SB Nation - Sen'Derrick Marks

Titans vs. Falcons Practice Report

Jimmy Morris — Tue, 07 Aug 2012 03:22:26 -0000

It sounds like the Titans had a productive day of work against the Falcons today. Jim Wyatt and John Glennon, the real reporters from The Tennessean, wrote about it extensively here. Some of the high points included:

- Chris Johnson had a big day. Mike Munchak seems to be impressed with what he has seen from CJ so far in camp. Here is what he told Wyatt:

"There were some good lanes, and I think there has been the last three or four days," Munchak said. "It is still encouraging to see some guys staying on the blocks, and Chris had some great reads. The way he was hitting things, you don’t see hesitation. C.J. looked quick, he was hitting things decisively. When he decided to go outside he hit it hard and showed some speed around the edge. … I thought all the backs looked like they ran well."

-It sounds like both quarterbacks had a pretty good day. Lavelle Hawkins told Wyatt that the offense will be really scary when they start showing what they can really do:

"We won," Hawkins said with a smile. "We put a whipping on those boys, and we did basic stuff. Imagine when we put our real stuff in."

-There isn't anything about Mike Martin in the write up from the real reporters at The Tennessean, but Mike Keith and the 3HL guys were raving about Mike Martin on the radio when I was driving home this afternoon. I am really excited to see what he does in a real game.

-Keith also talked about how good Sen'Derrick Marks has been in camp. It sounds like he is pretty much a lock to make this roster, which means Shaun Smith is probably gone.

-Colin McCarthy is a stud, but you already knew that.

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Hope Heads South Edition

August West — Mon, 02 Jul 2012 18:19:51 -0000

Chris Hope finally landed with an NFL team (still no such luck for Jake Scott...), the Atlanta Falcons. Hope hasn't looked like he has much left in the tank for at least two years now, but he certainly is still good enough to provide veteran depth for a team that doesn't like the guys they have in camp. Hope is a quality guy, and here's to hoping that he has a career renaissance in Atlanta.

PFF delivers an analysis of their Elusiveness Rating for RBs over the past three years, and the results are mixed for CJ. Johnson has had more carries than any other running back in the league (which is so, so stupid), but his Elusiveness rating lands him at the 16th spot.

Pacman Jones told the rookies he spoke to that he once spent $1 million in one weekend. I'm going to guess he didn't spend that jack on fine art. Also, Jerry Gray spoke to the rookies about how to develop healthy communication between players and coaches. I'm going to guess that the entire presentation boiled down to don't get arrested, be on time and don't lose.

Titans Sized takes a look at two veterans who have all the skills and size to excel at the NFL level, but just haven't been able to make the kind of impact we expected: Sen'Derrick Marks and Shaun Smith.

You can lump Gerald McRath in with those two, and David Climer talks to the veteran LB about the stress of playing out the final year of his rookie contract.

The Titans are rolling out something you don't see much in the NFL: half-season ticket packages. They're a popular way to encourage ticket sales in sports that have a lot more home games (MLB, NBA and NHL). The primary goal for the Titans' brass is the help ensure that our 134 game streak of sell-outs continues after they had a couple of close calls last season.

Jeff Fisher is rebuilding the Rams "in the Titans' image"? Guess Rams fans need to start praying for another miracle if they want to win big...

Why hasn't anyone signed former Packers RB Ryan Grant? It may have more to do with his financial demands than how overrated he is by many.

State of the Titans Roster: Defensive Tackle

Jimmy Morris — Thu, 28 Jun 2012 17:00:34 -0000

We are currently working our way through the state of the Titans roster. Today we look at the defensive tackles. We previously looked at QB, RB, WR, TE, OT, OG, C and DE.

The defensive end rotation on this roster is pretty weak after the top two, but you could make the argument that defensive tackle is the deepest position on the roster. The Titans hit a home run on two DTs in last year's draft, and everyone is raving about Mike Martin from this year's draft.

Click through the jump for a more in-depth look at the defensive tackles currently on the Titans' roster.

