NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Titans team buses are off and rolling to Flowery Branch, Ga. after Sunday's practice from Saint Thomas Sports Park. Monday afternoon's much anticipated joint practice with the Atlanta Falcons is less than 24 hours away.
Head coach Ken Whisenhunt has said all week that the practice will serve as a good way to break up the routine of being at Saint Thomas Sports Park every day.
"This is good," Whisenhunt said. "It's not easy getting on a bus and riding down there and practicing for a couple of hours, but just a change-up. You get into this situation in camp where you don't know what day it is, you don't know what's going on. You kind of get into that routine. I don't want to say boredom, because you're doing a whole lot of work, but this is fun. It's fun to go down there. I'm excited just to see how we respond to that."
Going on the road will be a good experience for the Titans to get under their belt with the preseason opener less than a week away -- Saturday night at home vs. Green Bay. Monday's scrimmage won't have the same feel of an official game, but it's still a five-hour drive, fresh competition and a couple days away from the friendly confines of Saint Thomas Sports Park.
"Obviously, going to somebody else's place, having to travel, it's not easy, especially in camp. It's hard enough in the season," said Whisenhunt.
One of the biggest differences for this road trip is that the team hasn't done any preparation on the Falcons. There hasn't been any scouting or watching film, something that will provide a challenge for the players on the field.
It's very possible that after eight days of lining up across the same guy that some players have started to get comfortable. That will change tomorrow.
"We haven't studied them," Whisenhunt stated. "We don't know what's coming, so it's kind of like the first day. It really comes down to playing your scheme, playing your technique and seeing if you can execute or win. We're doing that."
Even Whisenhunt conceded he has no idea what to expect from a roster that is more or less foreign to him.
"This may sound dumb, but I don't really know a lot about their team," Whisenhunt admitted. "I haven't played them in a couple of years. I know they've had some changes. If this was a game week and you had a chance to study them and look at them on tape -- I know Matt Ryan, I know the receivers, I know those types of positions -- but aside from that, I don't really know."
Players have a huge opportunity to separate themselves and stand out tomorrow. The joint practice serves as somewhat of a fifth preseason game. It's one thing to perform at practice against your own teammates, but another to show out against another team.
"You get a chance to see some of your players matched up against some of their players from the standpoint of evaluations," said Whisenhunt. "When you're seeing the same guys day-in and day- out, sometimes you get jaded. When you go against another team, I think it gives you a fresh perspective on where you are. I think one of the things that's really important for us is how are we going to handle this?"
Everything that happens tomorrow will be analyzed, but can't be overstated. The Super Bowl won't be won tomorrow and the season won't be doomed if things don't go well. That being said, Monday's practice should prove to be a decent barometer for where the Titans stand with five days to go until their preseason opener.
