NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Harold Landry got his first taste of an NFL Sunday against the Texans, and he enjoyed it.
Before a fired-up crowd at Nissan Stadium, which included eight family members, the Titans rookie linebacker played in his first regular season game.
"I thought it was lit," Landry said on Wednesday. "I thought the game-day atmosphere was really nice, the fans did a really good job. It was very exciting."
Despite flashing in his NFL debut, Landry walked away less than satisfied, however.
The same can be said for his head coach, Mike Vrabel.
But that's because the bar is high for the team's second round pick.
"I feel like he has high expectations for me, and I have high expectations for myself," Landry said. "(Coach Vrabel) knows, just like I know, that there's a lot of meat left on the bone with what I can do out there on the field."
Landry played 35 of 67 defensive snaps in the team's win over the Texans after sitting out the regular season opener against the Dolphins with an ankle injury. He also played two snaps on special teams.
Landry was credited with two quarterback pressures against the Texans, along with a tackle, and he was noticeable on his rushes because of his speed and athleticism.
Vrabel hasn't rushed to shower Landry with praise.
"I think it was OK," Vrabel said on Monday when asked about Landry's performance. "There was some good, some bad. He's got to do some things better, but at least we got him out there and we got him started. We've got him moving and playing in games."
On Wednesday, he elaborated more on Landry.
In Vrabel's mind, Landry is just getting started, which, of course, he is. Landry suffered the ankle injury in preseason game No.3 at Pittsburgh, and he just returned to practice last week.
"It is good to see him out there," Vrabel said. "It was good to see him out there and good to get him moving, and keep working and coaching him. Hopefully we can get him to be a really good player -- that is the goal, right? The idea is that we keep going with him. It was good that he was able to get back out there and play in a game and help us, and hopefully that role increases this week, especially on special teams."
Landry has watched film, and been critiqued for his performance in Week One.
He saw plenty of areas for improvement heading into Sunday's game against the Jaguars. Landry tallied 26 sacks during his playing career at Boston College. He hopes to make a big impact out of the gate with the Titans.
"As far as my impact (vs Houston), I thought I made a decent amount of impact on third down," Landry said. "But I felt like there were a few moments out there where I could have made more of an impact. But for my first game I think I did alright."
