There is something to be said for flying under the radar.
Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Taylor Lewan wishes he and his teammates could have that luxury, but after rookie quarterback Marcus Mariota’s four-touchdown debut in Week 1 the buzz surrounding his team has been palpable.
And it’s not exactly welcomed by the brash offensive lineman.
“Don’t start that. Please, dear God, no buzz,” Lewan said Monday, via John Glennon of The Tennessean. “We’re still the Tennessee Titans and people still think we’re an Arena League team. Let us be and let us try to win games.”
This statement from Lewan is outstanding, and it shows wisdom beyond his 24 years.
Rather than national attention—which is exactly what the Titans have garnered the past couple of days after Mariota literally had a perfect debut, by NFL quarterback standards—Lewan would prefer things went back to the way they were before the season began.
“The worst thing is (the media) all of a sudden showing our highlights,” Lewan said. “Look at any NFL commercial and tell me how many times you see of the Tennessee Titans — of us being the highlight. You know? People don’t like us. That’s fine. We’ll keep our heads down and work.”
With an attitude like this, Lewan and the Titans won’t be cellar dwellers for long. The franchise hasn’t had a winning season since 2011, and the playoffs haven’t been sniffed since the team lost in the divisional round back in 2008.
Mediocrity—or worse—has been the hallmark of Tennessee in recent years. Lewan understands one big win over another bottom-feeder like Tampa Bay isn’t a cause for celebration.
“I think just going off one win, people all of a sudden want to say the Titans are back,” Lewan said. “Let us establish something. Let us work. Let us keep going. Let us focus on our jobs.
“This is Week 2 coming up and the season has literally just started. We have so much more to improve on, and if we continue to do that, then we can talk in a couple of weeks.”
With a road game against Johnny Manziel and the Cleveland Browns upcoming, it’s certainly conceivable the Titans could be 2-0 heading into a home game against Andrew Luck and the Indianapolis Colts in Week 3.
Should the Titans win next weekend, there will be no escaping the “buzz” surrounding Mariota for Lewan and his teammates.