The Tennessee Titans will kick off the NFL season a mile above sea level when they visit the Denver Broncos on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. When they do, they’ll be relying on fourth-round rookie wide receiver Elic Ayomanor to start opposite Calvin Ridley.
Titans head coach Brian Callahan was asked why he was comfortable starting the kid when ‘we-don’t-have-anyone-better’ is the obvious answer.
“It’s his consistency,” said Callahan. “He’s shown up in practices, he’s shown up in games. He’s strong, he’s fast, he’s made plays when the ball is thrown his way. He’s earned the right to be the first guy to walk out there.”
The Titans traded up to get Ayomanor in the draft and he was considered by many to be a steal. In two seasons at Stanford University, Ayomanor caught 125 balls for 1,844 yards and 12 touchdowns for 14.8-yards per reception.
Ayomanor is going to have to get used to the thin air, which can be brutal on any player let alone a guy whose main job requires a lot of running. I was talking to the strength and conditioning coach of the New York Giants years ago before a game in Denver. I asked him how hard it is to get his team acclimated to the altitude. He said, “two weeks. I’d need two weeks.”
Elic Ayomanor will be part of a rotation for the Titans
Ayomanor will be part of a rotation of wide receivers according to Callahan. He’s getting the start, but let’s be honest, they are so thin at wideout it wouldn’t surprise anyone to see the Titans go with some sort of hot hand (if there ever is one besides Ridley).
“That doesn’t mean [Ayomanor] is going to be the only guy who’s going to be out there,” Callahan said. “We’re going to have receivers up on game day, and they’re all going to play, they’re all going to have roles. We’re counting on all those guys to produce and perform for us.”
Quarterback Cam Ward is excited for Ayomanor as he rose up the ranks and was named a starter.
“He deserves it,” Ward told reporters. “He’s somebody who works hard every day, who’s in here early … watches a lot of tape. For him to be named a starter isn’t a surprise to anybody in this building.”
Tyler Lockett rounds out the starting receiver corp
Also starting with Ridley and Ayomanor is veteran wide receiver and former Seattle Seahawk Tyler Lockett. The soon-to-be 33-year old joins the Titans after 10 seasons with the Seahawks.
“I mean, individually, man, I think I feel great. There’s a lot of things that I was able to work on, a lot of things that I felt like I grew when it came to the receiver game,” Lockett told reporters.
“Some of the things that they got me doing, like playing inside a little bit allows me to be able to kind of try to take my game to another level. Most of my career, I’ve always been on the outside, so just being able to now, kind of like, learn how to transition and kind of still do both, really helps me out a lot.”
In his 10 seasons in Seattle, Lockett caught 661 balls for 8,594 yards and 61 touchdowns.
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