Titans’ fans are hoping for big things this season, but there are still a lot of question marks. Mostly they are looking for a big step forward from their offense, which is loaded with talent but which underperformed for much of last season, ranking 31st in rushing and 21st in points scored. The addition of first round draft pick wide receiver Kendall Wright, one of the top receivers in this year’s draft, seems to have the offense poised to take things to a new level this season.
One thing everyone seems to agree on is Wright. “That is a guy we think is going to be special,” head coach Mike Munchak said. “We all knew we added a weapon when we added him and it’s just a matter of seeing where the best fit is going to be for him as we get towards the beginning of the season.”
Wright isn’t worried about where they put him. When asked where he was most comfortable – inside, outside, the slot – his response was, “Wherever they put me, that’s where I’m comfortable.” Breaking the mold of diva receiver, Wright just wants to go out and contribute.
Second year quarterback Jake Locker was impressed as well. “He’s an explosive player,” Locker said. “He gets down field and makes plays, not only in his routes, but once he has the ball in his hands. He moves well with the ball in his hands and I think he’ll be able to make explosive plays for us in a lot of different ways.”
Another big question for this offense is who is going to be pulling the trigger. Matt Hasselbeck had a solid season last year, keeping Jake Locker on the bench despite solid play in the brief stretches when he did get on the field. Hasselbeck ended the year with 3,571 yards and 18 TDs plus 14 INTs. Locker, in very limited action, had flashes of genius as he ended the year with 542 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, 5 TDs (4 through the air, and one on the ground) and a passer rating of 99.4.
Having two quarterbacks performing well is a good problem to have, but at some point they will likely want to get Locker on the field. Hasselbeck still seems to have a slight advantage based on last year’s performance, but in the NFL, youth always wins out eventually.
Hasselbeck is looking to get reps in and get comfortable with the new receivers, and doesn’t seem too concerned about who catches the ball as long as he’s got someone to work out with. In talking about getting workouts in between OTAs and training camp, Hasselbeck has a secret weapon. “I think number forty-six [rookie TE Brandon] Barden, the kid from Vanderbilt… I think his girlfriend is my neighbor in Washington, so he’s going to get a chance to catch some balls this summer.” While the work will help Hasselbeck, it could be a huge advantage for Barden to get on the same page with his starting quarterback.
And finally, the big question – is Chris Johnson back to the old Chris Johnson? It seems impossible that a team featuring Johnson was second last in the league in rushing, but the holdout was a huge impediment last season. Johnson is back in camp this year, after missing OTAs and training camp last season. After the hold out, he didn’t look like the old Johnson for much of the season, as CJ2K managed barely 1k, rushing for 1,047 yards on 262 carries.
To say he started slow is an understatement, as he rushed for under 300 yards through the first two months of the season. But he had flashes of the old CJ2K later in the season, including a 23 carry, 190 yards explosion against the Bucs in late November, followed by 153 yards and 2 TDs a week later against the Bills.
With a full off season of work, will the old CJ2K be back? Will Wright ignite the passing attack, and if so – who will be throwing him the ball? While there are lots of questions in Tennessee, there is still a lot of offensive talent to go along with a defense that was eighth in the league last year in points allowed. All of that makes it look promising for the Titans to improve on their 9-7 record.
