Tennessee Titans

Searcy brings confidence to Titans secondary

Published Jun. 4, 2015 1:38 a.m. ET

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New Tennessee Titans safety Da'Norris Searcy may only have one season a full-time starter in the NFL, but both he and his new coaches believe he's ready to be a major part of a revamped Titans secondary.

Searcy, 26, signed with Tennessee after four seasons with the Buffalo Bills. In 15 games last season, the former fourth-round pick had 65 tackles and three interceptions. More importantly, as John Glennon of the Tennessean notes, according to Pro Football Focus, Searcy held opposing quarterbacks to just a 21.5 quarterback rating when throwing to his part of the field.

"He has athleticism, leadership — fantastic intangibles," Titans defensive coordinator Ray Horton said, via Glennon. "You see the things he does on film. But then when you get to watch him and see him (talking to teammates) and diagnosing plays, we've been very pleased with him. It's worked out great. He's really applied himself to come in and do a good job."

His coach thinks he's good, and Searcy seems to agree.

"I would say knowledge is one of my greatest strengths," Searcy said. "I learned how to read offensive formations better, so if I'm accustomed to seeing a certain formation, I know that a route is coming. I can alert the other guys or go make a play. In short I'm a smart guy. I've got knowledge of the game, and I can teach it to the other guys."

With the Titans, Searcy will be tasked with replacing veteran Bernard Pollard who was released in March. Searcy said he's wasn't concerned about taking over for the hard-hitting former Super Bowl winner.

"If I was a rookie stepping in and trying to replace a guy like that, I would say it would have been tough," Searcy said. "But being here and being a veteran going on five years now, I wouldn't say it's tough. It's just about going in and showing guys they brought you here for a reason — that you can go out and make plays just like they can."

(h/t The Tennessean)

Photo credit: Kyle Terada/USA TODAY Sports