This Dontari Poe to the Titans thing seems to be picking up steam. First the Rotoworld guys had the Titans picking him at #20. Today, in Wes Bunting's newest mock, he also has the Titans taking Poe. Here is what he had to say about the pick:

If there is one guy who’s going to get a ton of buzz following the NFL Combine it’s Poe. There aren’t too many guys at his size that can do what he does athletically and he’s only starting to scratch the surface of his potential.

Poe is a guy we will be watching closely at the combine. I still don't really see the Titans spending a first round pick on a defensive tackle, but Poe would be the perfect compliment to Karl Klug, and the perfect replacement for Shaun Smith who seemed to have worn out his welcome by the end of the season in 2011.

The only question is do they really want to spend the 20th pick on a situational guy?

Dwayne Bowe would be an excellent addition to the Tennessee Titans. He would give the Titans another big receiver who would be a nightmare to cover in the red zone. Adding him would also allow them to move Nate Washington to the slot.

Bowe has been ridiculously productive over the last couple of years. In the last two seasons he has combined for 2,321 yards and 20 touchdowns. Keep in mind that he did all of that without a very good receiver lined up opposite of him and with Matt Cassel throwing him the football.

Bowe has also proven to be durable. He has played in all 16 games in four of his five seasons in the NFL.

Romeo Crennel has said that Dwayne Bowe is a top priority for the team leading up to free agency, so there is the chance that he might not hit the market.

Click through the jump to see the previous players on the list.

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Steve Wyche posted his "exit interview" for the Titans yesterday at NFL.com. Here is part of what he had to say about the Titans:

Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray put together a gritty group that was among the top in the NFL in scoring defense (19.8 points per game). The Titans defense lacks a star, but its collaborative effort kept Tennessee in contention until the very end. Reserve rookie defensive tackle Karl Klug was a big surprise against the pass, registering a team-high seven sacks with two forced fumbles.

So the Titans were top 10 in scoring defense, but they were 31st in the league with just 28 sacks on the season. That is actually pretty impressive.

The Titans, more than just about any team in the league, have seen first hand how much better a defense is with just one good pass rusher. Jerry Gray did a great job with the group that he had in 2011. If they can add a dynamic pass rusher, either in the free agency or the draft, they could field a defense that will be good enough to help the team make a deep playoff run.

Jeff Fisher has hired former #Titans D Coord. Chuck Cecil as Rams' new DB coach.

— John Glennon (@glennonsports) February 14, 2012

Yesterday it was announced that Jim Schwartz had hired Marcus Robertson to be a secondary coach with the Detroit Lions. I had figured Robertson would end up back with Jeff Fisher. Well today we learned why because Jeff Fisher has hired Chuck Cecil to be his defensive backs coach according to John Glennon.

Cecil was a terrible defensive coordinator. There is no doubt about that, but he was a pretty good defensive backs coach. There is no reason to think that he won't be good with the Rams.

I am really interested to see how quickly the Rams defense gets turned around. Their staff now looks very similar to staffs here when the Titans had dominating defenses. Of course Jevon Kearse and Albert Haynesworth aren't walking through that door (I guess they could sign Fat Albert).

There are a lot of people around here who think that the Titans should draft David DeCastro, OG, Stanford with the 20th pick in the draft. There are even a few people who think the Titans should trade up to get him if that is what it takes. Those people talk about how good DeCastro is going to be in the NFL.

Well Ted Miller of the ESPN Pac-12 blog talked to a friend of his who is an NFL scout about Mr. DeCastro. The review was no so stellar:

"Good kid. Should be a good pro. I see the potential. How can I put this, he's supposed to be [one of the best interior linemen]. But it's all in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has their own opinion. I think the kid will be OK. But will he be an All-Pro? I don't know. He should be, if he works hard enough. He has to get his technique down. He just needs to stay on his feet a little more when he pulls. That's about it."

