Titans NFL Football

Jeff Fisher made it perfectly clear Friday that he’s prepared to lock another quarterback out of the Tennessee Titans’ training facility. This time it is not an aging veteran who potentially could get hurt — it’s a high-profile rookie whose enormous potential has yet to be tapped.

Following the second of the day’s two workouts during the Titans’ rookie orientation, first-round draft pick Vince Young said he planned to remain in Middle Tennessee over the next several weeks so as to speed up the learning process. One problem: League rules prohibit first-year players from receiving any sort of coaching between the draft and May 16, with the exception of this weekend’s introduction to professional football.

"He will not be allowed at the facility until the 15th, and that’s just a travel day," Fisher said. "We cannot have any contact with him, from a meeting standpoint, a practice standpoint or anything until (then). … I’ll talk to him about it.

"Those are the rules."

Add just one more item to the list of things Young has in common with Steve McNair.

Both were taken with the third overall pick in the draft — McNair in 1995, Young this year. Both were deemed worthy of such a high selection because of their athleticism and multi-talent approach to quarterback, which includes a unique ability to run the football. Both were considered projects who were not ready to step immediately into a starting role in the National Football League.

It was two seasons before McNair took over the starting role for good, and it has been his for the past nine years. Now, however, he has been barred from training at the team’s facility because of liability concerns connected with his current contract, which he and the Titans have tried unsuccessfully to renegotiate. Tennessee entertained trade offers for McNair from the Baltimore Ravens over the weekend and have made it known they might release him prior to the start of training camp.

Young took his first steps toward becoming McNair’s eventual replacement with the rookie orientation, which concludes today.

"You start one-by-one," Young said. "You don’t go and try to beat coach to anything. Whatever he gives you that day, that’s what you go study, and that’s what we’re going to run that day. You take it page-by-page.

"Why should there be pressure? I’m playing football. This is my business. This is my job right now."

Fisher said that the 6-foot-4, 233-pounder made a good first impression. According to the head coach, Young completed four straight deep passes to three different receivers during one-on-one drills in the morning workout, which were closed to the media.

In the afternoon he had little opportunity to show off his passing skills, and when he did he looked every bit like a rookie. Some of his throws fluttered. Others were off-target. Some were dropped by the receivers when they were on target. And some never materialized due to mishandled snaps from center.

Half of the session’s only 11-on-11 period was running plays. The first time he dropped back against a whole defense he held the ball when he could not find an open receiver. Two of his deliveries were dropped — one of which was slightly underthrown. His only two completions were to free agent running back Lamont Reid, and one of those was behind the line of scrimmage.

"I think I threw the ball pretty good," Young said. "On a couple throws I think I didn’t get my feet planted all the way to deliver with the accuracy (with which) I have been throwing. It comes with the learning process right now."

He made it clear that he would like to get through that process as quickly as possible — hence his desire to remain in the area and keep working.

"Even though a lot of people are leaving, I’m not going to leave," Young said. "I’m going to stay here."

The league’s stance is that he doesn’t have to go home, but he can’t stay at the facility after today.

"We want him to tell us if it’s all of the sudden all meshing together and it’s too much," Fisher said. "We’ll add things each day, and then we’ll send him home until the 15th. … We’ve got a lot of time. He’s anxious. I’m sure he thinks he can stand out in the street and absorb information. That’s how anxious he is, but we can’t have him in the facility."

Diversity is a loaded term. Is a workforce diverse when it attains a mix of races, genders, styles, creeds, sexual orientations and economic, geographic and political backgrounds?

That’s merely a start.

A workforce is not truly diverse until it has an employee with a Mohawk.

The Carolina Panthers are diverse. Justin Hartwig, the team’s new free-agent center, has a thick strip of brown hair that runs down the middle of his head. He acquired it last season when he played for the Tennessee Titans. It was supposed to be a training camp ‘do but became something more.

"It’s my trademark," he said.

When the look was new, Hartwig walked into a Target in Nashville. A woman began to stare and did not stop. The stare suggested, are you aware you have a Mohawk?

Hartwig, 27, was aware, thanks.

People also walk up and tell him, "You’re tall."

In related news, he also is aware that he is 6-foot-4 and that he weighs 312 pounds.

Hartwig is my new favorite starting center. It’s easy to blend in, tough to stand out. But I know some of you are thinking, why would it be tough for a guy from Tennessee to have a Mohawk? In Tennessee, it takes guts not to have a Mohawk.

