Category: Sports

A season after advancing to the AFC Championship Game, the Titans have been rewarded with three prime-time contests.

The Titans are scheduled to open the 2020 season on Monday Night Football on September 14 at the Denver Broncos. Kickoff for that contest is scheduled for 9:10 p.m. on ESPN.

The team’s home opener will be the following week against the Jacksonville Jaguars, a September 20 noon contest at Nissan Stadium.

The Titans are also set to host the Indianapolis Colts in a Thursday Night Football contest on FOX/NFL Network on November 12, and they’re scheduled to play at the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football on NBC on December 27.

Those are among the highlights on the schedule, which includes six games against teams that went to the playoffs in 2019.

In a rematch of the AFC Divisional Round playoff contest, the Titans will travel to face the Baltimore Ravens on November 22.

The Steelers and the Bills visit Nissan Stadium in October, part of a stretch that has the Titans scheduled to play four of their first six games at home before a bye in Week 7.

The Titans will end the season playing with five of their final seven games on the road, including back-to-back road games at Green Bay and Houston to close out the season. A home game vs. the Lions will be played on either Saturday, December 19 or Sunday, December 20 – the NFL will finalize the day and time at least four weeks ahead of the game being played.

“It is always an honor to play on Monday Night Football,” Titans Coach Mike Vrabel said. “When you grow up watching football, you watch Monday Night Football. It is your last taste of football for the week. Certainly, it’s a great challenge to go on the road and face Denver. It is a great way to start the season, there will be a lot of excitement and I know there will be a lot of people tuning in.

“We need to start the season better than we did last year. We played well down the stretch last year and it is what allowed us to make the playoffs and win a couple of games, but we are going to need to start the season better so the margin for error isn’t so thin. The goal is to win the division and host home playoff games and to put ourselves in the best possible position and that will start with those games early in the season at home.”

The Titans’ strength of schedule is the 20th most difficult in the NFL based upon their opponents’ combined 2019 winning percentage of .498 (127-128-1).

In the preseason, the Titans will host the Giants (August 20-24) and Bears (Sept. 3-4) while playing on the road vs the Washington Redskins (August 13-17) and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (August 27-30).

Here’s a look at the entire 2020 regular season schedule:
Week 1
Date: Monday, September 14.
Opponent: at Denver Broncos.
Time/TV: 9:10 p.m., ESPN.
Last year’s record: 7-9.
Week 2
Date: Sunday, September 20.
Opponent: Jacksonville Jaguars.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 6-10.
Week 3
Date: Sunday, September 27.
Opponent: at Minnesota Vikings.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 10-6.
Week 4
Date: Sunday, October 4.
Opponent: Pittsburgh Steelers.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 8-8.
Week 5
Date: Sunday, October 11.
Opponent: Buffalo Bills.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 10-6.
Week 6
Date: Sunday, October 18.
Opponent: Houston Texans.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 10-6.
Week 7
BYE
Week 8
Date: Sunday, November 1.
Opponent: at Cincinnati Bengals.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 2-14.
Week 9
Date: Sunday, November 8.
Opponent: Chicago Bears.
Time/TV: Noon, FOX.
Last year’s record: 8-8.
Week 10
Date: Thursday, November 12.
Opponent: Indianapolis Colts.
Time/TV: 7:20 p.m., FOX/NFLN/Amazon.
Last year’s record: 7-9.
Week 11
Date: Sunday, November 22.
Opponent: at Baltimore Ravens.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 14-2.
Week 12
Date: Sunday, November 29.
Opponent: at Indianapolis Colts.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 7-9.
Week 13
Date: Sunday, December 6.
Opponent: Cleveland Browns.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 6-10.
Week 14
Date: Sunday, December 13.
Opponent: at Jacksonville Jaguars.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.
Last year’s record: 6-10.
Week 15
Date: December 19 (Saturday) or December 20 (Sunday).
Opponent: Detroit Lions.
Time/TV: TBD.
Last year’s record: 3-12-1.
Week 16
Date: Sunday, December 27.
Opponent: at Green Bay Packers.
Time/TV: 7:20 p.m., NBC
Last year’s record: 13-3.
Week 17
Date: Sunday, January 3.
Opponent: at Houston Texans.
Time/TV: Noon, CBS.

