NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Indications are Jon Robinson and Mike Vrabel are off the pre-draft pro day circuit and the Titans are calling their scouts and coaches back from the road as the sports world closes down for fear of being part of the coronavirus spread.

The team is likely to revisit things next week.

It's also monitoring visits by prospects, some of whom are being told by agents not to travel to check the circuit to visit with multiple NFL franchises. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Philadelphia Eagles have put forth a rule change proposal that offers a solution to the NFL’s onside kick problem.

As part of enhanced safety initiatives, the NFL changed kickoff rules in 2018.

But one side-effect of the balanced formations the rules now mandate is the virtual impossibility of a successful onside kick.

A team trailing late that scores and is looking to get the ball back still typically tried the kick. But without being able to send a large number of players to chance the bouncing ball and crate a large scrum, it’s rare the kicking team emerges with the ball.

With that chance minimized, teams want a way to have a long-shot chance to get the ball back to make a late-game charge. The

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans don’t rate as a particularly old football team, but there are some old guys on the roster.

And I suspect they’d like to be younger in 2020 than they were in 2019, relying heavily on their six draft picks to help do the job.

Some of that will happen naturally, with guys who will become free agents next week not given a chance to re-sign. Some of it will happen more abruptly, with guys being cut.

Let’s take a look at guys who will be 30 or older by the time the coming season ends and what might await them.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – By not adjusting the deadline for franchise and transition tags to fall sufficiently after the NFLPA’s vote to approve the CBA, the NFL is putting the Titans at an unfair disadvantage.

It’d be easy to claim the league was just pushing a little market team’s concerns aside, but the other team most affected is the mighty Cowboys. So it’s inexplicable why the league is so far unbending after the NFLPA pushed back its voting deadline to 10:59 p.m. CT on Saturday March 14.

That means team will be operating under the current CBA when the deadline for applying a franchise or transition tag hits at 3 p.m. CT arrives Thursday.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The four biggest American sports leagues currently in action are closing locker rooms in the name of safety because of fears of the coronavirus spreading.

If this is following advice from experts that will protect people, then it's probably wise. There are plenty of functioning offices in America that aren't shutting down basic elements of their operations right now, though I understand the travel and proximity of the co-workers isn't the same.

If the media practices must be changed, I would imagine the fans have to be cut out pretty soon too, as they are in close proximity of one another which is the primary concern, right? The league would never be concerned only with the safety of their players, but not also of their customers, would they?

Virtually every sportswriter who will lose the traditional method of access in favor of more press-conference settings – no matter why it happens -- will think the same thing: We’ll never get it back. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Two weeks removed from the official opening of NFL free agency – barring a pushback related to the CBA – I am here to provide a public service.

Don’t take anything being reported or referenced right now as particularly solid, especially if it's not from a regular, top NFL news breaker.

I know ESPN fantasy guru Matthew Berry a bit. I tried to get him to visit with the Midday 180 which we were in Indianapolis for the scouting combine. We couldn’t work out the timing.

Berry works the combine to gather as much info that will inform fantasy players, as that’s the lane where he’s the preeminent guy in the country.

Tuesday, after he gathered up his notes and thoughts, he wrote: “20(ish) things I learned at the 2020 NFL combine.”

And it included this:

“A Titans insider told me he expects the team to franchise Derrick Henry (if they can't come to a long-term deal) and let Ryan Tannehill test the market.”

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s become popular to hit Jon Robinson for Jack Conklin’s pending free agency resulting from the Titans’ failure to pick up his fifth-year option last spring.

It would have locked him up this year for $12.866 million.

It sure would certainly be nice to have him for that price in 2020, but coming out of 2018, it was a completely reasonable decision not to execute that option.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Nashville soccer fans who’ve followed the pro soccer movement since it was a tiny seed to those who watched their first match Saturday night left Music City’s inaugural MLS game pondering the same three moments after a tough-to-take 2-1 loss to Atlanta FC.

1. A brilliant goal by the visitor’s Emerson Hyndman made possible after a confusing sequence where a teammate was clearly offsides. (Explanation below.)
2. David Accam’s slide that couldn’t quite reach Dominique Badji excellent cross from the left side early in the second half.
3. Randall Leal hitting the left post from close range after a smooth move beat Laurence Wyke left him with space to beat Brad Guzan to the near side.

“As the game wore on, I felt we warmed to the challenge and really gave a pretty decent account of ourselves,” coach Gary Smith said. [Unlocked]