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2008 Team Report: Tennessee Titans

Quarterbacks

Starter: Vince Young
Backup(s): Kerry Collins

Starting QB: Vince Young enters the 2008 season with many people questioning his ability to be a successful NFL quarterback. Despite his success under center when it comes to wins and losses, Young's 2007 season was a step back in terms of fantasy production. He didn't run as often as he did in 2006 and despite an uptick in completion percentage, his passing numbers were fairly pedestrian. Young also missed time due to injury for the first time as a professional. Former Tennessee offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger -- who experienced success with Steve McNair -- returns to the same position to try to jump-start Young's improvement. 'Dinger's offense relies heavily on the tight end in the middle of the field and the wide receivers out wide. Expect Young to operate out of the shotgun more often, lean even more heavily than before on the tight end as a receiver and roll out much more then he did in 2007. While Vince Young still has a way to go before he's compared to the better quarterbacks in the league, his production should see definite improvement.

Backup QB: Kerry Collins filled in admirably for Young last season after spending 2006 looking lost when given the chance to play. Collins and Young could not be more dissimilar players with Collins having almost no mobility but a very strong arm compared to Young's quick footwork but limited passing range. Collins is not a threat to challenge Young for the starting job barring a major collapse, but he has shown the ability to still be productive should an injury befall Young. Collins' ability to soak in the new offense -- his third in five seasons -- will have a large bearing on his ability to be successful if he does play.

Running Backs

Starter: LenDale White
Backup(s): Chris Henry, Chris Johnson [R]
Fullback(s): Ahmard Hall

Starting RB: LenDale White finally took over as the workhorse he was drafted to be and produced mediocre results. He certainly showed he could carry a heavy load as he toted the ball 300 times for over 1,100 yards. However, his 3.7 YPC behind a very good run-blocking line leaves much to be desired in the running game. While White led all of the team's rushers in receptions with 20, his effect as a receiver was mostly on short drop-off passes. The Titans new offense will embrace running between the tackles reminiscent of Eddie George's heyday. White will likely enter camp as the starter and an expectation of another 300 carries is certainly reasonable. Just as importantly, White's seven TDs from 2007 should increase as Mike Heimerdinger historically utilizes his workhorse RB near the goal line, as opposed to passing the ball from close range.

Backup RBs: Chris Henry was drafted in the second round of the 2007 Draft and did very little during the season to show he was worth the selection. Despite excellent speed, Henry was unable to improve much upon the 3.7 YPC that White was able to produce. Conventional thinking is that he will settle in to Chris Brown's former role of spelling White a series or two each game. The Titans also surprised their fans and used their first-round pick in the 2008 Draft on speedster Chris Johnson, who should offer flexibility for the offense as a rusher and receiver, and in special teams as a return man. Johnson's 4.2-speed will no doubt get him time on the field, however, if prior offenses under Jeff Fisher are any indication, Johnson's contribution may be determined by how well he performs catching the ball out of the backfield and in the slot.

Fullback: Ahmard Hall has been used primarily as a blocker. The Titans are hoping Hall can play the Lorenzo Neal role to White's Eddie George.

Wide Receivers

Starters: Roydell Williams, Justin Gage
Backups: Brandon Jones, Justin McCareins, Chris Davis, Lavelle Hawkins [R], Paul Williams, Mike Williams

Starting WRs: The Titans have perhaps the least talented group of receivers in the NFL. To a man they do everything "average" without an exceptional talent among them. Roydell Williams and Eric Moulds started last year, while Justin Gage also got a fair amount of action. Williams' development seemed to continue all through the season, which may be a sign of good things to come for him. That said, he still rounds off his routes and has a difficult time getting separation at the line of scrimmage. Moulds is no longer around and the starting spot likely falls to Justin Gage. Gage started 8 games a season ago and turned in 55 catch, 750 yard season, by far his best as a pro. This year he'll try to build off that but in order to stick in the starting lineup, Gage will have score more than last year's two touchdowns given how many targets he's likely to see.

Backup WRs: Brandon Jones was injured often, which significantly reduced the contribution he made. That's unfortunate as most observers before the season penciled Jones in as the Titans only real threat to develop as a true No. 1 WR. When Jones was playing, he was notoriously unreliable in actually catching the pass -- including a fourth-quarter drop in the end zone early in the year against Indianapolis. In addition to the players listed above, the re-acquired Justin McCareins, 2007 third-round selection Paul Williams and 2008 fourth-round selection Lavelle Hawkins should factor in to the battle for playing time. Fisher and company have a history of turning late-round picks into solid receivers, which appears to be the strategy they are banking on here. It is expected that the starting spots as well as roster spots for receivers will be competitive.

