The Titans are cleaning house. Former Head Coach Jeff Fisher is gone after 17 seasons, replaced with Mike Munchak. Vince Young is gone, as is Kerry Collins, who retired. They drafted Jake Locker with the 8^th overall pick and signed Matt Hasselbeck to be a stopgap for them until Locker is ready to start. Hasselbeck was solid last year when healthy, but he turns 36 in September and he can’t seem to stay healthy. He hasn’t played a full 16 game set since 2007, missing 13 games in the 3 seasons since then, so there’s a very good chance we see Jake Locker start a few games this season.

Chris Johnson is their best offensive player. After rushing for over 2000 yards in 2009, the 6^th player in NFL history to do so, Johnson saw his YPC fall from 5.6 to 4.3 in 2010. A major reason behind that is that he wasn’t sharing a backfield with Vince Young as much. When Young was in the lineup, Johnson averaged 4.8 yards per carry in 2010. When he wasn’t, Johnson averaged 3.8 yards per carry. This makes sense because opposing defenses had to respect Young’s rushing ability and couldn’t just focus on Johnson.

Another major reason behind his struggles was his interior blocking. Eugene Amano at center and, LeRoy Harris, and Jake Scott at guard all ranked among the worst run blockers in the league last year, as did fullback Ahmard Hall. They didn’t replace any of those 4 players so it’s definitely possible that Johnson could continue to “struggle” by his standard, especially since Vince Young is gone for good.

On top of all that, Chris Johnson is currently holding out. The Titans will offer him a contract that would make him the highest paid running back in NFL history if he reports, but that isn’t enough for him. He wants a deal worth 39 million over the first 3 years. I don’t think he misses any games, but he definitely could.

Even if he doesn’t miss any games, a holdout could hurt him this season. Darrelle Revis was never quite right last season after his preseason holdout. Given that we’re coming off a lockout shortened offseason, the training camp and preseason games that Johnson is missing are even more valuable than they normally would be.

Rounding out their offensive front are tackles Michael Ross (left) and David Stewart (right). Both struggled last season. Roos, normally a great pass protector, allowed 9 sacks last season. Stewart, meanwhile, allowed 25 quarterback pressures on the right side. Roos allowed 5 sacks in his previous 2 seasons, while Stewart allowed 4 in that same time span, so it’s very possible one or both bounce back this season.

Kenny Britt is their #1 receiver. With a better quarterback and now that he’s in his 3^rd year, he should be primed to breakout. He caught 42 passes for 775 yards and 9 touchdowns last season in just 12 games. One problem, he got arrested almost weekly this offseason so he should be expecting a suspension, possibly a 4 game long one.

Opposite Kenny Britt, Nate Washington is the #2 receiver. Washington belongs in the slot, where he thrived in Pittsburgh. However, unless 2010 3^rd round pick Damian Williams can step up and push him from the starting lineup, Washington will once again be a starter. Williams would start if Britt gets suspended so he should get a chance to show what he has. I liked Williams a lot coming out of USC so I really hope he can prove me right.

At tight end, Craig Stevens is currently penciled in as the starter. I think Jared Cook can beat him out in camp. Cook, a 3^rd rounder in 2009, caught 15 passes for 196 yards and a touchdown in his final 3 games. Stevens, meanwhile, will come in on 2 tight end sets and serve as a strong blocker, the role he was in last season.

 

Defense used to be the strength of this team. Now it is far from that. In fact, it could be one of the worst stop units in the league. Jason Babin is gone. He had 12.5 sacks for them last season. The rest of the team combined for 27.5. They’ll miss him. Jason Jones will be moving from tackle to end. He’s very good against the run, especially for an end, but he only managed 3.5 sacks last season. He’s not a great pass rusher.

Opposite him, Derrick Morgan will start at right end. He was the 16^th pick in 2010, but missed most of his rookie season with an injury. They’ll hope he can step up in a big way for them this season, otherwise they might not have a consistent #1 pass rusher. Nickel rusher Dave Ball had 7 sacks last year, but he isn’t good enough against the run to be an every down end.

With Jason Jones moving from tackle to end, the Titans signed Shaun Smith from the Chiefs to start at defensive tackle. 2009 2^nd round pick Sen’Derrick Marks, who has disappointed to this point in his career, will compete with rookie 3^rd rounder Jurrell Casey to start at under tackle next to Smith. However, with former defensive line coach Jim Washburn gone, it’s reasonable to expect Tennessee’s defensive line as a whole to struggle. Washburn always got the most out of everyone, even Albert Haynesworth for the most part. I think he made this defensive line look better than it was last year. I don’t think there’s a ton of talent on the line.

Also gone this offseason is Stephen Tulloch. Tulloch is a free agent loss on the same level of Albert Haynesworth after 2008 and Jason Babin this offseason. Tulloch was 2^nd in the league in tackles. How Detroit only got him for 3.35 million over one year, I don’t know, but if the Titans didn’t at least try to outbid them, they’re stupid. He’s a huge loss. He’ll be replaced by free agent acquisition Barrett Ruud. Ruud, once one of the best linebackers in the league, has seen a decline in the past two years thanks to injuries.

Around Ruud in the middle, Akeem Ayers is expected to start on the strong side. He was drafted in the 2^nd round this past April. As with most rookies, he could struggle. On the weak side, Will Witherspoon is a 31 year old marginal player. Gerald McGrath, who was a starter last year but lost his job to Ayers, could end up starting over Witherspoon by the end of the season.

At cornerback, Cortland Finnegan will start next to Alterraun Verner. Finnegan is coming off a down year, but he’s one of the league’s better cornerbacks. Verner, meanwhjle, impressed as a 4^th round pick rookie in 2010 and should be even better in 2011. Jason McCourty, another solid young player, is expected to be the nickel corner. Michael Griffin at free safety is also a solid player. Chris Hope is the weak link in their secondary. Fortunately for them, he’s a strong safety, the least important position in a secondary.

The Titans went into 2010 as a potential sleeper and ended up finishing 6-10 and needing to find a new quarterback through the draft. They are clearly in a rebuilding phase and their record should reflect that this season. Their defense is a far cry from what it once was, while the offense should experience growing pains, especially coming off of a lockout shortened offseason. Even their best player, Chris Johnson, will be hurt by terrible blocking and his own decision to hold out through training camp and the preseason for more money.

Quarterback: C+

Running backs: A-

Receiving corps: C

Offensive line: C-

Run defense: B-

Pass rush: C

Pass coverage: B-

Coaching: C-

Projection: 7-9 2nd in AFC South