DT SEN'DERRICK MARKS
(on playing against his former team)
You know what, I was pretty hyped about this once the game came up. Now that I've sat down and we've gone through the game plan, just thinking about playing team ball, I'm not really that pumped about it. I just want to go out and do my job and go out and have fun playing within the defense. I'm not going to get too hyped and do too much. I'm not going to try to do more than I'm supposed to do. I'm going to do my job and try to do it well.
(on the challenges of starting 0-8)
Our only challenge is keeping the team tight, keeping everyone together. We understand what we've gotten ourselves into. We have a positive coach, and everything that trickles down from the top has always been positive. Myself and all the other guys, we buy into it. We continue to go out and just appreciate the opportunities that we have. You know, it's kind of disappointing when you look at it from a record standpoint, but as far as us going out and getting better, we really appreciate the things that (head coach) Gus (Bradley) brings to us. We really think we can go out and get better, and we continue to do.
(on whether he is surprised by the Jaguars' start)
I don't think no team would believe that. I came here with the mindset of being able to play a 3-technique, being within the scheme and the defense. You know, when I signed, I played against the team for four years, so I knew they didn't have the playoffs, Super Bowl record when I first came here. I came because the scheme, the defense, the personality that the coaching staff showed me when I came in, and just the guys they showed me that would play around me. I didn't come here thinking, 'Hey, I'm going to come here on this team and we're going to go undefeated or none of that.' I came in thinking I can excel my game and just get better at my position.
(on changes to the Titans' offensive line)
The three inside guys I don't know, I've never seen them. (Chance) Warmack, he was at Alabama, so I just know of him because of the SEC and Auburn rivalry. I don't know the center, he's a new guy. (Andy) Levitre was a new guy which I played against when he was at Buffalo, but I don't know him personally. They got a lot of guys down there with names and faces I don't know, but I know (Michael) Roos, and I know Big Country (David Stewart). It's going to be pretty good, it's going to be a great matchup. I think we're going to be able to match well with them. We're going to see what we can try and pull off.
(on whether he felt he would be re-signed by the Titans)
That's what I don't know. I had talked with a couple coaches and whatever was going on through the free agency period, but I don't know what was going on between my agent and the GM; I don't know if it was the GM. Everything I got from them was that they wanted to go bigger at the position — that's why they went out and got Sammie Hill. I was cool with what happened. The only thing I wish what would have happened is they would have just told me that, 'Hey, we want to go big at the nose guard position.' I'm cool with it. I understand it's a business; I understand you want to do things that you think would make the team better. Other than that, no hard feelings. I really do appreciate the organization because they gave me an opportunity, they drafted me, they gave me a chance. No hard feelings toward them.
(on whether he has followed the Titans this year)
Well, I follow the guys that I know. I've talked to (Sammie) Hill one time, but I haven't met him. I've met Antonio (Johnson) one time, but (I'm) just not close friends with him. I haven't had a chance to just talk to them, but I follow (Jurrell) Casey, (Kamerion) Wimbley, (Karl) Klug, D-Morg (Derrick Morgan), and Mike Martin. I follow those guys that I was there with and just see how they've been playing. I see that Casey has been progressing very well, he's playing real good this year. I talk to those guys a lot; I keep up with them.
(on how the Titans' offense looks on tape)
You know, everything looked changed after the last game. We watched it before they played St. Louis because that was a bye week, so we got to see them. They didn't seem like they were running the ball as much as I thought they would, as much as they had been when I was there. But, when we saw the St. Louis game, that's what kind of threw me off. I was anxious to go to the meeting and see exactly what the coaches have seen because what I saw when I watched that game is they ran the ball a lot more. They also jumped around with different personnel groups that they weren't using through the first couple weeks. That threw me a little bit off, and we went in there and had meetings about it. I've learned a lot from the coaches about what they saw that I missed, so I think it's kind of hard to say what they're going to do. It seemed like they came off their bye week and said, 'OK, well, we're going to try to establish this run game, and we're going to try to get back down here to running powers and counters and stuff like that.' Things change, but it's kind of hard to predict what you think they're going to do after coming off that bye week showing what they were showing.