That does not exactly sound like a guy that they should give up future picks to get, or even a guy they should spend the 20th pick on. I am still of the belief that there will be a guard in the 3rd-5th round that can end up being just as good as DeCastro. The Titans just have to find him.

(hat tip Mocking the Draft)

Terry McCormick is reporting via Twitter this morning that the deal Lavelle Hawkins signed last week is worth $7.2 million over three years. Here is the breakdown via McCormick:

#Titans WR Lavelle Hawkins' 3 yr deal worth $7.2 million with a $2 million signing bonus. Hawkins will have base salaries of $800k in 2012, $1.9m in 2013 and $2.5m in 2014.

That seems like a very reasonable deal. That means his cap number for this season is about $1.47 million. That is perfectly reasonable for a 4th/5th receiver.

It is also good that his base salaries escalate as time goes on. To me that says that there is pretty much no shot that he gets cut this season, but he will only stick each year after that if he continues to improve because his cap number goes up pretty significantly in the final two years.

Hawkins showed a lot of improvement as the season went along (there was one point in the year that I wanted them to release him). Here is to hoping that he will be even better in 2012.

Randy Moss is one of my favorite NFL players of all time. In fact, he is probably my 2nd favorite player of all-time behind Steve McNair. Well he was just on USTREAM broadcast live, which you already know was awesome, and he said he is going to return to the NFL next year if anyone will have him. Moss said he had a lot of stuff to get in order this year in his personal life, and that was why he chose not to play.

Now obviously Moss is not the Moss of old. While we can all agree that the Titans were stupid to not use him more than they did when he was here in 2010, he was clearly not the same guy he had been. With that being said, if he is willing to go to a team and accept a lesser role I have no doubt he could still be productive.

The only thing that would make me sad about Moss returning to the NFL would be that he would no longer have retired as a Tennessee Titan.

You already know what is posted after the jump.

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Dan Pompei of the National Football Post talked about the Saints and their issues heading into free agency in his NFP Sunday Blitz this morning. He mentions that New Orleans has not yet talked to Marques Colston about a return to the team. That is probably because they are more concerned with getting Drew Brees under contract.

The Saints are not letting Brees hit the open market. They will try to reach a long-term deal with him. If they cannot, they will use the franchise tag on him.

That means they will not be able to use the tag on Carl Nicks or Colston. Guard and wide receiver are two of the Titans biggest needs. Nicks will be the best guard on the open market. Colston will be at the top of the available receiver list. There is no reason the Titans should not target one of those guys and get them to Nashville. That would not be building the team through free agency. That would be adding a significant piece to a team that missed the playoffs by just a game last season.

Pete Prisco of CBS.com has put out his top 50 free agents of 2012. Now obviously this list can/will change as teams re-sign their guys. The Titans are fairly well represented on Prisco's list with three players.

Cortland Finnegan comes in at #14. He is the third corner on the list behind Brandon Carr of Kansas City and Brent Grimes of Atlanta. Prisco lists the Lions as the top possible suitor for the Finnegan. That is an easy conclusion to draw.

Jason Jones comes in at #38 on the list. What Prisco has to say about Jones seems perfect to me:

He has flashed at times in his four seasons with the Titans, but he should be doing more. Has played both inside and outside for the Titans. He turns 26 in May, so he has time to become a really good player.

Terry McCormick mentioned on Twitter yesterday that the Titans have started negotiations with Jones.

Michael Griffin is 46th on the list. Prisco says he has never been as good as his reputation. That one seems pretty perfect as well.

So the reaction in this thread has been pretty awesome. The Titans signed Lavelle Hawkins to a 3-year deal yesterday. What does that mean to their long term plans of building the 2012 Titans? It is impossible to tell right now. We can speculate, but if that deal doesn't contain any guaranteed money, they can cut him at any time without any ramifications.

