SB Nation - Tim Shaw

NFL Roster Cuts Loom: Tennessee Titans 53-Man Roster Prediction

August West — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 14:35:41 -0000

Today is the day every fringe NFL player marks on their calendar, thinks about when they workout and dreads when it arrives: it's final cut day. Teams have to get down to 53 players by this evening, and tough decisions will have to be made.

However, the Titans don't really have many tough decisions when it comes to their roster. Outside of one or two competitive spots, it's crystal clear who will get that all-important thumbs up from Munchak and Webster. Making the case even easier, the Titans will have an extra roster spot while Kenny Britt is suspended next week, and guys like Ryan Durand and Dave Ball could conceivably start the year on the PUP list.

All that said, below the jump is my stab at naming the lucky 53 men who will have the honor of sporting the two-toned blue on Sundays.

QB:

RB:

FB:

Quinn Johnson

TE:

WR:

Kenny Britt* (One week roster exemption due to suspension)
Kendall Wright
Nate Washington
Damian Williams
Lavelle Hawkins

OT:

OG:

Fernando Velasco

DE:

DT:

LB:

Collin McCarthy
Will Witherspoon
Akeem Ayers
Zach Brown
Patrick Bailey
Tim Shaw
Zac Diles

CB:

Rob Bironas

Brett Kern

LS:

Beau Brinkley

Saints 6 @ Titans 10: Who Dat Say!?!

Hans Petersen — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 11:00:34 -0000

Game over, man, game over!!! And that means the preseason's over, too!!! Hoo-wah, people, and wah-hoo!!

Now that the Saints' 10-6 loss to the Titans is in the books, it's time to sift through all the coverage to see what we can glean from it as the team heads to the roster cutdown deadline later today (9:00 pm EDT), then combs the waiver wire for gems, and THEN on Saturday, September 1, tries to form a formidable practice squad roster that will CRUSH everyone else's practice squads.

CSC will keep you in the game with the thrilling conclusion of Travis's Roster Breakdown Series throughout the day...

Make the jump for the goods on the game, and then share your thoughts on what might happen with the overall roster in the comment section.

New Orleans Saints vs. Tennessee Titans - ESPN.com
GAMEHQ - includes statistics, play-by-play drive charts, video, and photos.

Saints Fall to Titans, 10-6 | neworleanssaints.com
QB Sean Canfield completed 31-of-45 passes for 288 yards. The Saints will face the Washington Redskins to start the regular season on September 9.

Backups Dominate for Saints in Preseason Finale Loss to Titans, 10-6 | sportsnola.com
Jake Locker threw for 81 yards in his last tuneup to start the regular season under center, as the Tennessee Titans edged the New Orleans Saints, 10-6, in the final preseason game for both teams.

New Orleans Saints fall to Tennessee Titans | The Advocate
Chris Talbott (AP) - Finally, the New Orleans Saints can focus on games that count.

Saints rest starters, lose to Titans 10-6 in preseason finale | wwltv.com
(AP) - The New Orleans Saints took no chances in their final preseason game, resting all the starters in a 10-6 loss to the Tennessee Titans on Thursday night as they prepared to return home to storm-ravaged Louisiana and put a scandal-ridden offseason behind them.

Titans 10, Saints 6: Photo Gallery | The Tennessean

____________________________________________________________________________

From the Saints Sideline

New Orleans Saints fall to Tennessee Titans 10-6 in final preseason game | NOLA.com
Larry Holder - Saints defense performs well against Titans first-team offense despite loss.

New Orleans Saints rest a big chunk of lineup against the Tennessee Titans | NOLA.com
Nakia Hogan - It was the final chance for some guys to make the roster.

New Orleans Saints suffer four injuries to young players in second half | NOLA.com
Nakia Hogan - All was going well for the New Orleans Saints on the injury front until the second half of Thursday night's exhibition finale against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field.

Rookie receiver Nick Toon makes debut for New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
Nakia Hogan - He hadn't been in a game yet this preseason.

Joe Vitt displays his emotions as he's set to leave New Orleans Saints | NOLA.com
Larry Holder - Vitt nearly chokes up when discussing his upcoming departure following loss to the Tennessee Titans.

Observation deck: Saints-Titans - NFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Pat Y. - Some quick observations from the Saints' 10-6 loss to the Tennessee Titans in Thursday night's preseason finale.

Saints Lose Preseason Finale to Titans 10-6 | thesaintsnation.com
Juge

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Titans Talk

Titans, Locker Complete Preseason with Victory | titansonline.com
Craig Peters - Chris Johnson and Nate Washington wore visors on the sidelines, Jake Locker played for almost a full half, and Tennessee’s defense continued its voracious appetite for the football Thursday night at LP Field.

Titans-Saints Game Notes | titansonline.com

Tennessee Titans defeat New Orleans Saints 10-6 | The Tennessean
Jim Myatt - In their final dress rehearsal for the regular season, the Titans didn’t exactly look ready for prime time.

Tennessee Titans' Darius Reynaud makes good case to stay | The Tennessean
John Glennon - At the start of Titans training camp, he was considered a long shot to make the final roster, but running back Darius Reynaud continued to improve his case with a productive showing in the preseason finale on Thursday.

Tennessee Titans' Kenny Britt relieved suspension is only one game | The Tennessean
Jim Wyatt - Kenny Britt said NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell showed mercy on him. And for that, Britt and the Titans sounded thankful.

Thoughts from Titans 10, Saints 6 - AFC South Blog | ESPN.com
Paul Kuharsky - A few thoughts from the Titans’ preseason finale, a 10-6 victory over the Saints at LP Field.

