Dec 18, 2011; Minneapolis, MN, USA; New Orleans Saints defensive coordinator Gregg Williams yells to his players during the game with the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Saints win 42-20. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports

Jerry Gray and Gregg Williams are getting ready to transform this Tennessee Titans defense into one that will confuse, harass and aggressively try to dominate opponents.

Speaking at an appreciation dinner at Cumberland College on the 6th, Williams opened up and talked about his relationship with Gray, what he looks for in his defense and what the Titans will do this season. One thing I can say, get ready people, this defense is going to be humming.

For those worried about how Williams and Gray will get along, I say, don’t. Williams talked about it at the appreciation dinner, here’s what he had to say:

Via Titansonline:

Williams said he considers Gray his brother. The two have worked nine seasons together as coaches in different capacities, and Williams said they will work well together again.

“The most fun he’s had coaching is when he’s worked with me, and, quite frankly, the most fun I’ve had coaching has been when I’ve worked with him,” Williams said.

Williams also spoke about the importance of building the defense and having good corners so they can confuse and harass offenses.

Williams said he thinks it’s important to build a defense with cornerbacks because they can enable teammates to do more on each play. The Titans have discussed the desire to play more “press” man coverage this season and drafted cornerbacks Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Khalid Wooten to add bigger players at the position.

“When we have corners that can play like (McCourty), now watch how crazy we play everywhere else,” Williams said. “The way that he plays the position gives us a chance to trick (the opponent) or hide someone else that’s not as good as him.”

Many players have talked about the defense being more aggressive and dictating what they do to the offense instead of sitting back and playing in a more read and react way. What exactly does this mean?

For one, you will see much more of the 3-2-6, The Ruby package as it was called last year. It’s multi-dimensional and perfect for showing many different looks. This defense will have more pre-snap movement than defenses you have seen in the past. Pre-snap movement could come from the D-line shifting, LBs shifting and crowding the line or dropping into what looks like coverage , and of course DBs shifting to play press, dropping to a zone look, and Safeties flying into the box and giving the look that they are blitzing. Then, right before the ball is snapped they shift back causing the QB to have to switch from his initial read to his second or even third option.

This defense will play downhill and will put players into a position to make plays, confuse offenses, and harass QBs. Will it blitz constantly? Absolutely not, while you will see many different changes from last year you will also see a defense that will have to, at times play conservatively. Today’s offenses are too good to be a one trick pony on defense.

Of course, we also have to hope that the players we have in the secondary can play press coverage consistently. If not, there will simply be calls that can’t be made on defense for fear of constant breakdowns. Personally, I think they’ll be fine, but we’ll see.

I look forward to following up this article with a few more that will better illustrate the nuances of a Gregg Williams defense.

What say you?

Shawn Eagle

You can follow me on twitter @RS1Eagle

Dec 23, 2012; Green Bay, WI, USA; Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker (10) (right) rushes with the football as Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews (52) (left) chases from behind during the first quarter at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Jake Locker is the starting Quarterback for the Tennessee Titans, but can he lead the Titans to the playoffs and hopefully the Super Bowl? We’ll see this year, hopefully.

Mike Munchak and Dowell Loggains have tweaked the offense yet again to take pressure off of Jake Locker. The expectations that Jake Locker will be able to air it out and move the offense up and down the field are gone. Instead, the Titans are reverting back to old days and a power rushing scheme that should be heavy with play action passes and bootlegs. Three yards and a cloud of dust, welcome back.

Say what you will, but the Titans have got to be concerned with Locker’s evolution as a passer and how he has picked up the game to change the entire philosophy of the offense in one year. Firing an offensive coordinator is one thing, changing the entire offense to make it easier on your young QB tells people that he can’t really do all that you thought he could when you drafted him.

Locker came to the Titans advertised as a guy that could get out of the pocket and escape the rush with his legs. Actually, Locker took more than a few sacks and didn’t have much of a feel for when the rush was getting to him. Locker never really looked comfortable lining up in the shotgun and throwing the ball all over the field either.

So this change in philosophy should help Locker, correct? Yes it should. Will it help him enough to become the QB they think they drafted? Possibly.

Locker has shown flashes and switching to a run based offense should help with his reads and help with his confidence. If the run game works like it should, then the passing game will be the biggest benefactor. Running the football allows the play action game to set up and it also allows the offense just a tad bit more time to get rid of the football, which should help Locker.

Locker, a young QB who needs as much time as he can get throwing the football will also enter training camp without the luxury of spending most of his summer throwing due to off-season shoulder surgery.

In Locker’s defense, he has had a rough couple of years to start his pro career. He’s been injured and already suffered through two complete changes to the offense. He is young and will work harder than anyone. He knows that he can’t just walk in and say that this is his team, he knows he must earn that title. If there is any player I believe in, work ethic wise that will make it to the top, it’s Locker, but sometimes being the hardest worker doesn’t make you the best player.

The question remains….Can Locker lead the Titans? The coaches hope so, but if not then Ryan Fitzpatrick might.

What say you?

Shawn Eagle

You can follow me on twitter @RS1Eagle

Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

Avoiding the smokescreens and other pitfalls while watching or following the draft for the Tennessee Titans is a must for any fan, let’s talk about a few pitfalls to avoid heading into the NFL draft on Thursday.

1.) The Smokescreens- You just have to know that there will be false rumors and reports coming out and like they say, “Don’t always believe what you hear”. ex. The Titans may draft D.J. Fluker at #10. Ok, this is out of left field and sounds like a writer is just trying to get his name out there. Sure David Stewart and Michael Roos didn’t have the best seasons last year but they are still very good tackles. Why in the world would the Titans draft an OT at 10 when there are so many other needs? To play him at OG for one season and then move him to tackle? Come on. Total Smokescreen

2.) The Ease of the Trade- While reading multiple reports about multiple teams I tend to come across multiple people at multiple times talking about, “Well hey, if he’s not there then let’s just trade back and get this guy” or “I know what would be good, we just trade our such and such pick and move up and grab this guy, done”, to which I say, Take it easy. There will be trades during the draft, last year there 29 trades during the draft. That may seem like a lot but it’s about one per team, which isn’t that much.

3.) Comparing Boards- Now look, I understand the excitement and I understand how people get so wrapped up into the draft that they make draft boards. Once someone makes a draft board, you are sure to hear, ” I can’t believe they took him, I have him as my 3rd best DT” or “He’s the 12th rated player on my board”. This is the thing, the Titans have a much different board than you do and they also have scouts, personnel men, coaches, and the benefit of playing and being around the game for 10-20 years at the highest of skill levels.

4.) They Were Very High on That Player- No matter what, no matter what, whoever the Titans draft believe me, They will say that they were very high on that player and had him rated high on that player. No team is going to say, “Yeah, we really wanted a TE but we had to settle for this decent C”.

5.) You May Not Like The Player- You may not like the player drafted but just remember, you haven’t seen him play one game for the Titans yet. Give him a chance, there is a reason they drafted him. There is a reason that he’s getting drafted. So just chill, and wait and see how he does.

Ok, hopefully you see that this is a time to sit back and have fun. Unless you are employed by a team, have some serious money on some of the picks, or are just borderline crazy, come Thursday night you should be having some fun watching the draft.

What say you?

Shawn Eagle

You can follow me on twitter @RS1Eagle