JURRELL CASEY
Age: 22 (turns 23 in December)
Contract: Entering the second year of his four-year rookie contract

Casey didn't get the pub that Klug got last season, but he was very, very good in the middle of the defense. He could be the anchor of this defense for a long time.

KARL KLUG
Age: 24
Contract: Entering the second year of his four-year rookie contract

Klug ended up being one of the steals 2011 NFL Draft, and he still has a lot of upside. A funny story about Klug- Gramsey asked him at the Mike Munchak bowling event if he had ever seen the short arm picture. He said that he had and thought it was funny. He also said that he didn't extend his arms all the way when they were measuring him at the combine because they didn't really tell him what they were doing. So while he does have pretty short arms, they are not as short as they were measured.

MIKE MARTIN
Age: 21 (turns 22 in September)
Contract: Signed a four-year $2.7 million contract

I am really excited to see what Martin can do. He is going to be someone that is going to wreak havoc in the middle.

SEN'DERRICK MARKS
Age: 25
Contract: Entering the last year of his rookie deal

Marks might be the last holdover from the Jeff Fisher draft people on combine numbers era. He needs to be good in training camp to make this roster. There is a good chance it comes down to him and Shaun Smith for a roster spot.

SHAUN SMITH
Age: 30 (turns 31 in August)
Contract: Entering the second year of a three-year $7.25 million contract

Smith has done all of the right things since last season ended. It will be interesting to watch his battle with Marks in camp.

ZACH CLAYTON
Age: 24
Contract: Entering the second year of his four-year rookie deal

Clayton was impressive in the preseason last year. Hopefully he can build on that this season.

The feel good story of this group is undrafted rookie DaJohn Harris. Keep an eye on him in camp.

Tennessee Titans' DT Shaun Smith is Worried About His Roster Spot

Jimmy Morris — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 13:51:45 -0000

At the end of last season, there were multiple reports that Shaun Smith was wearing out his welcome in the Titans' locker room because of his mouth. Smith seems to have seen that writing on the wall. He told Jim Wyatt that he needs to do a better job of knowing when to talk and when to be quiet:

"This is year 10 for me. You can still be a clown; you just have to know when to talk and when not to."

Smith also admitted that he is a little bit nervous about having a spot on this team:

“Am I worried? I’d be lying if I said I’m not worried,” said Smith, who had only 44 tackles and one sack last season and turns 31 on Aug. 19. “I have another baby on the way, another mouth to feed in November. … They are always bringing new guys in like Mike Martin; that is just the nature of the business. So I will be fighting for my job here in Tennessee, but I’ll be fighting for my job with 31 other teams."

To his credit, Smith seems to be a pretty smart guy. He has done a lot of work in the offseason. His best bet is probably to work at outplaying Sen'Derrick Marks in training camp because guys like Jurrell Casey, Karl Klug and Mike Martin are locks to make the roster. That only leaves one or two spots for the rest of the guys they have in camp.

Rang: Mike Martin a Great Fit for the Titans

Jimmy Morris — Fri, 25 May 2012 20:01:03 -0000

Rob Rang is one of the best draft analysts out there. He is doing a series called "Finding the Fits" over at CBS Sports, and today he featured the Tennessee Titans and Mike Martin. One of Rang's main points is how bad the Titans were on third down last year against the run. I knew they were bad, but I did not realize that they allowed 52 runs up the middle for first downs on third down last year. That was the worst in the league.

Rang, like the everyone at Baptist Sports Park, says that Martin will be successful in part due to his career as a wrestler:

Martin is a high-effort run-defender whose use of leverage and explosive strength due to his championship credentials as a prep wrestler and shot putter, make him all the more effective than his size would indicate. If the Titans are to earn a playoff spot in 2012, they'll have to improve against the running game.
Martin, while not necessarily as physically imposing as several of the defensive tackles drafted ahead of him, will help them do them do just that.

The defensive tackle battle is going to be an interesting one to watch in camp. They added Shaun Smith in free agency last year with the idea of him being the big body in the middle that would stuff the run. That obviously did not work out the way they had hoped. Smith is going to need a good camp to make this roster.

