Titans Gab

After a long hold out and short mini-camp, Chris Johnson’s preseason will end with 19 carries for 39 yards.  The 2,000 yard rusher will be sitting out the final preseason game.

This move goes along with many other star players in the league as the preseason comes to an end and the real season approaches.

Johnson has been talking a big game coming into the season, making MVP predictions and 2,500 yard guarantees.

One thing is for certain, Johnson has some big shoes to fill, shoes that he himself has built.

Rookie running back LeGarrette Blount is going out and doing whatever he can to make sure he stays on the Titans roster past this weekend:

Titans rookie running back LeGarrette Blount is doing his best to stay focused on football these days, although he admits it’s not easy. Like so many players around the NFL, he’s well aware roster cuts are on the horizon. And he knows the Titans have more running backs than they need. “It definitely weighs on your mind,” Blount said, “the fact that this could be your job for the remainder of the year, and also it couldn’t. It is extremely hard to block it out. To be honest, I can’t block it out completely.” The Titans play their final preseason game tonight. It’s the last chance for players on the fringe to make an impression on coaches, and running back is one of several positions where the Titans face tricky decisions.

TaylorMade-adidas Golf Company, a subsidiary of the adidas Group, has introduced a new line of hats and visors, which features the primary colors and logos of all 32 NFL teams. Golfers across the country can now fly the colors of their favorite teams on the golf course (not on Sundays of course).

Fans can choose from all 32 NFL teams at on-course and off-course retail locations, in addition to select sporting goods retailers. If you are a displaced fan and don’t think you will be able to find your favorite team locally, go to www.taylormadegolfgear.com for a complete selection.

Each hat and visor will feature an NFL team’s logo blazoned on the left panel. The team’s name will also be stitched onto the left corner of the hat/visor. The TaylorMade logo will appear in 3D embroidery on the front panel of the hat.

The hats will be available at retail at a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $27.99.

The Titans announced their roster cuts on Tuesday. Waived were punter Ricky Schmitt, wide receiver Bobby Sewall, and cornerback Pete Ittersagen. Defensive tackle Kareem Brown and linebacker Mike Rivera were “Waived/Injured”. Brown has a shoulder injury which head coach Jeff Fisher has suggested might require surgery to repair.

Injured receiver Antonio Bryant will see a lot of interest if he soon becomes healthy, and the Titans may very well be one of those teams.  His knee has been troublesome during camp, but their is no doubt Bryant could deliver in the Titans offense.  He could be the solid number one receiver the Titans have desperately lacked.

Bryant has put up solid numbers the last few years, and showed his talent throughout the 2009-10 season.  The ceiling for Bryant is endless.  He could help spread the field for Chris Johnson and deliver a sure handed wide-out for Vince Young.

ProFootballTalk has reported that if Bryant is healthy before the end of the season, he may file a grievance report against the Bengals.

The Tennessean reports that the Titans were not all that prepared for what the Panthers D brought to the table in preseason action on Saturday.

The Titans surrendered seven sacks to the Panthers in their 15–7 loss on Saturday. It’s only preseason, sure, but that’s still a little surprising given that quarterback Vince Young was sacked just nine times in 12 appearances last season. “There were a lot of things going on up front, a lot of different fronts we haven’t practiced against,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “(Offensive line coach) Mike Munchak was scrambling on the sidelines, which is a good experience for us trying to sort things out. There are things in which we will address those types of situations. Like anything else, you set out to go into a preseason and say there are things we are going to do and things we are not going to do. We have a laundry list of things that could have sorted out a lot of the problems last night, but we elected to stay away from it.”

Reports are we will see rookie DE Derrick Morgan for the first time Saturday night when he takes the field against Carolina.

Titans rookie defensive end Derrick Morgan will make his preseason NFL debut Saturday night against Carolina. Morgan was sidelined with a calf injury for the majority of training camp, but returned to limited action at practice on Wednesday. Morgan is expected to see action in around 15 plays against the Panthers first team offense. The Titans will still be without cornerback Cortland Finnegan, who continues to nurse a groin injury. Finnegan has yet to practice, but began running sprints during Wednesday’s practice.

Tackle Mike Otto is going to miss some time after he had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday. Early word is he will miss a couple weeks.

Tackle Mike Otto underwent arthroscopic surgery on his right knee Thursday morning and will likely be out for several weeks. Otto is the top backup at both tackle and guard for the offensive line. Arthroscopic procedures generally take between two to four weeks to heal.

“I got it all taken care of and it’s feeling pretty good. Hopefully, it’s just rehabbing now and I’ll be ready to go again,” Otto said. “They just kind of went in there and cleaned some stuff out.” Otto was having a solid training camp and preseason, having moved up the depth chart to be the first man off the bench on the offensive line. “It’s unfortunate that it happened, but at least I got to get some games under my belt [in preseason],” Otto said. “I felt like I was playing really well. I’ve gotten to the point where I know the offense pretty well, and I know the guys pretty well.”

With Otto down, Troy Kropog and Fernando Velasco move up a notch among the backups as does rookie center/guard Kevin Matthews and veteran tackle Michael Toudouze.

CB Cortland Finnegan, who remains out of team drills due to hip flexor and groin injuries, ran sprints during Wednesday’s joint practice with the Cardinals. It’s unlikely he’ll play in Saturday’s game against the Panthers. Finnegan is getting closer to returning but could be held out of the last two preseason games as a precaution.

Seems that the Titans and Cardinals can’t get enough of each other, as just two days after playing on Monday night, the teams will practice together on Wednesday:

The Arizona Cardinals, eager to avoid a quick trip home on an already short week, are sticking around Music City for a joint practice with the Tennessee Titans. Yes, against the very same team that just beat the Cardinals 24-10 Monday night in a preseason game.

Both teams rested Tuesday with the Cardinals getting the chance for sightseeing if they wanted. Then they hit the field together Wednesday afternoon at the Titans’ headquarters in some unusual scheduling. Most NFL teams practice against a different team before playing each other in a preseason game. “It just worked out this way,” Arizona coach Ken Whisenhunt said Tuesday. Based on what I know, it’s unusual. Most teams do it the week before they play. Coach (Jeff) Fisher and I have talked about it. I think we were both OK with trying to do it. I think it works out well for us because this is a great opportunity for us to stay here based on having a short week.”