Two things come to mind whenever the Titans face the Bills — aside from Titans owner Bud Adams flipping a pair of birds toward the Buffalo sideline in 2009.

One brings back good memories for the Titans and their fans: the “Music City Miracle” sparked a Super Bowl run to conclude the 1999 season.

The other remains a nightmare for many, including Titans Coach Mike Munchak.

He was playing for the Oilers on Jan. 3, 1993, when they lost “The Comeback” to the Bills, who rallied from a 32-point deficit to win in overtime at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

“I try to forget,” said Munchak, who leads the Titans (6-5) to Buffalo (5-6) on Sunday. “But unfortunately they play the tape every year when the playoffs start. … That will never go away I guess.”

Three members of Munchak’s staff played in the game for the Oilers — Bruce Matthews, Jerry Gray and Marcus Robertson.

“A lot of good coaches got fired from here,” said Gray, who played cornerback and is now defensive coordinator. “Nothing against (the Bills), but we had a lot of good football players. We should have won that game and we knew it. I think at that time we were probably the best team in the NFL with the talent we had, but the best team doesn’t always win.”

Injuries: Tackle David Stewart (calf) was limited on Thursday after sitting out Wednesday’s practice. He’s on track to play Sunday, Munchak indicated.

Center Eugene Amano (hip), tight end Jared Cook (concussion), defensive end Jason Jones (knee), linebacker Colin McCarthy (knee) and defensive end Derrick Morgan (ankle) returned to practice.

Cornerback Tommie Campbell (shoulder) and linebacker Barrett Ruud (groin) did not practice. Campbell said he expects to practice today and play Sunday.

Wide receiver Donnie Avery was limited after tweaking his hamstring.

Turning heads: Gray is impressed with McCarthy and fellow rookie linebacker Akeem Ayers.

“A lot of guys don’t know that they come in at 5:30 in the morning. I know Colin does. I know Ayers comes in about 6 or 6:30,” Gray said.

“So those guys are getting a lot of tutor work because they want to be good. You have to give up your time if you want to be a good football player in this league, especially if you’re a rookie.”

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At some point, Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan would love to know what it feels like to be healthy for an extended period of time, maybe even — gasp — for an entire season.

In the meantime, neither Morgan nor the Titans are willing to lower expectations for the 2010 first-round pick.

He’ll go into Sunday’s game at Buffalo with just two sacks in his 10 games, which are not the kind of numbers forecast for Morgan when the Titans made him the 16th overall selection last year.

“No doubt, (the pass rush) is why he was drafted here, and no doubt, we’d like to have more of that out of him,” defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said. “But the big goal here is winning, and I think he gives us a great chance to win here. He’s going to help us down the stretch.

“We all want everything right now, and a lot of times we don’t get things we want right now. But he’s working hard for us. So maybe we’ll just get out the voodoo dolls and try to get him well.”

Morgan, 22, might just be willing to consider radical forms of healing at this point.

He went on injured reserve just five games into his rookie season after tearing an ACL. He rehabbed throughout the lockout and training camp, but still didn’t feel right.

It turned out he needed follow-up arthroscopic surgery after a stitch came loose inside the knee. That procedure kept him out of the first game and left him at less than 100 percent the next week.

Morgan did feel good for a stretch of games — even totaling six of his team-leading 12 quarterback pressures during one two-week period — but then sprained an ankle Nov. 20 against Carolina.

That left the gimpy Morgan with the tough call of whether to play Sunday in a critical game against Tampa Bay.

“It’s a hard decision in those situations and you have to level with yourself: Am I going to make it worse or is it something I can push through,” Morgan said. “I didn’t practice until Friday, but I felt like it was something I could still push through.”

Unfortunately for Morgan, he didn’t make an impact on the stat sheet in the win over the Buccaneers, failing to post a tackle or quarterback pressure in a limited number of snaps.

“I was trying and doing what I can to make plays, but I probably shouldn’t have played last week,” Morgan said. “I was trying to push through it, but as the game went on, the ankle wasn’t doing so good.”

Morgan might have to play through some pain again this week, as he was limited in practice Wednesday. Assuming he’s healthy enough to play, however, the Titans will be looking for results.

“We have high expectations, so when we put anyone on the field, you don’t take health into consideration,” Coach Mike Munchak said. “You expect a high level of play from guys or otherwise we wouldn’t have them on the field.

“If we thought he was limited to where he couldn’t help us win, (we’d sit him). So we expect the most out of him. We expect him to make plays. That’s why he’s playing.”