Tight Ends

Starters: Alge Crumpler
Backups: Bo Scaife, Craig Stevens [R]

If there is fantasy gold to be found in the Titans passing game, it is likely at the tight end position. The key to Mike Heimerdinger's offense during his first stint with Tennessee was Frank Wycheck's ability to exploit the center of the field. Expect Alge Crumpler to fill the same role this time around. Crumpler has experienced injuries as of late, but when healthy, he remains one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the league. Crumpler has made the Pro Bowl four times and should be a lock to catch 55 or more balls in the Titans offense. His ability to get down the hash marks and experience with a young, scrambling quarterback in Atlanta should make him an immediate asset to the team's offense. In just three seasons, Bo Scaife has proven to be a reliable option in the passing game and a trusted blocker on the line of scrimmage for longtime teammate Vince Young. While the addition of Crumpler may reduce Scaife's numbers, he is likely to still find his way to the field more often than not.

Place Kicker

Rob Bironas : After spending several years the AFL and in various NFL teams' training camps, Bironas finally landed a starting job with the Titans three years ago. After modest results his first two years, he had a breakout season in 2007. Bironas made 35 of 39 (89.7%) field goals and added 28 PATs. After missing two PATs his first year, he has been perfect since. Last year he improved his long range accuracy, going 9 of 10 from 40-49 yards and 4 of 5 from 50+ yards. His strong leg on kickoffs averaged 67.6 yards and had 16 touchbacks last year. Along the way, Bironas broke the single game NFL record by hitting 8 of 8 field goals in the game at Houston. The Titans had ranked 26, 21st, and 21st in kicker scoring the previous three years. With Bironas' 133 points they ranked 3rd last year.

Kick and Punt Returners

Kick Returners: Chris Carr; Chris Johnson; Chris Henry; Michael Griffin; Chris Davis; Casey Cramer; Calvin Lowry; Cortland Finnegan; Lavelle Hawkins; Cary Williams

After going through numerous returners last year, the Titans signed free agent CB Chris Carr this offseason. As a rookie in 2005, he stepped into the return specialist role for the Raiders and did a commendable job. He had 69 kickoff returns (25.5 avg.) in 2006, and 59 returns (22.5 avg.) in 2007. He's the frontrunner for the job, although rookie RB Chris Johnson could challenge. The first round draft pick averaged 28.0 yards (18th in NCAA) and scored once for East Carolina last year. Carr has experience, Johnson has speed. When not suspended, RB Chris Henry averaged 20. 9 yard on 13 returns last year. FS Michael Griffin handled kickoff returns the first part of last year (18 returns, 23.4 avg.). Potential backups and upmen include WR/PR Chris Davis (2 returns, 18.5 avg.), RB Casey Cramer (one return for 13 yards), and FS Calvin Lowry (one return for 15 yards). DB Cortland Finnegan averaged 25.1 yards on kickoff returns during his college career at Samford. In addition to Johnson, two other rookies could see work on kickoff returns. Fourth round draft pick WR Lavelle Hawkins averaged 22.0 yards on 42 returns and scored once for California last year. Seventh round draft pick CB Cary Williams averaged 28.6 yards and scored twice during his two years at Washburn.

Punt Returners: Chris Carr; Chris Davis; Brandon Jones; Justin McCareins; Cortland Finnegan; Calvin Lowry; Rafael Little

Chris Carr hasn't been as productive on punts, where he averaged 6.6 yards as a rookie, 6.2 yards in 2006, and 6.5 yards last year. Chris Davis handled the majority of the Titans' punt returns last year (31 returns, 9.5 avg., 12 fair catches), although he did get benched at one point due to ball handling issues. Justin McCareins has served as a backup in recent years, after having led the Titans in 2003 (11.4 avg., 1 TD). Cortland Finnegan averaged 15.1 yards on punt returns while at Samford, and looked like he might become the Titans' return specialist during preseason last year, but he had only two punt returns in the regular season (5.5 avg.). WR Brandon Jones occasionally serves as a backup (6 returns, 4.5 avg. last year). DB Calvin Lowry returned punts (10.6 avg.) for Penn State in 2005. Undrafted free agent RB Rafael Little returned punts for Kentucky, but he probably won't be ready until next year after tearing his ACL in the Senior Bowl.

Offensive Line

Projected Starters: LT Michael Roos, LG Leroy Harris, C Kevin Mawae, RG Jake Scott, RT David Stewart
Key Backups: Daniel Loper, Jason Murphy, Eugene Amano

Commentary coming soon.