The Titans have added another veteran to the secondary in cornerback Johnathan Joseph. Joseph, most recently with the Houston Texans, has agreed to a one-year deal with the Titans. The 36-year-old Joseph has played 14 seasons in the NFL, with the Bengals and Texans.

The addition of Joseph comes after the team added a pair of defensive backs in the NFL Draft — former LSU cornerback Kristian Fulton (2nd round pick) and former Marshall defensive back Chris Jackson (7th round pick).

The 5-foot-11, 186-pound Joseph was drafted in the first round of the 2006 draft by the Bengals. He played from 2006-2010 with the Bengals before joining the Texans, where he’s played the past nine seasons.

Joseph ranks fourth among active NFL players for career interceptions (31) and leads all active NFL cornerbacks in career tackles (750). Joseph also leads all NFL players over the last 20 seasons for passes defensed (194) and can become the first NFL player to reach 200 passes defensed since the statistic became tracked (2000).

With the Texans, Joseph worked under Titans head coach Mike Vrabel, who was on Houston’s defensive coaching staff. In Tennessee, he’ll also be reunited with Anthony Midget, the Titans new secondary coach who previously served as Houston’s secondary coach.

Joseph has been named to two Pro Bowls in his career – in 2011 and 2012. He’s been a consistent starter and performer during his 14-year NFL career, and has 31 career interceptions, 754 tackles, 195 passes defensed, seven forced fumbles, and five fumble recoveries to show for it. He has scored eight touchdowns in his career.

Joseph played in 14 games for the Texans in 2019, when he racked up 51 tackles while also recording an interception.

In addition to the draft picks, Joseph joins veteran cornerbacks Malcolm Butler and Adoree’ Jackson, along with Tye Smith, who was re-signed recently. The Titans also have cornerbacks Kenneth Durden and Kareem Orr.

Veteran Logan Ryan announced on Tuesday he won’t be returning to the Titans.

The Titans have agreed to terms with 14 undrafted free agents. Here’s a look at the players, and a tidbit on each one:

OL Aaron Brewer (Texas State)
Brewer (6-3, 280) started all 12 games in 2019 at right tackle, and he finished his collegiate career with 47 consecutive starts. He also started games at guard and center.

ILB Cale Garrett (Missouri)
Despite playing in just five of Mizzou’s 12 games, Garrett still finished the season ranked fifth on the team with 43 tackles (8.6 per game) with three defensive touchdowns, three interceptions, 5.0 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two QB hurries and two pass breakups. Suffered a torn pectoral tendon in fifth game.

TE Tommy Hudson (Arizona State)
Hudson (6-5, 255) had 10 catches for 112 yards as a senior in 2019. Regarded as a solid blocker in the run game.

ILB Khaylan Kearse-Thomas (Arizona State)
Kearse-Thomas (6-1, 224) had 65 tackles and 4.5 sacks as a senior in 2019.

T Brandon Kemp (Valdosta State)
A 6-7, 310-pounder, Kemp was named first team All-Gulf South Conference in 2019.

WR Mason Kinsey (Berry College)
The six-foot, 195-pounder concluded his collegiate career by catching 203 passes for a Southern Athletic Association record 3,343 yards and 50 touchdowns. He was a three-time SAA first-team selection. … Kinsey ran the 40 in 4.36 seconds at his pro day.

K Tucker McCann (Missouri)
McCann was 16-for-22 on field goals (with a long of 52) and 34-for-37 on extra points in 2019. Also served at the team’s primary punter, amassing 2,940 yards on 68 punts, averaging 43.2 yards per punt

T Anthony McKinney (TCU)
McKinney (6-8, 314) started the final 11 games at left tackle in 2019.

RB Cameron Scarlett (Stanford)
Started all 12 games for the Cardinal and racked up 840 yards and seven touchdowns in 2019, along with 25 catches for 240 yards.

NT Kobe Smith (South Carolina)
Smith (6-2, 300) racked up 84 career tackles while playing in 48 career games. Smith also posted 7.0 tackles for loss and 2.0 sacks with seven quarterback hurries.

DT Teair Tart (Florida International)
Tart (6-3, 290) had 32 tackles, 10.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks in 11 games in 2019.

WR Nick Westbrook (Indiana)
A 6-foot-3, 215-pounder, Westbrook had 42 catches for 572 yards and five touchdowns in 2019.

