SUCCESSFUL SWITCHES

A sampling of veteran quarterbacks who switched teams as starters and had success in their first year with the their new team:
Player+Old team+New team (Year)+Result
Warren Moon+Oilers+Vikings (1994)+Passed for 4,264 yards, team won division
Brad Johnson+Vikings+Redskins (1999)+Passed for 4,005 yards, team won division
Trent Dilfer+Buccaneers+Ravens (2000)+Passed for 1,502 yards, team won Super Bowl
Drew Brees+Chargers+Saints (2006)+Passed for 4,418 yards, team won division
Steve McNair+Titans+Ravens (2006)+Passed for 3,050 yards, team won division
When. Sunday, noon
TV. WTVF-5
Radio. 104.5-FM

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew(notes) wishes Chris
Johnson had waited another week before reaching his deal because he expects the
three-time Pro Bowler to hit the ground running after his contract holdout.

Jones-Drew has talked to people who worked out with Johnson during the NFL
lockout and that contract holdout, so he knows the Titans running back is ready
to go. He also knows how crucial Johnson is to the Tennessee Titans.

“People want to talk about quarterbacks and all those things, but you can’t
mention the Tennessee Titans without Chris Johnson,” Jones-Drew said Wednesday.
“He is one of the top playmakers in this league and in our division.”

Running back Chris Johnson has rushed for 4,598 yards and 34 touchdowns in three seasons with the Titans.
(AP)

Whether Johnson can be that playmaker Sunday in the season opener at
Jacksonville remains to be seen after barely a week’s worth of work with his
teammates.

Titans offensive coordinator Chris Palmer has seen enough in a couple days
to be impressed with Johnson. Palmer calls the running back a true professional
ready both on the field and in the playbook with the coordinator’s tweaks to
Tennessee’s offense and a new quarterback in Matt Hasselbeck(notes). No one is saying
yet how many carries Johnson will have in Jacksonville.

“Conditioning-wise, you have to be concerned about that,” Palmer said.
“The other guys have been going for over a month, and you know you’ve got to
take and bring him along. Don’t overload him and make sure you don’t do
something to damage him. Jim Skipper, our running backs coach, will monitor
that, and we’ll take the actions that we have to do during the course of the
game.”

Johnson worked out in Orlando before getting his four-year extension for $53
million, so he thinks he’ll be ready for the heat in Jacksonville. But Johnson
said he didn’t work out with pads, so the running back who wants the ball as
much as possible isn’t sure how much he will be able to do physically until he’s
on the field Sunday.

The Titans need Johnson running as much as possible.

Johnson ranks third all-time in the NFL in yards rushing during the month of
September. He averages 98.9 yards trailing only Jim Brown (110.8) and
Minnesota’s Adrian Peterson (110.9).

Against Jacksonville, Johnson has run 111 times for 632 yards for an average
of 5.7 yards per carry. He had the best game of his career against the Jaguars
rushing for 228 yards on Nov. 1, 2009, on his way to 2,006 yards, and Tennessee
is 4-2 in his six games.

“I like playing against them because I’m from Florida, and that’s a town
where a lot of people from home get to come see me play …,” Johnson said.
“Then again, it’s kind of like a rival game between us and Jacksonville … We
don’t like each other. It’s always a good game. They want to run the ball, we
want to run the ball. So it’s sort of … a matchup between me and Jones-Drew.
And our defense trying to stop him and their defense trying to stop me, so it’s
always a fun game.”

With Jacksonville releasing David Garrard(notes) on Tuesday and naming Luke McCown(notes)
the starter, Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray doesn’t expect any change
in the Jaguars’ offense.

“They’re going to run the football. They’ve done that the last five or six
years. They’ve done it really well,” Gray said.

The key is how is Jones-Drew feeling. He didn’t have much of a preseason
himself, recovering from surgery to fix torn meniscus in his right knee after
rushing for 1,324 yards last season. The opener will be his first full game
since December with only five carries for 14 yards last week in the preseason
finale against St. Louis.

