By Chad Garner
Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
Two NFL preseason games down, three more to go.
That's the life of rookie 7th-round pick Ryan Durand, an offensive guard who was drafted by the Tennessee Titans.
"I'm really not looking at the big picture," said Durand, who played his college ball at Syracuse University. "I'm just trying to improve every day."
So does he think he'll make the Titans' roster?
"It's so hard to tell," he said. "There's three weeks left and three preseason games. There's still a lot of football to play."
Durand has done nothing to hurt his chances of wearing a Titans uniform to start the regular season.
After a very good showing against the Buffalo Bills in the Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio, he and his teammates enjoyed their first home game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, where Durand played the entire second half, protecting quarterbacks Vince Young and Patrick Ramsey.
"I think I did good," Durand said. "I did my assignments. I think I played well, but not everything was perfect."
Durand enjoyed playing in front of the home fans, too.
"It was great, it was a great atmosphere," he said.
Now the Titans travel to Dallas on Friday where the Cowboys will officially unveil their new state-of-the-art stadium.
"It's the first game in the new stadium so that's going to be exciting," Durand said. "I'm expecting a great atmosphere."
Durand has grown accustomed to the demands of the NFL already.
"There's more time involved now," he said. "It's strickly football now. There's more demand on you. They don't show you stuff three or four times, they expect you to know it after the first couple of times."
Durand's mindset hasn't changed.
"Mentally, I look at it like it's a great opportunity," he said. "I'm taking the challenges as they come."
So what are the Titans, as an organization, all about?
"We're a competitive team that likes to win and works hard," Durand said. "We're a blue-collar, hard-working team that practices hard and plays hard."
That's why Durand has fit in so well.
(PHOTO COURTESY/ Tennessee Titans)
