TitaNotes: Tennessee Titans Bye Week Ponderings 2019
The NFL is all about parity, setting up the rules so that the teams that do well one year end up with later draft picks while struggling squads get the pick of the litter from the annual draft of the best college football players in the nation. A salary cap system makes it difficult for successful teams with rich owners to hang on to their best players, who instead opt for bigger contracts with new teams that have more room under the money limit to pay the stars.
So if it is indeed the NFL’s goal that all teams regress to the middle, Nashville’s hometown Tennessee Titans should be one league’s favorites. The team has finished within one game of a .500 record in six of the past ten years, only making the playoffs one time during that decade. Still, you have to like these hard working players, even if mediocrity has been their hallmark. For the most part, Titans players have stayed out of the headlines for bad reasons and are often overlooked by national sports media when they excel. That’s OK; they’re our lovable losers!
View this post on InstagramBig man run from the King 👑 📺: #KCvsTEN on CBS now
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Except there has been a disturbing trend over the past few years as Titans season ticket holders have begun to stay home on Sundays, preferring to watch games from the comfort of their own dens on huge-screen TVs with easy access to affordable snacks and drinks. As a result, what we’re trying to politely say is, tickets are available.
So here some slightly tongue-in-cheeks reasons why you should make plans to check out a game in Nissan Stadium as the Titans come out of their bye week and contest the second half of the season in a quest to rise above their current 4-4 record.
Nashville is flat-out fun!
With the attractions of nearby Lower Broad and its festive honky tonks and music venues, fans of other teams love to come to Nashville to party and watch their boys on the field. With most of the remaining games kicking off at noon on Sundays, it’s easy to make a weekend of it by arriving on Friday in time to sing some karaoke before seeking out some late night eats in downtown. Nashville is also an extremely brunchy city, so your Saturday morning is easy to plan as long as you like great food and boozy breakfast drinks. With all sorts of places where you can enjoy dinner and a show, you can experience the best of what Music City has to offer in both food and music. The proximity of the stadium to the rest of downtown means you don’t even have to plan your own tailgate experience since there are so many spots that have your pre-game covered. You can catch a late flight home on Sunday or stretch your stay out until Monday if your boss doesn’t mind.
We’re really nice to visiting fans.
Hospitality is important to the city, and Nashville residents exude warm friendliness to our guests. You needn’t feel worried about wearing your team colors around town if you can tolerate a little good-natured ribbing, and the city welcomed thousands of fans of all colors to the city for last year’s huge NFL Draft. If you ask nicely, Titans fans might even offer you a beer from their own tailgate parties in the parking lots surrounding the stadium.
You can stay close to the action.
Nashville is blessed with all sorts of cool hotels, including numerous boutique properties within easy walking distance of the game. In fact, there’s really no need to have a car on a visit to a Titans game since we have a robust rideshare system, and you can even make your way just about anywhere you’d want to go thanks to one of our multiple scooter rental companies.
View this post on Instagram@last_king_2 trucking his way into the end zone 🚜 #TDT
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The Titans boast some exciting young players.
Part of the reason why the Titans haven’t broken out from the pack in the NFL is that they depend on younger players in many of the skill positions. Hopefully building the base for future success, the Titans boast one of the league’s best running backs in the bruising Derrick Henry, a dominant safety in the person of Kevin Byard, and last year’s first round draft pick Jeffrey Simmons is already looking like a future star after just a few games since returning from an off-season injury. Hopefully these youngsters will continue to evolve into elite pros and lead the Titans to the promised land of the Super Bowl for the first time this millennium.
The other teams coming to town are pretty dynamic, too!
The Titans have three home games left this season, including two tilts against division opponents with the high flying Houston Texans bringing exciting QB Deshaun Watson to town on December 15 and bitter rivals the Jacksonville Jaguars hoping to win their second game of the season against the Titans on November 24. The home schedule concludes with a December 22 game against the vaunted New Orleans Saints in an atmosphere that is sure to be festive when you combine the holidays with visiting fans from the Big Easy. Nashville has a history of Chicago Bears fans drinking downtown dry of draft beer during past game weekends, so local bars will need to stock up before the New Orleanians arrive!