“I feel great. I think rehab went well,” Jones-Drew said. “This long
offseason obviously helped me more than it did some other guys, but I was able
to do my rehab process on my own and not really be rushed back. Talking to Dr.
(James) Andrews, who did my surgery, not forcing me back in training camp was
also a great idea. I feel fresh and I’m the lightest I have ever been and I’m
just ready to play.”

The Titans may have to make a roster move to give Johnson some help. Javon
Ringer(notes) missed practice Wednesday with a sore back after a sore hip kept him out
of three preseason games. Titans coach Mike Munchak expects Ringer back
Thursday, but adding another running back is likely if Ringer can’t play. The
only other running back on the roster is rookie Jamie Harper(notes).

“We’re not looking for any excuses. We’re looking like there’s no reason
this shouldn’t work well,” Munchak said of the rushing offense. “We’re
blocking well up front. The tight ends are blocking well. We just got to fit
them in and know yeah, they haven’t had as many reps as we’d like. But we need
to go down there and produce.”

Munchak does have an idea of how Johnson can help both the Titans and
himself.

“It’s just a matter of going out there and hitting a couple plays and
having some success early. I think will make a big plus for all of us,” Munchak
said.

Notes: Defensive ends Jason Jones(notes) and Derrick Morgan(notes) did not practice
Wednesday. Munchak expects Jones (left knee) to return Thursday. Morgan is
expected to miss Sunday’s opener after having arthroscopic surgery on his left
knee Aug. 29.

Chris Johnson has a new $53.5 million contract extension, but he still hasn’t figured out his first big purchase.

“I have really only focused on football,” the Tennessee Titans running back said Monday, “and trying to get back in the playbook and win some games.”

Johnson now has a couple of practices under his belt as well, and he’s confident that offensive changes under new Titans coordinator Chris Palmer aren’t going to slow him down going into the season opener Sunday at Jacksonville.

“I took the playbook home Friday, and I pretty much know the whole thing,’’ Johnson said. “The offense really is not too different. There are a couple of different wrinkles in it, but I pretty much know the whole thing.”

Getting Johnson up to speed physically will be another matter. Coach Mike Munchak said the game plan wouldn’t require force-feeding the three-time Pro Bowler right away.

Just his presence should make a difference, however.

“I am not worried about Chris at all,” receiver Nate Washington said. “He has been doing a good job these last couple of days to make sure he is doing something extra so he can be on point.

“The first-game C.J. is not going to be nearly as good as the middle-of-the-season C.J. He has to get in the swing of things, but we are still expecting big things from day one. We all look at him as a playmaker, and we know he is going to bring that to the table.”

Johnson, who worked out with a personal trainer in Orlando, Fla., during his 35-day contract holdout, admitted there’s a big difference between running alone and being on the field with teammates. And nothing, he said, can simulate what it’s like getting hit on Sundays.

It also will take Johnson some time to get comfortable seeing blitz pickups and reading blocks, Munchak said.

On top of all that, Johnson is getting used to a new fullback. The Titans traded for Quinn Johnson to replace Ahmard Hall, who is serving a four-game suspension for violating the NFL policy against performance-enhancing substances.

One thing that hasn’t changed: Johnson is accustomed to a lot of carries, and on Monday he reiterated he wanted the ball as often as possible.

It doesn’t sound like the Titans will have their star on a pitch count against the Jaguars.

“We are not going to sit here and say he is only going to get X amount of carries,” Munchak said. “It depends on how those carries go. Hopefully they are all big runs and he will have less carries.”

Updated Aug 31, 2011 3:12 PM ET

Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson lashed out at “fake” NFL fans Wednesday, as he continues to sit out training camp while seeking a long-term contract.

“Can these fake Titan fans STFU on my timeline I don’t have a regular job so don’t compare me to you and I can care less if uthink I’m greedy,” Johnson wrote on his Twitter account.

Johnson then tweeted that he loves the “real fans” in response to a question from a Titans supporter. And a third tweet said his comments should not upset any “real” Titans fans.