WR Kristian Wilkerson (SE Missouri State)
Owns SEMO’s all-time career records in receiving yards (3,540) and receiving touchdowns (33). … A Memphis native who played at Craigmont.

WR Kyle Williams (Arizona State)
Williams (5-11, 192) had 159 catches for 1,674 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns at Arizona State.

2020-2021 Red Raider tennis team tryouts will be carried out in the following steps due to the COVID-19 outbreak. State guidelines only allow 10 athletes to be on the tennis courts at a time. Tryout dates are May 26th and 28th. If you have any questions about tryouts contact:
Josh Inzer at inzerj@k12coffee.net

Step 1: Click on the link to register for tryouts. Link will be open from May 6th to May 21st.
https://forms.gle/pjPdVEVzuheUZXMK7

Step 2: On May 22nd you will be sent out an email with your designated time

Step 3: Make sure you bring the signed and completed TSSAA physical and Parental Consent forms with you when you arrive. That form can be downloaded at: https://tssaa.org/physical-forms

Step 4: Show up to the CCRA tennis courts at your designated time to tryout.

Step 5: Players making the team will be notified by email by May 28th.
* Please arrive appropriately dressed out ( athletic gear,shoes, and tennis racquet)

*All homeschool students living in Coffee County who would like to sign up will need to register through the Coffee County Schools Central Office ( See Keith Cornelius)

What’s in a number? Or, who’s in a number?

The Titans on Tuesday revealed the uniform numbers for members of the team’s 2020 draft class, and some of their new free agents signed this offseason.

Tackle Isaiah Wilson, the team’s first-round pick, will be decked out in uniform No.79. Cornerback Kristian Fulton, drafted in the second round, will wear No.26. Running back Darrynton Evans, meanwhile, has been assigned No. 32. How about No.2 for quarterback Cole McDonald?

Free agent acquisition Vic Beasley, who wore No.44 while working as an edge rusher for the Falcons, will also wear No.44 with the Titans.

Titans linebacker Kamalei Correa, who’d previously worn the number 44, will switch to No.40.

Here’s a look at all the numbers:

32 Darrynton Evans

52o Daniel Munyer

67 Avery Gennesy

69 Zac Kerin

70 Ty Sambrailo

79 Isaiah Wilson

26 Kristian Fulton

35 Chris Jackson

40 Kamalei Correa

44 Vic Beasley Jr

49 Nick Dzubnar

52d Jordan Williams

91 Larrell Murchison

94 Jack Crawford

By Mark Bowman – MLB.com

MLB Pipeline recently released its annual Top 30 International Prospects list for players eligible to sign in the 2020-21 signing period. These young players are the game’s international stars of tomorrow and are following in the footsteps of thousands of international players who laid the groundwork before them. One day, these young men could be remembered among the best players in team history. These are the Braves’ top five international prospects of all time.

1 – Andruw Jones
Paul Snyder’s decision to visit the then-scantily-scouted small island of Curacao resulted in the Braves landing one of the best center fielders baseball has ever seen. Jones received a $46,000 signing bonus in 1993, and became the game’s best prospect within the next two years. Jones made his Major League debut in August 1996, and two months later, he homered in both of his first two World Series plate appearances.

Jones won 10 consecutive National League Gold Glove Awards, earned five All-Star selections and finished second in NL MVP Award voting after bashing a franchise-record 51 homers in 2005. He was inducted into the Braves Hall of Fame in 2016, and he produced the fourth-highest fWAR (64.3) among position players in club history.

2 – Ronald Acuña Jr.
Back in 2018, when Acuña was progressing through his NL Rookie of the Year campaign, MLB.com’s Jesse Sanchez wrote about why so many teams passed on this phenom from La Sabana, a small coastal village in Venezuela.

Acuña weighed just 160 pounds when Rolando Petit convinced the Braves to provide a $100,000 signing bonus, double the amount offered by the Royals, who had the second-highest bid.

Acuña didn’t rank among MLB Pipeline’s top 30 international prospects in 2014. The only current Braves player to crack that list was Huascar Ynoa, a 21-year-old right-hander who is trying to prove himself as a big league reliever. Meanwhile, Acuña is being considered by some to be the game’s next Mike Trout.

3 – Ozzie Albies
Looking back at the Braves’ 2013 international signings, most of the attention was given to Luis Barrios, who never progressed beyond the Gulf Coast League before being released in ’16. But while the Braves might have missed on Barrios, they could spend most of this decade continuing to reap the value of having given Albies a $350,000 signing bonus.

