TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MULARKEY PRESS CONFERENCE TRANSCRIPT - August 1, 2017

(opening statement)

Better practice today. A little more competitive today, offensively. I think we got something done in all three phases. I was very pleased. It was a tough practice. When they have tomorrow off, these are always a little tougher, a little more intense and a little more reps. We got a lot done today.

(on the offense rebounding from yesterday's practice)*

I think you want to see how they're going to respond to really getting punched in the mouth yesterday. Our defense came out and out-physicaled our offense, and they came back and responded. It doesn't surprise me with the guys in that locker room. It was good to see the competition that there was today.

(on the addition of wide receiver Eric Decker to the roster)

He's been a productive player throughout his career. I haven't seen any kind of drop off at all. He's a very crafty receiver, he knows how to get open. He's picked up our offense really well. Great addition.

(on if running back Derrick Henry has shown anything new about himself)

Nope. That's pretty much it. He's a good player, he's a very good player. He came back in tremendous shape.

(on giving running back DeMarco Murry a lighter workload today at practice)

I did. Knowing they have tomorrow off, I knew what kind of practice it was going to be today, so I did do that. He'll be back on Thursday.

(on late hits during practice)

We had seven live plays of short yardage, and it was live, everything about it was live. That kind of gets the blood flowing and the intensity up. We had a couple of hits that we want to be smart about with our own team. I appreciate the toughness and the physicality, but not with your own teammates. All day Sunday, absolutely, but not out here. Got to be smart.

(on the personalities of the offensive linemen)

You can tell they like each other. One thing that's unique about our offensive line, when everybody went their separate ways in June, those guys all stayed in town and got some work done together, which is rare in this day and age. You've got different personalities from all five of them, and it's a fun group. When it all comes down to it, they're the type of players we want, the physical players. Smart, physical and dependable players. They're what we want, and they're fun to be around.

(on wide receiver Corey Davis' big catch during practice)

I saw the catch after the fact and saw it on video out here. I thought he had a good day, based on what I watched. When his number was called, he came up with a catch.

(on how he saw the catch on video)

Robbie (Bohren). He had it on his phone. I heard the hooping and hollering, so I knew something big happened. It's why he's been so productive. That was a big play. A contested throw, 50/50 ball. We haven't had a lot of success with those. That's what we need and we got it from him today.

(on technology helping players prepare for games and practices)

It's such a technology world, especially for their age. They're used to it, used to having something going on in their hands constantly, whether it's the phone or the iPad. I know it's going to be around them. I stopped in yesterday when they had their three-hour break between practice and meetings, and there were a lot of them on their iPads just sitting in their locker. It's convenience. You don't have to go into a meeting room, you can watch what you want to watch, you don't have to have someone helping you, you can do it at home. It's a great teaching tool, with that pad.

(on how technology is involved in his preparation)

It's been beneficial. Sometimes it's an overload because you think there's so much, now, more information you can gather that you're afraid you're missing something. So it's just more, more, and more thrown on your plate. You just got to understand what—timing-wise—is beneficial for you to plan your game plan.

(on how far tackle Jack Conklin can come from last season)

He can get better, he can. He saw a lot of things. I think people now know Jack (Conklin) a little bit better. They'll be studying him, they'll be studying how guys attacked him. Jack's constantly working his trade, but I think Jack has some room to get even better than he was.

(on Jack Conklin saying there might be a tendency for some All-Pros to "rest those laurels")

That is not Jack Conklin, I promise you. He's going to do everything he can to be better than he was, and every day he comes in here that's the way he works. That's just something that was a reward and a nice compliment to the way he played, but that will not effect him. 

(on rookie cornerback Adoree' Jackson and his potential playing time)

He's been good with the opportunities he's had. He works--we got a good DB room—he works his tail off out here and taking advantage of the reps that he gets. They're all going to get their chances. It's still early in camp—it's only the second padded-practice, he'll get more reps. But, nothing negative right now.

(on why the championship belt that was awarded in the pad-touch drills are a big help during practice)

Because they're competing. It's competition. It's about competing, not wanting to lose. It's pretty important, especially to those two groups. I think before that drill came up, before we came down as a team, I think the defense was dominant in the past for us. And then, all of a sudden you put the stakes of that belt on the line and all of a sudden that offensive line responded and won four out of the five rushes. So it's all about competing for those guys.

(on if the belt stays in the locker room)

The belt stays in that room. It'll be a little more important on Thursday because that will depend on meeting time—who wins that competition, will be Thursdays.

(on the meeting schedule)

Thursday night will be hung (for) whoever wins that competition on Thursday. So, I promise it'll be a little.