Drawing inspiration from Steve McNair and Eddie George, Tennessee must embrace a gritty leadership culture to transform a struggling roster into a disciplined, playoff contender.
The Tennessee Titans have had a rough stretch in the last few years.
They haven't been to the playoffs since 2021 and have gone 6-28 in the last two years.
They have gone through two head coaches in that span, firing Mike Vrabel and Brian Callahan.
It's going to take a lot for the franchise to go from being a 3-14 team to improving and potentially competing for a playoff spot.
A clip surfaced on social media recently of former Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse retelling a story from his rookie year.
Kearse appeared on the "Behind The Mask Podcast" with former NFL linebacker Takeo Spikes in 2019, and the message from his story remains applicable to this Titans team today.
Kearse brought up a story from 1999. He was drafted out of Florida that year and was already expecting to be hazed by the Titans, as most rookies typically are in the NFL.
The Titans had two players on the team at the time who would go on to be franchise greats. There was running back Eddie George and quarterback Steve McNair. McNair was drafted in 1995, and George was selected by the Titans in 1996, so both had been on the team for several years by then and had established themselves as leaders.
While Kearse was expected to get hazed by his new teammates, McNair and George showcased their leadership skills early on. They pulled Kearse aside one day and explained that they didn't have time to haze him with the state of the franchise.
They told him how much the team needed him and it paid dividends. Kearse set the NFL record for sacks in a rookie season (14.5), which still stands today. Kearse went to the Pro Bowl in 1999, and was also a First-Team All-Pro, AP Defensive Rookie of the Year and came in second for the AP Defensive Player of the Year.
The Titans had a good team at that time, but weren't able to get over the hump and make the playoffs in recent years.
In 1995, the franchise was still known as the Houston Oilers and missed the postseason after going 7-9.
The team went 8-8 in its final season in Houston and missed out again. Then, the franchise moved to Tennessee and had two more 8-8 seasons before officially becoming the Titans in 1999.
What George and McNair said translated to the field, and the team finally reached the playoffs and didn't just hang around for one game. The Titans went on a run and reached the Super Bowl before losing to the St. Louis Rams.
I think this is a mentality that the current Titans should have. We've already seen it from some of the leaders.
Jeffery Simmons hasn't been afraid to get in his teammate's face if he needs to, as we've seen with J.C. Latham.
He and Latham got into a fight during training camp, and it has turned things around for the offensive tackle, who looks like a much different player entering a pivotal third year with the Titans.
There's definitely a time for things like this in the NFL, but when you are in the middle of a slump like the Titans are, you need to get down to business and realize that there are more important things.
Leaders like Simmons are doing their part to ensure everyone stays focused on improvement. If we see more of this mentality from the Titans this season, it could be a catalyst for the franchise's turnaround.
