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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/teresamwalkerCheap Bert Blyleven Jersey . Once again Jordan Cieciwa (@FitCityJordan) and I (@LynchOnSports) go head to head in our picks. Last weekend at UFC Fight Night 32 my #TeamLynch got the best of #TeamJC by a score of 9-6. Let us know which side youre on for UFC 167 use the hashtag #TeamLynch or #TeamJC on Twitter. Cheap Harmon Killebrew Jersey . P.A. Parenteau scored early in the third period to help the Avs edge Toronto 2-1 on Tuesday night. Cory Sarich also scored for Colorado (3-0-0), which is off to its best ever start. http://www.cheaptwinsjerseys.com/ . President of baseball operations Larry Beinfest was fired Friday after 12 years with the Marlins. The move came as the team neared the end of its third consecutive last-place season in the NL East. Cheap Twins Jerseys .C. -- Al Jefferson joked that he feels he can score from anywhere on the court. Cheap Kirby Puckett Jersey . LOUIS -- Mike Smith is used to facing plenty of shots, so this was nothing new.Some of the sports stories The Associated Press is covering Monday. A full Sports Digest will be sent by about 3 p.m. All times EDT:- CLEVELAND -- Still needing one win for their first title since 1948, the Cleveland Indians will be back at home when Josh Tomlin starts Tuesday night with a 3-2 World Series lead. Jake Arrieta pitches for the Chicago Cubs.- CHICAGO -- Success was practically stamped on Kris Bryants DNA. Thats what made his struggles through the first four World Series games so confounding. But his fourth-inning home run awakened a hibernating Cubs offense.- Duke is the runaway No. 1 choice in the APs preseason mens college basketball poll. The Blue Devils are followed Kentucky, Kansas, Villanova and Oregon.- CHICAGO -- The World Series leaves town, but the last-place Bears are still around. They host Sam Bradford and a Minnesota Vikings team looking to shake off its first loss. Jay Cutler returns to Chicago. Game starts 8:30 p.m.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Cam Newton let loose on NFL officiating. The Panthers quarterback says hes tired of not getting calls. Now others weigh in on the matter.- ARLINGTON, Texas -- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has spoken with the NFLs special counsel for domestic violence investigations, and running back Ezekiel Elliott says he was interviewed by the league this season about an abuse claim.- FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- So much for Deflategate deflating the Patriots this season. New England has reached the halfway point and -- surprise -- has the best record in the NFL.- COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Ohio State, after an upset by Penn State and a near loss to Northwestern, is resetting expectations. Coach Urban Meyer is now calling this years team a project.- BATON ROUGE, La. -- LSU interim coach Ed Orgeron insists his teams resurgence is all about the players. Butt if the No.dddddddddddd 15 Tigers beat No. 1 Alabama on Saturday night it will be hard for LSU to cut Orgeron loose after the season.- RIO DE JANEIRO -- Workers for the Rio de Janeiro Olympics are ready to sue the local organizing committee, demanding to be paid almost 2 1/2 months after the problem-filled games ended.- PARIS -- Andy Murray has spent much of his career trying to catch the likes of Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal and Novak Djokovic -- all having held the No. 1 ranking for long spells. Now it could finally be Murrays turn at 29.- The NHL gives teams the ability to test some players for up to nine games before spending money on a year of their contracts. Its decision time for several teams.- NEW YORK -- NBA players who once may have been thinking about a personal charity have shifted their attention to their communities. The games have started, but the work to make things better has not stopped.- CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It would be easy for Jimmie Johnson to focus only on NASCARs title-deciding race and his bid to win a record-tying seventh championship. No way. He plans to grab as much momentum as possible for the season finale.- Formula One sure knows how to get in its own way. The drivers derring-do, the adrenaline, the speed, the glitz and the wealth all can be overtaken by the sports buffoonery.- SHANGHAI -- No one from Japan has more than Hideki Matsuyamas three PGA Tour victories. No one from Japan won a World Golf Championship. None of this might have been possible if Matsuyama had never left home.- ARCADIA, Calif. -- Entries are taken for 13 Breeders Cup races worth $28 million. 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