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Houston Texans

The Texans don't plan to hand the starting kicker's spot to rookie Randy Bullock, drafted out of Texas A&M in the fifth round. Rather, special-teams coordinator Joe Marciano told SportsRadio 610, Bullock will have to beat out veteran Shayne Graham. "He has to compete to make the team first," Marciano said, per the team's official site. "If he can beat Shayne out, then I think he’s going to be very good for us."

Defensive lineman Hebron Fangupo, a free-agent signee from BYU, hopes to impress coaches during upcoming rookie camps. “I’m excited to compete with a top-notch offense and defense,” Fangupo said. “I’m ready to learn all I can from coaches and players, and I believe being able to compete with such great players can help my game tremendously.”

Indianapolis Colts

Owner Jim Irsay, on Twitter, said he sees the franchise "taking shape" and that the Colts' defensive front seven "could impress" in the new 3-4 defensive scheme.

Indianapolis grabbed tight end Andre Smith off waivers from the Bears; he's expected to be part of new coordinator Bruce Arians' five-tight end offense, Brad Wells notes for Stampede Blue. The Colts also waived cornerback Mike Holmes.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew, absent from the Jaguars' voluntary workouts, wants a contract extension, coach Mike Mularkey said. "I wish he was here. He knows we wish he was here," Mularkey said. "His teammates have talked to him about it. It's a personal decision. There's nothing I can do about it."

Tuesday's first day of organized team activities saw Jacksonville's first-round draft pick, receiver Justin Blackmon, going full speed with quarterback Blaine Gabbert and the first team, according to the Jags' official site. A sore foot that bothered Blackmon during rookie minicamps seems to have been helped by new cleats.

Defensive tackle Terrance Knighton apologized Tuesday for the club incident last month in which he suffered an eye injury that has kept him out of offseason workouts. Knighton said the vision in his injured eye has improved substantially. “It’s progressing a lot faster than they thought it would,” Knighton said. “I plan on being ready by training camp."

Tennessee Titans

A number of players, including quarterbacks Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker, have signed on for coach Mike Munchak's "Strikes to Stop Diabetes" charity bowling event, set for June 14. The tournament will pair a Titans player or coach with a four-person team, with proceeds going to the American Diabetes Association, the team's site reports.

Center William Vlachos, a free-agent signee from Alabama, has been impressed with the Titans' O-line after doing some film study. “I've been watching film for a couple days and my jaw's on the floor,” Vlachos said. “They're just so physical, the effort they bring every play is outstanding.”

Six positions around the league that needed addressing didn’t get attention in the draft.

Matt Williamson of Scouts Inc. gives them attention in this piece . A third of his areas of concern come out of the AFC South.

Here’s what he says, along with my thoughts:

Indianapolis Colts: Defense

Williamson: “Rome wasn't built in a day, and clearly the Colts decided to focus on surrounding Andrew Luck with a strong young supporting cast rather than building their defense, which will be transitioning from a fast-flowing Cover 2 scheme with smallish players at every position to a versatile scheme in the mold of Baltimore's defense that features power and strength. That is a very difficult transition to make. Indianapolis' first pick on the defensive side of the ball was made on Josh Chapman in Round 5. That pick presented great value for the long term, as Chapman has the makeup for nose tackle in the Colts' 3-4 or as a space-eating defensive tackle in their four-man front.

“But after that selection, Indianapolis used just one more pick on defense, grabbing Tim Fugger with the 214th pick overall. The Colts very well could have the worst defense in the NFL in 2012, but the reality is I can't be critical of what they did on draft day, as building around a young first-round quarterback is the correct decision. Rebuilding the defense will have to be a job for another day, but it will be a massive job indeed, as I see only a few players currently on the Colts' roster who can be projected as long-term answers in their new defensive scheme.”

My thoughts: I line up with Williamson’s thinking here. There is a lot of work to be done on defense, but the Colts simply didn’t have the free-agent spending money or the number of draft picks needed to sufficiently fill all the holes on both sides of the ball. So they started on offense. Next year I suspect it’ll be slanted the other way.