Sen'Derrick Marks is another guy who should be on notice. He was one of the Jeff Fisher upside picks that has yet to reach said upside. My guess is that there is not enough room on the roster for both Marks and Smith.

Grading the 2009 Tennessee Titans Draft

Jimmy Morris — Tue, 01 May 2012 14:36:47 -0000

There have been a lot of draft grades floating around the internet the last few days. We can all agree that it is beyond stupid to grade a draft right now. There is not any one person out there who knows how each player will be used by the team that drafted them- let alone if they will be a good player or not.

That is why a draft class should never be graded until those players have played a full three seasons in the NFL. Some people say five seasons, but that is too long in today's NFL. Players, especially those picked in the first three rounds, need to be able to make an impact on the field by their third year. That is important for the team to be good, but it is also important because after three years is when the front office will really start to evaluate if they are going to make a long term investment in that player.

Over the next couple of weeks we are going to look at how different teams drafted back in 2009. This is going to be somewhat of a rolling series through the summer that will be re-visited around this time each year. The plan is to start with the teams in the AFC South and go from there.

Click through the jump to see the grade for the Titans 2009 draft.

The Picks:

1st (30th overall)- Kenny Britt
2nd (62nd)- Sen'Derrick Marks
3rd (89th and 94th)- Jared Cook and Ryan Mouton
4th (130th and 135th)- Gerald McRath and Troy Kropog
5th (173rd)- Javon Ringer
6th (203 and 206th)- Jason McCourty and Dominique Edison
7th (239th and 242nd)- Ryan Durand and Nick Schommer

Grade: B+

This was one of the better drafts of the Jeff Fisher administration. Kenny Britt has had his off the field problems and health issues, but he has been extremely productive when he has been on the field. There is no way you can give that pick anything other than an A, and we haven't even seen the ceiling yet.

The Sen'Derrick Marks pick was pretty weak. That was a classic Fisher athleticism pick. All we heard about after he was picked was that he could dunk a basketball. It is hard to see how that helps him play tackle. He hasn't been terrible, but he also hasn't produced like a second round pick should. That pick gets a C-.

Jared Cook hasn't completely lived up to the hype, but he has gotten better each year. He is one really consistent season away from being one of the steals of this draft, but as was pointed out above, there needs to be some consistency in the third season. The pick still gets a B.

Ryan Mouton gets an INC because he missed a whole season. That is probably a better grade that he gets if he played in 2011, but it is impossible to know that for sure.

Once you get into the 4th round the barometer for success changes. Any player picked here is going to be a bit of a developmental guy.

Gerald McRath has been a decent depth guy. They obviously don't feel comfortable with him in a starting role, but he could help them out in a pinch. He gets a C. The same thing could really be said for Troy Kropog.

Javon Ringer was a solid 5th round pick. He is not a feature back that is going to light the NFL on fire, but he proved last year that he can be an effective runner. He gets a C+.

Jason McCourty was the best pick in this draft when you take into consideration where he was picked. He had a rough rookie campaign, but has come back to prove that he is an above average to really good corner in this league. He gets an A+.

The rest of the guys on the list did about what you would expect from 6th and 7th round picks. They hang around but ultimately end up fading away. C's all around.

Poll

Grade the Titans 2009 draft

A

63 votes

B

245 votes

C

87 votes

D

13 votes

F

7 votes

415 votes | Poll has closed

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Wright Man For The Job Edition

August West — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 16:22:51 -0000

Jim Wyatt writes about why Kendall Wright was the right pick for the Titans at 20, especially since 7 D-linemen and 4 DBs were already gone when we got on the clock. I can't agree more. I still think we'd have taken Ingram if he fell to 20, but once he was gone DeCastro, Wright or Hill was a no brainer.

Another benefit of us taking Wright: I have no doubt he would have been the pick for Houston if he'd still been on the board. Instead, they took the pass rusher with the highest bust potential in the draft. Of course, rarely does Wade Phillips get a first round guy in the front seven who ends up a true bust, and Merciless has excellent talent around him to relieve some of the pressure to produce right away.

