Tennessee Titans at New Orleans Saints preview

The Tennessee Titans conclude the 2011 preseason tonight at 7 PM CT with a contest against the New Orleans Saints at the Superdome.

Fourth preseason games are normally pretty boring, even for hardcore fans.  The Titans under Jeff Fisher were somewhat of an exception to that rule, as he tended to play the starters more than just a token amount.  Mike Munchak, on the other hand, seems to be taking the more traditional approach and playing starters only a fairly small amount-likely 10 to 15 snaps.  Still, the screwy offseason and some other factors make tonight’s game particularly interesting.

Here are the players and position groups I’ll be keeping an eye on tonight:

• Kenny Britt is expected to play for the first time in the preseason.
• David Stewart. He didn’t look too bad against the Bears. Is he still on track to play week 1 at close to 100%?
• Byron Stingily. His status may depend on Stewart’s health and how many offensive linemen the Titans keep. After missing last week’s game, he may need a strong performance tonight to make the team.
• Pannel Egboh and Zach Clayton. The two defensive linemen I have off the roster who I think could play their way on. Egboh may benefit from the injuries at defensive end, while Clayton needs to show his worth.
• Rennie Curran.  He had some nice moments against the Bears, but needs to show enough on defense and special teams for the Titans to keep him around.
• Secondary depth. From Mike Munchak’s comments after last week’s interception, Tommie Campbell is likely to make the team. We have to believe him, but he, Frank Walker, Anthony Smith, and Robert Johnson could all use strong performances tonight to enhance their case for a roster spot.

Feel free to leave your comments here during today’s game.  We’ll be back with a recap after the game, and I’ll have more thoughts after watching tomorrow’s NFL Network broadcast of the game.

Lineup notes: DE Jacob Ford, CB Pete Ittersagen, DE Jason Jones, OT Troy Kropog, WR Marc Mariani, DE Derrick Morgan, and RB Javon Ringer are all out, while S Chris Hope is questionable.  UPDATE: All the players listed as out are scratched, as is CJ.  Jim Wyatt tweets that Hope also will not play, and Jordan Babineaux starts in his stead.  Jamie Harper starts at RB for Ringer/CJ, and Dave Ball at DE for Jones.