Tennessee Titans: Interior offensive line

Williamson: “The Titans didn't use one draft pick on an offensive lineman this year. Although they are set at both tackle spots, the interior of their offensive line needed to be upgraded. It was easy to blame Chris Johnson for his effort -- or lack thereof -- early in the 2011 season, but the blocking provided for him was far from ideal. Tennessee did add Steve Hutchinson to start at left guard. Hutchinson certainly isn't what he once was, especially as a run-blocker, but he does know every trick of the trade and should be a positive influence to this line and the offense in general.

“Interestingly enough, the Titans were as good collectively pass blocking as they were poor with run blocking. But my worries are at right guard and especially center, where Leroy Harris and Eugene Amano are the respective starters. Like the rest of their linemates, these two struggled to open holes for Johnson but did a fine job protecting Matt Hasselbeck. But I also contend that Hasselbeck is one of those quick-witted veteran quarterbacks who excels at masking problems with his protection.”

“If and when Jake Locker is going to take over behind center, Tennessee will need to effectively run the football. The Titans' offensive line depth is about as poor as any team's in the NFL, which made the lack of attention given to the guys up front even more curious, especially considering who Tennessee's head coach is.”

My thoughts: Mike Munchak and Bruce Matthews are Hall of Fame offensive linemen. They continue to get the benefit of the doubt. But if this line doesn’t run block substantially better early on in this season, that benefit of the doubt will start to evaporate and be replaced by a different idea -- that they are too close to guys like Amano and Harris to recognize the need to upgrade.

The draft is over, the rosters are filled up.

But what areas weren’t sufficiently addressed and where can we expect to see the teams of the AFC South continue to seek help?

Some thoughts.

Houston Texans

Veteran corner Jason Allen left as a free agent. He helped the Texans cover for Kareem Jackson, who played just 55.73 percent of the team’s defensive snaps in 2011.

Brandon Harris was a second-round pick out of Miami last year, but didn’t show anything. The Texans look to be counting on him to contribute more. They like Brice McCain, but he's a situational guy.

But corner is a spot where the Texans need some additional depth at the very least.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts loaded their roster with offensive players -- eight of 10 draft picks went on that side of the ball.

The defensive picks were on the defensive line.

Which means the Colts still have a ton of work to do in the defensive backfield.

Jerraud Powers is a quality corner and a good leader. But after him, there are no proven corners on the roster. Is the second starter Chris Rucker? Kevin Thomas? Mike Holmes? Brandon King?

That’s not a great group to be choosing from. Look for team to give some undrafted rookies a chance and grab a veteran or two as guys come free during camp cuts.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars believe a healthy Eben Britton will help fortify their offensive line and he should.

But they don’t have sufficient depth on the offensive line and should create a situation where there is more real competition.

They re-signed Guy Whimper, who is a swing tackle at best and had some bad stretches last season. They like John Estes as a reserve center, but it would be nice to have someone to compete with him for the right to take over for Brad Meester.

Tennessee Titans

The team has sent major mixed signals about its offensive line.

Tennessee courted all the top centers in free agency but did not land one. And then they didn't draft an offensive lineman. Coach Mike Munchak said it wasn’t a dire need and the team can win with what it has.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean reports that among the team’s undrafted rookies is William Vlachos. Perhaps the center from Alabama can scramble the mix. But the Titans should still be adding options on the interior.

» NFC draft analysis: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South


Despite talk of grabbing the best player available, it’s funny how often needs and picks seem to line up.

Of 31 picks, I count four that don’t technically qualify as addressing needs: Jaguars fifth-round linebacker Brandon Marshall, Titans fifth-round tight end Taylor Thompson, Jaguars sixth-round cornerback Mike Harris and Colts seventh-round quarterback Chandler Harnish.

We saw the Texans replenish at outside linebacker, on the offensive line and at kicker and add to their options at receiver. The Colts loaded up on help for No. 1 overall pick Andrew Luck -- seven of their other nine picks bring offensive players to Indianapolis . Jacksonville addressed its big needs right out of the chute, then made a couple of odd selections. Tennessee didn’t take two players at the same position.

