Here are Tennessee Titans' flaws, and what they think can be fixed after dropping to 2-4

LONDON — Here are three quotes about the Tennessee Titans.

First, this is how coach Mike Vrabel answered a question about whether he believes his team has flaws that might not be correctable:

"Probably. Maybe. We’ll see," he said. "But I’m not going to stop trying. Not going to stop trying to prepare them and teach them fundamentals and execution."

Second, here's safety Kevin Byard talking about how he and his teammates can fix things:

"The sense of urgency for this team was already at an all-time high," he said. "All we can do is try to get back to work. The guys who we have on this team, the guys we have on this roster, these are the guys we’re going to have. We have to figure out a way to continue to come closer and do whatever we have to do to get a win."

And third, here's defensive tackle Jeffery Simmons issuing a challenge to himself and his teammates:

"We need to figure out the guys who’re going to fight," he said. "We need to figure out the guys who want to be out there. Not the guys that don’t want to be out there. That’s what it needs to be. We need to reevaluate our team and figure it out. That’s the message. Let’s figure it out: Who wants to play football for the Titans?"

The Titans head into their open week with a 2-4 record after a 24-16 loss Sunday to the Baltimore Ravens at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The head coach is admitting some of his team's flaws might not be fixable. The team captain says urgency can't be higher and players need to figure something out. And the cornerstone piece of the Titans' present and future says everything and everyone need to be reevaluated.

It's bleak. There's room for optimism in every answer. But all three also confront reality. Something isn't working right now. Clearly. Now the Titans have two weeks to regroup and figure out if "the guys we have on this roster," as Byard puts it, have what it takes to get the Titans back to winning consistently, something they had grown accustomed to in Vrabel's tenure.

Let's address the Titans' problem

When football players and coaches talk about "execution," they really just mean playing well. Good teams execute. Bad teams don't. Right now, the Titans aren't executing.

"Executing is all it comes down to," running back Derrick Henry said. "When you execute, you get points in the end zone. When you don't, the drive stops."

The Titans' offense isn't sustaining drives, and when it does, it struggles to turn red zone trips into touchdowns. The defense isn't generating turnovers or quarterback pressures at its usual rate and is allowing longer drives than normal. The special teams had been good all season, but issues in punt coverage and punt returning cropped up Sunday.

Sitting at his locker after the game, Simmons gestured at banners wallpapering the Titans' locker room in London. They identified the Titans' team edges: Effort, finish, details, technique and fundamentals. Possess those five qualities, the banner supposes, and you're going to execute.

"Apparently we didn’t play with the Tennessee Titans edge today," Simmons said.

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Why it is happening to the Titans?

Dating to last season, the Titans have lost 11 of their past 13 games. When teams go through prolonged struggles like these, it's natural to start pressing. Byard admits that even he has fallen victim to the impulse of trying to do a little bit too much and leaving himself vulnerable to back-breaking mistakes. It's natural when big plays aren't going your way.

That's not to say everyone's pressing. Henry dismissed the idea that the Titans might be pressing in the red zone. There are dozens of reasons teams may be executing poorly, but given those edges Simmons pointed out, mentality is what's most important for this team. The edges are all preparation and mindset.

One of the players who hasn't been with the Titans for the entire losing spell seems to know that awfully well.

"I’ve been on teams that were 2-14. I’ve been on teams that started off 1-and-something and ended up winning nine straight," receiver DeAndre Hopkins said. "Playing a lot of ball, you know how to keep up your composure through the season. Just gotta kind of keep guys’ heads above water; 2-4 is not where we want to be. But we’ve still got a lot of football to play. I feel like guys on this team will help turn it around."

So what does turn this around for the Titans?

In a literal sense, the answers to the Titans' problems are obvious. Block better. Get open better. Run better. Throw and catch better. Cover better. Rush the passer better. Shed blocks better. Just be better.

It's a classic easier-said-than-done situation, especially when the Titans' identity is so grounded in those edges. Fundamentals and technique can be addressed during an open week. Effort and finish? Those are up to the individuals. Hence the reevaluation Simmons suggests.

Urgency is high. Vrabel says he and the coaches aren't going to stop trying. Quarterback Ryan Tannehill's ankle injury complicates everything just a little bit more.

That's just football, though. Or at least that's the way Simmons sees football.

"We’ve got a long season ahead," he said. "This is the NFL. Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us. We’ve got a bye week. Hopefully guys get healthy and hit the reset button and come back after the bye week ready to roll."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on X, the platform formerly called Twitter, @nickusss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Here are Tennessee Titans' flaws, and what they think can be fixed