If size was an issue for Acuña, there’s reason to wonder why the Braves were willing to take a chance on Albies, who weighed less than 150 pounds when he signed out of Curacao. But Petit recognized the advanced tools possessed by the young infielder, who has proven to be one of the most productive switch-hitters in the game.

Albies, Mickey Mantle and Eddie Murray are the only switch-hitters to hit .275 with at least 50 homers and an .800 OPS through the first three years of their career at age 22 or younger.

4 – Javy Lopez
Snyder encountered many funny experiences on his way to becoming a member of the Braves Hall of Fame. One of those occurred when he opted to hide under a set of wooden stands in Puerto Rico to prevent the Yankees from knowing he was there to scout Lopez. As he was getting a look at the young catcher that day, his new golf shirt was torn when it got caught on a nail.

So, along with returning home with good news about Lopez, he had to give his wife the bad news about the shirt. But it’s safe to say the incident proved to be quite valuable. After giving Lopez $37,000 in 1987, the Braves found themselves with a catcher who would help them win the 1995 World Series and capture two more NL pennants. Lopez was named MVP of the 1996 NL Championship Series, and he finished fifth in NL MVP Award voting after hitting a career-best 43 homers in 2003.

5 – Rico Carty
Per a story Wynn Montgomery wrote for the Society of Baseball Research, in 1959, Carty received offers from eight Major League clubs and four clubs located within the Dominican Republic. After the teenage prospect signed each of these contracts, George Trautman, who ran Minor League Baseball at the time, ruled in favor of the Milwaukee Braves.

Carty’s tenure with the Braves was tarnished when he missed the 1968 season because of tuberculosis and the ’71 season after fracturing his kneecap. But he still ranks first among Braves left fielders in WAR, and the 171 OPS+ he produced in 1970 is the third-best mark constructed during the franchise’s Atlanta era. That’s the same year fans used write-in votes to elect him to the NL’s starting lineup for the All-Star Game.

Mark Bowman has covered the Braves for MLB.com since 2001.

Coffee County Central High School softball tryouts are scheduled for May 26th and 28th with two sessions each day (4:30-5:55 and 6:05-7:30). Each participant needs to sign up for one session each day. Please complete the registration form by May 19th.

**If you were part of the 2020 high school team, you will not need to complete the form.**

Anyone interested in trying out this season, must fill out the registration form here: https://forms.gle/h4qwTaRNx5ZYyqzn6

We will notify everyone of their tryout times through the remind app no later than May 19th.

Any questions please email Brandon McWhorter at: mcwhorterb@k12coffee.net

Student/athletes need to remember to bring along with them the signed and completed TSSAA Physical and Parental Consent forms with them when they arrive. That form can be downloaded at:  http://tssaa.org/wp-content/uploads/Forms/med01.pdf All homeschool students living in Coffee County who would like to sign up will need to register through the Coffee County Schools Central office. See Keith Cornelius at the Coffee County Schools central office.

Tryouts for the 2020 Red Raider basketball team tryouts will be carried out in the following steps due to the COVID-19 outbreak. State guidelines only allow 10 athletes to be in the gym at a time. Tryout dates are May 26th through 28th! If you have any questions about tryouts contact:
Micah Williams at (931) 492-2123 or at williamsm@k12coffee.net

Step 1: Click on link to register for tryouts. Link will be open from May 4th to May 21st.: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1CTD1uX-0kDXU8GqE16K8oSm04HT949FQU57OfKPXQ5A/edit?fbclid=IwAR3328zWFxzcgGZB4eQSPm-hJ1u8uFdZEJwwOic2TAmVq5SErxIXUCatVOI

Step 2: On May 22nd you will be sent out an email with your designated time to tryout.
Step 3: Show up to CCHS gym on your designated day to tryout.
Step 4: Players making the team will be notified by May 28th.

Please arrive dressed out to tryout. Locker room will be off limits.

Student/athletes need to remember to bring along with them the signed and completed TSSAA Physical and Parental Consent forms with them when they arrive. That form can be downloaded at:  http://tssaa.org/wp-content/uploads/Forms/med01.pdf All homeschool students living in Coffee County who would like to sign up will need to register through the Coffee County Schools Central office. See Keith Cornelius at the Coffee County Schools central office.