There are two very different schools of thought on The Hawk:

1. He is nothing better than a fourth wide receiver who will always be a back end of the roster player.

2. He is a Derrick Mason type who is going to blossom in his 5th year in the league.

It is more likely that the first scenario is the truth, but the point is he could blossom into a good receiver. He did have 47 catches last season. That is two more catches than Damian Williams, who most people think has a lot of upside.

Let's wait and see what other moves are made before we meltdown. I am going to be more disappointed than most people if we enter the 2012 season with the same receivers as we had in 2011, but it is way too early to assume right now that we will.

Save the meltdown for if the Titans re-sign Jake Scott. I will be the first one off the ledge if that happens.

Many of you here know that I am very high on Alshon Jeffery. There are some concerns about his weight, but he is a football player. He is not going to be a 4.3 guy, but he has the size to make up for what he lacks in speed. Jeffery would be deadly in the red zone.

Since I am always up for a good debate, here is an article I came across this morning by Josh Norris who calls Jeffery the eighth best receiver in this draft:

Simply put, Jeffery cannot separate. This was clear in his bowl game effort against Nebraska's Alfonzo Dennard, who repeatedly jammed Jeffery at the line of scrimmage. Dennard completely overmatched Jeffery downfield, as the receiver created no space against Nebraska's physical corner....Jeffery does not use his large frame effectively, either. Plenty of slow receivers make a living converting catches in traffic, but Jeffery loses way too many 50/50 balls for that to be the foundation of his game....Jeffery is the eighth best receiver in the draft, and a massive risk as a first-round pick.

I will admit that I did not watch any of that bowl game, but Jeffery had 4 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown. He was separating from someone. Of course 51 of those yards did come on a Hail Mary at the end of the first half (highlight after the jump), but the fact that he was able to go and get that football is why you draft him.

In the second video after the jump, you will see Jeffery running right by Dennard for a 71 yard catch. Trust me, if he can find enough separation for Connor Shaw to get him the football, he will be able to get separation for NFL quarterbacks.

Click the link to read that whole article. He is highlighting the most overrated players in the draft. He is pretty spot on with the rest of them.

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Today we take a break for the seemingly endless stream of receivers on the list to take a look at Cliff Avril. The one thing that the Titans need more than anything else on defense is a guy that can get after the quarterback. Avril can do just that. He has 19.5 sacks in the last two seasons.

We, as Titans' fans, are very familiar with how much different a pass rush can make. The Tennessee Oilers had a good defense in 1998. In 1999 the newly named Tennessee Titans drafted one Jevon Kearse and became one of the best defenses in the league.

In 2008 the Titans had one of the best defenses in the league. After that season Albert Haynesworth took his talents to the nation's capital and the defense went in the crapper. Those are two prime examples of how much a pass rush can help or hurt a defense.

A lot of people are screaming at me, here and on Twitter, saying that I am crazy for wanting to add a receiver when the defense is cleary what needs an upgrade. What the defense needs is a pass rusher. Sign Avril and this defense will be really good in 2012.

Click through the jump to see the previous people on the list.

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Stanford Routt, who was released by the Oakland Raiders yesterday, is scheduled to visit with the Tennessee Titans in the next few days according to Terry McCormick. If they were to sign him, that would be a big deal because it would pretty much officially close the door on Cortland Finnegan returning to the team.

Routt does have some penalty problems according to PFF:

Stanford Routt was being paid like an elite corner, but he was far from that, hence the cutting. 17 penalties led the league for CBs

Matt Bowen of NFP says Routt will have no trouble finding another job:

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Russ Lande of The Sporting News has put out a new mock draft, and he has the Titans taking Kendall Wright of Baylor. After SuperHorn's post the other day, I am very intrigued by the idea of the Titans adding Wright to the mix. Here is what Lande had to say about the pick:

With Kenny Britt recovering from a torn ACL, the Titans must find a big-play receiver to open up their offense and pull defenders away from the line to give Chris Johnson room to work.