Bucky Brooks has a second round mock draft out, and he has us taking Penn St. DT Devon Still, who Mike Mayock is very high on. Still also makes since because he's a high-floor player who is ready to play right away, even if he isn't likely to become a perennial All Pro.

PFW's Arthur Arkush doesn't love our pick, but he doesn't hate it either. Also, can we all agree that 'plug and play', a phrase Mike Mayock loves, is officially one of the most annoying scout terms of the year?

PFF also takes a look at the Wright pick, and they like it:

20. Kendall Wright - WR - Tennessee Titans

The first thing to note about Wright is that he has extensive experience from the slot, which in today's NFL is becoming more crucial than ever. Many believe he can be just as dominant on the outside, and that gives the Titans the kind of flexibility on offense that will be tough to match up with. It also gives them some legitimate cover for Kenny Britt, who is dominant when he is on the field, but was only on it for a meager 145 snaps last season.

PFF reviews the top drafts of 2008-2010, and the Titans' '09 effort lands in the 7th spot:

7. Tennessee Titans (2009)

Starters Found: Kenny Britt (WR), Sen'Derrick Marks (DT), Jared Cook (TE), Gerald McRath (LB) and Jason McCourty (CB)

Contributions From: Javon Ringer (RB)

Best Pick: Jason McCourty

Summary: What is it with the Titans being able to turn low round corners into stars? McCourty is that and has been superb the past two years, now getting a chance to be his team's top dog at the spot. Add in two mismatches in the receiving game (Britt and Cook) and that's more than you'd normally hope for from a draft-three real difference-makers. That they've found a capable back-up running back and a linebacker who didn't embarrass himself when he started in 2010, and you've done alright. If only Sen'Derrick Marks wasn't such a disappointment.

That's it: I officially can't stand the guys at CHFF. Their analysis sounds like a idiotic, petulant commenter, and I'm not saying that just because they took a steaming dump on our pick (along with EVERY other WR pick in the first round).

Thanks to the great Charlie Robison for the inspiration for the title of this post:

Titans 23 Bills 17: Top 5 Defensive Plays

Jimmy Morris — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 15:21:22 -0000

Click through the jump to see the top 5 defensive plays from the Titans 23-17 win over the Bills.

5. Colin. McCarthy. breaks up a pass on the first play of the game.

Why? Because it is Colin. McCarthy.

4. Stopping the Bills on the 4th and 10 at the end of the game.

This was not necessarily anything the Titans did right, but it was a miracle they didn't complete that pass against that dang prevent.

3. Karl Klug gets a sack.

The Titans weren't able to get a lot of pressure in this one, but you already know that when they did get pressure from a defensive lineman it was Karl Klug.

2. Sen'Derrick Marks forced a fumble that Colin. McCarthy. recovers.

The story here is not that McCarthy recovered a fumble. That happens every week. The story is that Marks made a play.

1. Colin. McCarthy. forces a fumble, jumps off the ground and runs 15 yards to recover the fumble.

I know that the McCarthy love has gone a little crazy here, but this play was one of the best I have ever seen.

Bucs - Titans: Three key matchups when Tampa Bay has the ball

Sander Philipse — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 17:00:40 -0000

Here are my three key matchups for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on offense.

Mike Williams vs Cortland Finnegan

Mike Williams finally had a good game last week, and the Buccaneers rely heavily on the former fourth-round pick. He's been targeted 87 times this season, more than any other player on the team. That's not likely to change, and that's also why the Bucs need him to once again have a good game.

And to do so, Mike Williams will need to defeat the Titans' best cornerback: Cortland Finnegan. A dirty player who will do whatever it takes to win - and has the skills to shut down opposing wide receivers. While he hasn't had a great season so far, the veteran is still a formidable opponent and Williams will again need to play well to be productive in the passing game.

