NFL Preseason: 10 Things To Watch For in the Tennessee Titans' Opener
The preseason is finally here and fans everywhere can once again turn the television to ESPN without watching record breaking tennis matches or continuous baseball highlights of players getting thrown out at first.
I've never found myself so excited for the preseason as I have been this year. In years past, the Titans have been pretty solid in most positions, but this year there are many position battles to be excited about as well as players coming back better than last year.
After the 8-8 season, the Titans can come into this year as a hit or miss, and this Saturday at 10:00pm eastern, we will get a glimpse of what they look like.
Here is a list of a few things you might want to watch for while you are watching this preseason game.
1) Who Will Step Up in the Backup Running Back Battle?
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The backup running back position, is going to be one of the most interesting to watch during this preseason. Javon Ringer has pretty much secured his second string role, but the third and fourth string spots will be wide open.
LeGarrette Blount, Stafon Johnson, and Alvin Pearman will be fighting for those last two spots.
It has been a year since Blount or Johnson have played in a competitive football game, so this will give them a chance to showcase their skills.
Pearman was on the team last year, mostly for special teams, but that doesn't guarantee him a spot this year.
When the second quarter rolls around expect Chris Johnson to be taken out of the game, and this position battle to go into full swing.
2) Is Chris Johnson in Shape?
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With contract talks and conversations about making 2500 yards, is Chris Johnson still able to back everything up. He wants more money and he thinks he is the best, but he missed all of OTAs.
As long as he kept up with his workout routine, he should be fine, but we will not see until Saturday.
Johnson will not be on the field for long, but we will all get a glimpse of what he can do. I think I speak for everyone when I say it would be nice to see a long run busted out, just for good measure.
3) Has Vince Young Matured?
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The Vince Young roller coaster is around for another year. Just when we all thought he had matured into a solid NFL player, he goes into a strip club and hits someone.
Hopefully that doesn't translate onto the field and we will all see a solid Young starting this game.
From what I've heard, he has made some very impressive passes in practice, now if that can translate to the playing field, we may have a incredible offense this year.
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4) Is Kenny Britt Back in Shape?
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When offseason workouts started, Kenny Britt was unable to practice due to him being "out of shape." Jeff Fisher did not seem happy about it and we can only hope Britt got his act together and got back into shape.
Hopefully we can see four or five receptions in this game to judge that for ourselves.
Britt was a very impressive receiver last year, and hopefully him being "out of shape" didn't regress his abilities. Only time will tell, and maybe we get a glimpse of it in this game.
5) Will Jared Cook Step up?
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With Alge Crumpler now a Patriot, there is an open spot at tight end. Bo Scaife will likely retain the first tight end spot, but the Titans love two tight end sets. It is pretty much between Cook and Craig Stevens.
Stevens has come through in the past when it comes to blocking, but not so much at receiving.
So the question is "Will Cook live up to his potential and become a big target for Vince Young?" We should get to see a little bit of the answer in this first game.
I wouldn't be surprised to see Cook play the entire first half as both the #1 and #2 tight end.
6) How Will Cortland Finnegan Do on the Other Side?
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If you haven't heard, Cortland Finnegan is learning to play the other side of the defense, so he can always match up with the opponents best receiver.
I wrote an article about this last week. It is going to be interesting to see how he does in this first preseason game.
In this game, Finnegan will be matched up against T.J. Houshmandzadeh for almost the whole first quarter. The Seahawks won't be afraid to test Finnegan in order to get Housh some reps.
7) Who Will Step up at Cornerback?
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On the other side of the field from Finnegan is a gaping hole. Who is going to fill that spot? Right now, the favorite is Jason McCourty, but from the sound of it Ryan Mouton and Alterraun Verner are not far behind.
This first preseason game is going to give each contender a shot to show that they should at least get to start a game in the preseason.
Look for these three to get equal playing time, and Tye Hill may be thrown in there to see if he still has it.
8) Who Will Show out at Defensive End?
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With injuries plaguing the defensive line, who is going to step up and show that they deserve playing time. Jacob Ford just came back from an injury, so he will probably be kept off the field for the most part, so he doesn't re-injure himself.
Both William Hayes and Derrick Morgan have injuries that will most likely keep them out of the game all together.
That leaves Jason Babin, Dave Ball, and Jacob Ford as the only defensive ends left from the beginning of training camp.
The Titans went out yesterday and signed former Colt Raheem Brock, and former Jaguar Chris Harrington. Both players will add depth at least for this preseason game.
9) Who Will Return Kickoffs?
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The Titans have obtained a lot of talent for the purpose of returning kickoffs in the offseason. Alterraun Verner, Damian Williams, and Marc Mariani could all potentially return kickoffs for the Titans this year.
Damian Williams was just cleared to play yesterday, which may lead to him not returning kickoffs in the first preseason game, despite being the favorite to win the job.
So Verner and Mariani may get their shots, as well as a couple of other people.
Ryan Mouton may get another shot after fumbling a couple of them last year. Kenny Britt may even step back there again, after returning kicks towards the end of the season last year.
10) Will Marc Mariani, Damian Williams, or Dominique Edison Look Good?
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Over the offseason I have heard things about Marc Mariani making diving catches, Damian Williams catching punts one handed, and Dominique Edison showing off receiver skills in general.
Will it transfer over into the games though? All of these receivers will get a chance to show off on Saturday, but which one actually will show off?
Williams is secured to make the team, but Mariani and Edison know if they don't perform in the preseason, they may be looking for other teams or at the practice squad.
Hopefully we can see some impressive things out of these three receivers.
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