Johnson, 25, met with the Titans last week, but both sides reported little to no progress toward a deal, with the Titans now just 11 days away from their season opener.

The Titans have offered to make Johnson the league’s highest-paid running back, with an average salary of about $10 million a year. The Tennessean has reported Johnson is seeking approximately $13.5 million per year, with over $35 million in guarantees.

Johnson has rushed for over 1,000 yards in three straight seasons since being drafted by the Titans in the first round of the 2008 draft. He rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009, the fifth-best single-season tally in NFL history.

If the Tennessee Titans were willing to meet star running back Chris Johnson halfway (I’d say agreeing to make him the NFL’s highest-paid RB counts), and showing up is half the battle… it stands to reason that the Johnson should have a new deal and the Titans should have their best player in camp by now.
Chris Johnson may not have a new contract yet, but Ryan Grant may not have a team by the start of the regular season.
(Morry Gash – AP)

Alas, that’s not the case.

Johnson — who has yet to report to training camp — met with team management on Wednesday but according to Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt, no deal was reached between the two sides. He expects a contract resolution in the “next day or so” despite saying in a statement that he’s unsure if any progress was made during the meeting.

At this point, if the Titans are willing to break the bank for their top tailback, as they claim, Johnson’s extended holdout should soon be over. Unless, of course, he’s simply pulling the ol’ Brett Favre routine of skipping training camp and jumping right into the fray in Week 1.

Maybe he’s watching running backs go down left and right and would rather preserve his body for the punishment of the regular season. Whatever the reason, you have to figure Johnson will be in uniform when the Titans take on Jacksonville on Sept. 11.

In other running back news from around the league, it sounds like Green Bay Packers veteran Ryan Grant may not make the team.

According to a report in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Grant could be the odd man out if the Pack decide to keep only three halfbacks. Last year’s late-season starter James Starks, short-yardage specialist John Kuhn and rookie Alex Green are the only three backs who appear to have solidified their roles on the team while Grant and Dimitri Nance could be battling it out for the final spot — assuming there’s a fourth spot to be had.

Grant eclipsed 1,200 yards in both 2008 and 2009 but missed all of 2010 after fracturing his knee and tearing ankle ligaments in Week 1. With a base salary of $3.5 million, Grant would be an expensive fourth running back to keep in a year in which the Packers have several tough decisions to make about future free agents.

This seems like an appropriate time to remind you to adjust your pre-draft fantasy running back rankings accordingly.

Chris Johnson’s quest for a new contract will apparently go on for another day: his meeting with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville on Wednesday, ostensibly to negotiate terms for a new contract that could make Johnson one of the NFL’s highest-paid players, ended without a new deal. The meeting, which took place at a Nashville restaurant and included Johnson, his agent Joel Segal, Titans general manager Mike Reinfeldt, and a Titans contract expert, ended midday on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press.

NFL Network reporter Albert Breer tweeted a statement that Reinfeldt released after the meeting:

“I’m not sure there was any progress made, but I do think it was beneficial to meet. We were able to discuss several different elements of a potential contract, but there was no agreement on those topics. I do expect to have another conversation with Joel in the next day or so.”

It’s likely that there is still a gap between Johnson’s desire to be paid as one of the NFL’s best playmakers and the Titans’ interest in making him the league’s highest-paid running back without overpaying for his talents.

Johnson has been holding out of Titans training camp since August 9, and would be unlikely to be fully ready for regular season action even if he were to show up for practice on Thursday.

For more on Johnson and the Titans, visit Music City Miracles.

Read More: Chris Johnson (RB – TEN), Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson will reportedly meet with the Tennessee Titans in Nashville to negotiate terms of a new contract. Johnson has been holding out of training camp, seeking a richer deal. Titans’ owner Bud Adams has been critical of Johnson’s holdout.

“I’m not gonna make any offer with the way he’s acting,” Adams said recently. “Life’s too short. These agents sometimes get carried away and don’t really tell the player what their position is. Players usually leave it up to them to get it done, but sometimes they make mistakes with what they tell them.     