BEST MOVE

The Jaguars came into the offseason in dire need of upgraded weaponry for Blaine Gabbert. They started last season with wide receiver Jason Hill as a starter, and he was cut before the season ended. Mike Thomas was miscast as a top-of-the-group guy when he should be a No. 3. Cecil Shorts showed he needs a lot of time to develop.

Mike Mularkey hired a solid receiver coach, Jerry Sullivan. He’s a tremendous upgrade from Johnny Cox, who was quickly fired after Jack Del Rio was dismissed during the 2011 season. Free agency brought Laurent Robinson, who should help, and Lee Evans, who’d be gravy if he can revive his career.

The Jaguars successfully sold pundits on the idea they’d be trading down, then only gave up a fourth-rounder to move up from No. 7 to No. 5 to draft Oklahoma State’s Justin Blackmon. He’s a dynamic receiver who can catch balls outside his frame and cause matchup problems.

Outside of Luck, no team in the division got a player who can cure an ill better than Blackmon can fix what ails the Jacksonville offense. Now it’s on Gabbert to show he can effectively get the ball to the new star receiver.

RISKIEST MOVE

The Titans didn’t touch a defensive end until Scott Solomon in the seventh round, and they didn’t add an offensive lineman at all. And pass rush and run blocking were two areas that qualified as weaknesses at the end of last season.

Tennessee hosted Scott Wells, Chris Myers, Jeff Saturday and Dan Koppen and saw all four sign elsewhere. On Saturday, coach Mike Munchak made those meetings sound like information-gathering get-togethers rather than courtships, a stance that’s pretty insulting to veterans who wouldn’t waste time making visits without the possibility of a contract.

The defense of incumbent starters on the interior -- Eugene Amano and Leroy Harris -- has entered a new round now. Munchak said the team felt no “dire need there” and that “we have guys we can win with.” Still, watch for a key undrafted addition or free agent or two.

The Titans added one big piece this offseason to its insufficient pass rush in the form of free-agent end Kamerion Wimbley, who was a cap casualty in Oakland. He may provide a big boost but also probably shouldn’t be on the field for every play. Tennessee’s only attempt to bolster itself on the edges came with the 211th pick, end Scott Solomon from Rice.

The Titans face a pretty good slate of quarterbacks this season. Those passers may have a lot of time to throw.

MOST SURPRISING PICK

We hit it hard Saturday night, but the Jaguars' selection of Bryan Anger in the third round was a baffler. Yes, the team will benefit from a big leg and stands to gain field position.

But Jacksonville overrated special teams’ impact by deciding to draft Anger so early rather than addressing other needs where it could have selected a player with a chance to play.

The Jaguars have a recent history of messing up at the position, and teams that struggle with stability at a spot are prone to overreach in an effort to correct it.

I believe that’s a good piece of what happened here. They could have gotten him or a punter who still would have been a big upgrade later.

The Jaguars found Terrance Knighton, Derek Cox and Will Rackley in the third round in Gene Smith’s previous three drafts. They are all starters who affect games more than a punter can.

They can rationalize this pick. And we can stridently disagree.

FILE IT AWAY

Six receivers came into the division -- Blackmon, Kendall Wright in Tennessee, T.Y. Hilton and LaVon Brazill in Indianapolis and DeVier Posey and Keshawn Martin in Houston. That’s two first-rounders, two third-rounders, a fourth-rounder and a sixth-rounder.

The countermeasures?

Just two incoming cornerbacks -- Titans fourth-rounder Coty Sensabaugh and Jaguars sixth-rounder Harris.

Secondary depth could be severely tested by good quarterbacks and receivers, especially when the division faces the NFC North and the high-powered passing offenses of Green Bay, Detroit and Chicago.

The Colts have no proven corners beyond Jerraud Powers. The Texans lost Jason Allen, who played a reasonable amount. The Titans need to unearth a new nickelback now that Cortland Finnegan is gone. Only the Jaguars have fortified the spot, adding two-time Super Bowl winner Aaron Ross, presumably getting Cox and Rashean Mathis back healthy and drafting Harris.