____________________________________________________________________________

Post-Game Quotes

SAINTS ASSISTANT HEAD COACH JOE VITT

(opening statement)

Our thoughts and our prayers are with our neighbors back home. We have a 9:00 wake-up call tomorrow. We hope to be boarding on the plane by 10. We will take our team back to New Orleans. We are going to check the power out in our complex. We may have to set up in a hotel and do treatment in the meantime. We have given our players off Saturday and Sunday and we will convene Sunday night for a meeting.

The game-the guys played hard. I think it was a great lesson for our younger guys. You cannot turn the ball over in this league and expect to win. We loss a hard fought game, 10 - 6, but we lost the turnover takeaway battle. We allowed their offense to flip the field and get some scores. We were able to rest some of our key veterans in this game. We worked them out before this game. We had a good practice in Cincinnati one day and expect to go into the Redskins game about as healthy as we have been all year long.

(on playing the Titans' one's and two's all game)

I think as we review the tape we are going to like the way a lot of people played. They played with a sense of purpose, they played with better technique. If you take a look defensively, except for the first quarter of the Jacksonville game we have gotten better all year long. I addition, Barrett Rudd has really helped us. I think he stepped in there and made some good plays tonight. Only because we were nicked up a little bit at linebacker, we had to play (Scott) Shanle, we had to play Will Herring a little bit more than maybe we would have liked. They got out fine. I thought our defensive line played well. Some younger guys stepped up and we will have to make some decisions in the secondary. We have got this weekend to do it and we will make those decisions.

(on how hard it's going to be to step away after this game)

I just told the guys this has been my honor and my pleasure and it really has been. The greats of this game like Paul Brown stepped away and the game went on. Don Shula stepped away and the game went on-George Halas. The only person that is dreading this more than anybody is my wife.

(on a couple of younger players getting injured)

As far as we know right now, (Travaris) Cadet got the wind knocked out of him. We're evaluating our guys. It'd be kind of tough to speak on those guys. We'll give an update when we can.

(on the depth at the running back and receiver positions)

Listen, we'll evaluate our roster. I don't think you could ever have enough running backs in this league. You know, you kind of like to stockpile a little bit and that's been our philosophy around here. We've got good wide receivers but we've got some guys vying for a job. As you take a look at the fourth, fifth, and potentially sixth wide receiver, what's going to be their contribution on special teams and what they can bring to the table. All that goes into the evaluation process.

(on trading for better players)

As people reduce their rosters, we'll look at other people's rosters and we'll do whatever we have to do to upgrade our roster like we've always done.

(on the state of the union of the team looking back at the preseason)

I think we've got the people evaluated and hopefully we'll evaluate them properly, what we needed to see. Our young people got a lot of play time. I think our defense, I've said this before in the first quarter of the Jacksonville game has gotten better every single week. I think everybody saw last week, the first half of that first team offense what our offense can be. I think our coverage units really improved tonight and listen, we really like our kicking game. And again, we've got a chance to go into the Redskins game as healthy as we've ever been going into an opener; as healthy as we've been all year long. This football team, we make a field goal at the end of the New England game, we make a drive right here, we have a couple calls go against us in Jacksonville, these guys will run the table. So I'm proud of them. I'm proud of the way they went through the OTAs. I'm proud of the way they've gone through training camp. I'm proud of the way they've stuck together. Hey listen, we got this placed again this week. Not one man was late for a meeting. Everybody came together here and got the work done that had to get done. We were able to practice in Cincinnati and get some Redskin work in. I'm proud of them. I really am proud of them.

SAINTS QB DREW BREES

(on if he is happy the preseason is over and that the team can focus on the regular season)

It's good-it feels good. Obviously, we've had five preseason games; we played in the Hall of Fame game, so we've had one extra. We reported to camp early. I guess in spite of everything that's been going on it was probably nice that we were able to come to camp early and hunker down and just focus on football. For a lot of us we just want to get back on the field as quickly as possible. I've really watched the team come together over the last six weeks-through some pretty interesting circumstances, especially as of late and having to be displaced due to Hurricane Isaac. Obviously, the fact that it's still on going, and not sure when a lot of us are going to be able to get back there and settle into our homes and routines. Obviously, there are a lot of people down there that are in some pretty tough situations, so our heart goes out to all those people and we're thinking a lot about them right now.

(on assistant head coach Joe Vitt getting emotional talking about having to leave the team after this weekend)

It's tough on so many levels. He's a football coach, and more so than that he's a teacher, he's a mentor and this is what he loves doing. He has such a strong impact on all of us, so it's hard on all of us. You try to tell yourself it's only six weeks, but for him it's going to feel like an eternity. I can only imagine what it's going to feel like to (Saints head coach) Sean Peyton as well. We're definitely going to miss him, but I also feel like the lessons that he has taught us, certainly since I've been with him over the past six years, you just look at this six week window of time during training camp that we're going to carry with us. We're a better team than we were six weeks ago due in large because of him and his leadership, and we're going to be a better team in six weeks when he comes back because of everything he has instilled in us, and through the leadership of (offensive line coach/running game coordinator) Aaron Kromer and our entire coaching staff and the character of this team. We can't wait to have him back, and we have to make sure we do right by him during that time.

SAINTS QB SEAN CANFIELD

(on getting the start at quarterback and playing the entire game)

I felt good. It is always great going into a game and knowing that you are going to play the whole time and not having to sit out a few quarters and go into a situation. I felt good in the first half. It is those turnovers in the second half that ultimately was the difference in the game.

