New Season, New Titans
The Swansea Titans began the 2017-18 season with a whole new set of challenges, but they look set to overcome them.
At the end of the 2016-17 season, the Titans were left without a head coach in the form of Nick Keyse, the man that led the Titans to a Division 1 National Championship and a successful first season in the Premiership.
Keyse was and still is a highly respected name in Britball so the Titans knew it would be a task to replace him. The replacement however, was someone that was already close to the Titans, Adam Salter.
Salter has been with the Titans as both a player and a defensive coordinator so he was no stranger to the Titans setup when taking over. The Titans also gained a new offensive coordinator in the form of ex quarterback/wide receiver, Joe Cotterill. Cotterill’s American football experience within and outside the Titans has led to him being a recognised name in Britball and was a welcome addition to the coaching staff. Many wondered if the Titans would be the same with the loss of Keyse and in short, they aren’t.
The Titans are now a very different team to the team that went 5-3 in their first year in the Premiership but this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The phrase ‘change is inevitable’ springs to mind and Salter’s Titans seem to be embracing it.
The Titans went into their first game of the season as underdogs against the Birmingham Lions, a team that managed to beat them twice in the two occasions the teams met last year. The feeling from the Titans camp was that they left points on the field in the previous meetings between the teams and now had something to prove. The Titans
The Titans started the game slow and went behind on the score line in the early stages of the game which led to fans beginning to experience glimpses of déjà vu from previous losses to the Lions. As the game went on the Titans were able to find their groove and ultimately tame the Lions in a thrilling win, 48-22. The offence were able to fire on all cylinders and this was largely due to the excellent performance by star player and quarterback, Sam Huxtable.
Huxtable was able to amass 150+ passing yards, three passing touchdowns, 124 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns. Numbers like this are rarely seen in Premiership football due to its competitive nature but the Swansea QB is a rare player.
Huxtable was also helped by a performance from his offensive line and a standout performance from the Titans’ star wide receiver core. Quality performances from Dan Marshall, Elliot Bodman and David Asamoah led to the Lions’ secondary being completely opened up.
Asamoah, who has recently recovered from a long-term injury was incredibly happy to be back doing what he does best, catching touchdowns. ‘We (the offence) put in the work in training and now we’re reaping the rewards, we need to build on this win and get stronger’
Unfortunately, in the follow up game against the Hertfordshire Hurricanes, the Titans were not as successful. The game ended 14-6 but despite the loss, the Titans did not seem disheartened. Jordan Vaughan, a key offensive lineman for the Titans, was one of those people. ‘It’s never nice to lose but its part and parcel of American Football, the loss makes me and the team want get better and work on our mistakes’. It’s clear to see that the Titans can’t wait to make up for the loss and will look to bounce back against bath. Have a sneak peak at one of the Titans training sessions below.
American Football in the UK 