The Titans don't think McCluster

The Tennessee Titans "We never intended for Dexter to be a major pass-protector," Croom said. "He's been a very willing guy. We work on his technique so when the situations come up that he may have to pass protect he'll be OK in that. He will definitely use the cut block technique, which we cannot use on ourselves in practice. But he will use it in games, so that will help him. Dexter will be in situations where he will have the advantage a great number of the times." Dexter McCluster didn't take any big shots that I saw during the Tennessee Titans practice against the Atlanta Falcons in Georgia on Monday. But in padded practices through the first 10 days of camp, he's gotten knocked off his feet plenty of times. Listed at 5-foot-8 and 170 pounds, McCluster needs to be in space to use his quickness against a defense. Carries and catches in more traffic will go to Bishop Sankey and Shonn Greene. Even so, watching him work has lead a lot of us to wonder how he will survive NFL hits even if he's only taking a handful of the kind of shots we've seen in practices. Ken Whisenhunt's said it's not a concern. Running back coach Sylvester Croom echoed that recently and explained further. "I'm not concerned about that at all because what he'll do is, the thing he and I have talked about, is make sure he stays low enough where they don't target his core," Croom says. "When we get to running where it gets low, he'll make them come down and play on his level." Upon having that conversation, I saw snapshots in my head of times I saw McCluster take big shots in camp, and sure enough he's been upright. In a practice setting, players are urged to stay on their feet and keep others up too. In a game, McCluster will typically be heading down when big contact can arrive. He's also not going to be asked to get in the way of giant pass-rushers very often. Note: Note: He was drafted by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2010 NFL Draft. Dexter McCluster is a wide receiver for the Titans of the National Football League.

Daquan Jones in the Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones Watching DaQuan Jones, I wondered, is he more than just a big guy on the defensive line? If he was, Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones how would I tell? Scouting college players is all about projection of player traits to the next level. I’m comfortable with uncertainty in this process; that’s what my post on Bishop Sankey a couple days ago was all about. Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones With Sankey, though, I had my ideas of what I was seeing, and could reasonably specify what issues separated Sankey the fifth-round runner I thought I saw from Sankey the second-round prospect the Titans saw. Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones In my review of Jones, though, it occurred to me that I couldn’t tell you with any detail or confidence why I thought he was a second-round pick or why I thought he was a fifth-round pick. Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones What I can tell is what I saw, and read, and heard. My post when the Titans drafted him was brief, for the simple reason that I had hardly noticed his presence-he wasn’t a reported visitor, wasn’t so highly rated I watched him for general knowledge, hadn’t caught my eye for any other reason, and played on a Penn State football team I hadn’t found interesting enough to watch enough to develop an opinion on any of their defensive linemen. Thus, an initial impression of he’s big (nearly 6’4, 322 pounds). Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones After reviewing those five games, that was a pretty good initial impression. Jones’ defining NFL trait seems likely to be his size. Of course, even among defensive linemen there are gradients of size and bigness. Jones is not “just” a big body to stick in the middle of the line-John Jenkins of Georgia, who went to the Saints in the third round in 2013, or ex-Vol Daniel McCullers, who went to the Steelers in the sixth round this year, are of a different stripe. Jones is more conventionally (by NFL standards) big and correspondingly more mobile. His game, though, struck me as a pretty direct one. He uses that bulk and strength to stand his ground and go forward. It’s a game that worked well at times (Syracuse’s guards will be glad they won’t see him again), less well at others (quiet performance against Ohio State). The first question is, how much more is he than that? His high school coach, Bill Spalik, in a radio interview noted he had good lateral speed for a player of his size. That showed up at some times, but on the whole I didn’t think he was more than just a line of scrimmage player. As Spalik noted, he’s not going to run many plays down from the backside, or even necessarily in the backfield as he’s shooting a backside gap. New defensive coordinator Ray Horton praised the Titans defense he inherited for having big guys that run; that’s definitely an aspect of Jones’ games that will have to be more energetic in the NFL, as he wasn’t an aggressive downfield pursuit player in the games I watched (to be fair, (a) neither was J.J. Watt in 2012 and (b) given Horton’s apparent rotational philosophy, Jones won’t be playing as many snaps and won’t have to conserve energy that way). He has a couple pass rush moves, but not many of them, and didn’t seem like a hard player to prepare for technically (this is true of almost all college defensive linemen). What else? One thing that I’m sure attracted the Titans is he has experience lining up all over the place. He played a lot of 3-tech his senior season, but also spent time at 1-tech, as well as at 5-tech in PSU’s 3-man units. Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones As a reminder, that’s experience at the three alignments of a Ray Horton defensive line. He’s overcome some familial adversity that seems to deeply motivate him (common for NFL players, and a subject significantly larger than my blogging here, let alone just this post). Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones A lot of the scouting reports I read had him as a likely Day 2 pick, Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones and Spalik indicated there was some expectation he’d go on Day 2; I didn’t come up with a great explanation for why, Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones aside from (a) he’s primarily a run-stopper, not a pass-rusher, and (b) week to week consistency may not have been great. Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones I wondered while watching him if he might be a AAAA player like Karl Klug, but that was not a concern others had. In terms of his on-the-field impact, Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones my thought while watching him was the natural comparison would be to Antonio Johnson and that his experience playing every line spot would make him a useful reserve who plays a modest amount at each spot-maybe Ahtyba Rubin last year (whom I noted played both DE and NT), Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones but playing more like 25% of the snaps than Rubin’s team-leading 54%. I still need to spend more time thinking about just how Horton might rotate his DL, though, but that seems like it might be a decent approximation Tennessee Titans Daquan Jones.