The AFC South is a big running back division, but it’s become more equipped to sling it and may not have the people needed to cover offenses with a lot of downfield weapons.

“It tells you that this is a wide-open league, the offensive focus is on scoring points probably more than ever,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said. “It’s becoming more of a quarterback-wide receiver league probably every day.”

NASHVILLE -- The NFL draft is often an exercise in weighing production against potential.

In the scales of that debate over Taylor Thompson, the Titans went heavily with potential.

The Titans traded up 10 spots with Miami and spent pick No. 145 in the fifth round on Thompson from SMU. In an offense that didn’t use tight ends, he played defensive end.

Now the Titans will look to develop a guy who hasn’t regularly played the position since high school. The Titans fell in love with Thompsonat a no-name all-star game and a pro day.

They insisted his athleticism, enthusiasm and intelligence will quickly offset the lack of college experience at the position. At 6-foot-6 and 260 he ran a 4.58 40 on the watch of Titans scout Jon Salge.

“As far as a receiving tight end, I think he’s uncanny,” offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said. “… I don’t think it’s four years behind. There are no bad habits.”

Are there good habits from not playing?

Palmer said Thompson had 10 visits.

“It’s not like we’re the only one who saw the acorn,” he said.

In a conference call, Thompson spoke very confidently about his ability to play tight end in the NFL.

Mike Munchak said the Titans thought Thompson would be gone in the third round. The lack of blocking experience would be virtually the same even with a guy who has played tight end in college, Munchak said, because spread offenses are all the rage and few players do in college what will be asked of them in the NFL.

“He’s not going to fail,” Munchak said.

Thompson will rate as the Titans second receiving tight end behind Jared Cook. They also have a quality blocker in Craig Stevens. Veteran Daniel Graham, added last year, is due a $2 million base salary this year and will now likely not get to it.

Tennessee has made five picks. Two areas regarded as needs have not been addressed: interior offensive line and defensive end.

Munchak said the Titans are not in dire need on the offensive line, downplayed visits by veteran centers early in the free agency period and hit a theme he used after getting the job: "We have guys we can win with."

He also said the team planned on getting at least one defensive lineman and third-round tackle Mike Martin took care of that.

Tennessee head coach Mike Munchak and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray put a bigger emphasis on bigger players.

Indications were they thought Jeff Fisher’s team had become too pass rush-centric, giving up some fundamentals of run-stopping in the process.

Trouble was, the Titans’ rush defense in 2011 was mediocre, giving up 4.5 yards per rush -- 22nd in the NFL. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the unit’s struggles were magnified when opponents ran up the middle.

On runs up the middle, Tennessee yielded 4.5 yards per carry (ranking 28th), gave up six runs of 20 yards or more (tied for 28th), gave up 52 first downs (32nd) and allowed 338 yards after contact (23rd).

Two rookies factored into the Titans run defense: tackle Jurrell Casey and middle linebacker Colin McCarthy. They'll get better and play more. The big run-stuffing tackle the Titans brought in, Shaun Smith, wasn’t very effective and lost playing time as the season went on.

The focus is on the pass rush, but in a draft likely to be defense-heavy, the Titans need to be sure to continue to address run defense, too.

NASHVILLE -- After 15 minutes on the phone with Keith Millard, I was ready to rush the passer.

The newest addition to Titans coach Mike Munchak’s staff won’t oversee a position but a skill set. And although Millard will spend a lot of time with defensive line coach Tracy Rocker and his group, he’ll also rove and talk nuances of getting to the quarterback with linebackers, safeties and even cornerbacks.

His initial speech will go like this:

“Before you even start, you’ve got to pick a line and you’ve got to stay on that line. And that goes for every position, no matter what you are doing. It’s from wherever you start to the quarterback and that thing can’t vary. You know the old saying the shortest distance between two spots is a straight line? That’s as true in pass rush as there is. You stay on that line, get your blocker off it. Now how you do that is where it gets interesting, where technique and fundamentals come in.”

Tennessee needs to rush the passer better than it did last season, which was its first without Jim Washburn since 1998. The former defensive line coach, now in Philadelphia, pieced together an effective four-man rush most of the time.