(on if he expects to be on the active roster this season)

You never know how it goes. It is out of your control. I just came in to this game thankful for getting the start. It is a big opportunity for me and I just tried to make the most of it. Obviously, we didn't win, but did some good things and like I said, it was those turnovers. You can't expect to win if you do that.

(on the performance of the young tight ends)

[Michael] Higgins is a guy that came in last year and he was activated for a while. He gained a lot of weight - good weight. He played in that playoff game last year for us and did some good stuff in the running game blocking. Derek Schouman is a guy who came and worked out and has only showed positive things. He played well tonight and I found him a few times.

(on running back Travaris Cadet)

He can run the ball. I think he is more powerful than you might give him credit for. Obviously, with what he does on third down and in the passing game, he is a playmaker and he can hurt the defense.

SAINTS LB SCOTT SHANLE

(on the preseason as a whole and the mindset heading into week one)

I think you have to give a lot of credit to Coach [Sean] Payton and the foundation that he laid here. The guys that have been here since the beginning of Coach Payton, we all understand the expectations. We all understand what each day is like and the intensity it takes during the week. As far as that goes I think it was good. The foundation was laid and veteran leaders have taken the role that Coach Payton left. Coach [Joe] Vitt has done a great job throughout the preseason. Obviously, now that will change, but I just think with the team's character we will continue to roll with whoever is standing on that sideline.

(on having veteran leaders that can step up and lead)

I think when you are going through something like this, it gives you an advantage over most teams that would have to go through something like this. Obviously, we have Drew [Brees] on offense and other faces that have been here since 2006. It really helps. We understand what the expectations are and winning a Super Bowl, we understand what it takes to do that. It is going to take more responsibility on our part to show everyone else what it takes to do that.

* * *

TITANS HEAD COACH MIKE MUNCHAK

(on production from running back Jamie Harper)

He's run hard when he has gotten the chance. He gave us a little spark there after the turnover to go down and get that touchdown. He had some good runs there, got it on the goal line when we needed it to. So, again he is a good zone runner. It is something that he has done well. On the fourth-and-one, we went for it. He bounced outside nice where the lane was which was good to see. He made a big run for us there which obviously allowed (us) to finish the drive with a touchdown.

Jamie does a good job, protection you know everything like that. He's a good, solid all-around back and (I am) happy with where he's at.

(on not coming up with points, despite no three-and-outs in first half)

We, unfortunately, every time we got the short field (we) wanted to get more than a field goal. We got the one first down after the defense had created the turnover on the first series. The offense gets the ball in great position. That has to be seven points, it was three. We got one first down there and then we got kind of bogged down and had to settle for a field goal. On another drive, we are driving again and making some first downs and get a pass interference call on the offense, on Kendall (Wright) which kind of killed that drive. And then we have another drive where it looks like we are finally putting one together, making plays and then Jake (Locker) gets the ball knocked out. So you hope, if anything, he learns a lesson about tucking that thing away, that how good these guys are in this league at hitting that ball out. So, it makes it just disappointing. You wish we could have finished some of those drives, but a lot of good things were happening before the end, but we just got to put it all together.

(on defensive line's performance in preseason)

They played well. I was proud of the guys tonight. I was proud of them this preseason. We finished this phase 3-1 and we played hard. I think when guys got a chance to play from the first preseason game until the last, we had a lot of young guys out there, the young D-linemen, you know played well. Mike Martin didn't get a chance to play last week. He won one-on-one quite a bit. He was harassing the quarterback most of the day. (Scott) Solomon the same way, (Keyunta) Dawson and those guys, Lamar (Divens), those guys stepped up. Obviously, we didn't play lot of the veterans much into the game. Those guys played quite a bit of football and they were relentless. They were hitting that quarterback and believe me, he will be sore tomorrow. They sacked him and created fumbles and (had) constant pressure. It was just fun to watch that whole group from top to bottom. They played very well for us.

(on having tough roster decisions to make)

They are always hard. There are a handful of spots that we are still looking. Sometimes it will depend on the health of guys, injuries. We will look at that first thing in the morning. This is all going to happen pretty fast because the cut down is tomorrow evening. So you don't have a lot of time. So, first it is assessing the health of your team where we are at going into the opener, then kind of decide where that might affect the roster. So, it is a hard day. I told those guys to enjoy this moment. A lot of those young guys played on the field today, played their hearts out, played hard. Camp is grueling, we have been together since April and you get close to a lot of guys. It is a tough time. The business side is a very hard, emotional time.

(on tonight's accomplishments)

Well I just think again, we mentioned the start on the defensive side, just that they would continue what we've been doing, continue getting pressure, even though a lot of guys didn't play, continue making plays. They got turnovers and we had four turnovers in the couple of weeks, we've had quite a few turnovers, interceptions, fumbles, which means we're making plays. I think we want to see the defense continue and they've done that. They've continued to make plays, they've continued to put the offense in position with a short field and we scored only 10 points, but the defense put us in position for both of those scores and we should've had more. We saw exactly what we saw on defense. If they gave us some yards in between, we toughed up and got off the field, so that was kind of large. Offense, like I mentioned, we were hoping to avoid three-and-outs, which we did, but we still didn't get the points on the board we would've liked. A couple of those drives, we need to finish. The first one and the last one when Jake (Locker) fumbled, those are things that we just can't have. If anything, you hope we learned from some of the mistakes that we made throughout the game. It's a great effort, which is what you want to see in preseason no matter who you are playing or who's playing. I thought you saw that, I thought the energy was good all season, all training camp and it showed in the preseason games how important it was for these guys to win even though it's preseason. Now we're back to 0-0 as of tomorrow morning, but like I said, when you put on the equipment, you go and play, and you want to win. I think our guys played like they wanted to win.