Munchak does understand the Titans might not see the best of Morgan until next season, since at that point he will have had even more time to recover from the ACL as well as an entire offseason with the club in its conditioning program.

“I know it’s frustrating for him and he knows that, too,” Munchak said. “It’s not like he’s complaining about it, but I’m sure he’s not as healthy as he’d like to be. Usually they say that after an ACL injury, the third year, which would be next year for him, would be the year he’d feel most healthy.”

Until then, Morgan said he would do what he can to help a pass rush that has recorded just 21 sacks this season — the seventh-worst total in the NFL.

“I’m probably my own biggest critic. I’m doing what I can to make plays,” Morgan said. “But I have high expectations of myself. I’m doing everything I can to exceed those expectations.”

What do you guys think about this.

At some point, Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan would love to know what it feels like to be healthy for an extended period of time, maybe even — gasp — for an entire season.

In the meantime, neither Morgan nor the Titans are willing to lower expectations for the 2010 first-round pick.

He’ll go into Sunday’s game at Buffalo with just two sacks in his 10 games, which are not the kind of numbers forecast for Morgan when the Titans made him the 16th overall selection last year.

“No doubt, (the pass rush) is why he was drafted here, and no doubt, we’d like to have more of that out of him,” defensive line coach Tracy Rocker said. “But the big goal here is winning, and I think he gives us a great chance to win here. He’s going to help us down the stretch.

“We all want everything right now, and a lot of times we don’t get things we want right now. But he’s working hard for us. So maybe we’ll just get out the voodoo dolls and try to get him well.”

Morgan, 22, might just be willing to consider radical forms of healing at this point.

He went on injured reserve just five games into his rookie season after tearing an ACL. He rehabbed throughout the lockout and training camp, but still didn’t feel right.

It turned out he needed follow-up arthroscopic surgery after a stitch came loose inside the knee. That procedure kept him out of the first game and left him at less than 100 percent the next week.

Morgan did feel good for a stretch of games — even totaling six of his team-leading 12 quarterback pressures during one two-week period — but then sprained an ankle Nov. 20 against Carolina.

That left the gimpy Morgan with the tough call of whether to play Sunday in a critical game against Tampa Bay.

“It’s a hard decision in those situations and you have to level with yourself: Am I going to make it worse or is it something I can push through,” Morgan said. “I didn’t practice until Friday, but I felt like it was something I could still push through.”

Unfortunately for Morgan, he didn’t make an impact on the stat sheet in the win over the Buccaneers, failing to post a tackle or quarterback pressure in a limited number of snaps.

“I was trying and doing what I can to make plays, but I probably shouldn’t have played last week,” Morgan said. “I was trying to push through it, but as the game went on, the ankle wasn’t doing so good.”

Morgan might have to play through some pain again this week, as he was limited in practice Wednesday. Assuming he’s healthy enough to play, however, the Titans will be looking for results.

“We have high expectations, so when we put anyone on the field, you don’t take health into consideration,” Coach Mike Munchak said. “You expect a high level of play from guys or otherwise we wouldn’t have them on the field.

“If we thought he was limited to where he couldn’t help us win, (we’d sit him). So we expect the most out of him. We expect him to make plays. That’s why he’s playing.”

Munchak does understand the Titans might not see the best of Morgan until next season, since at that point he will have had even more time to recover from the ACL as well as an entire offseason with the club in its conditioning program.

“I know it’s frustrating for him and he knows that, too,” Munchak said. “It’s not like he’s complaining about it, but I’m sure he’s not as healthy as he’d like to be. Usually they say that after an ACL injury, the third year, which would be next year for him, would be the year he’d feel most healthy.”

Until then, Morgan said he would do what he can to help a pass rush that has recorded just 21 sacks this season — the seventh-worst total in the NFL.

“I’m probably my own biggest critic. I’m doing what I can to make plays,” Morgan said. “But I have high expectations of myself. I’m doing everything I can to exceed those expectations.”

Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—When the Tennessee Titans went into the draft in
April, one of their main objectives was to improve the linebacker position. Even
the Titans are surprised at finding a solution so soon among this year’s draft
class.

Rookie linebackers Akeem Ayers(notes), a second-round pick from UCLA, and Colin
McCarthy(notes), a fourth-rounder from Miami, have stepped in and played so well for
Tennessee that they now rarely leave the field. They play not only in the base
defense, but in Tennessee’s nickel package.

