NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans are heading into their bye week with a fresh reminder of just how demanding -- and brutal -- the NFL can be.After climbing to 6-6 and a half-game back of first in the AFC South, Tennessee released starting cornerback Perrish Cox Monday before the Titans left for a week off.Theres no hidden messages, coach Mike Mularkey said of the decision to release Cox. This is the way the NFL is. If you dont perform at the level that we ask, then were going to find somebody that does. Theres never a hidden message.Mularkey said a week ago that he was thinking of not starting Cox, a six-year veteran who signed a three-year deal with Tennessee in March 2015. Coaches decided against what Mularkey said would have been a drastic move and instead started Cox for the ninth time in 12 games this season in a 27-21 win at Chicago .Cox led the Titans with three interceptions and had started 22 of 24 games with Tennessee since signing. But his struggles helped Tennessee rank 25th in the NFL against the pass.Tight end Delanie Walker, who also played with Cox in San Francisco, said he was a little shocked to see the cornerback released at this point.This is a business, and we do have a good GM and I think he makes the right decisions, Walker said.Mularkey said they did not see the consistency they needed from Cox. They gave rookie LeShaun Sims 36 plays at Chicago and planned to promote Kalan Reed, known as Mr. Irrelevant as the final NFL draft pick out of Southern Mississippi, from the practice squad to take Coxs spot on the roster.Tennessee hosts Denver on Dec. 11, and Mularkey said they will rotate at cornerback, including veterans Valentino Blake and Brice McCain along with Sims and Reed.We need some better play at the corner position, Mularkey said.Even though practice couldnt hurt with the changes, Mularkey said his team needs a break after working 17 straight weeks including the preseason. The Titans will return in a week to practice before finishing with three of four games against teams with winning records.Mularkey said the Titans should have everyone available against Denver. Cornerback Jason McCourty bruised a knee in the win at Chicago, while defensive lineman Jurrell Casey sprained a foot. Running back DeMarco Murray may get the first two days of practice off next week to give his sore toe on his right foot some extra rest.The Titans would lose a divisional tiebreaker to both Houston and Indianapolis right now, having been swept by the Colts and just 1/3 in the AFC South. But their focus is in winning out hosting the Texans (6-5) on Jan. 1 in the regular season finale. A team whose last playoff berth was in 2008 heads into December still talking playoffs rather than draft status.Mularkey said this is a big opportunity for Sims and Reed.Were still right in the thick of things, Mularkey said. The more they can play, though, its going to benefit us somewhere down the road with them playing in important football games.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys . Bryant, who signed a five-year, $34 million contract as a free agent with Cleveland in March, reported symptoms on Monday morning, a team spokesman said. Wholesale Hockey Jerseys Authentic . Ryan Garbutt had a goal and two assists as Dallas snapped a six-game losing streak with a 5-2 victory over the Edmonton Oilers on Tuesday night. http://www.chinajerseysnhlwholesale.com/ . If ever they start actually putting pictures beside words in the dictionary, the Blue Jays left-handers mug will appear beside “Consistency. Wholesale China Jerseys . He was followed closely by David Clarkson, donning red, seconds later. 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LANDOVER, Md. -- Sam Bradford grabbed his helmet with two hands and slammed it down on the sideline.The Vikings quarterback had just been picked off late in what would become a 26-20 loss to the Washington Redskins on Sunday, Minnesotas fourth consecutive defeat in a season that began with five consecutive victories and now is slipping away.Afterward, Bradford was asked what he could have done better on this afternoon.Not throwing an interception in the fourth quarter wouldve helped, Bradford replied.Scoring a single point in the second half might have been useful, too.Weve just got to be more consistent, Bradford said.Showing the sort of up-and-down play that encapsulates its season, Minnesota (5-4) trailed 14-0 less than a minute into the second quarter, put up three TDs in about 5 1/2 minutes at the end of the half to take the lead, and got outscored 12-0 the rest of the way.Im concerned, obviously, but I still believe, coach Mike Zimmer said. I believe that (if) we do a couple things here or a couple things there, were going to win some games. ... I just feel like if we can get over the hump, if we can keep fighting until we do that, positive things will happen. It doesnt look like that right now.Sure doesnt.The Vikings had problems in all three phases of the game. Blair Walsh missed an extra point on the final play of the first half, making him only 15 for 19 on the season. This came after Minnesota invited a half-dozen free agents to a tryout during the week before deciding to keep Walsh.Honestly, I didnt even see the kick, so I dont know what happened on it, Zimmer said, other than he missed.Asked whether he would evaluate Walshs status again, Zimmer replied: Yes, I will evaluate everything.Plenty for him to look at, including an offense that was shut out after halftime and twice ffailed to convert on third-and-1.dddddddddddd.Theres no excuse, guard Brandon Fusco said, for not getting a yard.The Vikings generally have become unable to run the ball since injuries to Adrian Peterson and starters along the offensive line. That last part only appeared to get worse on their final drive Sunday, when left tackle Jake Long -- as it is, he was on the field because Matt Kalil is on IR -- was carted off with an Achilles tendon injury. Zimmer said he believes Long is done for the season.Then theres the defense, which played at a level approaching historic greatness at the start of the season and now is merely OK.If the Redskins had not repeatedly stalled inside the red zone, the Vikings might have allowed more than four field goals in the second half.Weve got to create more turnovers. Weve got to be better on third down. Theres a lot of things that arent happening for us right now, defensive end Brian Robison said. At the end of the day, weve got to figure out what it is that weve got to get back to doing.Robison was referring to the defense in particular, but he could have been talking about the entire team.Zimmer insisted his players are still fighting, still putting in the right amount of effort to have more success.That was the coachs message to the media -- and in the locker room.After a while, you get tired of hearing that, and youve got to win a ... game, guard Alex Boone said. You can only say you played so tough for so long until it doesnt count anymore. These are games youve got to win.---For more NFL coverage: http://www.pro32.ap.org and http://www.twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Howard Fendrich on Twitter at http://twitter.com/HowardFendrich ' ' '
