The way wide receiver Nate Washington was talking on Thursday, longtime Titans fans might not recognize their team’s offense this fall.

The Titans have had the reputation as a run-first offense for many years, and they certainly won’t be forgetting about Chris Johnson in the game plans for 2012.

But Washington sounded excited about an air attack that will feature Kenny Britt, Kendall Wright, Damian Williams, Jared Cook and Washington.

“When I first got here, the fullback was on the field all day, every day. It was a power offense. We were going to run the ball down your throat,” Washington said.

“This year you have so many different types of weapons. With C.J.’s speed in the backfield, I think we are going to open this thing up a little bit for him to show his versatility more, catching the ball and doing some other things and going to some four- and even five-(receiver sets).”

Offensive coordinator Chris Palmer wasn’t able to work with the Titans last offseason because of the lockout, but it sounds as if he’s been busy fashioning a much livelier playbook for 2012.

“Coach Palmer has been in the lab all offseason,” Washington said. “He’s been licking his chops to get back to us so you can tell on his face that he has some different things up his sleeve. …

I think this is going to be a pretty explosive offense. Not that we weren’t in the past, but Kendall and a couple of guys here will definitely give us some different things that we can do, some versatility to the things that we had.”

Campbell making strides: One of the most commonly used words in referencing cornerback Tommie Campbell last season was “raw.”

A seventh-round pick from California University of Pennsylvania, Campbell was drafted primarily because of his tremendous athletic skills and potential.

Campbell appears to be making good strides in refining those skills, defensive coordinator Jerry Gray said. That’s good news for a team still looking to replace Cortland Finnegan, who signed with the Rams.

“He’s doing a really great job,” Gray said. “Now he’s not going against a wide receiver (during current offseason program work), and he’s not judging the ball and those things. … But just as a pure technique corner, he’s probably the second-best we’ve got.”

Gray rated starter Jason McCourty as having the best technique.

Campbell, a 6-3, 205-pounder who ran 40-yard dashes in the low 4.3s while in college, also has good work habits.

“He’s devoted a lot of time here,” Gray said. “He’s here in the afternoons when the other guys are gone. He’s watching film, and this guy didn’t even play a snap last year on defense. So it’s important to him. This guy wants a job here.”

Griffin’s consistency: Safety Michael Griffin needs to show more consistency in order to recover his Pro Bowl form of a few years ago, Gray said.

The coordinator recalled two similar plays from last season. During one, Griffin sprinted from the middle of the field to break up a sideline pass against the Colts. But during another, Griffin surrendered a touchdown pass to a Bengals wide receiver he appeared to have covered.

“Your job is don’t let the receiver catch the ball,” Gray said. “So it’s little things like that, once he gets back to being more consistent at making those type of plays.

“He clearly has the most athletic ability in the league as a safety that I’ve seen. I’ve watched a lot of guys. He has that ability. Now it’s just putting it together a little more consistently.”

Arts to replace Berk: The Titans hired Jim Arts as director of security to replace Steve Berk, who is retiring at the end of June after 16 years with the organization.

Arts was chief of police in Green Bay, Wis., for the past five years. In 26 years with the police department there he worked closely with the Packers in planning and coordinating security.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) The Tennessee Titans made boosting their offensive line a big focus in free agency, and they landed All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson with a multi-year contract Thursday.

Terms of the deal were not released.

”Steve is a really talented player who has had a great deal of success in this league,” general manager Ruston Webster said in a statement. ”I like his leadership and his toughness and he will obviously add to the overall talent of the group upfront.”

Hutchinson visited with the Titans on Tuesday, and he also visited Seattle where he started his career before reaching a deal with Tennessee. Hutchinson did not immediately respond to a message left on his cell phone Thursday by The Associated Press.

Coach Mike Munchak said in a statement he always has liked Hutchinson and respected how he plays.

”I have evaluated hundreds of players coming out of college in my time as a coach, and he may have been the finest college guard I have watched,” said Munchak, who is a Hall of Fame guard himself. ”I still see him playing at a high level, even in his 11th NFL season. He brings experience and success to our line and into the locker room. He is just an all-around good football player and we are excited to have him.”

