Colin McCarthy puts in good starting debut

We've mentioned before that Titans rookie LB Colin McCarthy could apply some pressure to veteran MLB starter Barrett Ruud. Well, McCarthy might have begun applying in his 1st start last Sunday. According to Pro Football Focus, McCarthy registered a 2.1 overall rating for the game. That's 0.5 better than any of Ruud's outings this season. McCarthy scored particularly well in coverage, allowing just 2 receptions for 15 yards. Notably, he also saw significantly more pass-rush duty than Ruud. McCarthy totaled 15 pass-rushing snaps, 6 more than Ruud has had in any game this year. McCarthy did miss 2 tackles -- more than Ruud has in any week -- and rated no better than the veteran in run D. It was also the 1st start, though, for a rookie who has been injured and barely seen the field on D. Ruud is working on a 1-year contract, which may help motivated the team to turn to the kid before this season ends.