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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Kendall Wright is the Tennessee Titans' best wide receiver. That is becoming less and less of a distinction based on how poor the group is. And a terrible game in Sunday’s loss dented that standing. Wright caught just two of seven targets for 19 yards and took a 4-yard loss on a double reverse. He strayed far from coaching points on three plays. Under Mike Munchak’s staff, Wright had a lot of freedom and was a great third-down converter. Under Ken Whisenhunt, Wright said he felt robotic in his first season and earned sympathy from many of us, because the team went away from using him in a fashion that had been working. Coach and receiver both said they understood each other better in Year 2. He had two big games early on -- four catches for 101 yards and a touchdown at Tampa Bay on opening day, seven catches for 95 yards and a touchdown against the Colts. It leveled off from there. Wright spoke enthusiastically about Mike Mularkey after the Titans changed coaches. He missed the first three games under the new coach with a sprained knee. He seemed excited to get back on the field and play in an adjusted scheme with Jason Michael calling the plays. Then he got on the field and offered up the sort of dud that made me wonder all sorts of things, like just how invested he is in the team and how willing he is to do what coaches ask? On one of his catches, Wright collected the ball and, moving right to left, went backwards try to beat multiple defenders to the corner and outrun them for a big gain. He failed to improve the play. "Kendall has done this a number of times, he’s trying to make something bigger," Mularkey said. "But in this league with the pursuit and the speed of the defenses, we could have possibly gotten seven or eight more yards on the play than we did. They’re all taught, catch-and-turn-up. That’s what we want, catch-and-turn-up." Later, running up the left sideline, Wright leaped backwards trying to get a Marcus Mariota deep ball, allowing cornerback David Amerson to break up the pass in front of him. "He knows it’s a little bit under-thrown, that’s a very difficult catch falling backwards on your back trying to catch it," Mularkey said. "Easier to defend. We’re relying on him to go up and get it, make that defender play through him." On the Titans’ final offensive play, Wright said he "got collisioned on my route," and took responsibility for Mariota’s interception, though a lot of moving parts were in play. "Kendall can’t stop on the contact, he’s got to avoid the contact," Mularkey said. "Whether he’s running full speed or avoids it, whether we know he’s going to be there or not, that’s where he should have been." So Mularkey reviewed what sound like some basic coaching points that should be second-nature to a veteran receiver. Why is a fourth-year, first-round pick not willing or able to do what coaches regularly ask? Mularkey said he and the staff need to coach better and keep on guys until messages get through. He said coaches need to do a better job scheming to help guys get separation and make plays. He said Wright was doing his best. Titans fans have a lot to be upset about, and it should be high on the list that such big mistakes come from a top player as he’s "doing his best." The overall receiver play leaves the Titans with a very simple standard. "We're not looking for Odell Beckham catches," Mularkey said. "We're just looking for catches." In a hallway outside the Titans locker room after the loss to the Raiders, Wright stopped to talk to reporters. How tired is he of answering the same question about the team’s inability to finish? "About as tired as y’all are of asking it," he said. Sunday he did little to help change anything.
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