Ayers was inserted into the lineup as a strongside linebacker from the
moment the Titans drafted him, while Tennessee signed free agent Barrett Ruud(notes) to
a one-year contract to man the middle until McCarthy got some experience.

Due to a groin injury Ruud suffered Nov. 6 against Cincinnati, McCarthy has
gotten his opportunity much earlier than anticipated. Ayers’ role has slowly
increased as he has learned the nuances of the defensive scheme.

“I think it’s real encouraging to see someone develop as quickly as all of
the sudden (McCarthy) is in a short period,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said.
“Akeem is the same way, and we are starting to try to use Akeem more on third
down. So he is getting more reps. … We are adding more to his plate because he
is ready for that now. It is exciting to watch your young players get better.”

Since getting regular playing time three weeks ago, McCarthy has been a key
factor in the defense’s success. In those three games, he has 33 tackles and
had his first career interception that preserved Sunday’s 23-17 win over Tampa
Bay. For the year has five tackles for loss and a forced fumble.

For McCarthy, it’s just part of the job description as a middle linebacker.

“We need to make impact plays throughout the game. There are a lot of plays
out there to be made, and playing middle linebacker, when you’ve got the
opportunity, then you’ve got to take advantage of them,” he said.

McCarthy has proven to a quick study, too, as his interception came from an
adjustment on a play the Bucs ran earlier on a pass to tight end Kellen Winslow(notes).

“It was a play we went through in practice. Earlier in the game, they kind
of did that 10-yard (pattern) and just kind of sat there, so it was just a
matter of time before they did the shake and tried to hit us deep,” he said.
“Coach (Jerry) Gray had a great game plan. We went over that this week, and
when they throw it at you, you’ve just got to catch it. That was my main
focus.”

Ayers’ main focus has been settling into one spot and learning the system on
the fly. At UCLA, he spent some time at defensive end, and played both inside
and outside linebacker. With the Titans, he can settle into the strongside spot
over the tight end and play.

“Akeem has kind of bounced around a little bit. He played some defensive
end in college, played some linebacker, played inside, played outside,” Titans
linebackers coach Frank Bush said. “He’s still learning to be a good solid
outside linebacker, and on top of that, we’ve started to give him nickel stuff.
There’s just a lot of learning, a lot of new stuff for him. He’s taken on the
stuff in our base package. He’s learned that, and he’s kind of owned that
information. Now he’s moving forward with our nickel stuff.”

The Titans moved Ayers into the nickel partly because they wanted to get
more from a guy they consider one of their better playmakers. It has paid off,
as Ayers now has 54 tackles, two sacks and six quarterback pressures.

“Since I’m able to stay in the game more, I’m able to get a feel for the
game. When you’re in and out, it’s hard for me personally to get a feel for the
game,” Ayers said. “But when you’re in on third down and you get the
opportunity to rush the quarterback or drop into coverage, you get the
opportunity to do more things. . I’ve always believed in myself, but it’s just
taken time to prove to them that I know the defense and that they can trust me
in the game.”

There are still the occasional rough moments, but the plays the rookies have
made have outweighed their mistakes.

“It’s a long way to go. Those guys are a work in progress,” Munchak said.
“It’s their rookie years and they are learning a lot and seeing a lot of things
for the first time. So it’s encouraging what we are seeing, but it is an
opportunity for the guys to make a lot more plays the more they play.”

Notes: Five Titans sat out Wednesday’s practice nursing injuries, while
three others were limited. Those out: center Eugene Amano(notes) (hip), cornerback
Tommie Campbell(notes) (left shoulder), McCarthy (knee), Barrett Ruud (groin) and
tackle David Stewart(notes) (calf). … Players who were limited were tight end Jared
Cook(notes) (concussion) and defensive ends Jason Jones(notes) (knee) and Derrick Morgan(notes)
(ankle). … All except Ruud are expected to return to practice soon and have a
chance to play Sunday at Buffalo.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Thanks for visiting our blog =).

A few film notes from the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 38-14 Week 5 win over the Tennessee Titans…

Tennessee Titans

– Tennessee’s offensive line did an outstanding job of blocking the Steelers’ front seven and providing an escort for running back Chris Johnson, who rushed for 51 yards on just 14 carries. The Titans couldn’t keep the ground attack going because they fell behind, but that doesn’t negate the efforts of their line. They used slide protection to get the Steelers’ line going one way, and Johnson would then either hit the gap to that side or read the cutback and go opposite. Left guard Leroy Harris(notes) and center Eugene Amano(notes) are dynamic upfield blockers who know how to tag a linebacker and create extra space in the running game. Harris is also very good at pulling right and sealing the edge for Johnson and the Titans’ other running backs — he stoned LaMarr Woodley(notes) with one outstanding first-quarter pull-block, and that’s no small achievement.

