Tennessee Titans

Markelle Martin wants to prove to the Titans he’s a competitor, and a solid option at the safety position. During his first 14 months on the job, however, he’s spent most his time as a spectator. Martin, a six-round draft pick in 2012, isn’t taking part in this week’s minicamp because of a groin injury he suffered earlier this offseason. Martin spent his rookie season on the physically unable to perform list because of a knee injury. “It is definitely frustrating,’’ Martin said. “You feel like you are halfway in and kind of halfway out as far as being on the field. But I keep myself into it mentally as far as going over plays and talking to the guys.” Coach Mike Munchak said on Tuesday he expects Martin to be back for training camp. Safety Robert Johnson is also sitting out the three-day minicamp following surgery at the end of last season. Martin said he suffered his most recent injury while running less than full speed. He’s been rehabbing ever since. “I understand you have your ups and your downs, but I understand it is a blessing to be here,’’ Martin said. “When I am fully healthy, I will be able to go full speed and compete.” Share on FacebookPosted In: League News, Team News

How will the unscripted practices help you guys when you get into games and have to think on your feet? We had changes on the coaching staff as well, so basically what we have done is scouted our defense and seen how we would attack them, and vice versa for the defense. It's good because it is kind of a dry run for that game situation and once to hit the preseason and training camp that isn't something we will have to worry about because we have been through it. What are the keys to getting good work done for the offensive line when you aren't able to hit or wear pads like you normally would? It is funny because you can really be productive as far as the offensive line even though there are no pads on. Really so much of our game is about footwork and understanding leverage and scheme and concept of the play. Sometimes when you factor out the physical element like we have in OTAs and mini-camp it enables you to focus on those things- especially younger guys. It is really good for them. What do you think Chance Warmack's biggest challenge is going to be facing NFL defenses his rookie year? Probably the biggest thing is that he is going to have to bring it every week, and that starts with day one of training camp. The thing they found out right away, as any young player does, is that there are a lot of good players in this league. The ones that you have heard about, and will get excited for, the J.J. Watt when we play Houston twice a year, but it doesn't matter- his back-up and every other starter in this league is going to bring it. His [Watt's] skill set may be stronger than others, but you are going to get challenged every week. That is one of the most exciting things about playing in the league- there are no...I can't think of any bad college teams (laughs).. What do you think about Brian Schwenke competing with Fernando Velasco for the starting center job? We were real excited to get Brian. We really noticed him in the Senior Bowl when we went down there in January. He stood out playing guard and center. I think he has a real bright future in this league. The kid is 325 pounds and he can run really well and is very explosive. He is a smart kid. Just like Chance, there is a learning curve involved. Just getting to that point where you are comfortable, especially at the center position because the whole offense and everything is based upon you doing your job and setting the table so everyone else can make plays. Coach Matthews went on to talk about his sons playing together at Texas A&M this season, and the fact that his dad quit playing professional football because he was making more money in the offseason(!). They haven't posted the interview on their website yet, but check here later and it might be there.

So I'm bored, again... and we're getting ready to reach a very dead moment in the offseason when the players take off until training camp in about a day and a half so. Let's have some fun... Here are some random interjections that NOBODY will utter this offseason You know who's going to be great this year... the Raiders Cut the fullback? You can never have enough fullbacks in today's NFL Michael Griffin has to be hands down the best Free Safety in the game Blaine Gabbert has been looking good all offseason Oh man, they should really add another day to the draft. Did I also mention I love the idea that they moved the draft back a month. They should have a Super Bowl in Alaska, that would be ideal conditions for a championship game Whooo... I'm really glad they don't have football this time of year Is Tim Tebow a Jewish name? I hope Manziel goes into the draft next season, seems like a class act. If you guys have any ridiculous statements, be sure to comment So I'm bored, again... and we're getting ready to reach a very dead moment in the offseason when the players take off until training camp in about a day and a half so. Let's have some fun... Here are some random interjections that NOBODY will utter this offseason You know who's going to be great this year... the Raiders Cut the fullback? You can never have enough fullbacks in today's NFL Michael Griffin has to be hands down the best Free Safety in the game Blaine Gabbert has been looking good all offseason Oh man, they should really add another day to the draft. Did I also mention I love the idea that they moved the draft back a month. They should have a Super Bowl in Alaska, that would be ideal conditions for a championship game Whooo... I'm really glad they don't have football this time of year Is Tim Tebow a Jewish name? I hope Manziel goes into the draft next season, seems like a class act. If you guys have any ridiculous statements, be sure to comment Poll Should I do this again? Sure dude, I thought this thread was funny SCREW YOU GRIMERZ!!! SCREW YOU AND YOUR STUPID OBSERVATIONS Potato 0 votes | Results

