Colin McCarthy ready for training camp

BRENTWOOD Titans linebacker Colin McCarthy is counting the days until training camp.

While some players dread the grind, McCarthy’s looking forward to the opportunity to prove himself. A year ago, his season was cut short by an ankle injury and lingering issues with a concussion. He had ankle surgery in January.

“I’ll be excited, I’ll be hungry, I’ll be a lot of things,’’ McCarthy said on Saturday. “It was a rough year for me last year, playing through the injury and battling with that and not being able to be out there, and seeing the way we struggled sometimes on defense, it was tough.

“But it’s a new season, and that’s behind me. My injuries are behind me, and I have to prove to the naysayers and the people who think that injuries are a concern … I have to put those to rest.”

On Saturday, McCarthy gave up his time to work with youngsters at his free football clinic at Quest Sports Center. Roughly 40 high school athletes took part in the event. Several of his teammates showed up, including quarterback Jake Locker, linebacker Zach Brown, cornerback Jason McCourty, defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, cornerback Jason McCourty and linebacker Tim Shaw, along with former Titans players Blaine Bishop and Brad Hopkins.

Gary Matthews Nissan in Clarksville and the NFL Foundation helped fund the camp. Chick-fil-A provided lunch to the campers.

“It was awesome,’’ McCarthy said. “It was a great turnout, and for me, it hit home. Being from Florida, combine training for high school athletes is common. And here, it is something that hasn’t really been done yet. To be able to bring that here to Nashville, it has been great.”

McCarthy has been training over the last few weeks since the offseason training program ended in June. He said he’ll be 100 percent when camp begins on July 25 at Saint Thomas Sports Park.

“I feel a lot more confident,’’ McCarthy said. “I feel good mentally, and now it is just a matter of hitting somebody. Most importantly, I have to prove to myself (I am ready). When you get injured or have a setback like I did, you may question things.

“Last year I did all the necessary things to make sure I was ready to go, and had a good preseason and then I had an injury. I am taking the same mentality I had last year into this year. I’m excited and will be ready to go.”


(tennessean.com)