Wrong. Hartwig is of Tennessee but not from Tennessee. He grew up in Iowa and played at Kansas.

And he’s an offensive lineman. When was the last time a Panthers offensive lineman stood out? It probably was in the mid-1990s when Frank Garcia took on the roster of the Oakland Raiders and was ahead on the cards of all three judges when referees stepped in.

I guess Jeff Mitchell, Hartwig’s predecessor at center, also stood out when he was caught up in the steroid scandal.

Hartwig praised Mitchell, who started five seasons for Carolina. Nice touch; Mitchell should be praised. Mitchell was a good teammate and is a good man, and one episode does not undo a career’s worth of good work.

Hartwig is younger and healthier than Mitchell and, despite the Mohawk, almost as obscure. The interview he did with three of us Friday was his first since signing in March.

He came with advice.

"You have to think outside the box," he said with enthusiasm.

Caught up in the moment, a gray-haired reporter asked Hartwig if he should get a Mohawk.

"Go for it," Hartwig said.

Do it. I’ll pay at the barbershop, and you’ll pay when you get home.

Not everybody can make the look work. After the first practice of mini-camp Friday morning, Hartwig’s Mohawk was matted with sweat. A small animal appeared to have been dropped from a great height, landed with a splat and decided to stay.

Um, are you married?

His answer was not, "I was until I got my hair cut."

His answer was, "My girlfriend loves it. Women love it."

So if you’re a single guy who would like a girlfriend, get a Mohawk.

And sign a five-year, $17 million contract with a $7 million signing bonus.

Sign the contract first.

 

Fans can expect moves virtually everywhere except at tight end where veteran Erron Kinney is a reliable player who is a lead-by-example type and Ben Troupe still carries loads of promise. Bo Scaife will head into his second season having performed as consistently well as any of the teams 2005 rookies and at 6-foot-8, 255 pounds Gregg Guenther is an interesting project as the fourth in the group, who played in five games as an undrafted rookie.

TEAM NEEDS/OFFSEASON STRATEGY

The Titans have a lot of contract decisions to make, many of which are based on how much they are willing to pay out as roster bonuses. Odds are they won’t reveal any decisions until after they return to Nashville from the combine.

QB Steve McNair is slated to earn $10 million in 2006. His agent Bus Cook said he doesn’t see why McNair should be willing to take a cut for less, at least without an extension that brings up-front bonus money. GM Floyd Reese has said the Titans are budgeted to handle McNair’s numbers, but it seems hard to imagine them spending that much on McNair in his 12th season.

Players with pending financial issues also include left tackle Brad Hopkins (due $1.5M roster bonus and a $4.25M base), guard Benji Olson (due a $2 M roster bonus and a $2.5M base), guard Zach Piller (due a $250,000 roster bonus and a $1.5M base), linebacker Peter Sirmon (due a $2.4 M base) and safety Lamont Thompson (due a $2.5M secondary signing bonus).

1. Receiver: No matter who’s playing quarterback, the Titans need a reliable threat for him that can give Norm Chow some room to use his best material. The kind of help they need can’t come in the draft. They are likely to scour the free agent market for an affordable veteran they think can lead and produce.

2. Linebacker: Looking to upgrade speed and willing to move on without Brad Kassell and perhaps Peter Sirmon, the Titans need at least one athletic linebacker to work with Keith Bulluck. The Tigers need strength inside to stop the run, tie up blockers and help the ends in the pass rush.

3. Safety: Tank Williams is a UFA who was poor in his first season back from a knee injury, and if the Titans still like Lamont Thompson, they’ve got to do more to explain why. Quarterback could be third as well, as it’s time for them to find McNair’s eventual successor and at No. 3 in the draft they will certainly have a chance at a quality QB.

FRANCHISE PLAYER: None.

TRANSITION PLAYER: None.

UNRESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: CB Tony Beckham; LB Rocky Boiman; C Justin Hartwig; LB Brad Kassell; S Tank Williams.

RESTRICTED FREE AGENTS: S Donnie Nickey; LS Jon Dorenbos.

EXCLUSIVE RIGHTS FREE AGENTS: RB Jarrett Payton; LB Cody Spencer. PLAYERS RE-SIGNED

–DE Kyle Vanden Bosch: Potential UFA; $22M/4 yrs, $14.5M guaranteed/$4.75M SB).

MEDICAL WATCH: The Titans haven’t offered any recent updates, but outside of WR Brandon Jones (knee) they expect all their injured players to be ready for their offseason work.