Jake Locker change better

Tennessee Titans We've covered the Tennessee Titans QB Jake Locker questions pretty thoroughly in this space. Tennessee Titans And we’ll hit them over and over once training camp starts, looking for any tidbits that offer any new degree of answers. Tennessee Titans In Mike Sando’s thorough run-through that places NFL quarterbacks into tiers based on his conversations with 26 people in the know including general managers, former GMs, evaluators, coordinators and coaches, Tennessee Titans Locker ranked 31st, ahead of only the Jets' Geno Smith. Tennessee Titans "We'll see," a former GM said. Tennessee Titans "Guys like Locker can be run-around guys. To me, Jake's die has been cast." His die has been cast. In other words, we’ve seen what he is a guy who’s a great teammate and worker who can flash, but isn’t always accurate or poised, can try to do too much and tends to get hurt. Tennessee Titans The Titans don’t think his die has been cast, they think he can still blossom into a franchise guy. So what can change him? Tennessee Titans The coaches and scheme: Coach Ken Whisenhunt is regarded as a quarterback guru, but that may be a bit inaccurate. Tennessee Titans Plenty of offensive coaches could have fared well guiding Ben Roethlisberger, Kurt Warner and Philip Rivers, right? Whisenhunt failed to help the Cardinals find and develop a replacement for Warner in his one big test of development. Tennessee Titans He is, however, a very good schemer and playcaller. Perhaps he, offensive coordinator Jason Michael and quarterback coach John McNulty can pull stuff out of Locker we haven’t seen and help him blossom. Health: Say Locker's luck changes and he stays healthy and gives the Titans 16 games. He's not a guy who lacks confidence when you speak with him, but he does seem to get swallowed up by the moment sometimes. Perhaps he can put together a stretch like he did at the start of 2013 when he was getting progressively better. If it’s uninterrupted by an injury, his confidence can grow and a switch can flip. Tennessee Titans The running game: Tennessee Titans The Titans expect to run the ball better without Chris Johnson getting the bulk of their carries. Bishop Sankey is likely the primary back, but they’ve got better situational ability with a group. Dexter McCluster offers a new dimension as a pass-catching back, and Sankey is good at running routes, too. A healthy Shonn Greene can covert short-yardage situations. Tennessee Titans Bob Bostad is the new coach of an underachieving offensive line that now has starting caliber players, which means the group should improve. That should translate into better protection and a better run game, Tennessee Titans two things that can alleviate pressure from Locker. The defense: Coordinator Ray Horton is converting the Titans to a 3-4. If the Titans can rush the passer the way they believe, they can stall more drives and force more turnovers. If the offense gets the ball back more often and with better field position Tennessee Titans an area a good crop of return men can help as well Tennessee Titans things will get easier for the quarterback. Tennessee Titans Most of this, of course, is about making the things around Locker better, so that Locker can be better. Final thoughts ... Tennessee Titans In today's NFL you need more A than B. Tennessee Titans If the Locker die is cast, we’re talking too much about B. Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans don't fret

