NASHVILLE, Tenn. – MMCNB.
First, members of the Titans secondary heard it from fiery position coach Kerry Coombs. Now, it's beginning to take off, a movement of sorts.
Cornerback Logan Ryan was wearing a black t-shirt with the letters MMCNB on it after Wednesday's practice. A few days earlier, safety Kevin Byard was sporting a red MMCNB shirt under his uniform. Coombs even had on a long-sleeved version of the shirt on as he walked the hallways at Saint Thomas Sports Park today.
So what's it all about?
"My Man Catch No Balls," Ryan said with a smile. "MMCNB. Coach Coombs came in here and it's one of the many mottos that he has. And it's something we were saying in OTAs, on third down. A lot of times we run a lot of man-to-man, and we talk about the depth we have in the secondary. And we take that mantra, "Look, my man is not going to catch the ball.' My man catches no balls. If you do that, then the team is going to do well."
Members of the secondary are serious about it.
How serious? They trademarked it.
"I was driving one day and I thought MMCNB -- that's a pretty cool acronym there," Ryan said. "And that's what it stands for. I trademarked it, and we're wearing it around. We have some merchandise. It is not for sale yet, but we are thinking among the DBs, since we own the rights to it, if it sticks any sales that go to that we are going to give to 100 percent non-profit, all of our charities. We haven't gotten to that point yet, but we want to do something for the community that raises money and gets the fans to be a part of it, part of the movement."
The Titans secondary has looked solid during training camp. Cornerback Malcolm Butler has three interceptions in practices, and Ryan and Adoree' Jackson have looked solid. Byard led the NFL in takeaways in 2017 with 10 – eight interceptions and two fumble recoveries.
And the group has depth.
"We're loud and proud with it, and we want to make everything tough on people this year. That is just our mentality," Ryan said. "MMCNB - that one stuck with me, because it tells me to play aggressive, and to do my job. My man doesn't catch the ball on this play, and if we have all DBs doing that, there is not an open windows to throw. If you have a good pass defense you can win a lot of games.
"We are not going to be out here and be self-proclaimed and all that stuff. We don't believe in all that talk. But we are wearing (the shirts), and people around the team know. And when our play shows on Sundays and people ask us what our name is, instead of people giving us nicknames, we'll give them a nickname -- MMCNB."
The Titans take the field for Day 6 of training camp practice on Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018 at Saint Thomas Sports Park. (Photos: Gary Glenn)