After Munchak hired Jerry Gray as defensive coordinator, the team concluded that getting to the quarterback at all costs wasn’t the way to go because the run defense suffered.

In Year 1 of the new regime, the team sacked the quarterback less -- managing just 28 sacks, 31st in sacks per play in the NFL -- and was still just 24th against the run.

Both the personnel and the coaching need to be better.

Enter Kamerion Wimbley, the former Oakland Raider whom the Titans pounced on when he was released. Enter Millard.

Wimbley should be a boost for the pass rush. He’s worked a lot in his career as a 3-4 outside linebacker but in Tennessee he’ll be a 4-3 end. He can rush the passer well from there, but the team could put his durability to the test if he’s on the field for too many snaps.

Millard’s a big believer in a four-man rush, as the Titans have long been. But if they can’t get to the quality quarterbacks they are scheduled to face in 2012 with just four rushers, they should be better equipped to bring more blitzers than they have been in some time after Millard coaches them up.

“I’m thrilled about Millard,” Titans outside linebacker Gerald McRath said. “For me, I’ve never had someone who took time to teach me pass rush. You can fine tune a skill, and that’s a skill that makes you more valuable to your team. I think that will be great, that you can have someone who can focus on that.”

Munchak and Gray talked about the idea early on after the new staff was assembled. It didn’t come together during the initial staff assembly and the lockout. But then Millard came free after Raheem Morris and the Tampa Bay staff were let go.

Millard played nine seasons as an NFL defensive lineman, primarily with Minnesota. He coached in Denver and Oakland before spending 2011 in Tampa Bay.

Although he’s worked mostly as a defensive line coach, he was a pass rush coach at times with the Broncos and Raiders.

Specialized coaches are increasingly popular in the NFL. Many 3-4 teams have outside linebacker coaches. Some teams have cornerback and safety coaches in their secondary, or a coach who concentrates on the nickel defensive backs.

A coach like Millard qualifies as being outside the box for the Titans. He gets fired up talking about his office, and initially makes it sound big. Then you realize he means big enough to have three or maybe four guys in there at a time to go over pass-rush nuances.

“Not only is he going to be doing D-line, and that’s a good thing, we’re going to be sending him linebackers and safeties and things like that,” said Gray, who played nine seasons as a cover corner. “I’ll be honest and tell you I don’t know anything about blitzing. Beating a running back, I can tell you, but I’ve never felt that. So I really don’t know how it feels.

“He’ll be able to help us, more than saying ‘Hey, I’ve got a clear open spot for you to hit the quarterback.’ The best thing you can do is offer a one-on-one. Now show me how to win the one-on-one. That’s what he’s going to be doing.”

Warren Sapp, who’s widely regarded as an all-time great pass-rushing tackle, raved about Millard’s influence on him to The Tennessean after the Titans made the hire.

Gray still emphasizes the need for players to stop the run. Millard and Gray talk about earning the right to pass rush. And nothing does that more than stuffing a run play on first down to help create second- and third-and-long situations.

Millard calls himself a self-taught pass-rusher.

He’s eager to share what he knows, and says it will be a lot more about feet than hands for both blitzers and guys who make a living rushing the passer. For Millard, that second group generally falls into two styles, straight-liners (like Kyle Vanden Bosch or Jason Taylor) and basketball types (like Sapp and Derrick Burgess).

“I think doing it myself from different positions has given me a real edge at teaching the true fundamentals,” Millard said. “Being able to study blockers and find their weaknesses and how to take advantage of them. I’m really about teaching the concept of getting the blocker on your terms and how to do that. It’s not so much a repertoire with your hands as it is your footwork and trying to work a blocker’s weaknesses against him.

“Hands are really just kind of a second nature thing. When you really get down to it, it’s about feet. Getting blockers off balance and using your hands to keep them off balance. Whether you are bull-rushing, whether you are going from one edge to the other and back, it’s really got to be about balance and footwork and your approach -- getting to a point where you own that guy, you know where his weaknesses are and you just continually, constantly, work on those weaknesses. There is a lot that goes into that.”

