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Time to knock off the rust from the off season and bring back the weekly "Silver Linings" post about all things warm and fuzzy. There's no room here for anything bad as we try and pick out the best things that come from the Titans weekly match up.
Most of the Titans game with the Redskins is a mixed bag, but there are a handful of players that bear shining light on. One in particular gets the focus of my first silver lining post of the year.
Shonn Greene
The signing of Shonn Greene to a 3 year $10M contract in the off season was met with much disapproval. Greene has had a good but not great start to his career with the New York Jets before coming to Tennessee and many falsely believe franchises should "just" pick up a capable RB in the fifth round of the draft.
Greene not only showed his ability to pick up the short and tough yards, but also showed quick feet and good hands. He had 5 carries for 32 yards including a 19 yard dash for a touchdown, as well as at least a couple tough 3rd and 4th down conversions. With the Titans moving to a heavy dose of the run game, it looks like the move to pick up Greene was a good one early on.
Chris Johnson was electric in his second carry for 58 yards and a touchdown, and he will be the premier back. Greene looks like he could be starting for a number of franchises, but then again so did Jamie Harper during the preseason a couple years ago. That said, in what little live action we've seen, it looks like Greene can be an integral part of the Titans offense for the coming season.
Other quick happy thoughts:
- Chris Johnson looked like the CJ worth his contract in limited action.
- Locker looked poised, and was very accurate in his 11 attempts. He didn't force the ball down field and took his check-downs, something the coaching staff has been harping on and wanting him to do.
- Fan favorite Marc Mariani looked impressive in his punt return duties, and won't be written off as easily as I suspected. It may be time to get the eraser out and re look at my final 53. ***Update*** Marc Mariani will apparently miss about 2 weeks with a bruised shoulder incredibly hurting his chances to make the roster.