Connections: Jared Cook's homecoming
Tennessee Titans tight end Jared Cook starred at North Gwinnett High School before playing at South Carolina. He’s set to make his first professional appearance at the Georgia Dome.
“So far, it’s going pretty good,” said Cook, who has averaged 16.8 yards per catch this season. “We have Craig Stevens and Daniel Graham to help me out at the position. We all bring different things to the table. Tight ends are very important in this offense. We are very proud about what we bring to the game.”
Cook, who’s in his third year in the NFL, has 58 career catches and has averaged 13.3 yards per catch.
Other connections include:
- Falcons defensive coordinator Brian VanGorder was at Georgia while Titans linebacker Will Witherspoon was there in 2001. In Witherspoon's four seasons with the Bulldogs, he recorded 211 tackles.
- Falcons defensive line coach Ray Hamilton was the defensive line coach at the University of Tennessee in 1992.
- Titans defensive line coach Tracy Rocker was Falcons defensive tackle Peria Jerry's position coach at Mississippi in 2008.
- In addition to Cook, three Titans are from Georgia. Linebacker Gerald McRath is from Powder Springs and attended McEachern. Defensive lineman Malcolm Sheppard is from Bainbridge, and offensive lineman Fernando Velasco is from Wrens. Velasco attended Jefferson County High School and played at Georgia.
- Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan both played at Boston College. Ryan is third on the school's all-time passing list behind Hasselbeck and Doug Flutie.
- Titans kicker Rob Bironas played for Georgia Southern in 2000 and helped the Eagles win a Division I-AA (now FCS) national championship in 2000.
About the Author
Honored by the Pro Football Hall of Fame in recognition of his "long and distinguished reporting in the field of pro football," D. Orlando Ledbetter, Esq. has covered the NFL 28 seasons. A graduate of Howard University, he's a winner of Georgia Sportswriter of the Year and three Associated Press Sports Editor awards.