(on being ready for week one)

I think we have work ahead of us. We have 10 days, which is a good thing, I guess. We'll get a couple extra practices in because we need it. We have to lock into a game plan and we haven't had a chance to do that yet. Hopefully that will allow us to play more consistent. We can narrow it down to we're just going to do these certain things as we go forward, lock into things we do well and stick to that. You're never satisfied as a coach. You know you always got to know where you're going, things to improve upon, as everyone in the league does. You never know how teams are going to start and that's the hard part. Last year was the same boat; we thought we were going to play really well in that first game, but we didn't...last year in the Jacksonville game. I think it's just a matter of, if we know there's a lot of good things that have been going on, things we have to improve upon and we'll work on it the next 10 days.

(on WR Kenny Britt's one-game suspension)

I think him knowing and everyone knowing his situation, we feel he's healthy now, he's ready to get after it. The league made a decision on what they wanted to do, he understands that and now we know the consequence. So, he'll miss this week and we'll have him back the rest of the season. So, we're excited about that, I know he is, as far as once he gets this behind him he will be. He's worked hard and he'll do what the league has asked him to do obviously and then we'll have him back in the fold for the second game.

(on how Britt's return affects the roster decision)

Yeah it does. I think it...this is what we were all waiting for to find out exactly, and the league let us know a day before the cut date so we can plan ahead. So yeah, I think it helps all those things.

TITANS QB JAKE LOCKER

(on his experience as the starting quarterback the last two games)

It has been an awesome opportunity to be able to work with the first group. I think we have done some good things every week, but need to put some things together.

(on avoiding three-and-outs)

Last week that is something we didn't do good, we had a few three-and-outs, but we scored points. Tonight we were able to avoid the three-and-outs, but we weren't able to put the ball in the end zone. So we have to find a way to put those together.

(on the missed opportunity to put the ball in the end zone)

We shot ourselves in the foot. We had a few opportunities to score points, but we just didn't.

(on feeling ready to start the regular season)

I'm excited, it's a great football team. We have a good week of work ahead. We are going to have to continue to improve this next week, but it's a good opportunity for us.

(on missing Kenny Britt for one game)

He is such a special player, anytime you can have him on the field it's a benefit to our football team, for sure.

TITANS RB JAMIE HARPER

(on what he felt the team is looking at with him)

All I need is the opportunity. Playing running back, the running back is always pretty-much the playmaker. They are always wanting the ball in their hands. Once they get the ball in their hands, they try to showcase their skill set is. With me just being able with my size, and my speed, and being elusive, I just get out there and try to show everything.

(on making it through the final cut tomorrow)

You can't really say comfortable, but you never know what's going to happen so we're just going to say our prayers up, and hope for the best.

TITANS DE KEYUNTA DAWSON

(on Titans defensive effort)

Yeah, we played together, played hard. Had a lot of big plays and got stuff done. We got interceptions, fumble recoveries, sacks, everything, so it was a great game for the defense. We tried to end the preseason on a good note. For a lot of guys, it might be their last opportunity to show what they have, and you try to put on a good show for your NFL resume, so we just went out there and tried to do our best.

(on making an impression by getting two sacks)

I really don't know what's in store for me in the future, so I just tried to go out there and I didn't try to put any extra pressure on myself. I just said I'm gonna play my game and try to do my best. You know the Saints do a lot of things like chipping and stuff, so it's kind of hard. You kind of have to be inventive and try to do different things, to try and get in there at the quarterback. But towards the end of the game we started getting the rhythm of the game, and it started opening up for us and we started having fun.

TITANS LB TIM SHAW

(on the Titans defense having fun tonight)

We had fun. When you are making plays on defense, when you're hitting people, when you're flying around, it's fun.

(on how Titans defense finished out the preseason)

I think we finished out great. I think some guys went out there and really put some good effort on tape and put some good plays on tape. And that's what it's about for guys getting the opportunity to make some plays. Defense as a whole, I think we've had a great preseason. We really have a lot of things to work on still, which some people might question, but there's always that reason to get better. So that's what we're going to strive to do moving forward.

TITANS CB ALTERRAUN VERNER

(on Titans' defensive effort tonight against the Saints)

We're going to work hard and try to make plays out there. And that's what we did today. We got some interceptions out there from Tommie (Campbell) and Tim Shaw. We got our hands on the ball with the big sack, I think Dajon Harris got it. So I mean, we were making plays out there, and that's what we're trying to put our print on. That we're going to make plays there, and I think we did that tonight.

(on looking ahead to the first Titans' regular season game)

We're all looking forward to that. We all know who we've got in the Patriots: AFC Champions, went to the Super Bowl last season. So it's going to be a good barometer of where we're at. So we can talk about this and that, and say, ‘Oh, we played good in the preseason.' But now we have to come out and perform against Tom Brady and company. So we're looking forward to it, and now we can build on what we've done in the preseason and hopefully translate it (to) the week one game.

____________________________________________________________________________

V-Roll Roll Call

Saints vs Titans Highlights-Radio Calls | neworleanssaints.com
Video highlights with radio calls of the Titans 10-6 victory over the Saints.

Interview: Titans LB Tim Shaw Part Two

Jimmy Morris — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 14:30:04 -0000

Click through the jump to see part two of my interview with Tim Shaw. (You can see part 1 here).

