NASHVILLE, Tenn.— Day Three of training camp is in the books for the Titans. Here's a look at five things that stood out:
• Marcus Mariota once again turned in a mistake-free practice. In three sessions, he hasn't thrown a pick, and really hasn't made a regrettable decision from the pocket. Early on, Mariota connected with receiver Kendall Wright on a quick pass, and Wright turned upfield on the way to a big gain. Later, Mariota connected with Wright on a nice pass further downfield. He hit receiver Hakeem Nicks on a nice timing route near the end of practice. Mariota's best pass of the day came when he was being pressured up the middle, and he lobbed a perfect strike to tight end Delanie Walker. Walker let the ball go off his hands, however. Another hiccup came on a botched exchange between Mariota and running back Bishop Sankey, which resulted in a fumble. But overall it was another impressive day from the rookie quarterback, who didn't seem fazed by having defenders in his space from time to time.
• Left tackle Taylor Lewan backed up his talk from earlier in the week. On the first day of practice in pads, Lewan was physical, and he finished plays. He was dominant in one-on-one drills, and in team drills kept defenders away from Mariota. Lewan, who played in 11 games as a rookie, said afterward he's in a lot better shape at the start of training camp this year compared to last year, and it shows. He's been a tone-setter early in training camp for the offensive line.
• Outside linebacker Brian Orakpo didn't waste much time making his presence known on the practice field. Orakpo was impressive, showing explosiveness off the football in one-on-one drills. On one play in particular he blew past running back Antonio Andrews in a pass rush drill. It was one of several eye-opening plays from the three-time Pro Bowler, who hadn't practice in pads since suffering a season-ending injury last October while playing for the Redskins.
• As expected, there was a little more feistiness on the practice field, and play seemed to turn up the intensity even more. The play involved tight end Phillip Supernaw and defensive back Khalid Wooten, and anyone who was near the fence line this morning knows which one I'm talking about here. Here's what happened: Supernaw caught a pass and was running downfield roughly 25 yards from the line of scrimmage. Wooten zeroed in on Supernaw, and let up instead of opting to deliver a blow. Supernaw had something else in mind. He lowered his shoulder and rammed into Wooten, sending him flying. Fans roared, but afterward players disagreed on whether Supernaw's aggressive approach at the end of the play was necessary. Defenders didn't like it, while offensive players felt it was just fine. It's football, they said. This much is certain – it's a play that will probably be remembered for a few days.
Titans players take the field for training camp on Sunday, Aug. 2, 2015 at Saint Thomas Sports Park. (Donn Jones Photography.com)
• Receiver Dorial Green-Beckham is a big man, and that was even more evident when the pads came on. In practices, he's made a number of really nice grabs, showing off his strength in the process. On Sunday, he blew past cornerback Perrish Cox in a one-on-one drill, and caught a deep ball for a score. But Green-Beckham's also been guilty of letting some catchable balls escape his grasp, and he misplayed another deep ball downfield. There's no doubt Green-Beckham has a ton of talent, and the Titans expect him to settle down as he settles in.
