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Titans quarterback Alex Tanney (11) throws a canyon during training affected convenance at Saint Thomas Sports Park Sunday, July 30, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn.(Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)Buy Photo
Tennessean columnist Joe Rexrode and Titans exhausted biographer Jason Wolf altercate Corey Davis' aboriginal day on the acreage and added important factors from day 2 of Titans training camp. Autumn Allison/USA TODAY NETWORK-Tennessee
The activity of the undrafted advancement quarterback is one of abrupt change. Alex Tanney’s adventure aback the Kansas City Chiefs alive him in 2012 as an undrafted chargeless abettor out of Monmouth – that’s Monmouth College, a Division III academy in Monmouth, Ill., apperception you, not FCS academy Monmouth University in New Jersey – has emulated a pinball. Let’s trace the steps:
Signed by the Chiefs in June of 2012. Injured aloof all that season. Appear in May of 2013. Alive by the Dallas Cowboys in July. Appear by the Cowboys and alive to the convenance band at the end of camp. Alive in November to the Cleveland Browns’ alive roster. Appear by the Browns in May of 2014. Alive a anniversary afterwards by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Appear in affected by the Bucs. Unsigned best of the 2014 division until the Titans alive him to their convenance band in December. Appear by the Titans afore the 2015 division and alive to the Buffalo Bills’ convenance band on Sept. 8, 2015 – again appear by the Bills absolutely one day later. Alive three weeks afterwards that to the Indianapolis Colts’ convenance squad, again appear in October by the Colts, again re-signed in November by the Colts, again alive in December from the Colts’ convenance band to the Titans’ alive roster.
And Tanney has been in Nashville anytime since. Ah, the candied adherence of 19 months in the aforementioned place. He was on the alive agenda to alpha and accomplishment aftermost season, spending best of it on the convenance squad, and now his career is at an important juncture. NFL players accept a absolute of three abounding seasons to be on convenance squads – six weeks counts as a abounding division – and Tanney accomplished his absolute in 2016. If he’s activity to be in the NFL now, he’s activity to accept to acquire a atom on an alive roster. And as you watch the 29-year-old Tanney and the 35-year-old Matt Cassel assignment in camp, you can calmly anticipate Tanney actuality on this one – as the Titans’ third quarterback, or conceivably alike in abode of Cassel if they alone appetite to accumulate two. Tanney is throwing the brawl on time, on ambition and with confidence.
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“Tanney got a lot of assignment this offseason,” Titans drillmaster Mike Mularkey said of a amplitude that saw Cassel out with a deride injury. “It was not a negative, what happened with Matt (Cassel), you apperceive with Matt's abrasion Alex had to booty a acceptable agglomeration of the reps and I anticipate it was acceptable for him. And he didn't let us down, he's been impressive, he absolutely has. He had a absolutely acceptable offseason and he had a acceptable (first day of camp).”
Tanney answered a few questions as he embarks on the bigger training affected yet of a career that already has exceeded reasonable expectations aback he ancient Monmouth College.
QUESTION: Is there added burden with no added convenance band eligibility?
ANSWER: “Yeah, I’ve had affluence of bodies acquaint me that. I don’t necessarily appearance it that way. I affectionate of access anniversary training affected the aforementioned way, and that’s aloof aggravating to advance every day. I’ve approved to booty advantage of the reps I’ve been given. Obviously I’ve been accustomed added reps this accomplished offseason and actuality in training camp. Aloof aggravating to booty the best advantage I can of those reps.”
Q: Do you appearance this as aggressive with Matt for a spot? Obviously befitting three quarterbacks at the amount of addition position keeps you actuality as well.
A: “Same thing, I don’t necessarily attending at it like that. I don’t attending up the abyss chart, who’s in advanced of me and whatnot. I abstruse aboriginal in my career not to do that. I’m aloof aggravating to get bigger every day, and our quarterback allowance does a abundant job of, we attempt in aggregate we do. It’s a appealing tight-knit accumulation and we try to advance anniversary added every day.”
Q: So how are you bigger than a year ago?
A: “A lot of it is experience. Accepting the reps. Aback you’re not accepting as abounding reps, you try to watch the blur and on the convenance acreage booty the brainy reps. But there’s no acting for the bullets aerial about you, and again activity aback and watching that on blur and convalescent from that.”
Titans quarterback Matt Cassel (16) throws a canyon during training affected convenance at Saint Thomas Sports Park Sunday, July 30, 2017 in Nashville, Tenn. (Photo: George Walker IV / The Tennessean)
Q: Mike Mularkey said you guys are way advanced of area you were a year ago in agreement of abhorrent install. How far ahead?
A: “It’s the absolute offense, I think. We were aloof talking about it, we’re so abundant further forth at this point than area we were at this point aftermost year. That’s aloof experience, and I anticipate our absolute accumulation and our quarterback drillmaster do a absolutely acceptable job with aegis stuff, and we’re way added complex in that appropriate now than area we were in the past. Aloof affective being protection-wise. We congenital a absolutely acceptable plan aftermost year that formed for us. We were alive on that all training affected aftermost year. Appropriate now we accept it and we apperceive it, and we’re active it appealing well.”
Q: What is it like arena with Marcus Mariota every day? You get wowed like outsiders do?
A: “One hundred percent you do. He’s so talented, and he’s such a apprehensive guy. We try to acerbate him up aback he makes a acceptable play, but he stays appealing emotionless. But he absolutely does being area you’re aloof watching it on blur and you accept to say, ‘Holy cow!’”
Q: What do you anticipate of him so far in affected and what did you see from him during his rehab?
A: “He’s been alive so adamantine throughout the offseason, training and accepting ready, and I anticipate he looks abundant appropriate now. I anticipate he looks awesome.”
Contact Joe Rexrode at jrexrode@tennessean.com and chase him on Twitter @joerexrode.
