In contrast to the center position in the Tennessee era of the franchise, there has been relatively good stability at the right tackle position. Three men have played fairly well and combined to start nearly all the games at RT:
Jon Runyan (1997-1999) – Characterized as a mauler, the bruising blocker started 48 games for Tennessee before leaving in free agency for Philadelphia, where he later earned a Pro Bowl selection.
Fred Miller (2000-2004) – In his five years with the Titans, Miller never missed a start. I always thought he got a bum rap from Tennessee fans after a poor performance against them when he was with the Rams. I respected Miller for gutting it out on a bad leg in his final season here.
David Stewart (2006-present) – Drafted specifically to be Miller’s replacement at RT, Stewart is often compared to Runyan, including the “mauler” tag. He plays hard and tough from snap to whistle and has now started 30 consecutive games for the Titans, who are now trying to sign him to a long-term contract. I’d like to see him bookended with Michael Roos for the next five years or so.
I like all three of these guys. Runyan was the original roadgrader. Miller was OK but made too many mistakes for my liking. Stewart may have the most raw talent. He’s still a work in process and will only get better as time goes on.
You’ve voted for Kevin Mawae to be the center on our Tennessee era all-time team and your votes for right tackle will complete the offense on the team. We’ll move to the other side of the line for the rest of the team and start with a position which should generate some great discussion in our decision-making process.
The Tennessee-era all-time team so far:
QB Steve McNair
RB Eddie George
FB Lorenzo Neal
WR Derrick Mason
WR Drew Bennett
WR Kevin Dyson
TE Frank Wycheck
LT Brad Hopkins
LG Bruce Matthews
C Kevin Mawae
RG Benji Olson
P Craig Hentrich
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