(on what the team needs to do better against the run)
We got to get better with everyone just being accountable. After each game we come in and it's like, 'Hey, if you take out this run here that went for 34 yards—which actually was a missed tackle after six, seven, or eight yards—and the next run they went for 52 yards, but he was touched for an eight- or nine-yard gain (the stats would look better).' We have two or three runs that we could have stopped, but we had a missed tackle or missed it. Those three runs are really what boosts up the yards per run against us. We got to cut those out. I think all we have to do is everyone has to be accountable. We've been talking about that with guys being in the gap and being able to make tackles. That's been our big downfall as far as letting the big runs get out on us.
(on who he looks forward to hitting on Sunday)
Everybody. I thought ole' Bruce Matthews would suit up. I want to have my shot at him.
(on going against Bruce Matthews in the trenches and matchups he is looking forward to)
Bruce (Matthews) ain't got the knees he used to have. I've seen him walking around the facility. I'm just looking forward to going out there and playing. Me and Country (David Stewart) used to always have some pretty good heated practices, and we used to get at it. First of all, Country is a good friend of mine, but for some reason he always wanted to mess with me at practice. That would be a good key going into this game, but other than that, I'm just going to go out and play my game and play within the defense.
(on whether he will be trash talking Sunday)
No doubt, no doubt. I don't know what I'll do actually. I don't know what I do until I'm mic'd up, and I'll be like, 'Man, I didn't know I talked that much or that much happened.' Other than that, I really don't realize it.
(on his impressions of Chris Johnson)
Oh man, when you play Chris (Johnson)—no matter how many yards he got or everybody saying, 'Oh, Chris is having a bad season or what not,' we all know that we have to be on our keys and be on our job. Everybody has to be in the right place. It could be the third or fourth quarter and Chris could have 20 carries for 10 yards, but he could break that 90-yard run. Everybody knows (it). He's got the speed, he hasn't lost a step. He still can move, he still reads the cutback well and has great vision. When we're playing Chris, it doesn't matter how people say he's been doing or what has been going on during the season. You always know he has that capability of taking that run and taking it to the house. We all just got to be accountable and be aware of him.
(on whether Shonn Greene has helped the Titans' run game)
I don't know. I haven't really been watching to see what Shonn Greene has been doing. We watch the film, and we always pick out key plays, tendencies, things that we think might happen. But, as far as watching one guy, we haven't really been doing that.
(on his impressions of Richie Incognito)
First off, if you're a coach and someone asks you and the bully or the guy that got bullied, you're going to want the bully—you don't want the guy that got bullied. I don't know why it's that big of a deal. (Richie) Incognito is a pretty good player, he was a Pro Bowler. That thing that happened to me and Incognito—he did it to two guys before me, and I was the third one. He went up and head butted me, and my reaction was hit him up under his chin. That's what I did. It was my natural reaction, and they threw him out of the game. That's just the type of player he is; everybody knows that. He had that incident, he had that thing with Antonio Smith. He is a dirty player, won't care, and he may talk. It's a grown man's sport. Guys are up there making contact, physical sport. If words hurt you now, you're going to have a long life anyway. I don't see the big deal about it.
(on the team's London experience)
That was fun going out and being able to see a different culture. They talk a little different, their accents are a little different. Everything was pretty fun, but as far as me going out there for football, it was more of a business trip. We enjoyed both places we stayed at. I didn't get out on the town that much, but we went down to the crown jewels at the Tower of London—that was pretty cool. We also rolled past the queen's house, which was pretty cool just getting a chance to witness that with your whole squad—things that I saw and read about in books—just to witness it. It was a great experience. I really enjoyed it.
(on fishing and golfing in Jacksonville)
I haven't had time to fish, but I've been golfing though. My golf game is crazy right now. I don't know what I've been shooting because I haven't been out in two or three weeks to score myself, but when we played over in London that one time, my golf game was crazy. I probably can go professional after I'm done with football. I shot an 86 last time I played, but that's just with no practice. That's just going out hitting a couple balls and then going to play. If I go out and practice, I know I'm going to shoot under par, no doubt. Call up Brett Kern, he don't want to see me. I think Kern was the best golfer on the team at Tennessee. But Kern, no, he don't stand a chance right now.
