And while George’s departure may have been a big loss in the locker room, I think the effect of his absence on the field will be minimal. Steve McNair is the leader of this team now, and the running game has regained some of the explosiveness it once possessed with George while he was in his prime.
A bigger loss, perhaps, will probably be that of wide receiver Justin McCareins, who was traded to the Jets during the off-season, especially now that second-year wideout Tyrone Calico has been sidelined with knee problems. But regardless of who the Titans have lined up at the wide receiver positions this season, my money is on McNair to find a way to raise their level of play as he has done for many players on Tennessee’s offense for several years now.
Quarterback
The Titans appear to be in very good shape at QB with Co-MVP Steve McNair starting and Billy Volek ready to back him up. McNair is still in the prime of his career and he seems to get better every year, but his body has taken a pounding over the last couple seasons and those injuries are likely to catch up to him one of these days. His athletic ability makes defenses respect his running ability, especially on roll-outs, and despite the fact that he receives a lot of attention for his mobility, he is one of the better play-action pocket passers in the game.
Volek is far from a proven performer, but he has displayed the ability to run this team in limited preseason action. He attracted a lot of attention during the off-season, but chose to re-sign with the Titans after he failed to find a team that would give him a legitimate shot at a starting job this season. Jason Gesser, who was an undrafted free agent in 2003, is penciled in as a developmental prospect, but he doesn’t possess the skills to be anything more than a career backup.
Running Backs
The Eddie George era has finally ended in Tennessee after the veteran was released during the off-season, and while the Titans will miss his leadership skills, his production was clearly on the decline. Second-year player Chris Brown only has 56 carries under his belt, but the Titans saw enough in him to hand him the starting job this year. He appears to have the skills to be an effective between-the-tackles runner and he has decent receiving skills, but his inexperience could be a problem against the blitz.
Veteran Antowain Smith provides some insurance as the backup. His skills have slipped considerably and he would likely be adequate at best if forced to start, but he gives the team a veteran presence to fall back on if the youngster doesn’t pan out or suffers an injury. After Smith, there is very little depth at the position with guys like undrafted rookies Jarrett Payton, and Vick King fighting for playing time.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Derrick Mason will continue to be the primary weapon at wide receiver. He is an underrated player who put together another 1,000-yard season last year, but he has had trouble staying healthy. And health is an even bigger concern now with starter Drew Bennett being a little banged up in the preseason and Tyrone Calico, who was expected to produce in the No. 3 role, looking like he is going to be out several weeks with two sprained knees.
On top of the health concerns, Bennett is also being asked to step up into the hole at the No. 2 spot, which was created when Justin McCareins was traded to the Jets for a second-round pick. Bennett has good athletic ability and good hands, but I think he’s a better fit as the third guy. Ideally, Calico needs to eventually push Bennet for the starting spot, but he needs to stay healthy to do that. Behind Calico there is little experience with guys like Eddie Berlin, Jake Schifino, and Darrell Hill battling for the No. 4 spot.
The Titans added a potentially intriguing weapon at tight end by drafting Ben Troupe in the second round of this year’s draft, but he has failed to live up to expectations in the preseason. He’s an athletic tight end in the mold of Shannon Sharpe. He displayed tremendous receiving skills in college and has the speed to stretch the field vertically. The Titans use a lot of two-tight end sets, with Erron Kinney as the primary starter, but if the light doesn’t come on for Troupe soon, he won’t see the field much this year. Shad Meier will most likely get most of the playing time as the second tight end the way things look now.
