Tennessee Titans' Preseason Profile

In last year's draft the Tennessee Titans struck gold with quarterback Vince Young of Texas. Kerry Collins, the original starter for the year, quickly allowed Young an opportunity. After a horrible beginning to the season Collins stepped down and the top QB in the draft stepped in. Although Young wasn't perfect he proved that, as at Texas, he could win games. This year will be the first full year in which he will start, and the expectations are high. Tennessee could be a contender even in the mighty Colt's division, but they can't lean too heavily on their young prodigy.

After Young the offensive picture becomes a little more shaky due to an inconsistent young running back. Former rival with Young, USC's Lendale White will have to work better with his QB this season if the their two pronged ground game is going to succeed. He is a big, north south runner and should compliment the speed and shake off ability of Young, who will not hesitate to run. Unfortunately running alone will not win games, as is seen by the Falcon's relative failure with a run heavy offense and running QB. While Young is probably a better passer than the Falcon's Vick, he doesn't have a wealth of options. Losing Wide receiver's Bennet and Wade has not helped matters, so the offense would certainly benefit with an explosive receiver to take the load off the running game. Ted Ginn Jr. of the vaunted Ohio State Buckeyes would be a huge pick, as he is certainly one of the better receivers in the draft, and has shown his strengths as a key player in an elite team. This pick, however, would be very fortunate because more than a few teams below could likely snatch him up. If this is the case another receiver, Wayne Jarrett, would still do very well. As a former teammate of Lendale White at USC, Jarrett displayed the same star receiver qualities as Ginn. Really either pick would work if the offense proved to be the management's biggest concern, although the defense is far from perfect.

Adam (Pacman) Jones is the biggest concern on defense, their star cornerback and two year pro. Due to a Las Vegas Casino brawl earlier this year Jones has been considered for reprimanding by the NFL. As ESPN states, it might even be a year according to the football commissioner. If this is the case Reynaldo Hill, last years starter opposite Jones, and new acquisition Nick Harper will be hard pressed. The fact that the Titans had the worst defense last year doesn't give any light to the picture, so if Pacman is out a new cornerback would be very welcome. Cornerback Aaron Ross from Texas will most likely still be available, and his addition could make the secondary a force to be reckoned with.

Obviously, with the worst defense last year, the secondary is not the only issue. A defensive end to lock down opposing rushers is certainly needed, and using a first round pick on this need would almost certainly improve the rushing defense. A good pick here would be Defensive end Anthony Spencer from Pittsburgh which will be available for the management to look over.

If the Titans improve their offense, they must be able to play in a high scoring shootout each week to win. If the defense is improved they almost certainly will not have the worst defense, but Vince Young will be hard pressed all season. At some point in the draft all these needs should be addressed, but with a defense still sulking from a last place ranking, I believe that they would benefit the most.