Millard will spell out for a guy what his body has to do to counter the body trying to block him: flipping hips, making yourself small, understanding what blockers are doing with their hands. Get the guy in your way off balance and keep him off balance.

It seems uncertain just where and how Millard will fit into the regular practice schedule, but he’s certain to work with specific guys before and after practices and outside of regular meeting times.

Those office sessions will be kept small -- he'll rarely work with more than two linebackers or two defensive backs at a time.

If he’s what Munchak and Gray expect, the Titans will do a far better job of getting from Point A to the quarterback and the defense will make big gains.

Millard’s motivated me. I’m heading outside right now to see about making myself small and finding the best way to stay on my straight line.

Peter King gives us a great reconstruction of how Peyton Manning’s decision-making process unfolded as he chose the Denver Broncos.

Included in it: Details of the covert ops Manning ran to avoid the media.

When Mike Munchak and the Titans were en route to Knoxville to meet Manning for a Saturday morning throwing session, Manning called the Tennessee coach after he found the UT facility surrounded by media.

Roger Frazier, Manning's old equipment manager with the Vols, found a field at the private Webb School in Knoxville. Manning called Munchak and told him that when he got off the highway at the appointed exit, he should look for a black car at the end of the ramp and follow it. Munchak did. After a few blocks they pulled up behind another car — Manning's. No media in sight. Manning led them to the field. Though it was raining and water was pooling in one spot, Manning said, "I'm fine." Undisturbed, he threw 55 passes. Then they all went for cheeseburgers.

It’s a piece you’ll want to read for a lot more than the nuggets about the Titans.

Two other items of note that pertain to the AFC South.

• Denver defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio, the former Jaguars coach, was part of the familiarity King says was a key to Manning’s decision.
• Manning felt a kinship with Munchak grow during the process that made it harder to say no to the Titans: "I wish I hadn't gotten so close to Munch," Manning said.

Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans

When Arian Foster met with Roger Goodell, this picture was part of the result, says Nick Mathews of the Houston Chronicle.

Nick Scurfield of the Texans' web site reviews Houston’s defensive line.

Indianapolis Colts

Comparing teams just before the rebuild: The 2011 Colts have a lot more chips carrying over than the 1997 Colts did, says Nate Dunlevy of Colts Authority.

The Colts will take Andrew Luck in part because they know he can take a hit and they can’t be scared of letting him do so, says Dunlevy, this time at Bleacher Report.

Jacksonville Jaguars

The Jaguars have taken care of their own on defense, and that has coordinator Mel Tucker feeling optimistic, says Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union.

David Garrard has landed in a good situation, says Stellino.

John Oehser of the team’s website defends the team’s transparency.

Tennessee Titans

Mike Munchak likes what the Titans have done so far in free agency and says the team isn’t finished yet, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

The way Matt Hasselbeck reacted to the Peyton Manning chase showed class, says David Climer of The Tennessean.

The Tennessee Titans' news release announcing their deal with defensive end Kamerion Wimbley included these comments from team officials:

• GM Ruston Webster: “He is an excellent athlete, who has natural pass rusher traits -- ability to bend, get low and has a nice feel for using his hands. I liked him coming out of Florida State as a 4-3 defensive end and he will return to that role with us. In addition to that, his time as a 3-4 rusher gives him added versatility.”
• Coach Mike Munchak: “Kamerion has been a very productive player in this league and is a good pro. On passing downs over the last few years, he has played with his hand down in Oakland and he will playing full-time at defensive end for us. I feel like he is coming into the best years of his career and his skills will help us pressure the passer.”

I don't think putting Wimbley at defensive end qualifies as going out on a limb, but it's certainly the first big, somewhat-risky move for Webster as the Titans general manager.

If it plays out well, Tennessee's defense gets a boost in a spot where it absolutely has to have one.

Mike Lombardi of the NFL Network said it first -- the Titans have a foot in the door with Peyton Manning.

Then our Chris Mortensen just tweeted:

“Peyton Manning will meet w Dolphins coach Joe Philbin & Titans coach Mike Munchak during next 3 days, scheduled away from team facilities.”

We’ve arrived, then, at Munchak’s biggest moment in his little over a year as coach of the Titans.

