LeGarrette Blount: Tennessee Titans Should Be Concerned By His Behavior

LeGarrette Blount first made headlines in college for punching an opponent. Now that he is a professional, he has moved on to punching his own teammates.

Not exactly the maturation process the Titans were hoping for when they signed him as an undrafted free agent this past spring.

Blount's most recent incident came Wednesday afternoon when he landed a punch to the helmet of defensive end Eric Bakhtiari after having his own helmet ripped off on two consecutive plays.

Blount's reaction was not all that uncommon. Skirmishes run rampant in NFL training camps. Players are more easily agitated while having to endure two-a-day practices in 90+ degree heat.

These altercations are easily forgivable and quickly forgotten.

The perception changes, however, when LeGarrette Blount is involved.

Blount achieved stardom in college not so much for his play on the field, but for the swing he took at Boise State defensive end Byron Hout after a loss. The incident resulted in Blount being suspended for the majority of the season.

Red flags were raised in regards to Blount's character because of the incident and as a result, no team selected him in the 2010 NFL Draft.

This seemed a tad unfair at the time, as Blount was a very talented running back and it was only one mistake. Many players have made worse decisions in college and still gone on to have productive NFL careers.

Yet, with the news of Wednesday's altercation, Blount's incident against Boise State is beginning to look more like the norm than an anomaly.

Now, even more reports are surfacing that seem to affirm this suspicion. The Oregonian has reported that LeGarrette Blount also punched Oregon Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti while in college.

The punch came in the middle of a scuffle between Blount and two defensive teammates, including Bills second-year safety Jairus Byrd. It was intended for one of these two players but instead connected with the Oregon head coach as he attempted to break up the dispute.

The trouble doesn't stop here.

Blount was suspended for the first-quarter of a loss against the Cal Golden Bears during his junior season because of an unspecified violation of team rules. He was then suspended a second time after missing a number of team workouts during the offseason.

None of these incidents by itself is reason for major concern. However, when taken into combination, the Titans must begin to question whether Blount can be held accountable.

The good news for the Titans is that they did not have to invest a draft pick into Blount, so cutting ties with him would cost them no more than the time they've already invested.

On the other hand, if Blount does end up making the roster, the Titans will be the ones who will have to deal with the consequences of another outburst.

Any "extracurricular activity" initiated by Blount in an actual game will cost the Titans a minimum of 15 penalty yards and could make the difference between a win and a loss.

Furthermore, if opponents discover Blount's short fuse, they will do everything in their power to bait him into making another mistake. Blount can expect to be on the receiving end of a good deal of trash-talk and taunting.

Can he control himself in a regular season game when defenders are jawing at him?

The answer to this question is unclear, but it's something the Titans will have to consider if he's to stay on the 53-man roster. In the unfortunate event of an injury to star running back Chris Johnson, Tennessee would be ill-suited to have a ticking time bomb in the backfield.