Tennessee Titans: What Can Be Learned from Week 1 of the Preseason

Though the Tennessee Titans have played only one preseason game, the contest against the Seahawks acted to both confirm what many already knew about the team and also to provide a few surprises.

In a season where the Titans hope to compete for a playoff berth, they will need young players to step up and areas of weaknesses from seasons past to develop into strengths. In a game that saw many of the first-stringers struggle to make an impact, a few players stood out, in both good and bad ways in the first half.

1. Jake Locker Continues to Show Why He is the Best Quarterback on the Roster

For all of the talk that has been dedicated to the quarterback competition over the last few months, it has become continuously clearer that Locker is the best man for the job when he steps on the field.

Though neither quarterback was all that dominant against the Seahawks, Locker once again flashed the decisiveness, mobility in the pocket and arm strength that made him a Top 10 pick. His ability to locate Kendall Wright while on the run and lead the offense on an 11-play scoring drive demonstrated the intelligence that is rare from a quarterback entering only his second year in the league.

Matt Hasselbeck, on the other hand, struggled to make an impression in his return to Seattle. Though a dropped screen pass and an interception that bounced away from Nate Washington can hardly be blamed on Hasselbeck, he demonstrated a lack of velocity on his passes and an overall inability to create big plays, which set him behind Locker at this stage of their respective careers.

Both quarterbacks should get more playing time in the second preseason game, but it's time to see what Locker can do with the rest of the starting unit.

2. Kendall Wright May Be Ready to Make an Impact From Day 1

I hate to overreact to a single preseason game, but Wright looked awfully impressive considering his lack of time in training camp.

From running crisp routes to getting upfield and adding yardage after the catch, Wright displayed the quickness and speed that has had Chris Palmer raving about him since he was selected in April.

Perhaps even most importantly, Wright seemed to be on the same page with Locker throughout their time on the field together. When Locker stepped up in the pocket, Wright came back to the ball, hauled in the pass and picked up the first down. If those two are already building a connection this early into training camp, it could spell great things for the future of the Titans passing game.

3. Questions Still Surround the Defense

Though they were able to limit the Seahawks to just three points offensively, Matt Flynn was able to locate the underneath man with a bit too much frequency and the Seahawks running game, minus starter Marshawn Lynch, was still able to have some success.

While it was encouraging to see the team step up once Seattle entered Tennessee's half of the field, something they excelled at last season, it would be nice to see more frequent penetration on both running and passing game.

The linebackers looked solid and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray was able to mix in a few different blitz packages, but as we move closer to the start of the regular season, I would expect to start seeing some more variety in the defensive play-calling that should give a better feel for what can be expected against the Patriots in Week 1.

4. It's Still Just Week 1 of the Preseason

While there are certainly things to keep an eye on in each preseason game, it's important to keep everything in perspective, as vanilla game-planning and overall lack of preparation really limits what teams can do at this point.

With that said, here are a few other things that stuck out over the course of the game.

Darius Reynaud may be a long shot to make the 53-man roster, his combination of quickness and decisiveness in both the run game and the return game makes him an interesting prospect. That kind of burst and cutting ability is rare from bubble players.

Though Chris Johnson's stat line is unimpressive, he showed some of the things that made Chris Johnson into one of the top running backs in football. His feet were quick and he cut upfield strong. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a rhythm and was taken out of the game before we could see what he can do in the open field.

Jared Cook looks to be picking up where he left off last season. The separation he is able to get in a simple crossing route makes him a great target regardless of who is throwing him the football.

Colin McCarthy has the kind of nose for the football that could help him develop into a top-tier middle linebacker. His ability to duck into the passing lane on his interception as well as his knack for avoiding blockers and getting behind the line of scrimmage were great demonstrations of what he can do when he diagnoses a play correctly.

With Tampa Bay coming up on Friday, Munchak and company are rapidly approaching that crucial third preseason game as well as the final call on the starting quarterback position.