Coaches typically bristle at the suggestion that their team gave less than full effort.

But the Tennessee Titans’ effort was an in-bounds topic for Titans interim coach Mike Mularkey following Sunday’s 30-8 loss to the New York Jets.

“There were some loafs,” Mularkey said, using a term many staffs attach to less-than-full-effort plays. “Yeah, there was, I thought, which we’ll correct. But as far as effort, I thought it picked up in the second half.”

That’s great that things got better after halftime. But when they are so bad in the first half that you trail 27-0, a hard-working second half doesn’t mean that much.

With regard to loafing, Mularkey’s biggest question was on Perrish Cox’s failure to try to tackle running back Bilal Powell on a 16-yard crossing pass he turned into a touchdown.

“That’s the one I’m addressing that I remember, that sticks out more than any of them,” Mularkey said.

Said Cox: “There was no way for me to really get there. Even if I would have shot it and cut him, he would have landed in the end zone. There was no way for me to get there.”

Cox played poorly last week even as the Titans beat the Jaguars in Nashville, and pledged, “It’ll be a whole different game this week.”

But in addition to the missed tackle, he missed a very good interception chance and was central in the failure of the cornerbacks in a combined 13-catch, 199-yard, two-touchdown performance by Jets receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.