Chris Johnson: Future primary back?

As a result of being a first round pick, high expectations have been firmly placed upon the shoulders of Chris Johnson. His ability to make plays running, receiving and returning the football will be counted on heavily as the Titans look to improve an offense searching for playmakers.
Despite his small stature, Johnson packs a powerful punch. According to his draft profile, Chris has room on his frame to carry at least another 10 pounds of bulk without sacrificing his elite speed and quickness.
Could Johnson follow in the footsteps of other smallish backs who became every down RB’s such as Brian Westbrook and Willie Parker?

Tennessee all-time team: Middle linebacker

The man in the middle. He’s in the middle of the field and middle of the defense. Seven different players have been the primary starter at middle linebacker since the franchise arrived in Tennessee eleven years ago.
Three of them started for multiple years and should deserve the most consideration as the MLB on our all-time Titans team:

Tennessee all-time team: Left linebacker

Four guys have performed rather well at the left (strong-side) linebacker position for Tennessee.
Eddie Robinson 1998-1999 — Robinson spent the first six years of his career with Houston and Jacksonville before coming to Tennessee in 1998. In his four years with Tennessee, he started in all 64 regular season games, spending his first two years at LLB and then moving over to RLB for 2000 and 2001. Robinson had 83 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries in 1999. He missed only 13 starts in his eleven-year NFL career.

Bo Scaife: Stud, or the next Ben Troupe?

The Titans placed a high priority on upgrading the tight end position this offseason. First, they acquired the services of former Pro Bowl TE Alge Crumpler during the opening days of free agency.
They later swapped tight ends with the Falcons, losing Ben Hartsock to Atlanta while picking up former Falcon/Titan Dwayne Blakley. For the icing on the cake, California TE Craig Stevens was a surprise selection in the third round of April’s draft.
All of these moves were made despite the presence of last year’s starting TE, Bo Scaife, already on the roster. With only a year remaining on his current deal, will Bo Scaife step up in 2008, or will he follow in the footsteps of Ben Troupe, another talented TE drafted by the Titans who was eventually tossed asunder?

All-time Tennessee team — RDE

There hasn’t been a lot of stability at the right defensive end position for Tennessee. Seven different players have been the primary starter in the last ten years:
Kenny Holmes 1997-1998, 2000
Henry Ford 1999
Jevon Kearse 2001
Carlos Hall 2002-2004
Antwan Odom 2005
Travis LaBoy 2006
Kyle Vanden Bosch 2007-present

Should Albert Haynesworth be the RDT on all-time Tennessee team?

Who should be the right defensive tackle on our all-time Tennessee team?
In his six years in Tennessee, Albert Haynesworth has played in 76 games, starting 60 times. His 2007 season was his best and earned him Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

Apparently, it was too good to be true.
The return of The Freak has been reminiscent of a fairy tale: a prodigal son returns from a slew of lackluster seasons after signing a lucrative free-agent deal with the Eagles to save the day for a Titan defensive line that lost two key players to free agency.
Since his re-arrival in Tennessee, Jevon’s smile and his dedication have been on constant display as he has appeared motivated to recapture his past glory experienced during his first few years in the league with the Titans.
This weekend, the heartwarming fairy tale hit a snag with his DUI arrest near Vanderbilt University.

Tennessee era all-time team: LDT

Four different Tennessee Oilers/Titans were the starting left defensive tackle for two years apiece. They are joined by several others who were the primary LDT for one year each, including Kevin Carter, who earned Pro Bowl honors at LDE before moving inside to LDT.
Gary Walker was the starter in 1997 and 1998, Josh Evans in 1999 and 2001, John Thornton in 2000 and 2002 and Robaire Smith in 2003 and 2006. Carter moved inside in 2004, Randy Starks was the main starter in 2005 and Tony Brown took over in 2007. Brown is also expected to be the starter in 2008.

For some Titans, the pressure is on

NBA legend Charles Barkley once uttered the following words to describe pressure: “Pressure is something that goes in tires.”
The quote was the Round Mound of Rebound’s retort to the high expectations he and his Phoenix Suns teammates faced as they attempted to bring the franchise their first championship during the 1992-1993 season.
As we head towards the onset of the 2008 NFL season, like Barkley a decade and a half ago, several Titans face the unenviable task of living up to lofty expectations.
How will the following Titans respond to the pressure that awaits them?

Titans Pro Bowlers compete for LDE spot on all-time Tennessee team

This ought to be a very interesting discussion. Three Titans left defensive ends have garnered Pro Bowl honors and we’ll have to choose the best one.
Jevon Kearse (twice), Kevin Carter and Kyle Vanden Bosch were all selected for the Pro Bowl in years when they played LDE.