I am generally against putting too much stock in combine numbers, but the only thing that makes Wright a good fit for the Titans is if he can run. That is why the 40 time is so important for Wright when put in the context of what the Titans need to really make this offense take off in 2011. I will spare you another "imagine the offense with," but I will say that Wright could be that final piece that makes this offense dynamic.

Another day, another receiver on my Titans free agency wishlist. Marques Colston is not the polarizing figure that previous receivers on the list were. There are zero character concerns with Colston.

His numbers are crazy. He has five 1,000 yard receiving seasons in his first six years in the league. Now obviously he benefits from being in the Saints offense with Drew Brees throwing him the football, but Gramsey's boy Robert Meachem isn't putting up those numbers.

The only concern here with Colston is that he is not the burner that the Titans are going to need to add to the offsense at some point, but he is a guy that is going to run good routes and catch the football. He also has to be a pretty smart guy to be so effective in that Saints offense. Those are not simple reads they are making down there.

Again, picture Colston lined up opposite Kenny Britt with Nate Washington in the slot. Mike Keith would have strained vocal cords before week 10.

Click through the jump to see the previous players on the list.

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NoMoreMustache linked to this in the fanshots yesterday, but I just could not let it go without a mention. Jeff Diamond, who was formerly the president of the Titans and still does some work on Nashville radio, wrote an article for SI.com suggesting that the Titans will franchise Michael Griffin:

The Titans have major potential free agents in the secondary with CB Cortland Finnegan and S Michael Griffin. Don't expect them to meet Finnegan's lofty demands, but they likely will franchise Griffin, then look for more secondary help.

Maybe Diamond knows something I don't, but I do not see any shot that the Titans would tag Griffin. At his best, Griffin might be one of the better safeties in the league. The problem is we have only seen him at his best in one of the five seasons he has been with the Titans. Franchising him at $6.2+ million (number per FO) would be the worst decision since franchising Bo Scaife.

This really seems like one of those times where the player just needs a change of scenery. For whatever reason, it really just has not worked out for Griffin in Tennessee. It is time for him and the franchise to move in a different direction.

I am assuming that those of you who had a problem with Stevie Johnson are also going to have a problem with Vincent Jackson, but he is the #7 player on my free agency wishlist none the less. Jackson has had his issues, but there is no doubt that he is a dynamic receiver. He would be a HUGE upgrade for the Titans.

Last season Jackson had 60 catches for 1,106 yards and 9 touchdowns. Again, just imagine Jake Locker under center with Kenny Britt on one side, Jackson on the other side, Nate Washington in the slot and Jared Cook at tight end. Talk about a vertical game!

It appears that Jackson is definitely going to hit the open market.

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I know this one is going to be controversial, but Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson is the my 8th most wanted free agent for the Titans. The bad about Johnson is highly publicized. His on the field antics are probably going to be enough to turn a lot of people off, but the fact remains that he is a really good NFL wide receiver. In the last two seasons he has tallied 158 catches for 2,077 yards and 17 touchdowns.

As far as the antics go, Johnson told CBS Eye on Sports that he is done with that stuff:

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The NFL has sent out the official 2012 NFL Draft order today. There are still two spots, 8 and 11, that will be determined by a coin toss at the combine.

The complete order is posted after the jump.

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Last night we were joined by Wes Bunting of the National Football post to talk about the upcoming draft, and Wes was nothing short of excellent. That man is an encyclopedia of prospect knowledge. I am pretty sure he gave a height and weight for every prospect that he mentioned over the course of the 15 of so minutes he was on with us.

One of the more interesting things I took away from the conversation was that he does not like Whitney Mercilus very much. Bunting said he gave him a third round grade.

We are definitely going to try to catch up with Wes again a time or two during the draft season. The full episode is posted after the jump. You will feel 1,000 times smarter after you listen to it...that is if you skip my six minute monologue at the beginning. August left me hanging out to dry a little bit.

