NASHVILLE, Tenn. --Day One of training camp is in the books for the Titans. Here's a look at five things that stood out:
Titans players take the field for training camp on Friday, July 31, 2015 at Saint Thomas Sports Park. (Donn Jones Photography.com)
• Quarterback Marcus Mariota had a good first day. He was accurate, and connected on some nice throws to receivers downfield. He also rifled a few balls across the middle, including one to receiver Justin Hunter. I'm not necessarily planning on keeping track of every one of Mariota's throws during camp, but I will tell you on Friday he went 13-of-18 in team and 7-on-7 drills combined, and he didn't throw an interception. The defenders weren't too happy about that statistic. He even caused the defense to jump across the line of scrimmage a few times using a hard count. His teammates and coaches were impressed with his poise.
• Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham hit the ground running at the start of camp. He also got the fans excited on the fence line when he popped the tackle sled, moving it with ease. In drills, Green-Beckham got behind a defender to catch a deep ball. The rookie looks like he's in good shape, too. After practice, Green-Beckham said he's at 240 pounds, which is down 6-7 pounds from the end of OTAs in June.
• Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson missed a significant amount of time this offseason because of a shoulder injury he suffered last season, but he was recently cleared by doctors and on Friday he was a go for the start of camp. In fact, he was out there with the first team unit, opposite veteran cornerback Jason McCourty. I suspect we'll also see Perrish Cox with the first group in practices to come. Wreh-Wilson struggled early, slipping and falling right out of the gate. He also gave up a completion downfield. But he settled down and made some nice plays on the ball.
• Receiver Justin Hunter caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Mariota early in practice, and not long after that he caught another deep ball in a one-on-one drill. And while he spent a lot of time in the locker room answering questions about an off-field incident earlier this offseason, he looked focused and relaxed on the field. The Titans want to see consistency out of Hunter in training camp, preseason games, and throughout the regular season. He got off to a good start today.
• Linebacker Brian Orakpo drew praise from defensive coordinator Ray Horton, a good sign considering the former Redskin wasn't able to work as much as he would've liked during the offseason because of an injury. Orakpo brings a presence to the defense, and listening to him talk in the locker room afterward, there's little doubt he's going to be one of the leaders on the defensive side of the ball this fall.