The 6-foot-5 Hutchinson is a five-time All Pro with seven Pro Bowls. He spent the past six seasons with Minnesota before being released Saturday. A first-round pick out of Michigan in 2001, Hutchinson has blocked for Shaun Alexander in Seattle where the 2005 MVP led the league with 1,880 yards and 27 touchdowns. In Minnesota, Hutchison blocked for Adrian Peterson, who averaged 1,350 yards each year the past five seasons.

Now Hutchison will help block for Chris Johnson, the sixth man in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards or more. But Johnson had a career-worst 1,047 yards in 2011 after signing a big contract extension. The Titans ranked 31st averaging 89.8 yards rushing per game.

The Titans, who spent eight hours meeting with Peyton Manning on Wednesday, also have focused on improving the offensive line. They also met Wednesday with center Scott Wells, a Tennessee native who won a Super Bowl with Green Bay, and with Houston center Chris Myers on Thursday.

The Titans are meeting with free agent quarterback Peyton Manning at Baptist Sports Park this afternoon.

Coach
Mike Munchak, General Manager Ruston Webster and Chief Operating
Officer Mike Reinfeldt flew to Raleigh-Durham this morning, picked up
Manning and returned to Nashville at around 2:10 p.m.

The group
entered Baptist Sports Park a little after 2:30 p.m. without stopping to
speak to media or a gathering of fans outside the team’s MetroCenter
facility.

The Titans’ private plane left Nashville this morning
originally bound for Atlanta, but the flight quickly diverted to North
Carolina. Manning has spent a lot of time working out at Duke University
near the Raleigh-Durham airport.

The Titans are the fourth team the four-time NFL
MVP is known to have met with. He met with the Broncos, Cardinals and
Dolphins earlier this week. On Sunday, Titans owner Bud Adams told The Tennessean that he wanted his front office to aggressively pursue the former University of Tennessee star.

The Titans also hosted another free agent with local ties, center Scott Wells.

Wells,
who attended Brentwood Academy and the University of Tennessee, has
been with the Green Bay Packers for the past seven seasons. He earned a
Super Bowl ring in 2011 when the Packers defeated the Steelers.

On
Tuesday the Titans hosted seven-time Pro Bowl guard Steve Hutchinson,
who was recently released by the Minnesota Vikings in a salary-cutting
move.

Hutchinson, 34, has played 11 years in the NFL. He
finished the past two seasons on injured reserve – with a thumb injury
in 2010 and a concussion last year.

If the Titans were to sign
Hutchinson, he’d likely replace of Jake Scott, a four-year starter who
was flying to Arizona on Tuesday night to visit the Cardinals.

The
Titans offensive line was one of the best in the league when it came to
pass protection last year, allowing the second-fewest sacks. But the
running game was surprisingly poor, second-worst in the league despite
the presence of Chris Johnson.

Tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart are considered safe, but the Titans wanted to re-assess the interior line positions.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans will spend the off-season thinking of the three games that cost them a playoff berth and looking ahead to a promising second season under coach Mike Munchak.

Just how many are back for 2012 remains to be seen with contracts of more than 20 Titans expiring. With Munchak taking over a team that went 6-10 and didn’t have an off-season due to the lockout, the Titans have high expectations for what’s next.

“Who would have thought we’d be 9-7?” fullback Ahmard Hall said Monday after the Titans cleaned out lockers. “Who would give us a chance to be 9-7? Munch is building something great here, and everybody wants to be a part of that.”

Hall is among those whose contracts are up, meaning the Titans have plenty of personnel work ahead.

For a franchise that got rid of a quarterback and head coach a year ago, handling a secondary where four defensive backs are pending free agents should be much easier. Defensive captain and cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safeties Chris Hope, Michael Griffin and Jordan Babineaux all are up with no contract talks since Finnegan bolted training camp in August.

Finnegan doesn’t sound as if he expects to be back, though he hopes to return after six seasons in Tennessee.

“Coach Munchak is building something really special around here,” Finnegan said. “He plans to talk to everyone. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Munchak said the salary cap will decide how many players they keep. He hopes they keep as many as possible in free agency along with another crop of rookies to go with a promising draft class where three started on defence.

“You got a nice little core here, so I think it’s something we can build on,” Munchak said. “I think that’s part of the excitement of selling to the guys that are in this room is that yeah, 9-7 was OK. It wasn’t quite good enough this year, but a lot of good things happened at 9-7 that we’re excited about as an organization, as a team and that we can build on.”