The Titans’ line is best at establishing power at the point of attack, and then spreading its force to create other opportunities. You can definitely see the influence of head coach Mike Munchak, the team’s former O-line coach and a Hall of Fame offensive lineman himself.

– The Titans’ defensive linemen really seemed to struggle with certain assignments. When ends Derrick Morgan(notes) and Dave Ball(notes) were asked to flare out in coverage on zone blitzes, they weren’t able to do much but provide stationary targets for Ben Roethlisberger(notes) to avoid. And on Heath Miller’s(notes) first-quarter touchdown, tackle Karl Klug(notes) had Miller in his vicinity, but stayed home while Miller advanced to the goal line. Sending a bunch of zone blitzes at Roethlisberger might not be the best idea — Big Ben’s defensive coordinator is Dick LeBeau, who pretty much invented the concept. You imagine that he might see zone blitzes at a pretty high level through the week.

The Titans’ D-linemen didn’t do much better staying at home at times, either; Jonathan Dwyer’s(notes) long second-quarter run was a beautifully executed example of (take it away, Vince Lombardi): “A seal here, a seal here, and we run it IN THE ALLEY!” Left guard Doug Legursky(notes) (pulling right) and right tackle Marcus Gilbert(notes) did an incredible job of blocking out the lane for Dwyer’s first run of the season.

Pittsburgh Steelers

– Generally speaking, the Titans present an interesting set of defensive problems in that they’re multiple in their schemes, but they disguise their diversity very well by looking pretty vanilla (a lot of 4-3 or 4-2 nickel) and then, spreading out into different coverages after the snap. Steelers offensive coordinator Bruce Arians put together a brilliant gameplan to counter this — he used a lot of pre-snap motion by receivers from side to side, sweeps and end-arounds to force the defense to pull one way, and quick throws in spread-style formations to get under what Tennessee was doing. The zone blitzes previously discussed aside, Roethlisberger also read Tennessee’s standard blitzes very well — it also helps that he’s conditioned himself to be unafraid of the blitz because his offensive lines have been so poor for so long.

The Steelers also used a lot of influence motion in their running plays — little half-motion sets by Hines Ward(notes) to draw a linebacker in and out. And as they generally are, the Steelers were very successful when they ran out of bunch formations — the formation/play they run more consistently than any other team. It’s important to note that with injuries on both sides of the ball, and facing a very good defense, Arians helped his team win as much as any player on the field.

– There were certain points where outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley absolutely took over this game — he certainly seemed to recognize the importance of his play with battery-mate James Harrison(notes) out with a fractured orbital bone (yikes). One play that really stood out was his sack of Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck(notes) with 9:39 left in the first quarter. The Titans had second-and-goal from the Pittsburgh 7-yard line, and Woodley rushed in from the defensive left side as tight end Daniel Graham(notes) released into the end zone. Fullback Ahmard Hall(notes) stayed in to block Woodley, but it didn’t matter, because Woodley just pushed Hall a good 2 yards back with his initial attack, and when Hall regained his footing, Woodley pushed Hall back into Hasselbeck and got the sack.

Woodley can do a number of things — tackle the run very well, cover in space as well as any 3-4 outside linebacker, and speed-rush around the edge — but his sheer power is the extra element that makes him a true force.

Related: , Doug Legursky, LaMarr Woodley, Ben Roethlisberger, James Harrison, Matt Hasselbeck, Hines Ward, Marcus Gilbert, Jonathan Dwyer, Derrick Morgan, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans, What The Tape Saw

Gotta run!.

Tennessee Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan (90) tries to sack Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger (7) as Roethlisberger shovel-passes the ball to Isaac Redman during the second quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Oct. 9, 2011, in Pittsburgh. / AP Photo / Don Wright

Written by

Associated Press

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That’s all for today.

Hasselbeck has 2 TDs, Titans beat Broncos 17-14

NASHVILLE (AP) — The Tennessee Titans won the game. How long they’ll lose receiver Kenny Britt remains to be seen, though it didn’t look good as he limped to the sideline.

