When the Titans open the season
http://www.arimtex.com/chase-headley-jersey-c-1_44.html Sept. 10 against the Oakland Raiders, it
’s possible neither of their first-round picks will make a significant impact on the game.In the case of receiver and No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis, it
’s a matter of injury and time. He will matter this season. But the hamstring he injured Aug. 3 has kept him out since then, will keep him out of Sunday’s third preseason game against Chicago and then there’s no telling. Davis has said he’ll play in the opener, but the Titans are not going to rush anything with an injury that can linger and a player they’ll need.In the case of cornerback and No. 18 overall pick Adoree
’ Jackson, he’ll have a chance to impact every game this season as a returner – he’s as dangerous as advertised, confirmed in Saturday’s 34-27 preseason win over the Carolina Panthers. But on the days he is contained in that aspect, he may have nothing else to do with the outcome.At least that
’s how it looks with two preseason games to go and no indication that Jackson is seriously pushing LeShaun Sims for a starting cornerback job. Brice McCain is working the slot as the fifth defensive back when the first-team defense goes to nickel coverage, while Jackson saw time on the outside and in the slot Saturday with the No. 2 defense.That
’s not what I expected to see by now, considering Jackson’s draft-day prominence and physical gifts. I also didn’t know Sims would be this solid and consistent, and with free-agent pickup Logan Ryan locked in as a starter on the other side, this is partly about a secondary that has some depth and a chance to improve on last season’s dismal bottom line.Still, Jackson was picked where he was picked to help this defense. He does enough spectacular things in individual drills to make you think that
’s an inevitability. But there’s much more to succeeding in the complexity of Dick LeBeau’s defense.“
When you draft an athlete in the first round, you’re expecting him to come in and contribute pretty quickly, and I think Adoree’ is doing a http://www.armacan.com/derek-anderson-jersey-c-1_13.html great job,
” LeBeau said this week. “He has a long way to go yet, so we’ll see. But he himself is doing an excellent job.”You hear nothing but praise for the 5-foot-11 Jackson inside the Titans locker room. Rishard Matthews called him a
“ball hawk” and said: “He’s not just your regular corner who’s just going to defend you. He’s going to defend you and also look up for the interception.”“
He’s a good guy, man. He’s a good teammate,” Ryan said of his young understudy. “And he handles everything coming at him pretty well. Nothing’s too much for Adoree’ on his plate. He’s making the most of his opportunity, returned that punt, made some plays on defense. He’s not pressing.”Saturday did look like a step for Jackson, beyond the called-back 63-yard punt return that saw him split Carolina
’s gunners and blaze past everyone else on his way to the end zone. He finally played corner in the fourth defensive series, with the twos, and he went on a little run in the fifth series.He was in the slot, with McCain and Kalan Reed on the outside, when he read a receiver screen to Russell Shepard, darted past a block and finished an ankle tackle. He went across the field to tackle running back Fozzy Whittaker. He provided sticky coverage on Shepard and star Kelvin Benjamin on
Gregory Polanco Youth Jersey consecutive pass plays that went elsewhere.