The Titans finished the season beating the Houston Texans 23-22, missing out on their first playoff berth since 2008 when the Jets lost to Miami and Denver lost to Kansas City. That left Tennessee tied with Cincinnati but losing the head-to-head tiebreaker due to a Nov. 6 loss to the Bengals where the Titans blew a 10-point lead in losing 24-17.

“Hopefully the lesson we learned is you can’t hope that someone else can do your job for you,” Munchak said. “We had to earn our way in, and we didn’t.”

Tennessee also lost its opener 16-14 in Jacksonville and became the first team to lose to the previously winless Colts 27-13 on Dec. 18 when a win would have put the Titans into the AFC’s sixth and final playoff spot.

At least Munchak has his quarterbacks in veteran Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker going into a full off-season to push for the starting job. Hasselbeck started all 16 games and became the first quarterback for this franchise not named Warren Moon to throw for at least 3,500 yards. He finished with 3,571 yards passing with 18 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. Locker threw for four TDs with a 99.4 passer rating coming off the bench in five games.

Munchak said the quarterbacks will compete again with the player who should start being an obvious decision when the time comes.

He plans on keeping his co-ordinators, giving Chris Palmer to work on an offence that ranked 17th in the NFL in passing even though top receiver Kenny Britt tore his right ACL in September.

The biggest focus will be on a run game that ranked 31st in the league averaging a measly 89.9 yards.

Chris Johnson ran for a career-low 1,047 yards after missing the pre-season before getting his new contract extension. He has plenty of incentives in that deal to spend plenty of time working in the Titans’ off-season program, and he said the Titans simply need to improve their execution.

A full off-season will help Jerry Gray’s defence too.

“We were limited in what we could do because guys were learning it on the run,” Finnegan said. “That’d be huge for this defence.”

A fourth rookie, Karl Klug, led Tennessee with seven sacks, and the Titans ranked eighth in the NFL in points allowed per game. But Tennessee still must find a way to tighten up a run defence gashed for big runs far too often, leading to a No. 24 ranking giving up 128.3 yards per game.

Notes: The Titans will pick 20th in April’s draft. … The Titans’ 2012 home schedule features visits from Houston, the Colts and Jaguars in the AFC South along with the Patriots, the Jets, the Steelers, Chicago and Detroit. Tennessee will visit its AFC South divisional rivals along with trips to Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, San Diego and Buffalo after finishing second in the division.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—The Tennessee Titans will spend the offseason
thinking of the three games that cost them a playoff berth and looking ahead to
a promising second season under coach Mike Munchak.

Just how many are back for 2012 remains to be seen with contracts of more
than 20 Titans expiring. With Munchak taking over a team that went 6-10 and
didn’t have an offseason due to the lockout, the Titans have high expectations
for what’s next.

“Who would have thought we’d be 9-7?” fullback Ahmard Hall said Monday
after the Titans cleaned out lockers. “Who would give us a chance to be 9-7?
Munch is building something great here, and everybody wants to be a part of
that.”

Hall is among those whose contracts are up, meaning the Titans have plenty
of personnel work ahead.

For a franchise that got rid of a quarterback and head coach a year ago,
handling a secondary where four defensive backs are pending free agents should
be much easier. Defensive captain and cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safeties
Chris Hope, Michael Griffin and Jordan Babineaux all are up with no contract
talks since Finnegan bolted training camp in August.

Finnegan doesn’t sound as if he expects to be back, though he hopes to
return after six seasons in Tennessee.

“Coach Munchak is building something really special around here,” Finnegan
said. “He plans to talk to everyone. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Munchak said the salary cap will decide how many players they keep. He hopes
they keep as many as possible in free agency along with another crop of rookies
to go with a promising draft class where three started on defense.

“You got a nice little core here, so I think it’s something we can build
on,” Munchak said. “I think that’s part of the excitement of selling to the
guys that are in this room is that yeah, 9-7 was OK. It wasn’t quite good enough
this year, but a lot of good things happened at 9-7 that we’re excited about as
an organization, as a team and that we can build on.”

The Titans finished the season beating the Houston Texans 23-22, missing out
on their first playoff berth since 2008 when the Jets lost to Miami and Denver
lost to Kansas City. That left Tennessee tied with Cincinnati but losing the
head-to-head tiebreaker due to a Nov. 6 loss to the Bengals where the Titans
blew a 10-point lead in losing 24-17.

