Tennessee Titans players in the Hot Seat

There are a few Tennessee Titans in the hot seat this coming season. Here’s the ones I’ve got on my list:

Chris Johnson

Very simple situation here, if you receive playmaker money the front office expects you to be a playmaker on the field every Sunday.
I don’t want to put all the blame on Johnson for the lack of production from the running game, but we all saw a slower and hesitant version of CJ2K last season. He was trying to hit the home run every play and didn’t take what the defense was giving him.
The o-line was awful, but for me, the real problem is that CJ has to realize that a 2,000 yard season is not what the team needs. He seemed so desperate to break the long run that sometimes it looked like he had nowhere to go.

What do the Titans need from CJ?

If he can be CJ1.5K and show he has got his speed back, he will have defensive coordinators building schemes around him again and this will open up things for Britt, Wright and company.

Eugene Amano

For me, this is the hottest seat in the team, or maybe in the whole league. Actually I’m not really sure why he is still seated. Last season was as bad as a season can be for a center in the NFL. He looked like a backup at best.
The center must be the leader, not the weakest part of the entire line. He was painful to watch.
I’m not really sure if the Titans were actually pursuing a center by bringing some big name free agents to Nashville, but at least they sent a direct message to Amano.

What do the Titans need from Amano?

The center takes a lot of credit for a successful year and a lot of blame for a year like last year. If the running game gets going again and either Locker or Hasselbeck stay clean, Amano may last another year.

Derrick Morgan

Hot…very hot seat. You always expect a first round pick to produce right away, especially if you shared a draft class with Jason Pierre Paul. Morgan has been injured most of his NFL career and has been inconsistent when healthy.
He will have every chance to earn the starting spot this season, but this chance will definitely be his last one.
Morgan showed some glimpses, especially against the running game late last season, but for first round money you have to show something more than glimpses.

What do the Titans need from Morgan?

I won’t say double digit sacks, but he will need to constantly pressure the QB to help the defensive backfield make plays. He will need to be a solid presence in the running game and stay healthy the whole year. It’s hard to get big numbers in a defensive scheme where there is a constant rotation of the defensive line. But as I said, every chance will be given to Morgan to earn the spot and stay on the field.

Will Witherspoon

Will had a solid season last year but he is not getting any younger, and he has been more of a contributor rather than a playmaker.
Zack Brown will be pressuring for the starting spot and certainly coaches would like to have one the youngest (if not the youngest) LB group in the entire league.
He doesn’t have the speed that Brown has but his experience could earn him another year under contract.

What do the Titans need from Witherspoon?

The Titans need him to make plays. He is a sure tackler but that is what you expect from an average linebacker in this league. The Titans are giving special attention to have more big plays on defense and generating turnovers, that’s why they love Colin McCarthy.

Training camp is almost here and we’ll have some really interesting position battles that we will be analyzing when that starts up, besides the ones mentioned here.