What to watch for in Titans' preseason opener

The Titans open their preseason tomorrow night against the Rams at LP Field. As has been the case the past few seasons, the Titans offense will be the focus and with good reason. The offense was one of the worst in the league last year, by far the worst of the teams that made the playoffs. They ranked 22nd in total offense, ahead of only Oakland, Baltimore, New York Jets, Miami, Carolina, St. Louis, Atlanta, Buffalo, Kansas City and San Francisco. The passing game was paticularly inept with a total of 9 TD passes, yes that was for 16 games. I understand VY didn't have Moss, Harrison, Welker or Wayne to throw to but, come on 9 TDs and 17 INTs is pretty pitiful. We'll see how Uncle Rico looks against the Rams, not a terrific guide for how he will do this season but it might show how he is picking up Mike Heimerdinger's new offense.
Ya gotta love that release in the picture, classic drop back passer release.



Here is a breakdown from Terry McCormick, one of those real media guys.
From The City Paper:

" The Tennessee Titans spent much of the offseason revamping a mundane offense that struggled to score points.The first unveiling of those changes will be on display Saturday at 7 p.m. when the Titans host the St. Louis Rams at LP Field.There should be plenty to watch, especially in the first half when the starters will be on the field into the second quarter, and much to be scrutinized.If there are two areas that have brought the most interest this offseason, it is offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger’s retooling of Vince Young and the potential impact rookie first-round pick Chris Johnson can make on an offense desperate for playmakers.Heimerdinger is interested in that, but will be looking for more technically sound performances from the entire offense.“I’d like to see them come out and execute,” Heimerdinger said. “When we throw the ball, I’d like to see people get in the right spots and protect Vince so he can make the right decision and read the coverage.“Obviously, we are gonna run the ball, and I’d like to see us get our hats on the right people. We’re not gonna put in an extensive game plan, but just base things so they can go out and play and see where we’re at.”Young is eager for a fresh start and hopes to use the preseason as a stepping stone to regular season success.“You get to get out there and play out there in front of your fans, and they’re eager to see us play,” Young said. “You’re taking all these games and getting yourself ready to go [for the regular season].”It is the chance to put into practice what Heimerdinger has installed for the entire offseason and apply it to see what works and what still needs work.“We’ve been working for a week, two weeks. We’ve been working all season,” running back LenDale White said. “We did OTAs and things like that. There’s nothing less expected of us than to go out there and take care of our job and do what we need to do to win.”Improving the offense and execution are keys, but beyond that, the Titans want to find out exactly what they have in Johnson, whose 4.24 speed has translated well to practice field production.“More than anything, I’m eager to see Chris Johnson under the lights,” center Kevin Mawae said. “He’s shown flashes of how great he can be during practices, especially during training camp. But I would like to see him under game-type conditions when the real bullets are flying so to speak, because he seems to be something special.”Likewise, Johnson himself is ready to see how he measures up to real NFL competition.“I’m real eager to see,” Johnson said. “In practice, I’ve been doing real good, and I’m eager to see how it translates into [a game]. I’m confident right now and ready to go.”Heimerdinger wants to see how young players like Johnson and receiver Lavelle Hawkins respond to their first professional action, and see exactly what those on the offense have learned through the off-season.“It’ll be fun as we go along and see if Hawk is ready, see how Chris goes and see those young guys, see what our guys can do, the young wide receivers, see if they can separate against pretty good bump and run coverage like these [the Rams],” Heimerdinger said. “It’ll be fun just to keep it simple. We’re not going to do a lot of stuff; it’ll kind of be just bread and butter to see if we can go out and execute without the coaches in the huddle telling them what to do and reminding them.”


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