“Hopefully the lesson we learned is you can’t hope that someone else can do
your job for you,” Munchak said. “We had to earn our way in, and we didn’t.”

Tennessee also lost its opener 16-14 in Jacksonville and became the first
team to lose to the previously winless Colts 27-13 on Dec. 18 when a win would
have put the Titans into the AFC’s sixth and final playoff spot.

At least Munchak has his quarterbacks in veteran Matt Hasselbeck and Jake
Locker going into a full offseason to push for the starting job. Hasselbeck
started all 16 games and became the first quarterback for this franchise not
named Warren Moon to throw for at least 3,500 yards. He finished with 3,571
yards passing with 18 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. Locker threw for
four TDs with a 99.4 passer rating coming off the bench in five games.

Munchak said the quarterbacks will compete again with the player who should
start being an obvious decision when the time comes.

He plans on keeping his coordinators, giving Chris Palmer to work on an
offense that ranked 17th in the NFL in passing even though top receiver Kenny
Britt tore his right ACL in September.

The biggest focus will be on a run game that ranked 31st in the league
averaging a measly 89.9 yards.

Chris Johnson ran for a career-low 1,047 yards after missing the preseason
before getting his new contract extension. He has plenty of incentives in that
deal to spend plenty of time working in the Titans’ offseason program, and he
said the Titans simply need to improve their execution.

A full offseason will help Jerry Gray’s defense too.

“We were limited in what we could do because guys were learning it on the
run,” Finnegan said. “That’d be huge for this defense.”

A fourth rookie, Karl Klug, led Tennessee with seven sacks, and the Titans
ranked eighth in the NFL in points allowed per game. But Tennessee still must
find a way to tighten up a run defense gashed for big runs far too often,
leading to a No. 24 ranking giving up 128.3 yards per game.

Notes: The Titans will pick 20th in April’s draft. … The Titans’ 2012 home
schedule features visits from Houston, the Colts and Jaguars in the AFC South
along with the Patriots, the Jets, the Steelers, Chicago and Detroit. Tennessee
will visit its AFC South divisional rivals along with trips to Minnesota, Green
Bay, Miami, San Diego and Buffalo after finishing second in the division.

AFC EAST
New England Patriots
	   Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
	   Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
New York Jets
	   Home: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, San Diego Chargers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
	   Away: Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
Miami Dolphins
	   Home: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Oakland Raiders, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
	   Away: Buffalo Bills, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cincinnati Bengals, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
Buffalo Bills
	   Home: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Kansas City Chiefs, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks
	   Away: Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers
AFC NORTH
Baltimore Ravens
	   Home: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, New England Patriots, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
	   Away: Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Houston Texans, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Pittsburgh Steelers
	   Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
	   Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Tennessee Titans, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
Cincinnati Bengals
	   Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Miami Dolphins, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
	   Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
Cleveland Browns
	   Home: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins
	   Away: Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Indianapolis Colts, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants
AFC SOUTH
Houston Texans
	   Home: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Baltimore Ravens, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
	   Away: Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
Tennessee Titans
	   Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
	   Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
Jacksonville Jaguars
	   Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Cincinnati Bengals, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
	   Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Oakland Raiders, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
Indianapolis Colts
	   Home: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings
	   Away: Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Kansas City Chiefs, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions
AFC WEST
Denver Broncos
	   Home: Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Houston Texans, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	   Away: Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, New England Patriots, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
San Diego Chargers
	   Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Tennessee Titans, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
	   Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Oakland Raiders
	   Home: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Jacksonville Jaguars, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	   Away: Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
Kansas City Chiefs
	   Home: Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals, Indianapolis Colts, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers
	   Away: Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers, Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	   -- -- -- =
NFC EAST
New York Giants
	   Home: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
	   Away: Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
Philadelphia Eagles
	   Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Detroit Lions, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
	   Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
Dallas Cowboys
	   Home: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Chicago Bears, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
	   Away: New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Seattle Seahawks, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
Washington Redskins
	   Home: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Baltimore Ravens, Cincinnati Bengals
	   Away: Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, St. Louis Rams, Cleveland Browns, Pittsburgh Steelers
NFC NORTH
Green Bay Packers
	   Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, New Orleans Saints, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
	   Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, New York Giants, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
Detroit Lions
	   Home: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Atlanta Falcons, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
	   Away: Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Philadelphia Eagles, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
Chicago Bears
	   Home: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
	   Away: Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
Minnesota Vikings
	   Home: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Tennessee Titans
	   Away: Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Washington Redskins, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts
NFC SOUTH
New Orleans Saints
	   Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, San Francisco 49ers, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
	   Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
Atlanta Falcons
	   Home: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
	   Away: Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Detroit Lions, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
Carolina Panthers
	   Home: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
	   Away: Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, Chicago Bears, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
	   Home: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Philadelphia Eagles, Washington Redskins, St. Louis Rams, Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego Chargers
	   Away: Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders
NFC WEST
San Francisco 49ers
	   Home: Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
	   Away: Arizona Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Arizona Cardinals
	   Home: St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Philadelphia Eagles, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
	   Away: St. Louis Rams, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, New York Jets
Seattle Seahawks
	   Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Dallas Cowboys, New England Patriots, New York Jets
	   Away: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Carolina Panthers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins
St. Louis Rams
	   Home: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, New York Jets
	   Away: Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Seattle Seahawks, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins

