*picture courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com

Apparently the Tennessee Titans aren’t finished making moves on the non-player side of operations as well this off season.  According to @footballscoop, Luke Steckel has joined the Titans staff in a role yet to be known.

We hear the Titans have hired Luke Steckel who was with the Browns the past 4 seasons. Bright young coach, well liked in the profession

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) May 17, 2013

Luke Steckel has been with the Cleveland Browns organization for the past four years. His most recent job title was Assistant To The Head Coach under Pat Shurmer.  He acted as a go-between for Shurmer and the rest of the coaching staff to all other departments in the Browns organization. According to ClevelandBrowns.com, he also was involved on the defensive side of the ball, where he assisted in “playbook composition, scouting reports, film breakdown, and practice drills”.

Luke Steckel’s father is Les Steckel, the former offensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers from 1997-1999.

I’m not sure what the Titans have planned for Luke.  From digging around it seems this is much more than a hey-your-dad-worked-for-us hire.  His responsibilities at the Browns were vast and it seems that the Titans organization isn’t finished improving this year.  They’re not just bringing in fresh faces and competition on the player personnel side, but on the management side of the operation as well.

You can follow me on Twitter @gunnelsj

May 10, 2013; Houston, Texans, USA; Houston Texans linebacker Sam Montgomery (57) works out at Methodist Training Facility at Reliant Stadium . Mandatory Credit: Thomas Campbell-USA TODAY Sports

While Tennessee Titans fans have been consumed with their own team’s draft, it’s important to note that the other teams in the division got some new players as well.  This is the first of a series where we take a look at what the competition has been up to, specifically how their draft went.

This week we start with the Houston Texans who are now at the top of the division and currently the team to beat.  The Texans look like they got a couple of steals on paper, but there are also a few character concerns on the roster now as well.  In order to help look at what the Texans have done in the draft, I turned to our friend  Ryan Clark, the Editor at The Toro Times, for an interview.

*Draft pick summary and analysis courtesy of NFL.com.

TS- When a team is as good and well rounded as the Houston Texans, it’s hard to upgrade positions.  Do you see any of the rookies starting opening day?

Ryan – There’s a lot of guys that can start for the Texans in Week 1, but a lot will have to prove themselves in training camp. The main guys to keep an eye on are of course DeAndre Hopkins, but also D.J. Swearinger and Sam Montgomery. The Texans are desperate for someone to fit in with Brooks Reed and Whitney Mercilus at the outside linebacker spot, so he’s the one to watch. He has to transition from defensive end though, which will take time.

TS- There was a lot of talk on draft day about DeAndre Hopkins and his trashing of the hotel room at the combine.  Are Texan fans worried about his attitude/ maturity at all?

Ryan – There’s a few people out there that will knock Hopkins’ attitude, but since the details are murky about the whole hotel incident, most are just excited about what he brings to the field. There’s nothing to say Hopkins played a huge role in trashing the room, and outside of that he’s a pretty clean player.

TS - The Texans’ defense is already stellar, do they have room for D.J. Swearinger and Sam Montgomery?  How soon do you see Swearinger getting on the field with Ed Reed signed as well.

Ryan – I see Swearinger sharing the workload. Reed will be the starter, but his recent surgery leaves a lot of questions. Swearinger was brought in to learn from Reed and develop into a soon to be star, so I expect him to see a good deal of field time.

TS – How confident are you in the Texans’ locker room to handle players like Montomery, who had a reported poor work ethic, and Hopkins?

Ryan – I’m confident Gary Kubiak can handle troubled or unmotivated players, since he has a good supporting cast around him. Just about everyone who is a current starter on the team is focused on winning, and if Montgomery came in with a poor attitude, it wouldn’t be tolerated. The Texans don’t have a great deal of experience with handling divas though, so this will all be kind of new.

TS – The Titans have been extremely busy this off season and should be much improved.  Do the Texans see them as any kind of threat this coming year? The Colts?  Or are you comfortable feeling the division is in the bag?

Ryan –  I’ve said since free agency began that the Titans aren’t to be taken lightly. There’s a lot of new faces in Tennessee, and even though both games last season were a little one-sided, I think most Texans’ fans are now wary of Chance Warmack and the Titans increased protection on the offensive line. The division is far from in the bag. All three teams had a fantastic draft, and look a lot different than they did three months ago.

