Tennessee Titans

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.

Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker has improved physically in the offseason, but what offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains notices most is his leadership.

This is always a topic that breeds good conversation. You can use whatever criteria you want to deem someone overrated. I choose to base it on contract, and that leaves us with only two choices- Chris Johnson and Michael Griffin. CJ is not worth the money the Titans are paying him right now. I understood why they gave him the money at the time, and had he continued to play the way he did before he got the money it wouldn't have been a terrible deal. The problem is that he declined. Part of that is on the offensive line, but he should still be doing more than he is based on that contract. With all of that being said, the obvious choice for me is Michael Griffin. The Titans gave him a long-term deal when he had never done anything to deserve it, and he didn't get any better after they game him the money. What say ye?

The Titans will hold three starting offensive linemen out of team drills during mini-camp this week in the hope of having them ready for training camp next month.     Guard Andy Levitre (knee) and tackle David Stewart (leg) will be limited to individual drills this week, while tackle Michael Roos (back) may sit out all drills.     Other players who missed Tuesday’s practice and will likely sit out the rest of mini-camp: wide receiver Justin Hunter (hamstring), wide receiver Roberto Wallace (ankle), safety Robert Johnson (foot), safety Markelle Martin (groin) and wide receiver Kevin Walter (back.)     Titans coach Mike Munchak said he expects all of the players to be healthy for the start of training camp. Share on FacebookPosted In: Team News

There’s a line a mile long at strong safety, thanks to veterans Bernard Pollard and George Wilson, as well as less experienced players Al Afalava, Daimion Stafford and Markelle Martin. But the free-safety depth is a different story. Michael Griffin is the unquestioned starter, but the Titans rotated players behind him during OTAs – sometimes shifting Alterraun Verner from cornerback, sometimes shifting Afalava from strong safety and sometimes using inexperienced Tracy Wilson. Robert Johnson, who backed up Griffin last year, missed all the OTAs with a foot injury, though he’s expected back for training camp. Coach Mike Munchak didn’t rule out adding another free safety for depth. “That’s kind of what we’re saying now — ‘Is it this guy, that guy, that guy?’ ” Munchak said. “I think we’re still working on that and still looking, (in case) something pops up that we think someone is out there that can help us in that spot if injury happens. “But we are experimenting, yes. Right now it’s one of numerous guys that can go back there and we think have the ability, but hope they don’t have to get too much work there.” Share on FacebookPosted In: Team News

The Tennessean’s Autumn Allison reports on Fort Campbell soldiers visiting Titans minicamp at Baptist Sports Park on Tuesday: By use of this code snippet, I agree to the Brightcove Publisher T and C found at https://accounts.brightcove.com/en/terms-and-conditions/. --> This script tag will cause the Brightcove Players defined above it to be created as soon as the line is read by the browser. If you wish to have the player instantiated only after the rest of the HTML is processed and the page load is complete, remove the line. --> Share on FacebookPosted In: Team News

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak addresses reporters following Monday's mini-camp practice at Baptist Sports Park.