(Kendall Wright on the new playbook) It has "stuff that gets us open...Gives you a chance to catch the ball and not get hit when you catch it. Give you time to make moves and get yards after the catch." Above is the quote from Kendall when asked about the new playbook this offseason. The way that Loggains intends to implement this remains to be seen, but it is a good sound byte nonetheless. Kendall thrives in space, and you can see that in the image posted here. His combination of "wiggle" and straight line speed makes for a threatening skill set if he can put his whole game together. Beyond the basic schematic things that will be installed for next season, the reemergence of Kenny Britt and addition of Justin Hunter should help not only threaten vertically, but also the perimeter. With that kind of threatening stretch on the outside, things get freed up underneath for Kendall to work. While Kendall led the team in receptions last year, I thought there was still plenty of room for improvement. Getting him the ball in space more would be a great start.

Day one of the Titans mini camp is in the books and there's a handful of observations worth noting. Yes Kenny Britt made an amazing catch along the sidelines and Locker hit Kendall Wright in stride deep down the field as he ran away from Blidi Wreh-Wilson. Al Afalava also picked off Ryan Fitzpatrick in the endzone as well. But without getting too excited about individual efforts while players are still wearing shorts, let's take a look at some of the camp generalities. Yesterday's mini-camp was conducted at a faster pace than the previous OTAs and focused on team drills as opposed to individual ones. There was a lot of 11 on 11 format and competition was as high as it could be without having pads on. The team spent the last ten OTA practices installing plays and now it's time to see what stuck. Officials were at the practice calling everything except holding penalties on the line. It's never too early to keep bad habits from forming and keeping the players in line. You play like you practice as the saying goes. Levitre, Roos, and Stewart are still out. It's not time to panic yet, but it's not what you want at this point either. By all accounts the main focus of the off season was overhauling the offensive line and trying to turn a negative into a positive. Cohesion between offensive lineman can trump raw individual talent and outside of reps between receiver and quarterback, it's the position group that can benefit the most from playing together. Having only 2 of your 5 projected starters working together is not the ideal situation. If this lingers into training camp, there should be concern. The Titans hosted around 200 Fort Campbell soldiers at their mini-camp, which is absolutely wonderful. It's hard to tell who enjoys it more and it's great for everyone involved. Their relationship with the armed forces is one thing the Titans continue to get right year after year. It seems the biggest news was that Mike Munchak decided to go unscripted during the practice. The team ran set situations such as 2-minute, 4-minute and red zone, but other than the offense letting the defense know what player personnel grouping they were using, the rest was done on the fly. This not only helped the coaches see how the players would react in game like moments, but it helped Loggains, Gray and Williams get ready for spur of the moment play calling as well. This is a telling quote from Jerry Gray via Paul Kuharsky of ESPN. "Not only does it help me, it helps Dowell, it helps the head coach get a chance to see what we like to call in certain situations, and the players do, too. You can script and say hey, ‘I can always have the pen last and win.' You've got to make the call from what you are looking at, what you're thinking, what's that going to do to you, because that's how the game is." There's nothing bad to say about the way the Titans have handled the off season or their limited practices. They are resting guys that need resting and trying hard to get a lot of new faces on the same page. Let's just hope this momentum carries over the next six weeks until training camp starts. For beat writer break down of what happened, you can check out John Glennon, Jim Wyatt, and Paul Kuharsky.

Dowell Loggains is really excited about our talented trio of TEs, calling them the best TEs we've had since Scaife and Crumpler. The theme this offseason has been to get bigger up front, and nastier on offensive and defensive lines. Hopefully the improved defensive line anchors the defense as a whole. Bernard Pollard talks about using game situations in practice. He talks about flying under the radar and not caring that they are disrespected by the media. Loggains talks about the production from the offense and what some expectations are this coming year. If the team lives up to Pollards expectations on offense and defense, we are going to be a "really, really good team." Players and coaches were tested when training camp went unscripted. This definitely should be done more Quote of the Day: "Are we going to knock the piss out of people? Its going to go down." -Bernard Pollard

Tennessee Titans WR Kevin Walter (back soreness) will not practice again until training camp begins, according to head coach Mike Munchak. Huddle Up: It's likely more of just a precautionary measure at this point, but in any case, definitely don't be expecting a whole lot of the former Texan on his new squad which has a glut of WRs in Kenny Britt, Nate Washington, Damian Williams and recent high draft picks Kendall Wright and Justin Hunter for a team not expected to rank among the league leaders in passing attempts.

