At safety, the Titans are very solidly four-deep. Newcomer Chris Hope brings swagger to the defense coming off a Super Bowl championship with the Steelers, who are almost annually one of the best defenses in the league. He's a tough player who doesn't let a lot of plays get behind him, and he flows to the ball very, very well.
The other starter is Lamont Thompson, a gritty player with an excellent ability to diagnose plays and be where he needs to be. He can also run with any TE and many WRs in the NFL, and can put any of them on their backs to boot.
The depth is formed of two players who are mainly special-teams contributors, Donnie Nickey and Vince Fuller. Fuller does have some potential as a defensive player, however, and Nickey has shown that he can hold his own in the past.
Overview
Due to the toughness of their division and the fact that they are in a rebuilding stage, the Titans are some time away from contention. They have a solid core of players to build around, but they are still in need of a few pieces before they will be in position to make a run at the playoffs again. Jeff Fisher is still one of the best coaches in the NFL, and he will be able to make this team compete in every game, win or lose, and they will make even top contenders fight for victory. Unfortunately, with powerhouse Indianapolis and contending Jacksonville in their division, this does not look to be their year.
In addition to those tough divisional opponents, the Titans also have to go into San Diego, Miami, and Philadelphia, and have to make a late-season trip to Buffalo, which is always a tough place for visitors in December. They also have to play host to Dallas, the Giants, and New England, three teams that look to be tough to beat this season. As positive as the overall outlook is for the Titans compared to last season, they will still very likely wind up with a top-ten pick in the 2007 draft.
