Tennessee Titans: On Training Camp and Preseason
By Chase Maher
The 2011 Tennessee Titans went 9-7 without an off-season to learn the systems from the new coaching regime. The defense was extremely vanilla in its schemes and fronts and the offense seemed to struggle to maintain consistency.
The 2012 Tennessee Titans might not win more games than last year’s squad, but I am positive they will take a step towards becoming a team that isn’t a pushover, a team that opposing coaches lose sleep over.
With a full training camp and a preseason in which the Titans can practice the schemes and styles of Palmer, Gray and most importantly Munchak, I expect to see some things new to us Titans fans. Their is finally some excitement and anxiety headed into camp this year. Position battles will likely dominate our media coverage, most notably Hasselbeck vs. Locker, but their are plenty of other things I will be focused on from now until week 1.
Offense:
*With Kendall Wright’s contract still not finalized, will he be in top shape when he shows up? We may need him to take more snaps than initially anticipated back in April.
*How will Kenny Britt’s knee(s) be feeling? Can he make all the cuts and run all the routes? The DWI is not something I am focused on anymore, I am more concerned with his health. Munchak will take care of the off-field issues.
*How much stronger is Chris Johnson, is he still the fastest runningback in the NFL?
*How well will Hutchinson fit in and what improvements has Amano made?
*Will Taylor Thompson have any impact in his first season?
Defense:
*Can Akeem Ayers be what we want him to be…a play-making outside linebacker?
*Will Colin McCarthy continue to be the guy we saw last year, or will he be even better? I hope he puts on a few extra pounds so he can last the whole season.
*Will the loss of Finnegan affect us THAT much?
*Michael Griffin, step up and make plays like we know you can.
*Will Derrick Morgan step up or remain an average player?
*Can Kamerion Wimbley become a force on the edge for the Titans?
*What will Zach Brown bring to the table in his first NFL season?
I am excited for the upcoming season, but we have a lot of question marks. With one of the youngest defenses in the league and an offense that is changing a 15 year philosophy, it is important for us as a fan base to stay patient. Trust in Munchak.
The screwed up thing about the talking points mentioned above is that none of it will matter if Jake Locker doesn’t become what we all invision him being. We will just have to wait, but in the mean time we have plenty of reasons to be exited about training camp and preseason.