Talk about having a full offseason with Jerry Gray:

I can't even tell you how crucial the offseason is. Last year not having that with a new coaching staff. Funny that we are talking about my football camp and now pro football because it is all about fundamentals. What we did last year was just put our fundamentals in during camp, and you just don't get to where you need to be doing that.

So that is what this offseason has been about, getting the concepts in that we are going to run all year long and getting good at them. We don't need to trick people. We just need to play solid fundamental football and do it together.

That is going to be the biggest difference people are going to see on our defense. We have those playmakers, those athletes, but what we needed is that work together.

Talk about what where the pass rush will come from this year:

I believe we have the players to get it done in a conventional pass rush, but you will see a lot of different things. Jerry Gray is a passionate coach, and you are going to see that passion this season. We brought blitzes last year and we are going to bring blitzes this year.

There is nothing new under the sun. You aren't going to see something brand new, but you are going to see a team that knows what they are after more and knows who they are. We are going to create that pass rush a few different ways, and we have guys that can get it done, even just up front.

Talk about what you like about playing special teams:

I love special teams. It is an opportunity to go out there and be wild- to run down the field and just smack somebody. That is what I love about it, but more so that it is an unwanted job. Sign me up for that. I want it. I will do it all day long and do it better than you. That is my attitude, and that is what makes me great at it. It is just an opportunity to play football. You won't let me play defense? Well, yeah, I'll go out there and play special teams.

That is the mindset that I have. I think guys that don't take advantage of that are crazy, and I am crazy for taking advantage of it. You can look at it both ways.

Most people are talking about the offense this season and expect the defense to be the weak point of the team. What do you expect from this defense this season?

I hope the defense is the weak spot of the team. I hope the offense is scoring 50 points a game. I don't see our defense being any type of problem. We are going to be better than last year, and I think we had a good defense last year. Our goals are lofty on defense.

I don't see any reason this defense can't be really good. We have only gotten better from last year, and we have had the offseason together to work on some of the fundamental stuff- improvement is all I have seen.

How much are ya'll looking at the front end of this schedule?

It is always a week by week thing. Right now it is all about the Patriots. We want them the first game. That is a great time to get them. The schedule is tough, so what? It is always tough. Most NFL games are decided by 3 or 4 points. That's just the way it is. Every week you just have to find a way to win.

Our schedule looks tough right now, but you never know how things are going to shake out. Nobody thought we were going to be 9-7 last year. The expectations are high for us. It doesn't matter who we are going to play. Every week is going to be tough. You go up and play an 0-7 team and they whoop your butt. You just have to show up every week.

Who did you model your game after growing up?

I was a Barry Sanders fan growing up. That is why I scored so many touchdowns in high school. Once I got to college, I wasn't really modeling it after any professional guy, but I would always watch guys like Brian Urlacher and Derrick Brooks. Guys that are always making plays. I was more so just trying to figure it out on my own, but those are the guys that I looked up to it.

So you were a running back in high school?

Oh yeah. I was a running back in high school and my first year at Penn State.

Who was your favorite team growing up?

I was a Steelers fan growing up. It is tough to admit that now, but when you are a kid you don't know any better.

Again, a huge thanks to Tim Shaw for taking the time to do this, and thanks to Don Povia of Farkas Eye Black for setting it all up.

Interview: Titans LB Tim Shaw on His "Dream It, Do It" Football Camp

Jimmy Morris — Mon, 09 Jul 2012 08:00:04 -0000

I had the opportunity to interview Tim Shaw last week about his Dream It, Do It football camp that he puts on every summer. This year at his camp a kid raised his hand and said he wanted to be a sceintist.

After the jump is part of the interview I did with Shaw. I also asked him some Titans football questions, which will post later today, but I wanted to give this story a post of it's own because I really thought it was deserving of that.

Tell us about your camp:

I always wanted to do a camp back at my high school as a way to give back. It took me a few years in the NFL, but then I realized that you just got to do it. Now's the time. Your career is not going to last forever. I thought I had to be established on the team to get it done. At the time I was with Chicago and I just said we are going to do this thing.

Dream It, Do It was always my motto. I had in mind before I ever started the camp. It was what I brought myself up by. If you have a dream, how are you going to go out there and do it. So that was the motto of my camp. Whatever you want to do, you can do it. Half of the kids there are going to say they want to be football players, and they can do it if they want to do it. If you are doing all of the right things along the way, you are going to figure out the right thing for you. Most of those kids will end up realizing football isn't for them, but they can figure out what they want to do. That is where Dream It, Do It comes in.

This year was cool because I partnered with Farkas Eye Black and even cooler than that, I have been wearing Farkas Eye Black for two years in the NFL. They came along and brought the same attitude and energy that I have as far as going out and making happen whatever it is that you want to do. It has been cool to partner with them.

This year at my camp a kid raised his hand and said he wanted to be a scientist. Farkas stepped in and took him to a lab to help him achieve his dream. It was a cool example for the kids to go ahead and say whatever it is that you want to be. This kid was presented with an opportunity to go down to the lab, meet scientist and see what they do. He has already done it, and that is a great example for these kids.

State of the Titans Roster: Middle Linebacker

Jimmy Morris — Tue, 03 Jul 2012 13:37:29 -0000

We are currently working our way through the state of the Titans roster. Today we look at the middle linebackers. We previously looked at QB, RB, WR, TE, OT, OG, C, DE, DT and S.

The Titans let Stephen Tulloch walk away last offseason and signed Barrett Ruud. I am ashamed to admit that I thought that was the right move at the time. That didn't work out so well last season, but think about it this way- if the Titans re-signed Tully they might not have drafted Colin McCarthy. So we should think Barrett Ruud.