In 2010, he won over Matt Hasselbeck with relative ease.

Little did we know that he would be building off of that sales pitch to one less than a year later for an all-time great.

Munchak is a Hall of Fame player, an up-and-coming coach and an intelligent businessman. He can sell.

Can he outsell John Elway?

Munchak doesn’t have Elway’s personality or Super Bowls, but I think he’s got a shot.

He’s got an offensive coordinator in Chris Palmer who worked with Manning’s brother, Eli, as quarterback coach for the Giants when they beat the Patriots the first time for a Lombardi Trophy.

He’s got a line that might be the best pass protection line Manning’s ever played behind.

He’s got Kenny Britt getting healthy. He’s got a No. 2 receiver in Nate Washington, who got way better when they upgraded to Hasselbeck.

He’s got a dynamic tight end in Jared Cook who finished strong.

He’s got Chris Johnson looking to rebound, who could really benefit from a leap from the passing game.

So long as Munchak can explain how GM Ruston Webster, who was disinclined to chase Manning, has come to terms with Bud Adams’ mandate to go get him, he’s got enough to make a compelling case.

Lost in a day that was busy thanks to Peyton Manning were new mock drafts from Todd McShay and Mel Kiper .

Here’s the third of four team-by-team reviews.

20) Tennessee Titans

McShay: David DeCastro, guard, Stanford

“The Titans have three defensive ends set to become free agents, so that position could be an option here. In this scenario, though, DeCastro offers a big upgrade on the interior of the offensive line. He was the most dominant interior lineman in the nation in 2011, crushed the combine, is ready to start from Day 1 and has a chance to quickly become one of the premier guards in the league.”

Kiper: DeCastro

“The Titans also need pass-rush help, but if things break this way, DeCastro represents tremendous value, and that offensive line could use the help after a year where the running game totally fell apart. DeCastro is the kind of player you can draft who won't get big headlines, but will pay immediate dividends because they can plug him in Week 1. Obviously, if a pass-rusher they like falls to No. 20, they could go that direction.”

Kuharsky: Maybe coach Mike Munchak and offensive line coach Bruce Matthews, Hall of Fame interior offensive linemen who were drafted high, change course. Maybe DeCastro is too good to pass up if he lasts to 20. But the Titans typically coach up later picks instead of spending them high on guards.

In earlier times, when Jeff Fisher was a primary power broker, the Titans were constantly accused of a failure to communicate.

Players on their way out often had hurt feelings when they didn’t get a phone call returned, didn’t get a straightforward explanation about where they stood.

I leaned toward defending the team. What can you say, really? You don’t want to back yourself into a corner in case circumstances change.

But the Titans have changed.

A team now headed by general manager Ruston Webster and coach Mike Munchak chose to operate differently with cornerback Cortland Finnegan.

They told him their plan: They won’t be offering him a contract. They are letting him go.

And so, as is human nature, Finnegan wants the next step; he wants more; he wants to know why.

Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean spoke with him:

“It is bittersweet,” Finnegan said. “For six years I played in the Titans organization. I am grateful and humbled that the Titans took a chance on me and the way they matured me over the years.

“But they wanted to move on. … I don’t know why, and I don’t know what else a guy could do career-wise and in the community. But that’s part of the business, and you have to move on. I’ll have great memories of my time with the Titans. It just didn’t work out.”

Again, how would it benefit the Titans to spell it out for him?

Here’s why: They don’t think he’s a $10 million-a-year corner. Although he’s a very good and versatile defensive back, he’s not going to single-handedly erase a top receiver every week. Even had the Titans decided to give him the franchise tag, he would have hated it and griped. He’s a good guy at heart and did a lot for the team and the community, but his nasty streak, on and off the field, could show up at bad moments and be unhealthy. The last time he got money, he didn’t react to a fatter wallet well.

If you’re thinking the loss of Finnegan will hit the Titans the way the loss of Albert Haynesworth did, or even Jason Babin, I disagree with you.

