NASHVILLE – Taylor Lewan is not the only voice of experience on the Tennessee Titans’ offensive line.
He just speaks with the most volume. And more often than most.
“Yeah, I’m obnoxious,” the three-time Pro Bowl left tackle said. “Loud and obnoxious.”
Now in his ninth NFL training camp, Lewan has not mellowed much, if at all, since he was the 11th overall selection in the 2014 draft. He has a well-earned reputation as one of the game’s most obviously passionate and outspoken offensive linemen – or at any position – and still runs hot and cold based on a variety of factors from his own performance to officials’ calls (or non-calls) to the status of the game.
Whatever he feels at any given moment is not a mystery. Anyone within earshot, even at this time of year, is likely to know.
“I mean, I usually always hear him,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “But I think that he brings an energy that is critical in training camp and practice.”
What has changed, of course, is what he knows about the professional game and his team. Lewan has been with the Titans longer than any player on the roster other than punter Brett Kern and is one of six who has been around for the entirety of Vrabel’s tenure as head coach.
That has given him license to speak up when he thinks there is something that needs to be said.
Although he also knows enough now to know that sometimes guys can get tired of hearing from him.
“You check in on dudes,” Lewan said. “And it’s easy to find out what guys need if you ask them what they need. It’s not like I’m over there guessing, ‘Well, it seems like Nick needs this and Dillon needs that and Ben needs this from me.’
“I go over and say, ‘Hey, do you guys like it when I do X, Y and Z?’ Most of the times, it’s ‘yes.’ Sometimes it’s, ‘Hey, I’m better off this way,’ and I usually try to cater to those guys the best I can because at the end of the day we all have to work together real well.”
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Still, there is one player in the locker room with the license to tell him to pipe down. A younger Lewan was not as willing to hear from center Ben Jones as he is today, but six years and 83 starts (including the playoffs) together have fostered an appreciation for each other that allows for a rare level of honesty.
“He sees what I put into things, how much it means for me to win and be a part of this unit,” Jones said. “And it took time. He’s a guy I trust.
“… We’ve been together. So, I know when his highs and his lows are. And when I need a little bump or when I need to say, ‘Hey, chill,’ he’s a guy I can push. He’s a guy – no matter how the game’s going out there – I can look out there and tell him, ‘Hey, we need to pick it up’ or ‘Hey, we’ve got to keep this going.’ No matter if I holler at him or praise him, he’s going to keep that same attitude with me.”
Jones’ words are impactful because he is much more measured and thrives in the traditional anonymity that comes with the offensive line. The perspective is one Lewan has come to admire.
In short: Jones is the Yin to Lewan’s Yang.
“The epitome of consistency,” Lewan said. “The glue of the offensive line, that’s what Ben is. I’m a super high-energy cat, and Ben is the same every single day. Ben and I, we’ve been together for seven years, and that’s special.”
Similarly, Vrabel knows exactly what he is going to get from Lewan, and that includes some uncertainty. The chatter is a constant. The desire to have others benefit from his experience has become a regular thing. The passion is unrelenting.
The head coach is happy with all of it, provided it is all applied in a positive manner, which has not always been the case throughout Lewan’s career.
“Just looking for some consistency there,” Vrabel said. “We told him that is great, just be the same guy every single day. And it’s important – that type of energy, attitude, and leadership is critical – that it stays there each and every day.”
As constant as his voice, you might say.
“It’s a unique thing to be an offensive lineman and how I do run my mouth quite a bit and how I play,” Lewan said. “So, it can be different for some people.”
Talking is nothing new for him. It is the impact of what he has to say that has changed over time.
