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Scout's take: Ravens' matchup will require Marcus Mariota to be special

Scout's take: Ravens' matchup will require Marcus Mariota to be special

Blake Beddingfield was a Titans' scout for 19 years, through the 2017 draft. He was the team's director of college scouting for his final six years. Follow him on Twitter at @BlakeBeddingfi1. He’s brought to you by Party Fowl. Eat hot chicken and drink boozy slushes in The Gulch, the Boro or in Donelson.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Scouting note on the Ravens ahead of their Sunday visit to Nissan Stadium…

The Ravens have an experienced offensive unit with a good combination of receiving threats.MariotaRunEagles

The Ravens have four solid TEs with a mix of receivers and blockers. Nick Boyle is a blocker first, he is the size of an offensive lineman and is an excellent sixth blocker on the line of scrimmage. Maxx Williams and 2018 first round pick Hayden Hurts are receivers first. Mark Andrews is a solid combination TE, and would be a solid No. 2 tight end on most NFL teams.

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Backlash against Titans' WRs is so strong, I'm actually defending them some

Backlash against Titans' WRs is so strong, I'm actually defending them some

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – We need to talk. It’s one of those times.

I don’t like the Titans wide receiver group. But the recent reaction to them has been so over the top you’ve put me in the awkward position of defending them.

The Titans are not dynamic at the position. They rarely have been.SharpeTampa

But the current top three guys aren’t as bad as they are being made out to be. And how the stink of Nick Williams in Buffalo has gotten on Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor and Tajae Sharpe is confusing me.

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Mike Vrabel comfortable knowing what he doesn't know

Mike Vrabel comfortable knowing what he doesn't know

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Marcus Mariota had Jonnu Smith breaking behind the defense, wide open. He was looking that direction but moved away from Smith as pressure arrived, rolled left and made a great play lofting a 21-yard touchdown pass to Nick Williams on the other side.

Williams, no longer on the team, dropped it.VrabelCharge

In discussing the play, Mike Vrabel revealed himself to be a coach who knows what he doesn’t know, something seen infrequently in the NFL where most coaches like to insist they know it all. He also gave us a look into the sort of questions he asks and how the answers tell him where to go next as he coaches.

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If the Titans go outside to find a receiver, some options

If the Titans go outside to find a receiver, some options

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans made a move at tight end, adding Anthony Firkser from the practice squad. Maybe he can help offset Jonnu Smith’s struggles.

Will they do the same at receiver, where Darius Jennings and Nick Williams, working as the fourth or fifth guy have dropped crucial passes in the last two games?TitansFlag

I’m not expecting any kind of notable addition, but the Titans did cut Williams Tuesday and have an open roster spot.

Former Titans scout Blake Beddingfield spoke of some of the options out there Tuesday on The Midday 180.

Off the air I got him to flesh out his feelings on a more comprehensive list.

[Unlocked]

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Scout's take: Rashaan Evans 'slow to react off the snap which makes him easy to block'

Scout's take: Rashaan Evans 'slow to react off the snap which makes him easy to block'

Blake Beddingfield was a Titans' scout for 19 years, through the 2017 draft. He was the team's director of college scouting for his final six years. Follow him on Twiiter at @BlakeBeddingfi1. He’s brought to you by Party Fowl. Eat hot chicken and drink boozy slushes in The Gulch, the Boro or in Donelson.

BeddingfieldLabelNASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Turnovers for the Titans were hard to overcome in Buffalo.

Three of them gave the struggling Bills team a chance to keep the game close throughout.

When you play against poor offensive teams like the Bills, you can’t give them short fields.

Josh Allen is a big arm QB with accuracy issues and will throw into coverage at times. He is also a big athlete that does have some run ability. Allen’s legs were much more effective than his arm against the Titans. 

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As Jonnu Smith, Darius Jennings and Nick Williams struggle, Titans over-reliant on top targets

As Jonnu Smith, Darius Jennings and Nick Williams struggle, Titans over-reliant on top targets

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – A week ago, Darius Jennings dropped a giant pass in overtime and the Titans were able to bail him out.

Sunday at New Era Field, Nick Williams took a turn making the big mistake, and his team couldn’t overcome it.MariotaHelmetHands

The Titans lack of passing-game playmakers is a Nashville era-long issue for the team. Corey Davis had a breakout game in the OT win over Philadelphia and showed us what he might be capable of. I was impressed in that game with the attitude he, Tajae Sharpe and Taywan Taylor showed.

But Taylor lost a fumble that killed the Titans early against Buffalo and was the first of three giveaways that led to a 13-12 loss.

There have been too many drops in too many crucial situations by too many people through five games.

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Three giveaways, insufficient run defense created brutal Titans' loss

Three giveaways, insufficient run defense created brutal Titans' loss

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – The last question asked and answered, Mike Vrabel got the nod that he was good to step away from the podium and hit the shower.

“Sweet,” he said sarcastically, free to move on to pulling lessons out of a disastrous trip to play the Bills and advance to planning for the Ravens visit to Nashville in a week.IMG 5577

He knew there wasn’t anything sweet about the game he’d just coached, where his offense handed the ball away three times and lost, 13-12, on a last-second Stephen Hauschka field goal from 46 yards out.

The Titans weathered a great deal in the first month of Vrabel’s first season and emerged 3-1. But they fell back into the long-standing temptation to play to the level of the competition here at New Era Field.

The giveaways -- by Taywan Taylor, Marcus Mariota and Dion Lewis – were the primary culprit, setting up 10 points for the Bills.

A week after a very strong performance in an overtime thriller against the Eagles, Mariota was incredibly mediocre, hitting on 14 of 26

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