The New Orleans Saints’ last three games have been high profile victories over the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Detroit Lions. But this week’s road game against the Tennessee Titans has quietly turned into an equally tough test.

For one thing, the Saints have struggled on the road this year, posting a 3-3 record, and this will be their first road game in four weeks. For another, the Titans (7-5) have won three of their last four games, with dangerous tailback Chris Johnson finally getting hot over the last few weeks. And Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck certainly won’t be intimidated by the Saints defense after he picked them apart during last season’s playoffs as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

“It’s a combination of all those things,” Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said when asked which threat looms largest. “I think playing the last two games the way we’ve played, at home, in the environment, having our fans behind us, and now you’ve got to leave that atmosphere and go play on the road against a good team, against a really good running back, and they’ve been playing solid defense as well. So that’s just the challenge of getting away from home, where it’s felt comfortable, we’ve been playing well. Now we have to go back and see if we can do it away from home.”

Safety Malcolm Jenkins agreed that all of those factors will keep the Saints’ attention this week.

“Hasselbeck, we all know what he’s capable of, especially from last year. Chris Johnson is coming on real hot lately. And that team has been playing well in the last couple of weeks,” Jenkins said. “They’re a hot team and going into their house playing on the road, especially after the last four games have been emotional games, some real intense games. It will be a challenge for us to continue with that intensity, continue with that same focus to go on the road and try to get a win.”

Two of the Saints losses this season were outdoor games – at Tampa Bay and at Green Bay. But Jenkins said he’s not worried about this team coming out flat again this season.

“I think we’ll do a good job,” Jenkins said. “I know from the leadership on this team and from the coaches, we’ll do a good job of getting guys emotionally ready for this game. It’s too late in the season to really have one of those lulls as far as what we’re trying to accomplish and our focus. I think we know what’s on the line, we know what’s at stake, and we’ll continue to show up.”

TAMPA — There are no games in the NFL designated as Homecoming Games but Sunday’s game between the Tampa Bay Bucs and the Tennessee Titans will be like one.

Tampa Bay running back LeGarrette Blount and defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth will return to Nashville for the first time since leaving the Titans.

Tennessee also has a bit of a Tampa Bay connection with starting linebacker Barrett Ruud but his status for Sunday is uncertain because of a groin injury.

For Blount and Haynesworth, both got their start in Tennessee but are happy to be in Tampa Bay.

For Haynesworth, Tennessee was where he became a star.

A first-round pick by the Titans in 2002, Haynesworth stayed in Tennessee for seven seasons. He registered 454 tackles and 24 sacks during that span, including 144 tackles and 14.5 sacks his final two seasons with the Titans.

After spending two seasons with the Washington Redskins and half a season with the New England Patriots, Haynesworth is returning to Tennessee playing the best he has since he left the Titans.

Since coming to Tampa Bay, he has nine tackles and two quarterback pressures in two games.

“The things he’s doing for us, he does well,” said coach Raheem Morris. “We’ve got to get a better plan for him in some of our rush things and we will.”

The Titans picked up Blount as an undrafted free agent in 2010. With Chris Johnson the team’s main threat, the team was going to try to sneak Blount on the practice squad.

The Bucs, however, claimed the 6-foot, 247-pound Blount and the rest is history.