The team has said that they would be willing to make Johnson the highest paid running back in the league. It is possible that Johnson believes he should be one of the highest paid offensive players in the league, not just among his position group. The Titans are allowed to fine Johnson $30,000 for each missed day of training camp.

For more on the Titans and the Johnson situation, check out Music City Miracles.

Read More: Tennessee Titans

RB Chris Johnson continues his holdout from Tennessee Titans training camp in protest of his contract. He signed a five-year, $12 million deal in 2008 while blossoming into one of the league’s best running backs.

That’s the problem — he’s working off of a deal that pays him significantly less than he’s worth. The two sides have been talking about a new deal but to this point it doesn’t sound like a breakthrough has occurred. The Titans, for their part, say they’re ready to make him the highest paid running back in the NFL.

Titans GM Mike Reinfeldt talked with the Associated Press about the situation:

Reinfeldt says they already have talked about the perimeters of this new deal for Johnson and would like to have the running back in camp to learn the offense with a new coach while negotiations are finished.

If Johnson feels he needs a new deal, his only leverage point is to hold out of camp and create a sense of urgency.

We’ll see what the next step is but, for now, Johnson’s not in camp. Check out Music City Miracles for updates.

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan did all the right things during the NFL lockout.

He spearheaded offseason workouts for players. Teammates and coaches saw him establishing himself as a dependable leader. Coach Mike Munchak even thanked him for it.

Now, Finnegan finds himself in the cross-hairs of the front office after leaving training camp, upset with his contract situation. General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said Finnegan’s decision caught him off-guard, and it won’t help the sixth-year pro get a new deal.

It’s another headache for the Titans, who were already a week into running back Chris Johnson’s holdout.

“I don’t think it is a mess. It is a little distracting,” Reinfeldt said. “I think the important thing is our guys are under contract. Usually you have holdouts on guys that have not signed contracts, draft picks, franchise guys. These guys have contracts. But we’ll get through it and it is part of the NFL season.”

Efforts to reach Finnegan and his agent, Terry Watson, have been unsuccessful.

Finnegan practiced on Friday. Indications are he didn’t tell anyone with the front office or coaching staff of his plans to leave. Munchak said he didn’t realize Finnegan was gone until he missed a meeting this morning. The Titans later practiced at LP Field.

“Disappointed is probably the easiest word. It is not something we expected,” Munchak said. “You obviously want your best players here, and you want them to be your leaders. So it is unfortunate whatever is going on, that is as much as I am going to say about it. We expected him to be here when we woke up and be a part of practice, and he decided not to be and we had to go on from there.”

Finnegan has one year remaining on his contact and is scheduled to make $3.793 million this season. He signed a contract extension in 2008 worth $18.5 million with $8.5 million in guarantees.

Watson approached the Titans before training camp about a new long-term contract, and proposals were exchanged, Reinfeldt said. There are indications Finnegan’s side feels like the Titans have low-balled him.

Reinfeldt said the club is willing to negotiate with Finnegan, but won’t do so until he returns. It’s the same stance Reinfeldt took with Johnson, who has missed the first nine days of training camp.

“It is disappointing because in the last two weeks I think we have signed 34 guys. I talked to him, Coach Munchak did, we told him to be patient, and we made an offer and he made a counter offer. That’s kind of the way it works. So yeah, it is disappointing,” Reinfeldt said.

“In the past we have extended young players. We extended Cortland after his first two years. The intent was to sit down with his agent and talk. … He will be a free agent the end of the year. If you can find a contract extension that makes sense for both sides you do it, but if not, making $3.8 million is not the end of the world either.”

Finnegan, a seventh-round pick in 2006, had 100 tackles and two interceptions last season.

Under terms of the collective bargaining agreement, the Titans have the option of fining Johnson and Finnegan $30,000 for every day they miss training camp.

As for Johnson, Reinfeldt said the Titans talked to his agent this week but there are still no plans to negotiate until the running back reports to camp.