Team Defense

The Titans were one of the big surprises of last season. After a horrible '06 campaign in which they were among the cellar dwellers in nearly every important category, the '07 edition was eighth in points allowed. They recorded 40 sacks and 34 takeaways en route to a top-10 finish. They don't look that good on paper but that's why they play the games. There are two questions heading into this season: Was last year a fluke and did they do anything that will make them better? Offseason changes include the loss of defensive ends Travis LaBoy and Antwan Odom who accounted for 14 of the club's sacks. Their replacements are veterans Jevon Kearse and Bryce Fisher along with second-round pick Jason Jones. On paper, this is a push with the rookie being the wild card that could make all the difference. The Titans will need to pressure the QB to cover for their average corners. They seem a couple of players away from taking the next big step, but if they can build on last year's chemistry, another top-12 finish could be in the cards.

Defensive Line

Starters: DT Albert Haynesworth, DE Kyle Vanden Bosch, DE Jevon Kearse, DT Tony Brown
Backups: DE Bryce Fisher, DT Demetrin Veal, DT Rien Long, DE Jason Jones, DE William Hayes, DE Sean Conover, DE Dave Ball, DE Jacob Ford, DT Demetrin Veal, DT Rien Long, DT Antonio Johnson

Starting DL: Vanden Bosch is a former high 2nd round late bloomer that in large part due to injuries never fulfilled his potential in three underwhelming seasons with Arizona (4 sacks combined) before exploding the past three years in Tennessee (31 sacks from 2005-2007... including a top 5 finish in '05 and nearly top 10 in '07, with 4 FFs each of those capaigns). Unlike some sack artists, he is stout in run defense (54 solos top 5 in 2006 and 48 solos in 2007 nearly top 10 among DEs). Kearse looked like a future HoFer to begin his career with the Titans (36 sacks and 15 FFs from 1999-2001), but has since been plagued by a litany of foot and leg injuries. The Titans would like Kearse to partially fill the gaping void left in the wake of departures by DEs Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy, but how big a role he will play is uncertain, as he turns 32, and a lackluster four year stint in Philadelphia seeming evidence of diminishing skills. While former 1st rounder Haynesworth's impact may not always show up in the box score, his 2008 performance was one of the most dominant by a DT in several years (routinely single-handedly blowing up the opponent's run game). If not for missing three games, Haynesworth was deserving of serious Defensive POY consideration. His timing was excellent in a contract year, leading to the franchise designation, and he is on the threshold of becoming one of the highest paid defenders in the league. Brown is an ex-49er UFA coming off a career best 2007 season in tackles and sacks (4).

Backup DL: Fisher is a journeyman who had some above average seasons with the Rams and Seahawks, peaking with 17.5 combined sacks in 2004-2005. At 31 he may be nearing the end of his career. Fisher only had 4 solo tackles in a dismal 2007 season and needs to show a lot more to play a larger role (or even remain on the team). Jones is raw, coming from Eastern Michigan, but the Titans were intrigued by his upside. The 2008 2nd rounder could see time initially as part of a rotation, and could also move inside in passing situations ala Justin Tuck (in a nod to the Giants DL-fueled Super Bowl run that could be widely emulated in the copycat NFL). Hayes is even more raw and a project than Jones, from tiny Winston-Salem. Thought by some to be a reach (4th round - '08), the warroom was concerned he was on other team's radars. Conover, Ball and Ford have very limited experience but could be pressed into action if Fisher falters again or rookies Jones and Hayes struggle with the pro transition. Ex-Falcon and Bronco Veal is another journeyman. Long had 8.5 combined sacks in 2006-2007.

Linebackers

Starters: WLB Keith Bulluck, MLB Ryan Fowler, SLB David Thornton
Backups: MLB Stephen Tulloch, OLB Ken Amato, MLB Jorge Cordova, MLB Rich Scanlon, Stanford Keglar WLB

Starting LBs: Bulluck's tackle production inexplicably fell off a cliff in 2007 with less than 70 solos, after averaging 100+ the previous five seasons (flashing a playmaking penchant with two 5 sack seasons and one with 5 FFs in that span). In the absence of any obvious injury or scheme-related causes, his drop off was one of biggest head scratchers across the IDP landscape last year... perhaps a combination of offensive game plans avoiding him along with the "Haynesworth effect"? The former 1st round Pro Bowler has good size (listed 6'3" 235), speed, athleticism, instincts, football smarts, ability to sift through traffic and shed blocks, an innate sense of pursuit angles and outstanding open field tackling ability. While Bulluck hasn't always gotten the recognition he probably deserved, he has been one of the top WLBs in the game in the past half decade (with the venerable Derrick Brooks). He still plays fast (5 INTs in 2007) and could enjoy a rebound season, but is 31 and the downtick in tackles last year could be a signal that the chill winds of Autumn in his career are beckoning. Ex-Cowboy Fowler won the competition at MLB with Stephen Tulloch last year, but has marginal starter talent. Pending an appeal, he could be suspended according to the league's anti-performance enhancing drug policy. Thornton showed what he could do when given the opportunity in Indy's WLB-star making Cover Two scheme, with 110+ solo tackles in 2003, then toiled in anomynity after being shunted to SLB. While still deployed on the strong side, he stays on the field in the nickle, and has averaged a very respectable 90 solos in his initial two seasons with the Titans (nearly top 15 among LBs in 2006 and top 10 overall in 2007). The 5 year $22 mil. contract that lured Thornton from the Colts is increasingly looking like a shrewd investment.