Tennessee Titans The 300-yard shuffle runs await the Tennessee Titans upon their return from summer vacation, which starts today and runs until they report for training camp on July 25. Tennessee Titans To prove their fitness, players will have to run. Tennessee Titans They'll go 25 yards there, 25 yards back and do it a total of six times. After a three-minute rest period, they'll do it again. Then another three minutes and a third set. Tennessee Titans John Glennon of The Tennessean outlines some of the details and player reaction here. Tennessee Titans "I did it when I was a player, Tennessee Titans and I always had a pit in my stomach just before I did it because it's a tough test," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I know there's many times when I was hot during the summer while working out, but I thought I'd have to do a little extra because of the [300-yard shuttle run]. I think that's an important thing." Players run in groups, wide receivers and defensive backs together; running backs, tight ends and linebackers; linemen from both sides of the ball. Each group has a set time, and players must finish each shuttle run under that mark. Somewhat remarkably to me, I couldn't find one player who knew definitively what that time was. Dexter McCluster is a running back now, but said he'd run with the receivers. He said the expected finish time is 56 seconds, and he was the most definitive of at least half-dozen players I asked about it. Most said they didn't know and aren't particularly concerned. "I don't care," tight end Delanie Walker said. "Whatever they give me, I'm going to make it." "I'll come back in tip-top shape," rookie running back Bishop Sankey said. "And I'll be able to kill it." Mike Munchak favored 110-yard gassers without all the stopping and starting, so this will be an adjustment back to what the team did at least some times under Jeff Fisher. Michael Roos, Michael Oher, Chance Warmack, Tennessee Titans Brian Schwenke and Taylor Lewan didn't know the offensive line required time. Tennessee Titans "Run fast enough back and forth; fast enough not to get in trouble," Lewan said of his plan. Warmack would have the highest odds of having the most trouble with the test. Tennessee Titans Some guys will practice shuttles to be sure to be ready for the specific test. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson said a few times a week when he's tired after lifting and working out, he will run shuttles. Tennessee Titans Friends will time him to keep him abreast of how he's doing. Tennessee Titans "It's difficult," Wreh-Wilson said. Tennessee Titans "After the first one you start to feel the lactic acid building up, you can feel it in your legs." Tennessee Titans "I just make sure I'm comfortable with the times and the transitions of the 300-yard shuttle," Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee Titans

Tennessee Titans Three hundred yard shuffle runs await the Tennessee Titans upon their return from summer vacation,Tennessee Titans which starts today and runs until they report for training camp on July 25. To prove their fitness, players will have to run.Tennessee TitansThey'll go 25 yards there, 25 yards back and do it a total of six times.Tennessee Titans After a 3 minutes rest period, they'll do it again. Then another three minutes and a third set. John Glennon of The Tennessean outlines some of the details and player reaction here. "I did it when I was a player, and I always had a pit in my stomach just before I did it because it's a tough test," coach Ken Whisenhunt said. "I know there's many times when I was hot during the summer while working out, but I thought I'd have to do a little extra because of the (300-yard shuttle run). I think that's an important thing." Players run in groups: wide receivers and defensive backs together; running backs, tight ends and linebackers; linemen from both sides of the ball. Each group has a set time and players must finish each shuttle run under that mark. Somewhat remarkably to me, I couldn't find one player who knew definitively what that time was. Dexter McCluster is a running back now, but said he'd run with the receivers. He said the expected finish time is 56 seconds, and he was the most definitive of at least half dozen players I asked about it. Most said they didn't know and aren't particularly concerned. "I don't care," tight end Delanie Walker said. "Whatever they give me, I'm going to make it." "I'll come back in top-top shape," rookie running back Bishop Sankey said. "And I'll be able to kill it." Mike Munchak favored 110-yard gassers without all the stopping and starting, so this will be an adjustment back to what the team did at least some times under Jeff Fisher. Michael Roos, Michael Oher, Chance Warmack, Brian Schwenke and Taylor Lewan didn't know the offensive line required time. "Run fast enough back and forth fast enough not to get in trouble," Lewan said of his plan. Warmack would have the highest odds of having the most trouble with the test. Tennessee Titans Some guys will practice shuttles to be sure to be ready for the specific test. Cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson said a few times a week when he's tired after lifting and working out, he will run shuttles. Tennessee Titans Friends will time him to keep him abreast of how he's doing. "It's difficult," Wreh-Wilson said. Tennessee Titans "After the first one you start to feel the lactic acid building up, you can feel it in your legs." Tennessee Titans "I just make sure I'm comfortable with the times and the transitions of the 300-yard shuttle,"Tennessee Titans.

Titans' Mettenberger, Williamson agree to terms

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans have agreed to terms with sixth-round draft pick Zach Mettenberger and fifth-round selection Avery Williamson.

Mettenberger threw for 3,082 yards and 22 touchdowns at LSU last season and ranked fourth nationally in passing efficiency. Mettenberger passed for 5,783 yards and 35 touchdowns during his LSU career.

Williamson, a linebacker, had 296 career tackles at Kentucky. He produced more than 100 tackles each of the last two seasons.

The Titans now have agreed to terms with four of their six draft picks.

The only unsigned Titans draft picks are first-round selection Taylor Lewan and second-round choice Bishop Sankey. Lewan's an offensive tackle from Michigan and Sankey's a running back from Washington.

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