Matt Hasselbeck threw a 4-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Graham with 4:24 left, and the Titans rallied for a 17-14 victory over the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

The Titans (2-1) lost Britt, the AFC’s leading receiver, when his right knee buckled underneath him in the second quarter, and he was carted to the locker room. Hasselbeck found other players to throw to, including Graham, whose first catch of the season came against his former team.

Hasselbeck passed for 311 yards and two touchdowns to lead Tennessee to its second straight win.

The Titans intercepted Kyle Orton twice, sacked him once and also stopped Willis McGahee on fourth-and-goal at the 1 early in the fourth quarter.

Denver (1-2) drove to the Titans 38 before Will Witherspoon sacked Orton, and two plays later, Jason Jones batted Orton’s pass into the air. Witherspoon picked it off with 1:39 left to seal the victory.

A veteran signed to mentor rookie Jake Locker and to win now, Hasselbeck did just that as Denver held Chris Johnson to only 21 yards on 13 carries in his third game back from his contract holdout. Hasselbeck took control on the go-ahead drive that started at the Tennessee 5, completing passes to five different receivers, with the longest a 58-yarder to tight end Craig Stevens. He also tossed a 14-yard TD to Nate Washington.

Britt, who had 271 yards receiving coming into the game, was hurt with 5:55 left in the second quarter. He had just caught a swing pass from Hasselbeck, eluded a tackler and tried to turn upfield when he fell to the ground and lost the ball. The Titans forced Denver to go three-and-out, then punter Brett Kern came up with Tennessee’s longest rush this season.

Denver called the Titans dirty a year ago after winning in Nashville. Tennessee racked up a season-high 11 penalties for 80 yards compared to just one for Denver on a facemask Sunday.

But Tennessee outgained the Broncos 333-231, and Denver didn’t score a point off two fumbles recovered. That included a fumble by Hasselbeck recovered at the Titans 13 late in the third quarter.

At the end of that drive, Denver coach John Fox took a timeout, pulled kicker Matt Prater off the field and went for it on fourth-and-goal. Derrick Morgan, Tennessee’s first-round pick a year ago, stopped McGahee for no gain.

The Titans led 10-7 at halftime before Orton took control of the third quarter with a 16-play drive using up more than eight minutes. He converted four third downs with completions, the last a 5-yarder to McGahee for a TD and a 14-10 lead with 1:17 left in the quarter. Orton was 9 of 10 for 51 yards on the drive.

Denver rookie Von Miller sacked Hasselbeck, knocking the ball loose, on the ensuing drive. That gave Denver the ball at the Titans 13 and seemingly all the momentum.

Hasselbeck completed 10 of his first 11 passes for 125 yards and a TD. He even connected with Johnson on a 34-yard pass down the left sideline that Fox challenged to make sure the running back got both feet in on the catch.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan stops Ravens running back Ray Rice during last Sunday’s game at LP Field. / Robert Smith / Gannett Tennessee

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What do you guys think about this.

It looks as if the Titans will have two talented defensive ends returning to the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

Derrick Morgan and Jason Jones practiced Wednesday and are expected to play Sunday. They missed the season opener against the Jaguars because of knee injuries.

“We were banged up the first week a little bit and we had some guys playing out of position,” Morgan said. “But I think it will be a positive for our defense to get us both back and contributing.”

Defensive end William Hayes, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Jaguars, saw limited practice time Wednesday and said he is hopeful of playing against the Ravens.

Running back Javon Ringer (hip/back) practiced for the first time in more than a week and said he expects to play Sunday. He missed three preseason games and the season opener.

Safety Chris Hope (shoulder) and wide receiver Damian Williams (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday and Coach Mike Munchak said both players are questionable for Sunday.

Williams said he would try to practice Thursday.

Looking for Cook: After he finished last season with a flourish and had a strong training camp, tight end Jared Cook figured to be a significant factor in the offense this season.

That may eventually prove to be the case, but he was only a bit player in the loss to the Jaguars.

Cook was thrown to twice and caught one pass for 7 yards. He had another reception nullified because of a holding penalty on guard Leroy Harris.

The Titans got off to a slow start against the Jaguars and only ran 49 offensive plays.

“Their offense pretty much … took the majority of the clock,” Cook said. “It was just hard for us to get things going. When you come out as slow as we did and you don’t have many opportunities, that’s going to leave you in the negative.”

Cook is very much in the plans going forward, according to Munchak.

“We definitely feel like he’s still a weapon,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

Incomplete grade: Munchak gave fullback Quinn Johnson a grade of incomplete for his debut with the Titans last Sunday.

With the offense struggling to move the ball against Jacksonville’s defense, the 6-foot-1, 263-pound Johnson rarely got on the field.

