The Tennessee Titans' biggest advantage over Indianapolis Colts in AFC South | Estes

If you’ve been around the Tennessee Titans in recent years, you’ve noticed that players who’ve been with other franchises often start sounding like tight end Geoff Swaim.

“I've been around a few teams,” Swaim said Wednesday, “and I really enjoy playing on the team and in this locker room, especially. I'm just happy to be here. It's a great group of guys to go to work with.”

From the outside, the idea of team culture can seem hokey and overdone, worthy of eye rolls. I mean, any player would tell you his team's culture is great, right?

GAME-BY-GAME PREDICTIONS:Here's how Titans will fare in 2021

Well, not exactly. Not to the extent that many Titans players have during the era of general manager Jon Robinson and coach Mike Vrabel.

Some of it is Robinson — for the most part — has been careful not to add jerks and high-maintenance egos as bad apples. Some of it seems to be that Vrabel, as a former player, is uniquely adept at bonding and relating to current players.

But it's also the Titans players themselves, and it’s not complicated.

“Not doing stuff to hurt the team,” is the clear message that “Vrabel preaches every day,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said. “And the team has bought in.”

Want proof of that buy-in?

OK, let’s talk COVID-19 vaccinations, purely from the standpoint of how they'll help win or lose football games.

It doesn’t hurt the Titans’ chances in 2021 that the Indianapolis Colts — the other contestant in a likely two-team race atop the AFC South — have had so much trouble getting their top players vaccinated. As of last week, the Colts’ rate was a relatively paltry 75%, according to the IndyStar, which reported the list of unvaccinated players included quarterback Carson Wentz, linebacker Darius Leonard and top offensive linemen Quenton Nelson, Ryan Kelly and Eric Fisher.

“That’s not just unfortunate,” wrote Star columnist Gregg Doyel. “That’s embarrassing.”

The Titans are fortunate. They haven't had similar problems. Robinson said recently that their vaccination rate was around 97-98%.

If the standings are close again in the AFC South, that could become a major advantage for the Titans. Here’s why: Being vaccinated means — according to protocols negotiated by the NFL and NFLPA — that a player wouldn’t face a mandatory quarantine simply for contact with someone who tested positive for COVID-19.

Unvaccinated players, however, would be sidelined for that.

Which means they could easily have to miss games at a moment's notice.

Which would certainly be in the category of “stuff to hurt the team.”

Wentz, as the Colts’ quarterback, has caught a lot of criticism for refusing the vaccine and making himself more vulnerable to the possibility of having to miss games.

Meanwhile, Tannehill opted — reluctantly — to begin the process of vaccination prior to training camp. I only call his decision a reflection of the Titans’ strong culture because of this: He didn’t want to do it.

The only reason Tannehill did was because the NFL’s COVID protocols would have separated him from teammates and not allowed him to “do the things that I think are important to build chemistry and win football games.”

How important do you think it was for another Titans player who might have been on the fence to see Tannehill — who was clearly against doing it — decide unselfishly to get vaccinated anyway just because it was best for the team?

Notice the difference in the two AFC South quarterbacks?

Tannehill’s teammates do, I believe. Because they’re the ones who voted him one of the Titans’ two captains on offense this season. The other was Derrick Henry, the 2,000-yard running back who for years has been reputed to be perhaps the hardest worker on the team. And as Swaim said, “It says a lot when your best players do that.”

In addition to Tannehill and Henry, safety Kevin Byard, defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons and punter Brett Kern — all similarly deserving — were the Titans' three other captains for the 2021 season.

“It's definitely a responsibility. I welcome it,” Tannehill said. “I love being in the position to help draw our guys closer together. ... Part of why I love playing the position is the challenge of it and being able to lead guys through adversity and continue to find a way to win.”

It's not just talk if you’ve walked it. For any of their flaws last season, the Titans were unquestionably resilient and tough. They played hard for each other. They bounced back from a COVID outbreak to rout the Buffalo Bills — who reached the AFC Championship game – having barely practiced beforehand.

Just think how many game-winning drives Tannehill directed last season. Six! More than half of the Titans’ 11 victories in 2020.

It’s foolish to think one doesn't have something to do with the other. Team culture remains an advantage for the Titans.

“If you want to be on this team,” safety Amani Hooker said, “you've got to love this team.”

That’s why so many players keep wanting to be a part of that team.

And I’d say, a big reason why that team keeps putting up winning records each season.

Reach Gentry Estes at gestes@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Gentry_Estes.