“I’m happy everything worked out the way it did,” said Blount, who rushed for 1,007 yards to lead all rookie running backs last year. “Fortunately, I came here and became the premiere starting running back so everything worked out for the best.”

If the Titans had forgotten about Blount, his 107-yard performance on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers would have raised a few eyebrows. If that didn’t, his 54-yard touchdown run in that contest grabbed their attention.

The run started simple enough. He took the handoff from quarterback Josh Freeman and headed toward the line of scrimmage.

That’s where the simple part ended.

Blount broke through a tackle at the line of scrimmage, bounced off a couple more Green Bay defenders, broke through some feeble attempts at his legs, and then fought off another would-be tackler for the score.

“Just 10 times on SportsCenter this week,” responded Tennessee quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, when asked if he saw Blount’s run. “There’s been a lot of talk with the fact that he was here. It’s been all positive.

“He’s doing a great job,” he said. “We saw him last year when Seattle played him. He made the highlight film also hurdling one of our guys※.You’re always looking for a guy to be a difference-maker or dominator in any area of the game but the running game is really important.”

That is why Blount is pleased at how things worked out.

“I was just excited I was going to get a chance to play,” he said. “I did everything I could to showcase my skills around the league in case I didn’t stay with Tennessee. Fortunately, I landed here and things have been going good for me.”

The Tennessee Titans missed a chance to move closer to the AFC South lead,
but rookie quarterback Jake Locker(notes) showed he can produce when given the chance.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to make the most of this opportunity or they
could fall further back in the NFC South race.

With starter Matt Hasselbeck(notes) questionable after suffering an arm injury last
week, Locker could make his first NFL start Sunday when the Buccaneers try to
snap a four-game losing streak.

Trailing division-leading Houston by 1 1/2 games, Tennessee (5-5) lost more
ground to the idle Texans and dropped into a pack of four .500 teams in the
conference with Sunday’s 23-17 loss at Atlanta.

With the Titans down 23-3 late in the third quarter, Locker entered after
Hasselbeck was struck by a Falcons defender. The eighth overall pick finished 9
of 19 for 140 yards and a pair of TD passes to Nate Washington(notes), who caught a
career-best nine passes for 115 yards.

Locker helped Tennessee convert a season-high 57.1 percent (8 for 14) on
third downs.

“I thought he handled himself very well there, good pocket presence, and
good job in the huddle calling the plays and running the show,” coach Mike
Munchak said. “He checked protections, he is very comfortable doing that. You
may have noticed him at the line of scrimmage making some adjustments, he felt
very good doing those things.”

That’s a good sign for the Titans if Hasselbeck can’t go. Tests on Monday
did not reveal any structural damage to Hasselbeck’s right forearm and elbow,
and Munchak described it as more of a muscle strain.

“He’s been injured in the past. He’s a savvy vet,” Titans fullback Ahmard
Hall(notes) said. “I think it’s 13 or 14 years for Matt. He’s been there, done that.
He’ll be ready to go next week.”

Buccaneers coach Raheem Morris needs his team to be ready Sunday, and for
each of the next six weeks. Tampa Bay (4-6) has dropped five of six and is three
games behind South-leading New Orleans and two back of the Falcons.

“We’ve got six more (games),” Morris said after Sunday’s 35-26 loss in Green
Bay. . “… There’s still time to get hot. We can still finish with the same
record we had last year (10-6) if we get our minds right, go out and play hard,
fast, physical and smart.”

Third-year quarterback Josh Freeman(notes) hasn’t had the most impressive season -
he’s already been picked off 15 times – but he threw for a career-best 342 yards
Sunday with two fourth-quarter TD passes to help Tampa Bay rally from 14-0 down.

Freeman knows it’s going to take more of these types of efforts for the
Buccaneers to make a late-season push.

“You have to go out and approach every week from here on out as a much-win
situation,” he said. “You try to win them all, but right now it’s very crucial
that we go out and take advantage of every opportunity.”

LeGarrette Blount(notes) has made the most of his chances since the Titans cut him
last September, supplanting Cadillac Williams as Tampa Bay’s starter and running
for 1,548 yards in 21 games.

“It looks like he is doing a great job for them and it ended up being a
great fit for him last year with them picking him up and getting a chance to
play and he has taken full advantage of it,” Munchak said of Blount, who had a
54-yard TD and 107 rushing yards Sunday.