The Tennessee Titans kicked off a three-day minicamp on Tuesday and there was plenty of note on the first day. Specifically, wide receiver Kenny Britt and defensive end Derrick Morgan were impressive, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Britt reportedly had the "catch of the day" early on in practice. He made a one-handed catch as he was falling, and managed to keep one foot and a knee inbounds. Morgan looked good in drills, specifically pass rush drills, beating tackle Mike Otto for a would-be sack of Locker. Having Britt look great in minicamp and later, training camp, can only be a good thing for the Titans. After a promising rookie year that saw him finish with 701 yards receiving and three scores, Britt hasn't played a full season, missing 19 games over the past three campaigns. Last year, he had just 589 yards receiving in 14 games. The team would like Britt to step into that No. 1 receiver role and flourish. Morgan, meanwhile, has been disappointing as well. He's been only so-so against the run and hasn't been that effective of a pass rusher, though last year was his best season yet, with 6.5 sacks over the course of 16 games. Prior to 2012, he hadn't completed an entire season. Morgan's job should be easier this year, with the Titans adding help on the interior of the line with Sammie Lee Hill and Antonio Johnson. Tennessee has had lacking production from all positions on the line, so we may see more from Morgan with some added help. Both Britt and Morgan will be starters this year, and both will be expected to perform. They're getting an early start in minicamp, but things will really heat up in training camp and the preseason. More from SB Nation: • NFL Debrief: The end of football? • Denard Robinson (sort of) ties his shoes for the Jags • What's Andy Reid's place in NFL coaching history? • Will Juron Criner be the Raiders' new red zone target? • Broncos blog talks to All-Pro Von Miller • 5 quarterback battles to watch

Oct 7, 2012; Minneapolis, MN, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive back Alterraun Verner (20) against the Minnesota Vikings at the Metrodome. The Vikings defeated the Titans 30-7. Mandatory Credit: Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports Alterraun Verner recently took some time to answer a few of my questions about OTAs and the upcoming season via email. For those of you unfamiliar with Verner he plays cornerback and is truly a key piece for the Titans defense. He’s an extremely versatile player that can play multiple positions in the defensive backfield. Take a look at what Alterraun had to say about the Titans’ defensive changes and additions: **** Carlos (Interviewer): Hi Alterraun, thanks for taking the time to answer these questions for me. Lets get started. Carlos:  Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean recently reported that the Titans defense was going through a bit of a schematic change this offseason, moving from the Cover 2 to more of a press-man scheme. You’ve been very impressive in the current defensive scheme; do you think that will carry over into the press-man defense? Which scheme do you think your skill-set better suits you for? Alterraun Verner (Player): Yes it should carry over a lot. 3 of my 6 career interceptions have come out of man-to-man coverage. So I see no reason why things will change for us going to a predominantly press-man scheme. It is still football. The scheme that better fits me is probably zone, not because of my physical attributes, but for my mental game. I like to dissect formations, situations, personnel, etc. In a press alignment you are not allowed to make those adjustments as much since you are in the receivers’ face. So that is why zone suits me more, but playing man is way easier! Carlos: John Glennon also of The Tennessean reported that you’ve been taking reps at the free safety position during OTAs. Do you enjoy playing free safety and how is it different from playing cornerback?  Do you think we’ll see some of that during the regular season? Alterraun Verner: I have no idea if you will see this in the regular season. No plans have been made to that extent. Playing safety you are at a position where you can make a lot of plays. You are the saving grace of the defense so you can’t afford to make a mistake at all. The whole defense relies on you to be where you should. But also, you have the best view of the entire offense and get a chance to key the QB more. With that said, I enjoyed playing the position right now, but I am definitely a corner! Carlos: There’s some really great talent at cornerback on the roster right now with you, Jason McCourty, Tommie Campbell, Coty Sensabaugh, and rookies Blidi Wreh-Wilson and Khalid Wooten. With all that talent at your position, does it make you more competitive than usual? How do you feel about competition at OTAs and training camp? Alterraun Verner: Adding talent to the team at this position is always essential. We play a vital role on the success of this team. The ability to play any of us and find success will be paramount especially since injury happens at times. I would not say it has made me more competitive. My goal every year is to try to be the best cornerback on the team, so I am motivated to perform well every year.  With that said, the competition has been amazing so far! I feel like everyone has been trying to make plays and impress the coaches. It’s been highly competitive on both sides of the ball! Training camp will be even more intense. Carlos: The Titans added a lot of great players through free agency and the draft during the offseason. George Wilson and Bernard Pollard are two of those players who will join you in the secondary. They have both been in the league awhile and are considered to be two of the best players at the safety position. How do you feel the addition of these two players will help to improve the defense and the secondary in particular?   Alterrau

Tennessee Titans coach Mike Munchak has eliminated a script of plays for this week's minicamp to simulate game conditions.