“He only got like five or six plays,” Munchak said. “What he did, he did well. But again, it’s hard to get too excited one way or the other. On the offensive side, it’s hard to judge a lot of things.”

Johnson, acquired in a trade with the Packers, is filling in for Ahmard Hall, who was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Another new Titan expected to make a difference in the run game, tight end Daniel Graham, didn’t even get on the field against the Jaguars.

“There were certain guys we just didn’t get in certain packages because we had so much three-wide because we got behind,” Munchak said.

Practice squad: The Titans signed offensive lineman Troy Kropog to the practice squad.

They had released him from the 53-man roster on Friday.

If anybody needs tickets to games, remember to click the tickets link at the top.

It looks as if the Titans will have two talented defensive ends returning to the lineup for Sunday’s game against the Ravens.

Derrick Morgan and Jason Jones practiced Wednesday and are expected to play Sunday. They missed the season opener against the Jaguars because of knee injuries.

“We were banged up the first week a little bit and we had some guys playing out of position,” Morgan said. “But I think it will be a positive for our defense to get us both back and contributing.”

Defensive end William Hayes, who suffered a shoulder injury against the Jaguars, saw limited practice time Wednesday and said he is hopeful of playing against the Ravens.

Running back Javon Ringer (hip/back) practiced for the first time in more than a week and said he expects to play Sunday. He missed three preseason games and the season opener.

Safety Chris Hope (shoulder) and wide receiver Damian Williams (hamstring) didn’t practice Wednesday and Coach Mike Munchak said both players are questionable for Sunday.

Williams said he would try to practice Thursday.

Looking for Cook: After he finished last season with a flourish and had a strong training camp, tight end Jared Cook figured to be a significant factor in the offense this season.

That may eventually prove to be the case, but he was only a bit player in the loss to the Jaguars.

Cook was thrown to twice and caught one pass for 7 yards. He had another reception nullified because of a holding penalty on guard Leroy Harris.

The Titans got off to a slow start against the Jaguars and only ran 49 offensive plays.

“Their offense pretty much … took the majority of the clock,” Cook said. “It was just hard for us to get things going. When you come out as slow as we did and you don’t have many opportunities, that’s going to leave you in the negative.”

Cook is very much in the plans going forward, according to Munchak.

“We definitely feel like he’s still a weapon,” he said. “That’s a good thing.”

Incomplete grade: Munchak gave fullback Quinn Johnson a grade of incomplete for his debut with the Titans last Sunday.

With the offense struggling to move the ball against Jacksonville’s defense, the 6-foot-1, 263-pound Johnson rarely got on the field.

“He only got like five or six plays,” Munchak said. “What he did, he did well. But again, it’s hard to get too excited one way or the other. On the offensive side, it’s hard to judge a lot of things.”

Johnson, acquired in a trade with the Packers, is filling in for Ahmard Hall, who was suspended four games for violating the NFL’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Another new Titan expected to make a difference in the run game, tight end Daniel Graham, didn’t even get on the field against the Jaguars.

“There were certain guys we just didn’t get in certain packages because we had so much three-wide because we got behind,” Munchak said.

Practice squad: The Titans signed offensive lineman Troy Kropog to the practice squad.

They had released him from the 53-man roster on Friday.

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By Brian Floyd

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Aug 31, 2011 – Tennessee Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan was forced to undergo a procedure on his knee and will miss a few weeks as he recovers, according to head coach Mike Munchak. Morgan reportedly had his knee scope to repair some damage, but the news isn’t all bad and he’s expected to make a full recovery. The injury will, however, keep him out of action for the rest of the preseason and, perhaps, the first few weeks of the regular season.

SB Nation’s Music City Miracles took a look at the injury and its impact on the roster, which will need to be pared down to 53 before the season begins.

This also increases the chances that a guy like Pannel Eghboh will make the roster. The Titans were without three defensive ends in practice today, Morgan, Jason Jones and Jacob Ford, so the likelihood that all of those guys are ready to go week 1 is very thin.

Morgan had visited Dr. James Andrews, which is never good news and typically incites panic. However, if arthroscopic surgery is all that came of the meeting, it’s far from the worst news Tennessee fans could’ve received.

For more on Morgan’s injury and the Titans, head on over to Music City Miracles, where you can read about the mounting injury concerns in Tennesee.

Read More: Jacob Ford (DE – TEN), Derrick Morgan (DE – TEN), Tennessee Titans

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