want to see Saturday night against the 49ers. Or they could just get tired of waiting, so they might pick one and hope for the best.

But the Broncos are still waiting for one of the two quarterbacks to quit deferring to their more veteran teammates and show some willingness to push to the front of the line. That doesn’t mean they can throw interceptions and manufacture a collection of three-and-outs. That won’t get either one the job.

And it doesn’t mean the guy who yells the loudest, pumps his fist the most or runs around celebrating a good play the longest is “taking the reins.” It does mean the guy who plays the cleanest Saturday night in Levi’s Stadium, while also showing a little swagger along the way, can win the job.

There is an overriding frustration inside the Broncos complex that both Siemian and Lynch tip-toe too much. That’s not surprising because it’s difficult to face your teammates the way a starter would when you’re not the starter, especially at quarterback.

And players have no patience for false noise coming from other players they don’t believe play well enough. So it’s natural for these second- and third-year quarterbacks to tread lightly as they wrestle with learning their second offense in the past two seasons.

Even Thursday, when Lynch had one of his better practice days, both Elway and Joseph offered the same nugget.

“Like we said, he’s making progress; they’re all making progress,” Elway said. “But I think what you saw in Paxton [Thursday] is he played with a little more confidence than he has in the past. I think any time he does that, he’s a lot more successful. That comes with youth, too. You have your ups and downs as youths and the consistency is not there where you want it to be. That’s why you continue to practice, continue to work and continue to get better.”

“His best day? I’m not sure,” Joseph said after the workout. “He made three or four big-time throws [Thursday]. He looked relaxed. Hopefully that carries over to Saturday.”

Elway has said both quarterbacks have what they need to succeed “talent-wise” and Joseph has said he wants to see “separation.”

That means they shouldn’t make mistakes, but should rebound if they do and be the guy who doesn’t just have the job, but can handle the job. And if the Broncos aren’t positive about which one can handle the job, they’ll pick the guy who gets the closest.

NFL

Dungy, Tampa teams help pay to move statue

Tony Dungy challenged Tampa’s professional sports teams to help pay to move a Confederate statue from in front of a local courthouse, and they have responded.

Confederate statues, and there are hundreds, are being taken down across the country in the wake of Saturday’s violence in Charlottesville, Virginia. White nationalists marched there, in part, to protest the impending removal of a statue of Robert E. Lee, the key Confederate military figure in the Civil War.

Money is being raised to move the Confederate statue Memoria In Aeterna from in front of a Tampa public building. The statue, which was unveiled in 1911, portrays a Confederate soldier marching into battle during the Civil War and another returning. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara

A woman, Heather Heyer, was killed in Charlottesville when a car driven by a man from Ohio plowed into a crowd that was protesting the white nationalists.

Since then, Baltimore has removed a number of Confederate statues, and many around Tampa rallied to have the statue Memoria In Aeterna removed from in front of the Hillsborough County Courthouse. The statue was commissioned by the United Daughters of the Confederacy in 1910 and installed in 1911.

On Wednesday, Hillsborough County commissioners voted 4-2 to block public spending to move the monument. The county said that the $140,000 required to move the statue would have to come from private funding, and that if it didn’t in 30 days, the statue would likely stay.

Tony Dungy, the former Buccaneers and Colts coach who lives in Tampa, tweeted an appeal to his 754,000 followers.

The Buccaneers, Rays and Lightning responded.

But those teams weren’t the only ones. According to the Tampa Bay Times, former Tampa Bay Storm owner Bob Gries pledged $50,000, and even Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn offered $1,000.

In about 24 hours, enough money appears to have been raised to move the statue to a small cemetery in nearby Brandon.

ESPN’s Jenna Laine contributed to this report.

NFL

GM: Bell part of Steelers plan, but he's behind

LATROBE, Pa. — The Pittsburgh Steelers do not know when running back Le’Veon Bell will show up, but they are still counting on him to have a big year, general manager Kevin Colbert said Wednesday.

Asked whether the Steelers have considered rescinding Bell’s $12.1 million franchise tender, Colbert told ESPN the Steelers will work with who’s available. Still, he said, “I fully expect Le’Veon Bell to be a significant contributor for the 2017 Steelers. That’s as simple as I can state it.”

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Both sides couldn’t reach a long-term contract before the deadline to do so passed, and because Bell isn’t under contract, he’s training in South Florida instead of at Saint Vincent College for training camp. All signs point to a late August return for Bell, whose Steelers will play the first-string offense Aug. 26 against the Indianapolis Colts.

When asked about the belief that Bell can stay fresh and injury free away from the team, Colbert stressed, “It’s beneficial for everybody to be in camp.

“I’ll argue that consistently,” Colbert said. “Training camp is important for the growth and preparedness to be ready to play this game opening week. We can argue about camp and preseason, how many games and all that, but I do know you need to practice this game to play it at the highest level. Someone once said it would be like boxing without sparring. You can’t just show up and play.”

Bell can’t be fined for his absence from training camp because he doesn’t have a signed contract. He isn’t permitted to receive a long-term contract this season because the deadline to do so for tagged players passed on July 17.

Bell is one of the game’s best playmakers but plays in a positional market that appears tapped out at around $8 million per year. Colbert said the Steelers don’t “box anybody” when it comes to positional marketplaces and place values on players based on what they do for the team. But the Steelers can’t revisit that process with Bell until after the season.

“Right now we’re worried about 2017; that’s all we can focus on,” Colbert said. “We’ve said it in the past — we want Le’Veon to have a great NFL career as a Pittsburgh Steeler. That hasn’t changed. In reality, all we’re dealing with is 2017.”

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