Click through the jump for a more in-depth look at the middle linebackers currently on the Titans' roster.

COLIN McCARTHY
Age: 24
Contract: Entering the second year of his four year rookie contract.

McCarthy was everything that Tully was not last year. While Tulloch was an excellent tackler, he was not a playmaker. McCarthy proved to be a huge playmaker while on the field last season. That is what you need from a middle linebacker in the NFL.

TIM SHAW
Age: 28
Contract: Signed a three-year $3.3 million contract this offseason

Shaw is a special teams specialist, but he could see serious time at linebacker this season if McCarthy has trouble staying healthy again.

The Titans also have Zac Diles and Kevin Malast who will be fighting for roster spots in training camp.

Here's the Answer Key for the Chicago Bears Pop Quiz!

Superfans — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 15:15:04 -0000

Hello friends, it is I, your humble host of Bill Swerski's Superfans... Bill Swerski. But today you may call me Mr. Swirski, or perhaps Dr. Swirski, as I am your resident professor of all things Navy and Orange. Earlier this week we were motivated to give out a Pop Quiz after hearing the heartwarming story of the Bears fan that had Charles "Peanut" Tillman sign her homework that had blasphemous anti-Bears context.

We were a little disappointed at the low attendance and participation to our Quiz, so if you failed to leave your answers in the comment section you automatically lose a letter grade. However, if you took the quiz in your head whilst reading said quiz, you may have your letter grade back. If you are a Packers fan, first off we're sorry, and second off you fail. The Quiz in it's entirety along with the answers after the jump.

1) Are you a Bears fan?

If you answered "Yes" to this question you received an automatic A+ on the Pop Quiz. Other answers accepted are ones that took a sarcastic shot at a Bears rival, or "Ditka".

2) Who is your favourite Chicago Bear?

This was a trick question. Ditka is an acceptable answer, but the keen eye may have spotted that we went with the UK/Canadian spelling for favo(u)rite. So any current or former Bears player that was born in the UK (Tim Shaw for example) or Canada (Israel Idonije comes to mind) would be accepted.

Also accepted any Chicago Bears player that played a game in the UK or Canada.

3) If Julius Peppers and Henry Melton combine to sack Aaron Rodgers, how much weight will come crashing down on the Packers QB?

Pretty much any witty remark would be worth full credit, but we were going for Peps weight (287lbs) + Meltons weight (295lbs) + the weight of two full sets of NFL equipment with is approximately (40lbs), then you factor in the "Force equals Mass times Acceleration" equation and wallah!

4) If Mike Singletary, Wilbur Marshall, and Otis Wilson all suited up one last time for the Chicago Bears and they faced off against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field, what would the final score be?

Any answer that showed the Lions being dismantled would be correct.

5) If Charles Tillman can punch the goalpost rat a tat style with 33 punches in 30 seconds, how many punches would he deliver in 30 minutes?

Another trick question, as the goal post would not be able to withstand the punching power of Charles Tillman for 30 seconds, let alone 30 minutes!

6) Gale Sayers once score 6 TDs in a single game, how many times did he score per minute?

6 TDs in 60 minutes of game time is 1 TD every 10 minutes. They aren't all trick questions!

7) If Todd is having his 4th heart attack, and he's eaten 10,278 sausages prior to that time, and the rate of heart attack frequency goes up by 5% after each heart attack. How many more sausages will he have to eat before heart attack number 5?

Actually we were hoping someone could answer this one for us, Todd's a real whiny pain in the ass when he's going into cardiac arrest and we'd all like to avoid being around him the next time he does.

8) Minneapolis is about 421 miles from Chicago. If a bus leaves from Minneapolis at 7am traveling to Chicago, and a bus leaves from Chicago at 5am traveling to Minneapolis, and both are traveling at 55 miles per hour. At what time will the buses pass each other.

The same time it takes a one legged grasshopper to kick all the seeds out of a dill pickle.

9) Name the only person to be part of Chicago Bears championship teams as both a player and a head coach.

Ditka is the correct answer, but George Halas would have been accepted even though Papa Bear won his title as a player with the Chicago Staleys.

10) The Bears play the Packers 4 times in two seasons. The Bears, being a much better team have a 100% chance of winning each game. What is the probability that the Bears win all four games? What is the probability that the Bears explosive offense will be held under 50 points in any game? What is the probability the Bears vaunted defense will even be scored upon?

This one is too easy, and if you got it wrong you should immediately slap your self. Seriously slap yourself right now...

Hopefully you all aced the Quiz like my fellow Superfans did, and as a programming note the next time you see us we'll be dropping by with our Annual Season Prediction Special.

Bear down my friends...

Explosiveness? Let's see the Third Dimension

Kenneth G. — Fri, 01 Jun 2012 16:00:43 -0000

Chris Palmer and Jerry Gray have been hyping us up for the past couple of weeks- explosiveness. They are exciting us for the future offense and defense of this team. However, there is one area where we have the weapons to succeed, but are not executing correctly- special teams. It's time to continue on Munchak's path of progressing away from the 3-point team.

I watched all but two or three of our beloved Titans' games last year (I was flying to and from Hawai'i. Give me a break). I cannot remember a single trick play that our Titans executed against the opposing special teams. No fake field goals or fake punts. Yes, these can be extremely hard to execute, but with the correct weapons, it is possible.