Kellen Winslow vs Colin McCarthy

With Barrett Ruud out, the Bucs can take advantage of rookie middle linebacker Colin McCarthy. The easiest way to take advantage of him is through play-action passes: force him to react to the run game, and then hit a pass to Kellen Winslow behind him. Winslow just had his first good game of the season with nine passes for 132 - despite dropping a two-point conversion and tipping a pass for an interception.

If Winslow can get behind the linebackers and the Bucs can get McCarthy to bite on play-action consistently, they can have a big day through the passing game. The fact that the Titans have really struggled to stop tight ends (31st in the NFL) will help Winslow as well.

Jeff Faine vs Sen'Derrick Marks and Shaun Smith

Last week, Jeff Faine really struggled vs the Packers' defensive tackles. If the Bucs want to be able to run the ball consistently, he has to do better against Sen'Derrick Marks. The third-year player was selected in the second round of the 2009 draft, and has started a handful of games since then. He and Shaun Smith have been rotating at defensive tackle on running downs, and the Bucs must move those players to run the football.

And that's key to any Buccaneer victory this year, as it seems the passing game cannot carry this team by itself. The run game must serve as a foundation of the offense, and while the Titans have a good run defense the Bucs must find a way to get Legarrette Blount going. Jeff Faine having a good day would be a solid start.

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Grudge Match Edition

August West — Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:20:58 -0000

Hasselbeck has me feeling good about Sunday with these comments about how good the practices have been this week, and how high the level of expectations have been from the coaching staff coming out of the bye week:

"I think in particular just the speed of practice, how we've started," Hasselbeck said. "If I've noticed anything, the coaches have been a lot tougher on us. You definitely notice the speed of practice and (coaches being) very honest in the film room. They'll throw the film on, put a laser pointer on a guy and say, ‘This is not good enough. Get with the program or out.' I think those kinds of things just make you better."

There are a lot of players on this team who really, really don't like the Texans (probably none more than Cortland Finnegan... with good reason), and Sen'Derrick Marks is certainly one of them. Marks has suffered two ankle injuries thanks to cut blocks by Texans O-linemen, and he sounds excited to get a little playback.

Donnie Avery should get an expanded role in the offense on Sunday now that he's been here a while. If we can get Avery going on some deep routes it'll really help an offense that hasn't had a great deep target since Britt went down.

Sunday's game is a biggie not just for the implications in the divisional race, but because it kicks off a crucial three game home stand. If we can run the table on those three we could end up with a lead in the division that gives us a little buffer room. If we can run the table at home for the rest of the season, that's nine wins right there, with winnable road games against Houston, Indy and Carolina still left.

Frank Bush had the kind of year that has ruined many a NFL coordinator last year in Houston, calling plays for one of the worst defenses in recent memory. Now he's turning his career around by bringing a toughness and speed to the LB corps here in Nashville under Jerry Gray.

Last year Nate wasn't too happy we brought in Randy Moss, and this year he'd be none to keen on seeing Terrell Owens in two-toned blue.

Boclair reminds us all that even a banged-up Texans team is still a threat on any Sunday.

PFF features their deep passing stat (20+ yards in the air), and Matt Hasselbeck ranks 13th overall. That's a little lower than I expected, but I guarantee you his ranking would be much higher if he'd had Kenny Britt for the last two games.

Shaun Smith is ready to start gabbing away at the Texans offensive players. On a personal note, the defensive coordinator they mention in this post is a mouth-breathing douchecanoe who is lucky he didn't get his taint kicked in.

Five QBs were taken in the first round of the 2011 draft, and Jake Locker is the only one not starting right now. Fortunately that's more of a comment on how great Hasselbeck has been compared to the stiffs who were starting in front of Gabbert and Ponder (Newton and Dalton started week one since their teams had nobody) than a comment on where Locker is in his progression. In the long run, I think the extra time will help Locker, especially if Palmer sticks around several years as the OC/playcaller. Locker went through a lot of injuries in college, so he can use this time to heal up and work on his passing from the pocket without facing live bullets.

Email with links, thought and (non-sexual) dreams me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com and be sure to follow me @AugustWest_MCM