Munchak wishes his backfield was that opportunistic. One of the main reasons
the Titans are averaging a league-low 77.3 rushing yards is the play of Chris
Johnson. The three-time Pro Bowler is running for a career-low 3.2 yards per
carry after being held to 13 on 12 rushes Sunday.

“You go back to the last game (a 30-3 road win over Carolina on Nov. 13) and
I got 130 (yards) and everything was good,” Johnson said. “You come back to
this game and nothing is working. It goes back to the offense not executing, not
being consistent.”

Munchak is looking for better offensive line play, but that unit could be
without right tackle David Stewart(notes) after he suffered a calf injury Sunday.

Former Buccaneer Barrett Ruud(notes) (groin) is also questionable. Titans rookie
linebacker Colin McCarthy(notes), who forced a fourth-quarter fumble against Atlanta,
would be the likely replacement if Ruud can’t go.

The last time these teams met, Tampa Bay won 13-10 on Oct. 10, 2007, to snap
a five-game skid to the Titans franchise.

The Buccaneers have lost both games in Tennessee – 33-13 in their last visit
on Dec. 23, 2003 – after going 0-4 when playing in Houston.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans have signed seven
players to the practice squad.

The moves Sunday fill seven of eight spots available on the
squad. All seven of the players were on the regular roster before
being released.

The Titans agreed to terms with running back Herb Donaldson,
guard Ryan Durand, defensive end Pannel Egboh, tight end Cameron
Graham, safety Robert Johnson, and wideouts James Kirkendoll and
Michael Preston.

HALL: Fullback Ahmard Hall says his NFL
suspension for using performance-enhancing substances is the result
of a stimulant he took to stay awake on a drive from Nashville to
Texas in February.

He will sit out four games without pay in a suspension announced
Saturday along with the Titans’ roster moves.

In text messages to The Associated Press, the former Marine said
he has never taken steroids and that teammates, coaches and team
officials know he took a stimulant.

“This happened back in February after the season, I basically
took a stimulant to stay up while driving from Nashville to Texas
and was tested the next day at my home,” Hall wrote. “We appealed
the decision back in March, but it was denied.”

His suspension begins immediately, and he will return to the
active roster Oct. 3 after the Titans play the Cleveland
Browns.

Tennessee swapped an undisclosed future draft pick to the Green
Bay Packers for fullback Quinn Johnson to fill the gap in an
offense that will center on the running game. Johnson, a
fifth-round pick out of LSU in 2009, has played in 20 NFL games,
including four starts last year for the Super Bowl winners.

Hall signed a one-year contract to return to the Titans for his
sixth season with Tennessee. He signed with the Titans as a free
agent after walking on at Texas. He is a key blocker for three-time
Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson, whose 4,598 yards rushing over
the past three seasons leads the NFL.

“We have known that a suspension was a possibility for some
time, and we have used the preseason to identify players that would
fit the mold of what we needed, if Ahmard had to miss games,”
Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said in a statement. “Johnson
is a traditional, downhill, blocking fullback who we think will
fill that need. He is a former fifth-round pick, who has done a
nice job over the last two years for Green Bay.”

This is the second straight season the Titans have had a starter
miss the first four games of the season due to such a suspension.
Linebacker Gerald McRath sat out the first four games last
year.

NEXT: The Titans will open the season Sept. 11
at noon at Jacksonsville. CBS will televise.

© 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

NASHVILLE, TN - 

The NFL has suspended Tennessee Titans fullback Ahmard Hall for the first four games of the season for violating the league’s performance enhancing substances policy.

Hall, in his sixth year, will be eligible to return to the active roster on October 3 after Tennessee’s Week 4 game at Cleveland.

Cincinnati Bengals offensive lineman Bobbie Williams, an 11-year veteran, was also handed a four-game suspension Saturday by the NFL for violating the steroids policy.

Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt said the team had known “for some time” that Hall might be suspended and used the preseason to identify players who could fill the hole.

They found someone in a trade, acquiring fullback Quinn Johnson from the Green Bay Packers for an undisclosed future draft pick.

“Johnson is a traditional, downhill, blocking fullback who we think will fill that need,” said Reinfeldt. “He is a former fifth round pick who has done a nice job over the last two years for Green Bay.”

