Robert Saleh isn’t interested in turning Week 1 into a personal story.
Yes, the Tennessee Titans open the season against the New York Jets, the team that gave Saleh his first shot as a head coach. But when he met with Titans media at Tuesday’s practice, he made it clear he’s treating it like any other opener.
“New York is still a special place, gave me my first opportunity as a head coach... our desire to win in Week 1, [to] beat the Jets, is because it's Week 1.”
That was the tone throughout. No lingering bitterness.
No nostalgia tour. Just football.
“I don't hold grudges,” he said.
Still, Saleh wasn’t dismissing the challenge in front of Tennessee. If anything, he sounded like someone making sure nobody around him gets too comfortable with the idea of a home win.
He called the Jets “a really good job... really under-the-radar team, I think. They've got a chance to be pretty good.”
And there’s some substance behind that warning. The Titans enter the opener with reasons to feel good about their chances, and Tennessee has already been linked to a handful of players who could break out in the game. But New York has also taken steps forward this offseason, especially on offense, where Saleh believes the group can stress a Titans defense that has had visible issues this summer, particularly in the secondary.
Geno Smith is now taking over after New York’s rotating cast of passers last season, and Frank Reich is in the mix as a veteran voice on the sideline. That setup gives the Jets a different kind of shape heading into Nashville. Breece Hall, Garrett Wilson, and rookie pass-catcher Omar Cooper Jr. all look capable of making life difficult for Tennessee.
Smith’s turnover problems are still sitting there in plain view, though. He was the most turnover-prone quarterback in the NFL last season, and that’s the kind of weakness the Titans will be looking to attack right away.
Even so, this is not being framed as a one-sided opener. New York’s offseason additions on defense, including Minkah Fitzpatrick and T’Vondre Sweat, add to the sense that Aaron Glenn is bringing a slept-on rebuild into Nashville.
DraftKings has Tennessee as a 1.5-point favorite, which says plenty about how close this matchup is being viewed. For Saleh, starting the new era with a win would matter. And based on the way he sounded Tuesday, the Titans won’t be walking into Week 1 anything less than fully alert.
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