Jason McCourty is a high-quality corner who will be the lead guy. Alterraun Verner is a smart player who will man the other side. Finnegan manned the nickel post well, but if the Titans are down to that, they’ll find an answer. It could be Ryan Mouton. It could be that Tommie Campbell or Chris Hawkins comes in to take Verner’s outside slot and he kicks inside.

The Titans will add an outsider or two from the lower tier of veterans, and they'll draft at least one.

And there is your explanation.

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Titans' offensive line is good as it is. Unless it isn’t.

That was the gist of what Mike Munchak said about the group at the NFL scouting combine.

I think he had an excellent first year overall, and he’s certainly judged foremost on his team’s performance. Few thought he had 9-7 talent, but he fielded a 9-7 team.

He’s an accommodating and accountable media presence.

But too often he takes all sides of an issue, as he did in this piece on the offensive line -- where indications are right guard Jake Scott will become a free agent and where left guard Leroy Harris and center Eugene Amano are coming off less-than-great seasons.

“You’re looking at all your options in the offseason. I could be standing here thinking we’re not necessarily going to do something, then all of a sudden in free agency we feel there’s a lineman out there that could really make a difference," he said. "A lot of times you just want to shake the room up, you want to make a change that’s good for the team. Sometimes that helps, so we’ll look at that. We are open to things depending on how the draft falls. We could go into the draft not thinking about taking an offensive lineman then all of a sudden it’s your pick and there’s an offensive lineman in the second or third round that you weren’t necessarily thinking of taking and all of a sudden maybe it’s the right thing to do for your team at that time. We’re not going into the draft or free agency thinking we must go get this guy because we have this huge hole. I don’t feel we have any holes there, it’s just a matter of we have to play better.”

Munchak said moving Amano back to guard from center is a possibility. He said there is an opportunity for Scott to return, though previously he said the team would get younger on the interior line, and Scott is the only old guy there.

Thursday Munchak also said: “We’re going to be looking at combinations if there’s a better way to fix it and that will be one of the things that goes into the mix over the next few months.”

I understand there are all sorts of possibilities ahead and that the team doesn’t want to publicly box itself in on anything.

But inside a five-minute span there, the Titans coach said the line doesn’t have any holes and offered up that it is looking for a “better way to fix it.”

Are there no holes or does it need to be fixed?

I’m not trying to nitpick. I just want to know.

INDIANAPOLIS -- Yes, last year was a particularly odd one because of the lockout.

But if any positional hole tested a team’s patience, it was what the Titans dealt with at quarterback.

They had nothing and had no choice but to wait. They got Matt Hasselbeck three days into free agency. They drafted Jake Locker. And they wound up fine at quarterback.

This time, operating with a more traditional timetable, they could start the 2012 NFL year with three holes in the secondary: Starting cornerback Cortland Finnegan and starting safeties Michael Griffin and Jordan Babineaux are all heading for free agency. (So is safety Chris Hope, who the team doesn't figure to even attempt to re-sign.)

The Titans could move quickly on Babineaux, but it won’t be a surprise if they don’t move at all on Finnegan and Griffin.

And newly promoted general manager Ruston Webster said that while it would hardly be an ideal situation, it won’t create panic either.

“It would be unsettling, it would definitely be unsettling,” he said at the combine. “Not because we don’t trust our other guys. But because there is that transition and that unknown of what’s going to happen. Those guys have been pretty good players, so yeah, that would be a little unsettling.

“I think that’s the trick at this time of the year, is being patient, not panicking or anything like that. It’s very difficult to think of having those holes, and what are we going to do? But you always have to remember that you have a draft which will also help …

“I’m a pretty patient guy by nature in those type of deals, but you want to give yourself the best chance to win every year. But you don’t want to get caught, you can’t look at it like rebuilding. You’ve got to try to win every year. So it can keep you up at night.”

Webster and coach Mike Munchak said the Titans can be OK at cornerback if they move on without Finnegan, even without an addition.

Jason McCourty would be joined by Alterraun Verner in the starting lineup. Then Tommie Campbell or Chris Hawkins could win the third spot, coming onto the field as an outside corner with Verner moving inside.

Or Ryan Mouton, who missed 2011 hurt, could come in and play in the slot.