Tennessee Titans Throwback Thursday: Alterraun Verner

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Former Tennessee Titans CB Alterraun Verner made headlines earlier in the year when he announced that he had signed a one-day contract to officially retire as a Titan. “The place that felt the most like home to me was always Tennessee,” he said in a press conference that day.

Folks – that means there’s no better time to look back at the career of ATV than this summer.

Alterraun Verner was a 4th pick (104th overall) out of UCLA back in 2010. The guy was a decorated Pac-10 player, winning Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in 2006, 2nd team All Pac-10 in 2008, and 1st team All Pac-10 in 2009, with a nice 1st team All-American honor to go with it.

The Titans actually acquired that 104th pick from the Seattle Seahawks after shipping LenDale White and Kevin Vickerson off to Seattle with the Titans’ 4th and 6th round picks. In exchange, the Titans received the Seahawks’ 4th and 6th round picks in 2010. At 104, the Titans made Verner the 13th cornerback taken in the 2010 NFL Draft.

He came in and competed for a starting job right away. At the time, Cortland Finnegan and Jason McCourty were still the guys. But, there was a battle to be had between Verner and promising second year corner Ryan Mouton. It was a battle that Verner would win. Looking back, that’s quite the trio of defensive backs.

When McCourty went down with an injury, Verner had the chance to step up and start for four games. The rest, as they say, is history. He went on to have a promising rookie season, tallying 94 tackles, three interceptions, 11 passes deflected, and a forced fumble. It sure looked like we had a stud in the making on our hands.

Finnegan would leave town in 2012, meaning it was the ATV show full time opposite McCourty. He did well with the opportunity, but it wasn’t until 2013 when we finally saw Verner hit his stride. It was easily the best year of his career, as he recorded 57 tackles, five interceptions (one returned for a touchdown), and a ridiculous 22 passes deflected. He was a play-maker – plain and simple.

For his efforts, he was rewarded with a trip to his first Pro Bowl, and was honored as a 2nd team All-Pro. But, it also happened to be a contract year. Try as they may, the Titans and Verner couldn’t reach a deal, and ATV became one of the prized free agents of that class.

A lot of teams were interested, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the sweepstakes. He played three years for the Bucs before finishing out his career with Miami Dolphins in 2017. He’s one of the greats of the early 2010s, and Titans fans are lucky we caught the best of him.

Verner’s career stat line reads:

Titans: 274 tackles, 51 passes deflected, 11 interceptions, two TDs

Career: 422 tackles, 75 passes deflected, 15 interceptions, two TDs

TENNESSEE TITANS THROWBACK THURSDAY ARCHIVES

Drew Bennett
Keith Bulluck
Eddie George
Lavelle Hawkins
Albert Haynesworth
Chris Henry
Chris Hope
Brandon Jones
Derrick Mason
Steve McNair
Samari Rolle
LenDale White
Vince Young

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Alabama Crimson Tide football, the WWE, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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