Fan Fanatic Sports Staff
This is it.
This is the last time to impress the coaches before the final cuts are made by NFL teams to trim rosters down to 53 players.
That's exactly the situation rookie offensive guard Ryan Durand is in.
Durand, drafted in the 7th round by the Tennessee Titans, knows tonight's home game at 8 p.m. against the Green Bay Packers is his final audition to make the Titan roster.
But he's trying not to let it get in his way of performing on the field.
"I don't think (tonight's game) is going to make or break me," said Durand in a telephone interview Wednesday evening. "The other games that I played in are just as important as this one. I'm just trying to do my best and focus on the stuff that the coaches have told me that I need to improve on."
But the nerves of making the team are there.
"To be honest with you, it's on my mind," Durand said. "But that stuff is out of my control. I have zero control over it."
Durand confirmed to Fan Fanatic Sports that the Titans have told all the players that they are cutting down from 73 players to the maximum 53 by tomorrow night. That's when Durand will find out if he made the team -- either on the official 53-man roster or the practice squad.
"I feel I've been consistent the whole way through," said Durand of his preseason work. "There's always room for improvement, but I have been pleased so far."
A few weeks ago in training camp, Durand's intensity showed as he and defensive lineman Mitch King got into a heated battle with fists flying in the air.
"I got him a few good times," Durand said. "He was going with body shots and I had an open-fisted punch to the facemask and the last one I knocked his helmet off."
Durand feels he's learned so much from Hall of Famer Mike Munchak, the Titans' offensive line coach.
"He coaches us up on the little things," Durand said. "He instantly had my respect even without meeting him. He had a 12-year career, he's a Pro Bowler and he's a Hall of Fame guy."
No matter what happens when it's cut time, Durand is thankful that he got an opportunity to test his skills in the NFL.
"It's been an enjoyable experience," he said. "I feel privileged to have had this opportunity. I definitely like my chances, I'm not counting myself out."
