NASHVILLE—To Dick LeBeau this was old hat. The oldest coordinator in the NFL said he couldn’t remember the last eclipse he’s seen in his lifetime, or the first. Was it 10 years ago? Twenty?
“It was probably 90, joked LeBeau, the 79-year-old pioneer of the zone blitz. “But I don’t ever remember seeing a total one. That was pretty cool, huh?”
The Titans players agreed. To watch the event, coach Mike Mularkey stopped practice at 1:22 p.m., five minutes before the eclipse would reach totality, with the moon completely blotting out the sun. The Kansas City Chiefs, the other NFL team in the path of totality, planned to be inside holding meetings during the event.