The Titans cut nine players before Saturday’s deadline, including veteran wide receiver Justin Gage, and trimmed their roster to 54 players. It can remain there until the exemption for running back Chris Johnson is removed and they get down to the NFL’s mandated 53-man roster.

The Titans also waived guard Ryan Durand, defensive end Pannel Egboh, injured wide receiver Yamon Figurs, defensive end Jacob Ford (injury settlement), safeties Robert Johnson and Vincent Fuller, injured cornerback Pete Ittersagen and cornerback Frank Walker.

Wide receiver Kevin Curtis and tackle Adam Terry were placed on injured reserve. 

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Tennessee Titans traded a future draft pick to the Green Bay Packers for fullback Quinn Johnson to replace Ahmard Hall during his four-game suspension.

The 6-foot-1, 263-pound Johnson has played in 20 NFL games, including four starts last season for the Packers.

The Titans have a roster exemption for star running back Chris Johnson.

Before Saturday’s deadline to trim rosters to 53 players, Tennessee placed receiver Kevin Curtis and offensive tackle Adam Terry on injured reserve, and placed receiver Yamon Figurs and cornerback Pete Ittersagen on the waived-injured list . They reached an injury settlement with defensive end Jacob Ford, who struggled to stay healthy since being drafted in the sixth round in 2007.

Tennessee also waived receiver Justin Gage, safety Robert Johnson, cornerback Frank Walker, guard Ryan Durand and defensive end Pannel Egboh.

With the release of Johnson, the Titans now have cut three draft picks from last year’s class in the past two days. Tennessee waived sixth-round pick Myron Rolle and linebacker Rennie Curran, a third-round pick, on Friday. But they kept all nine of this year’s draft picks, including a pair of seventh-rounders in defensive tackle Zach Clayton from Auburn and cornerback Tommie Campbell of Division II California (Pa.).

Safeties Jordan Babineaux and Anthony Smith, signed during training camp, also stuck through the cuts. Reinfeldt said that they will be looking at any chance to upgrade the roster for new coach Mike Munchak.

“With 17 new players on this year’s roster, I think we have upgraded a number of positional groups with a combination of free agents and rookies,” Reinfeldt said.

Copyright 2011 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The NFL has suspended Titans fullback Ahmard Hall for the first four games of the season for a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.

Hall said the violation occurred because of a stimulant he took in order to stay awake on a long drive from Nashville to Houston in February. A test soon thereafter came back positive, he said.

Despite two appeals, the NFL upheld its decision. Hall was informed earlier this week.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Hall said. “I know the team counts on me a lot and I’m a leader in the locker room. I play a big part in what we do. I let my coaches and teammates down because this is a big season for (Coach Mike Munchak) going into his first season, and I’m supposed to be there with my team.”

Hall said he knows people usually suspect steroids when it comes to performance-enhancing substances.

“I’m saying now I never took steroids and I never will,” Hall said. “But it’s up to the fans to believe me on that. I feel like I’ve done enough in my career and throughout the community for people to know I’m an upstanding guy and wouldn’t cheat the game like that.

“I made a mistake and took a stimulant to stay up on the drive. There’s a number of things you can get suspended for under that banned substance list the NFL has. I’m paying for it right now.”

Hall’s suspension will begin with Week 1 of the regular season. He won’t be allowed to come to the team facility or have any contact with coaches.

In order to fill the roster void, the Titans acquired fullback Quinn Johnson in a trade with the Packers. Johnson played in 20 games over two seasons with Green Bay. He made four starts last year, totaling three catches for 26 yards.

“We have known that a suspension was a possibility for some time and we have used the preseason to identify players that would fit the mold of what we needed, if Ahmard had to miss games,” Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said. “Johnson is a traditional, downhill, blocking fullback who we think will fill that need. He is a former fifth round pick, who has done a nice job over the last two years for Green Bay.”

Hall, a former Marine, said he’s already looking forward to returning prior for Week 5, when the Titans will travel to Pittsburgh. He will miss games against Jacksonville, Baltimore, Denver and Cleveland.

“I’ll sit out the four game suspension, then put it behind me, not make any more mistakes and have a good season,” Hall said. “I’ll finish the season off and go on with my career and life.”

This is the second straight season a Titans player has been suspended for the first four games because of a performance-enhancing violation. Linebacker Gerald McRath was suspended in 2010.