It will be interesting to see if Montgomery pans out for the Texans.  Swearinger and Montgomery both were on a lot of Titans’ fans radar during the draft.  As a fan of an opposing team, you hate to see them stock up with quality prospects to take over for quality vets.  Good teams with a winning attitude and a good veteran locker room can usually handle good football prospects that may have been red flagged for character concerns. It will be interesting to see if Kubiak and the Texans are at that level now.

I was a little surprised when Ryan told me that Texans’ fans were wary of Chance Warmack.  That has to be the first time in draft history that an offensive guard has made opposing fans nervous.  When looking at the Titans through another fan’s eyes, you probably felt good going into a game last year knowing they had a sieve for an offensive line.  The Titans’ weak link.  No longer having that to exploit, opposing teams will have to look elsewhere in their game planning.

Overall the Texans seem to have gotten a good haul in the draft, and if Hopkins comes along fast, he could give the AFC South fits while trying to double team Andre Johnson.  Swearinger and Montgomery could start day one for a lot of teams in the league as well.  Titans’ fans will find out in the second week of the season who’s rookies will contribute the most in the beginning when they visit the Texans.

You can find me on Twitter  @gunnelsj

Oct 28, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans wide receiver Kenny Britt (18) runs after a reception against Indianapolis Colts corner back Vontae Davis (23) during the first half at LP Field. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-USA TODAY Sports

There’s a lot of argument out there in defense of the the Titans focusing the majority of their efforts on the offensive side of the ball this off-season.  Mainly that the offense’s inability to sustain drives kept the defense on the field too much, eventually wearing them down and giving the opposing offense too may opportunities.

Mike Munchak has spoken often about Time Of Possession this off season and trying to regain a better balance of ball control.  The Titans have overhauled the offensive line and added power back Shonn Greene to the lineup in order to aid that goal.  Not to mention the acquisition of utility tight end Delanie Walker and second round receiver Justin Hunter.

While TOP is important, and there is some validity to the argument, I find it much like the weak-back argument.  People with back soreness and problems are often told  that it’s because their stomach muscles are too weak.  While it’s true that a strong core and stomach helps take pressure off of your back, it doesn’t make your back any stronger.  Only exercising and strengthening your back can make it stronger.  Your back isn’t failing because your stomach is weak, your back is failing because your back is weak.

So how does focusing the majority of efforts on the offense help the defense?  It’s not the offense’s responsibility to keep their defense off the field, it’s their job to score.  Period.  It’s up to the defense to get themselves off the field and stop the other team.

Couldn’t we use the reverse argument?  That if the defense was good, they would get off the field and give the offense more reps.  More plays and more chances to score.  Not to mention getting down early only eliminates plays you would like to run and turns the team one-dimensional.  Why do we not fault the defense for not helping the offense enough?

Someone (I would say who if I could remember) recently pointed out the Green Bay game from last year as an example.  The Titans went 3 and out on their first three drives.  While there’s no excuse  for that, the Titans’ defense allowed the Packers to drive and score on their 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th drive consecutively. Zero stops.  Not to mention allowing the Packers to score touchdowns on their first two drives directly after halftime.  That level of ineptitude can’t be placed on the shoulders of the offense.

Obviously the offense and defense go hand in hand and time of possession is usually an effect and not a cause of winning.  I believe the Titans’ focus on the offense this off season, even with a league worst defense, is less about helping the defense indirectly, but more about making one side of the ball great.  Many of the elite franchises in the NFL really aren’t that well rounded.  They truly excel on one side of the ball, which makes up for the other side which is usually somewhat deficient.  It seems the Titans have chosen the offensive side of the ball to do that with, which makes sense as that side of the ball doesn’t have as far to go as the defense.

If there is any pessimism about the coming season left in this eternal optimist, it is about the defense.  I just hope the exorbitant focus on the offensive side of the ball doesn’t bite the team from behind in the end.  They overestimated their personnel between the 2011-2012 season.  Let’s hope this isn’t a repeat.

You can follow me on Twitter @gunnelsj