For instance, I remember one play during the season where there was a mishandling between Amato and Kern. After this, Brett had to start damage control. What did he do? He ran. Not only did he run- he picked up 21 yards. Yes, he ran out of bounds, but he showed that he has the ability to pick up the yards. Now, what if this was planned? The opposing special teams have shown that they are that focused on blocking the punt that if this was meant to trick the defense, they probably could have pulled it off. Say Brett practices his 40 time a bit and gets a little faster... that could be really scary. Or, we could have him throw a dink 10 yard pass for the first down. It's not impossible. It's not like on Madden where the punters can't throw the ball. This is real life where we can make it work.

Another option would be faking some field goals. Robby B is an extremely well respected kicker. He has ~~never~~ only had two of his kicks blocked. And those were in 2006 and 2009. This shows one of two things to be true: (1) Our special teams blocking is incredibly good. OR (2) The opposition gives up when he kicks that ball. Now, look at this little stat: Brett Kern nor Rob Bironas have thrown a pass in the NFL. The opposition does not expect it. So, let's say we do some fake field goals. We have two options: (1) Snap to Brett and let him make a pass two Rob or another special teams player [Tommie Campbell???]. OR (2) Snap it directly to Bironas and have an extremely hybrid fake field goal play, which could be a run or a pass. The opposition would be so surprised. Besides, Bironas has not been blocked since the 2009 season; therefore, let's assume that special teams can block long enough for him to pass for a TD!

It's time for the Titans to explore the third dimension- Special Teams. Bironas, Kern, Mariani, Campbell, and T-Shaw are all capable of being used in a unique way to develop our special teams into a hybrid and unpredictable unit.

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Fixing Michael Griffin Edition

August West — Tue, 22 May 2012 18:00:12 -0000

Veteran FA safeties Abram Elam and Gibril Wilson came in yesterday to workout for the coaches. Elam has connections to new DB coach Brett Maxie, while Wilson was a standout player at UT who started his entire NFL career until 2011. While both guys might help us, I think at this point the Titans are more so looking to update their call list than actually sign a veteran safety who will compete for a spot on the final roster.

John Glennon writes about the DaJohn Harris' surprise diagnosis with a heart condition (patent foramen ovale - a relatively common condition where a hole in the heart doesn't close after birth as it should) at the NFL Combine, and how the UDFA defensive tackle is using the emotional firestorm to drive his quest to make the final roster at one of our more crowded positions.

Kenny Britt is one of the guys Don Banks says could bounce back big after losing most of 2011 to injury:

Kenny Britt, WR, Tennessee -- Turning in a pair of games with at least 135 yards receiving and three combined touchdown catches to start the season last year, Britt was well on his way to eye-popping numbers in 2011 when he blew out the ACL in his right knee in Week 3. If healthy, and the Titans expect to have him back by the regular-season opener, Britt is a legit No. 1 receiver who should make either Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker more productive as Tennessee's starting quarterback.

Britt underwent a clean-up arthroscopic procedure on his right knee this week, but it was done to address some swelling he has had in the area, and it's not expected to dramatically complicate his rehabilitation timetable. It might wind up making the Titans treat him with kid gloves in the preseason, but with Tennessee using its No. 20 pick in the draft to select Baylor receiver Kendall Wright, getting the rookie even more playing time in August might be a smart way to accelerate his learning curve and quickly integrate him into the offense.

Sounds like one of Jerry Gray's goals this off-season has been a task many of us figured was impossible here in Nashville: fixing Michael Griffin. Griff still has the ability to be one of the best safeties in the league, but he's quickly running out of chances to get back to that stellar play we saw in 2007 and 2008. If Gray can use this full off-season session to fix whatever the hell Chuck Cecil seemingly broke in Griffin, then this defense will be immeasurably better than we've seen over the past three seasons.

Tim Shaw lands in the second spot for the most special teams coverage unit tackles in the NFL from 2009-2011.

WTF? Really, PFF?

Are the Ravens about to screw the pooch in negotiations with their only great offensive player? Lets hope so.

Country legend, and former maker of the best damned spicy sausage in the world, George Jones is in the hospital with a respiratory infection. While it doesn't look too serious now, it's never a good sign for an 80-year old man who has lived as hard as he has. One of my favorite stories relating to 'No Show Jones': Jones was supposed to record an old David Allen Coe song one time, but he got drunk and never showed for the session, so instead his bassist/pedal steel player jumped at the chance to sing on the track. That mystery man was Johnny Paycheck, and the song was "Take This Job and Shove It".

Nittany Lions in the AFC

Cari Greene — Mon, 14 May 2012 10:00:18 -0000

With forty two players currently signed to NFL rosters, the number of Penn State lettermen who continue to make an impact as professional football players has remained fairly consistent over the years. Twelve players who were members of the Nittany Lion squad in 2011 are included in this number, having been drafted or signed to professional teams this spring.

While the sport of football is undoubtedly different on the professional and collegiate levels, the name "Penn State" still resonates in most corners of the NFL, with teams knowing they'll get hard working, fundamentally sound football players, and, perhaps more importantly, solid citizens.

The following is a list of the teams in the AFC, and the former Nittany Lions working hard to keep their place on each team's roster.

AFC East

Buffalo Bills

Bryan Scott, LB. Drafted by the Falcons in the 2nd round in 2003. Traded to the Saints in 4/06. Signed by the Titans as an unrestricted free agent in 3/07; released in 9/07. Signed by the Bills in 9/07 as an unrestricted free agent; new contract just signed 3/21/12. Currently listed as active.

Nick Sukay, DB. Rookie. Signed as an undrafted free agent 4/30/12.

Miami Dolphins

Derek Moye, WR. Rookie. Signed as an undrafted free agent 5/4/12.

Jared Odrick, DE. Drafted in the 1st round, 2011, 28th overall. Currently listed as active.