Backup LBs: Tulloch has seen spot duty in his first two years and acquited himself well, but has so far been unable to beat out Fowler for the starting MLB job. He was a key player on a talented North Carolina St. defense that sported first overall pick in the 2006 draft Mario Williams, as well as fellow 1st rounder Manny Lawson. Tulloch fell to the 4th round partly due to a lack of prototypical measurables (5'11" 235), but he is slightly bigger than some high profile undersized MLB/ILBs that have enjoyed a lot of success in the NFL (such as Zach Thomas and the late Sam Mills). A potentially looming Fowler suspension could crack the door to a starting job, and he could have the talent to break the door down. Cordova is an ex-Jag that turns 27 this season but has only played 15 games in his NFL career due to injuries. Amato (long snapper), Stamer and Woods are all UFA, ST-types that have been little used at LB. The Titans lack impressive OLB depth if Bulluck or Thornton were to go down, so 2008 4th rounder Keglar was a good pick. He was a four year starter and senior team captain for the Purdue Boilermakers. Keglar had an outstanding Combine (physical specimen ran a 4.5 40 at 6'2" 240), not surprising as he was a gifted prep athlete who competed in the sprint relays, as a swimmer and was one of the top discus throwers in Indiana.

Defensive Backs

Starters: FS Michael Griffin, SS Chris Hope, CB Nick Harper, CB Cortland Finnegan
Backups: FS Calvin Lowry, CB Reynaldo Hill, FS Vincent Fuller, CB Chris Carr, SS Donnie Nickey, CB Eric King

Starting DBs: Hope is an athletic, talented safety with good size (6'0" 210) who parlayed a solid four year career in Pittsburgh into a lucrative contract with the Titans in 2006. He enjoyed a breakout season his first year in Tennessee with 89 solo tackles (tied 1st among DBs) and 5 INTs (2nd among safeties). The stingy front seven was projecting to substantially reduced numbers for Hope in 2007, even before suffering a frightening spinal cord injury that landed him on IR after just 11 games. It was not career-threatening, and after successful surgery in the off-season, the team is catiously optimistic he can return to form. Prized 2007 1st rounder Griffin flashed a well rounded game at Texas (with fearsome striking ability and playmaking ball skills) but didn't look poised for immediate success. He began his rookie season in a nickle CB role, but emerged as a potentially ascendant FS. Griffin's promising second half projects to 60+ tackles, 6 INTs and 2 FFs over a full season. Ex-Colt Harper has overcome his lowly pedigree (UFA from Fort Valley St.) and lack of elite size (5'10" 180) or measurables to carve out an NFL niche with feisty run support ability and pesky coverage skills. His solid 2007 campaign (64 solos and 3 INTs) silenced the rumblings that he was a "system player" and would be exposed in man-to-man coverage. Finnegan has similar size (5'10" 190) and pedigree (Samford 7th rounder - '06) to Harper and was a timely revelation (given the Pacman nightmare). He had a LB-like 79 solos (tied 2nd among DBs in 2007) and generally avoided getting incinerated to a crisp in coverage.

Backup DBs: Lowry didn't inspire a lot of confidence the coaching staff could insert him without skipping a beat if Hope is unable to go, based on his underwhelming work in 2007. Fuller could also be in the mix (if Hope has lingering medical issues), but may be best suited in a nickle role. Lowry ('05) and Fuller ('06) are both 4th rounders. Nickey is a smart, savvy veteran who has seen sparse action as a starter in five seasons, primarily used in a ST and depth capacity. Hill is a great athlete who ran one of the fastest 200 m in the nation from the JUCO ranks, and blazed a 4.3 40 (with a 37.5" VJ) at his Florida Pro Day, despite not being invited to the Combine. A 2005 7th rounder, he is battle-tested after more than two dozen starts in his first three seasons in the NFL (mostly in '05 and '06). Hill's 3 INTs in 2005 led the team and were tied for the most by a rookie DB. After being passed on the depth chart by Finnegan last year, he was signed to a one year RFA contract to potentially fill the nickle back role and be a key reserve. King could see action in the dime, as Carr is more of a KR-type.

Last modified: 2008-06-13 02:25:14