Johnson’s original contract had his salary at $800,000 in the fourth year of a five-year deal, but according to sources the contract was altered last offseason and he is now scheduled to make $1.065 million.

“We have asked him to be here, he has a contract,” Reinfeldt said. “As far as practicing, that is something we can work out. It is important to be here and attend the meetings. We are not asking to put him in harm’s way either. They are not sure they want to do that at this point and time.”

Updated Aug 6, 2011 6:40 PM ET

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)

Tennessee general manager Mike Reinfeldt says the Titans were totally surprised by cornerback Cortland Finnegan’s decision to walk out of training camp considering his agent had just sent them a counteroffer to consider during talks to extend his contract.

Finnegan left camp Friday night, apparently just hours after his agent, Terry Watson, sent the Titans a counter to their offer on an extension to his contract. The Titans learned Finnegan had left when he did not report Saturday morning to a special teams meeting.

”We’ve tried to call him,” Reinfeldt said Saturday after a team practice at LP Field. ”We’ve not been able to get in touch with him. It’s a tough situation. We have 23 guys in the last year of their contract. I talked to Cortland during the week. Coach (Mike) Munchak did. … We were totally surprised that he just turned around and left camp.”

Running back Chris Johnson has yet to report for training camp, holding out for a new contract as well. But Johnson has led the NFL in yards rushing since he was drafted No. 24 overall in 2008, and he is scheduled to make $850,000 this season.

Reinfeldt said they had told Finnegan’s agent they would review the counteroffer over the weekend and respond Monday. Reinfeldt said the Titans have extended the contracts of several young players, including Finnegan in August 2008. Finnegan became a starter in 2007 and is due to make more than $3.7 million in the final year of that deal.

”That’s something we thought we could work out an extension both sides would be OK with. It kind of caught us off guard,” Reinfeldt said.

Finnegan was a seventh-round draft pick in 2006 out of Samford who became a starting cornerback by his second season and has started every game he has played in since the start of 2007. He was an All Pro and Pro Bowler in 2008.

He has 13 career interceptions but only had two in 2010 when the Titans went 6-10. Finnegan’s biggest highlight last season likely came when Houston receiver Andre Johnson swung away at him Nov. 28, drawing both players $25,000 fines.

Terry Watson, Finnegan’s agent, did not immediately return a message Saturday.

Finnegan was a key veteran leader during the NFL lockout, helping organize a two-day minicamp in June at a Nashville high school where he and other fellow Titans worked out regularly. Munchak had just praised his leadership after practice Friday.

”Disappointed is probably the easiest word,” Munchak said of Finnegan leaving. ”It’s not something we expected. You obviously want your best players here and you want them to be your leaders.”

Reinfeldt said they will notify the NFL that Finnegan left camp. The Titans have options under the collective bargaining agreement to punish Finnegan, which include fines of $30,000 for every day of camp missed. Reinfeldt said he wouldn’t discuss those options now.

But the Titans will not discuss Finnegan’s contract again until the cornerback returns to training camp.

”He’s making $3.8 million in salary, and he’ll be a free agent at the end of the year so if you can find a contract extension that makes sense for both sides we should do it,” Reinfeldt said. ”If not, making 3.8′s not the worst thing in the world either.”

That’s the same stance the Titans have for Johnson. Reinfeldt said the Titans have sent a letter to Johnson, but would not detail what it included. The general manager said the Titans have offered for Johnson to return to camp and take part in meetings, while keeping him from harm by not practicing.

”They’re just not sure they want to do that at this point in time,” Reinfeldt said of Johnson and his agent.

The Titans like their depth right now at cornerback, having just signed veteran Frank Walker, who picked off Matt Hasselbeck on Saturday and would have had a 103-yard return for a touchdown. Alterraun Verner and Jason McCourty have been competing against each other for the starting spot opposite Finnegan.

Finnegan’s departure also caught his teammates off guard. McCourty last saw Finnegan in meetings Friday night and said he hadn’t spoken to the cornerback since.

”I’m really trying to find out what’s going on too,” McCourty said.