Cameron Wake, LB.

Signed with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2005, waived shortly after. Signed to the BC Lions of the CFL in 5/07. Signed as a free agent with the Dolphins in 1/09. Played in the Pro Bowl in 2010. Currently listed as active.

New England Patriots

Rich Ohrnberger was released by the Patriots on 2/22/12; they currently have no former Nittany Lions on their roster.

New York Jets

Dennis Landolt, T. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Giants in 2010. Released in 10/10 and signed to the 49ers practices squad. Signed a reserve/futures contract with the Jets on 1/12/12. Currently listed as a member of the practice squad.

D'Anton Lynn, DB. Rookie. Signed as an undrafted free agent 5/4/12.

Aaron Maybin, DE.

Drafted by the Bills in the 1st round, 2009, 11th overall. Waived by the Bills in 8/11, signed with the Jets immediately after. Tendered as a restricted free agent. Currently listed as active.

AFC North

Baltimore Ravens

Currently have no former Nittany Lions on their roster.

Cincinnati Bengals

Devon Still DT. Rookie. Drafted in 2nd round, 2012.

Cleveland Browns

Jordan Norwood, WR. Re-signed as an exclusive rights free agent 4/12/12. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Browns in 5/09, waived 9/09. Signed with the Eagles 9/09, waived 9/10. Signed by the Browns again 9/10. Currently listed as active.

Scott Paxson, DE. Signed by the Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 4/06, waived 9/06. Signed by the Packers in 2006 then waived, signed again by the Steelers in 12/06, waived 9/10. Signed by the Browns 1/11. Currently listed as active.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Jeremy Kapinos, P. Signed as an undrafted free agent with the Jets in 2007, released 6/08. Signed by the Packers in 12/08. Signed by the Colts in 10/10, waived 11/10; signed by the Steelers 12/10. Currently listed as active.

Derrick Williams, WR. Drafted by the Lions in the 3rd round, 2009. Waived 9/11. Signed by the Steelers, 1/20/12. Currently listed as active.

AFC South

Houston Texans

Bryant Johnson, WR. Drafted by the Cardinals in the 1st round, 2003, 17th overall. Signed as an unrestricted free agent to the 49ers in 3/08, to the Lions in 3/09, cut by the Lions in 7/11. Signed by the Texans in 8/11. Currently listed as an unrestricted free agent.

Indianapolis Colts

Ollie Ogbu, DT. Signed as an undrafted free agent in 7/11. Signed a reserve/futures contract, 1/4/12. Currently listed as active.

AQ Shipley, C. Drafted by the Steelers in the 7th round, 2009. Waived 9/09. Signed to the Eagles 1/10, waived 9/11. Signed a reserve/futures contract with the Colts 1/28/12. Currently listed as active.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Paul Posluszny, LB.

Drafted by the Bills in the 2nd round, 2007. Signed with the Jaguars as an unrestricted free agent in 7/11. Currently listed as active.

Tennessee Titans

Tim Shaw, LB. Drafted by the Panthers in the 5th round, 2007. Released in 8/08; signed by the Jaguars in 11/08, released in 9/09. Signed by the Bears in 9/09, Released in 9/10. Claimed off waivers by the Titans in 9/10. Currently listed as active.

AFC West

Denver Broncos

Currently have no former Nittany Lions on their roster.

Kansas City Chiefs

Tamba Hali, LB.

Drafted in the 1st round, 2006, 20th overall. Re-signed in 8/11. Spent first three seasons as a DE. Two-time pro-bowler, in 2010 and 2011; was the AFC sack leader in 2010. Currently listed as active.

Oakland Raiders

Jack Crawford, DE. Rookie. Drafted in the 5th round, 2012.

Chaz Powell, S. Rookie. Signed as an undrafted free agent, 5/10/2012.

Nate Stupar, LB. Rookie. Drafted in the 7th round, 2012.

Stefen Wisniewski, G. Drafted in the 2nd round, 2011. Started all 16 games of his rookie season (15 as guard, one as center). Currently listed as active.

San Diego Chargers

Johnnie Troutman, G. Rookie. Drafted in the 5th round, 2012.

Not included: As they ended their collegiate careers at Baylor and Delaware, respectively, Phil Taylor and Pat Devlin were not included on this list.

Stay tuned for our list of NFC Nittany Lions, later this week.

Be sure to become a fan of BSD on Facebook, and follow us on Twitter!

Poll

Which current AFC Nittany Lion is the most likely to be the next Pro Bowler?

Cameron Wake

127 votes

Paul Posluszny

148 votes

Tamba Hali

421 votes

Stefen Wisniewski

119 votes

other

9 votes

824 votes | Poll has closed

Tennessee Titans Daily Links: Shaw-nuff Edition

August West — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 17:00:39 -0000

Matt Williamson ranks the QB position in the AFC South, and he puts the Titans below the Colts and Texans... which is a bit presumptuous in my opinion.

Tim Shaw still doesn't like last year's change to the kickoffs. Considering that he just got a three year deal, I'd advise him to leave the whining up to a guy who really got screwed by that change: Marc Mariani.

Former Titans DE William Hayes is finally getting some visits, and he's headed to St. Louis and Denver.

The Colts have hired retired linebacker David Thornton to as their Player Development Coordinator.

Did RGIII just shun the Colts? I guess he's really sold on playing for Mike Shanahan.

FO ranks the worst CBs in the league from last season, and luckily it's Titan-free.

~~Maurice~~ Morris Claiborne did the impossible: he made Vince Young look like a genius.

Email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com and follow me @AugustWest_MCM