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I am by no means picking the Titans to win the 2013 Super Bowl, but if I were a betting man, I would think about putting some money on them at 40/1. There is a lot of work to be none between now and then, but that number seems pretty high. Can someone explain to me why the Dolphins and Cardinals have better odds that the Titans?

Click through the jump to see the full list of 2013 odds courtesy of Bovada.

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Ryan Van Bibber of SB Nation has put out an updated 2012 NFL Mock Draft this morning, and he has the Titans taking Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin. It is interesting that this is one of the first mocks that I have seen with the Titans taking Konz. Here is what Van Bibber had to say about the pick:

Head coach Mike Munchak spoke pretty harshly about his offensive line, the unit he used to coach before his promotion. Konz is a big upgrade in the middle over Eugene Amano, who moved in from right guard last season*. Besides improving the center position, it gives Munchak some flexibility with his remaining linemen.

*Obviously that should read two seasons ago.

I like Konz, and I think he will make a very good NFL center, but the Titans should not spend this pick on an interior offensive lineman. They can find a guy who can step in and play right away in the second or third round.

This is the most out of left field mock draft I have seen so far this season outside of the one that had the Titans Juron Criner with the 20th pick. Evan Silva of Roto World and Josh Norris have put out a mock draft that has the Titans taking Dontari Poe, DT, Memphis. Here is what they had to say about the pick:

Poe's collegiate resume doesn't jump off the page, but the athletic, 6-foot-5, 350-pound behemoth will be coveted on draft day. Titans defensive line coach Tracy Rocker is still in search of wide bodies to execute his scheme. While returning rookies Karl Klug and Jurell Casey flashed promise as first-year pass rushers at 300 pounds or less, Poe would add a new dimension as an immovable nose tackle capable of attracting double teams and swallowing up enemy ball carriers.

We know that a lot has been made of the Titans wanting to get bigger on the defensive line, but this guy seems like an ideal nose tackle. That is something the Titans don't really use since they don't run a 3-4. I have seen a lot of mocks with Poe going in the first round, but it doesn't make a lot of sense for it to be to the Titans.

The two weeks of hype is almost over. The Super Bowl Sunday is one of the best days of the year. If you don't believe me, just ask the people that own Kroger. I was there earlier this afternoon and that place was an absolute mad house. The funny thing was pretty much everyone there was wearing some type of NFL paraphernalia, and a couple of people actually had a shirt or jersey on for the Giants or Patriots. I saw a couple of Eagles shirts and a couple of Bears shirts in addition to the normal amount of Titans stuff I would normally see around here.

As for the game, I said yesterday that my early inclination was to go with the Giants, but I have since changed my pick to the Patriots. JustinS suggested in the comments of that thread that you should probably pick opposite of me because of my playoff track record. It is hard to argue with that.

Discuss the game below.

One of the more interesting parts of an Super Bowl is all of the bets you can make on the game. You can bet on everything from the MVP of the game to how long it will take Kelly Clarkson to sing the National Anthem. Click through the jump to see the full list of Super Bowl prop bets courtesy of Bovada (for entertainment purposes only).

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So Super Bowl XLVI kicks off tonight at 5:29 central time on NBC. It is a good year when NBC has the Super Bowl because they do a great job with everything surrounding the game. I will not be watching much, if any, of the 14 hour pregame show, but I am more likely to watch it on NBC than any other network. Their pregame guys don't spend the whole show laughing. That is a bonus.

My question for you here is do you prefer to watch the Super Bowl at a party or more low key? For me, I enjoy going to some type of reasonable Super Bowl Party for a game like this one- when I don't really care who wins. I cannot go to big gatherings for Titans' games. I want to really watch those games, and it is impossible to really do that when there are more than about 4 people in the room.

When the Titans were in the Super Bowl, I ended up at a party with about 50 people. That was a terrible mistake, and by about 5 minutes into the game I ended up in a room with 4 or 5 people gathered around the smallest TV in the house so I could watch the game.

Anyway, let me know where you will be watching tonight's game.