Tennessee Titans tight end Austin Hooper was in the building for the first day of the team’s offseason program on Monday, and the biggest thing that stood out to him was how well guys got along in the locker room.
Hooper, who is currently staying with his former Stanford teammate and Titans quarterback, Kevin Hogan, noticed how “tight” guys are, per ESPN’s Turron Davenport.
“Initial thoughts are, everyone was welcoming,” Hooper said. “Every locker room is different. Seems like this one, the guys are tight. And that’s not something that necessarily shows up on the stat sheet but that’s something that really matters in a team environment, in a team setting. That was definitely one of the first things I noticed. Guys are cool, they gel well together, and after one day that’s what I pretty much noticed.”
While some veterans choose to skip some or all of the voluntary portion of the offseason program, Hooper will be there for the entirety of it, which he says is especially important in his first year.
TE Austin Hooper said he plans to take part in the entire offseason program at STSP. Said it’s important for him in his first year with the @Titans
— Jim Wyatt (@jwyattsports) April 18, 2022
As far as developing chemistry with quarterback Ryan Tannehill is concerned, Hooper says it’s all about reps and learning each other’s tendencies.
“There’s no substitute for repetition at the end of the day,” Hooper stated. “And it’s a relationship, right? Just understanding how my body moves, the subtle tells in my body mechanics that’ll tell him when I’m getting ready to change direction… I would love to just get as many reps as possible just so I can understand, how does his ball spin? What kind of arm angle am I looking at when I whip my head around? Nothing earth-shattering but everyone has their subtle little differences that you’ve got to get used to.”
Hooper also noted that Tannehill was not in the building on Day 1, and while some people have made a big deal out of that, it’s important to note that there is no on-field work happening right now, but rather strength and conditioning and team meetings.
Tannehill’s attendance early on in the offseason program will not make or break his season, and the idea that this is bad optics is laughable at best.