When the Titans eventually return to the grass, they’ll have players – rookies and veterans – competing for spots on the roster.

At quarterback, the race currently looks like this behind starter Ryan Tannehill:

Logan Woodside is set to return, and he’s coming off a year when he performed well during preseason opportunities. Woodside also impressed his bosses last fall with his work behind the scenes while on Injured Reserve.

Cole McDonald joins the competition after being selected in the seventh-round of the NFL Draft. He was a gunslinger at the University of Hawaii, but he’s raw and admittedly needs work on his mechanics.

With last year’s back-up – Marcus Mariota – now with the Raiders, the Titans could have a back-up with no NFL regular season experience heading into the season.

The Titans might also decide to bring in a veteran at some point if they feel it’s necessary.

Woodside and McDonald will have a chance to make that decision for them, depending on how they perform in practices leading up to the season. Currently, veterans are taking part in virtual meetings, while rookies can join the Zoom calls with the veterans after the virtual rookie camp this weekend.

Titans GM Jon Robinson indicated following the draft there’s time to let the back-up QB situation play out.

It’s unclear, however, when teams across the NFL will be allowed back in buildings for on-field and in-person classroom sessions.

“We’re not going to set the roster to 55 on the (final) day of the draft,” Robinson said. “(McDonald) is a guy that’s got really good size, really good athleticism, ran fast, he moves around, he’s got good arm strength. We spent quite a bit of time with him here in the process just getting to know him a little bit – Arthur (Smith) and Pat (O’Hara) did and developed a good relationship with him. Felt like from a tools standpoint, he was a guy that we’d like to work with.”

At Hawaii, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound McDonald finished his career fourth on the school’s passing yards (8,032) and passing touchdowns (70) lists. In 2019, McDonald completed 63.8 percent of his attempts for 4,135 yards and 33 touchdowns.

On a conference call last week, Tannehill said he texted McDonald and welcomed him to the team.

“Excited to have him in the room,” Tannehill said. “I know he’s a guy who played a lot of football at a high level out there, threw for a ton of yards, really athletic guy, I think he was the fastest guy at the Combine. I think he’ll fit in our room nicely and looking forward to working with him.”

Tannehill said he’s also been impressed with Woodside, who started last year’s preseason finale against the Bears and completed 17-of-29 passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns, good for a passer rating of 104.4.

In four preseason contests in 2019, Woodside completed 46-of-76 passes for 539 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions. His passer rating was an impressive 99.6.

Woodside, a seventh-round draft pick of the Bengals in the 2018 NFL Draft, spent the fall on IR because of an elbow injury.

“I have a ton of confidence in Logan — he’s grown so much just in my time here with the Titans,” Tannehill said. “From when I came in in the spring, he’s been nothing but attentive and hungry to grow and to get better. I saw him do that over the course of the year. He did a great job of helping me out, helping Marcus out in any way we needed, and really just get better on the mental side. Once he went on IR he wasn’t able to practice and do it physically, but he was growing mentally. I could see him growing, the questions he was asking, the notes he was taking, it just got better and better as the year went on.

“Obviously, got to see what he could do in training camp, so definitely a talented guy. A guy who can make all of the throws and put the ball accurately where he wants to put it. Now, seeing over the course of the last year the mental aspect of his game grow so much, I’m really excited to see him get back on the field and watch him play.”

Already this offseason McDonald has been working on his game, including making adjustments to his throwing motion – specifically his windup.

In time, the two quarterbacks will be able to compete.

“Just going in there as one of the backups and just being behind (Ryan) Tannehill and being a good quarterback in that room to help push him and make him a better person on the field,” McDonald said. “I’m just excited to get in there and learn from those amazing players and ultimately become a better football player mentally.”

Tryouts are TENTATIVELY scheduled for the dates on the chart below. The school is following the governor’s orders and directions from the central office and will adjust if and when instructed to do so. New information will be posted here if necessary.

CONTACT THE COACH. The school is restricted to gatherings of ten, so tryouts will be in small groups. You will need to know the specific date and time to show up.

PHYSICALS. If you had a sports physical on or after April 15, 2019, that physical will be good for tryouts. If you do not have a physical within that time, you MUST get one before you tryout. Forms can be found on the TSSAA website.

HOMESCHOOLERS. Homeschool students MUST register with the LEA before trying out.

Tryout information