Titans Special Teams Analysis

We conclude our preseason positional analyses with a look at the special teams.
As we begin to take a look at which players will or won’t make the roster, we must remember that three spots on the 53-man roster are necessities — the kicker, punter and snapper. The other 50 spots will be for offense and defense, but in many cases, the guys who make the team as backup players will win those jobs because of their ability to contribute on special teams.
Besides looking at those three positions, we’ll also look at the kick and punt returners and the coverage units here.

Kicker:

Rob Bironas — He’s missed the last few days of practice with a strained groin but should be fine shortly. Bironas is coming off his best year with first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors. He’s a restricted free agent who’s next on Mike Reinfeldt’s list of players to lock up to long-term contracts. The deal still hasn’t been done, possibly because Bironas’ agent is looking at Jason Elam-type money (four years, $9M, 3.3 guaranteed) or better.

Ingle Martin — With Bironas out, Martin made 10 of 14 FG attempts Tuesday morning, with the longest being 52 yards. Martin is hoping to make the team as the #3 QB and his ability to kick may help his chances, but I doubt if it will be enough. The Titans haven’t had three QBs on the roster since trading Billy Volek and they also have veteran P/K Craig Hentrich to kick in case Bironas is temporarily unavailable.
John Vaughn — He just joined the team and is no stranger to the Titans, as he was in their training camp a year ago. Vaughn said he understood the situation here, that he’s simply going to stand in for Bironas for a little while. He’s hoping he’ll get to do the kicking in the preseason game with the Rams next week and perhaps get noticed by someone needing a kicker.

Punter:

Craig Hentrich — He’s a regular jack of all special teams trades. Besides being the punter, he’s also the holder for extra point and field goal attempts, the backup kicker, and is a threat to pass the ball on fake punts or field goals. He’s even been the Titans’ emergency quarterback. Hentrich is on the back end of his career and has struggled a little with back problems the last few years and had neck surgery this offseason. Craig should still be the punter again this year, barring something unforeseen.

Josh Miller — Ironically, Miller was brought in to save some wear and tear on Hentrich during training camp and the preseason, but he’s the one who’s been out the last several days. Miller filled in for Hentrich in the Saints game last year and did well, but unless Hentrich is injured again, Miller won’t make the team and knows it. Miller has been in the league for 12 years and is actually a year older than Hentrich, so he has no advantage there.

Snapper:

Ken Amato — Besides snapping, Amato also plays on the kickoff return team and is occasionally used as a linebacker in certain packages. That versatility is one reason why he’s been the Titans’ regular snapper for the last five years. He’s had some bad luck — Amato has ended two of the last three years on Injured Reserve after only seven games. At least you can’t say he doesn’t hustle downfield to cover punts after snapping the ball. In my opinion, he’s the favorite to win the job again.
Jeremy Cain — Brought in last year after Amato’s season-ending injury, Cain is listed on the roster as a FB/LS. He’s no threat to make the roster at FB ahead of Ahmard Hall but his ability to play more than one position helps him as well. I saw him snap one over Hentrich’s head in practice the other day. Since it happened on the side, it probably didn’t get caught on film. I don’t know if ST coach Alan Lowry noticed it or not.

Punt returner:

The Titans averaged 8.7 yards per return last year, middle of the pack, and definitely missed the returner from the 2005-2006 seasons. These are the guys who will vie for the PR job this year:
Chris Carr — He will definitely make the team as a defensive back and looks to be the leading candidate for this job as well. Thanks to Patrick Patterson for this review of Carr’s time with the Raiders, especially as a returner.
Chris Johnson — The fastest man (4.24 forty) at the Indy combine this year, and supposedly in the last ten years, he’s also the fastest Titan. A RB/WR/KR in college, he could be a dangerous weapon and is getting a chance as a PR.
Chris Davis – The leading punt returner for the Titans last year, he had a decent season with a 9.5-yard return average. The downside is that he had five fumbles, losing two. While Carr and Johnson are virtual locks to make the team even if they don’t win the PR job, Davis doesn’t have the same safety net. He’s in an extremely competitive battle for a job as a WR and faces the distinct possibility of not making the team unless he wins a job as a returner.
Brandon Jones — Not much of a threat to return a punt for six points, Jones is more of a steady, old-reliable fallback option for the Titans. He may not get many yards on returns but he won’t muff punts or fumble. Jones has a much better chance to make the team at WR than Davis does, but probably won’t see much time as a punt returner.

Kick returner:

The following players have all worked as a KR in training camp this week:
Chris Carr — He averaged 24.1 yards on 201 kick returns in his three years as a Raider. No TDs, but does have a career-long 62-yard return. At this time, he looks like one of the favorites but he should get a strong challenge.
Chris Johnson — The man who will provide the primary competition for Carr. In college, Johnson averaged 24 yards per return and had two TDs. He has one advantage over the others as the best threat to take it back all the way.
Michael Griffin — Was the Titans’ leading kick returner last year and had a 23.4 return average. Now that he’s the starting free safety, I don’t expect to see him get much time, if any, on kickoff returns.
Chris Henry — The second-leading KR last year had 13 returns with a 20.9 average and a long of 46 yards.
Chris Davis — Had returns last year of 18 and 19 yards.
Lavelle Hawkins — Returned 42 kicks in college last year for a 22-yard average with a 90-yard touchdown.
Justin McCareins — Like Brandon Jones as a PR, McCareins could fill a similar role at KR. He’s an experienced veteran who, if nothing else, is dependable. He did a decent job as a returner in his previous stint with the Titans but only returned two kicks as a Jet.

Coverage units:

The following current players led Tennessee in special teams tackles last year. The number in parenthesis following the player’s name indicates the number of total tackles, both solo and assists.
Michael Griffin (12) — Now that he’s the permanent starting free safety, he probably won’t play STs as much. He proved to be an excellent gunner last year.
Stephen Tulloch (9) — Plays all three linebacker positions. Is he penalized by not being a starter because of his versatility? Should be a standout on coverage again. If he becomes a starter on defense, he may not see as much action on STs.
Eric King (9) — It’s doubtful that he’ll win a starting CB job and he’s an underdog to replace Vince Fuller at nickel. He will definitely make the team though and should be very good on teams play again.
Donnie Nickey (7) — He’s been a standout for years on STs but there’s a good chance he may not make the team this year. Nickey plays on the kick coverage team, is the protector on the punt team, and plays on the kick return team as well. If he makes the roster again this year, it will be because of his abilities on teams play, not for being a safety. Besides his seven ST tackles, he also had a fumble recovery last season.
Reynaldo Hill (7) — No longer a starter, he’ll still make the team as the #2 LCB and be a solid contributor on the coverage units again. He also had a fumble recovery a year ago.
Ahmard Hall (5) — Besides his work on coverage, he’s also the upback on kick returns. He’s one of those guys who will do anything to help the team.
Casey Cramer (4) — Of all the players listed here, Cramer will have the toughest time remaining on the Titans this year. He’s no better than fifth on the depth chart at tight end and I’ll be very surprised if he’s still with us in September.
Colin Allred (3) — He should be one of those players who will be on the bubble when the roster is cut to 53 players. He’ll more than likely be back on the practice squad for most of the year.
Biren Ealy (3) — Had difficulties in practice the other day as a gunner. He’s one of the favorites to survive the cuts in the WR corps and should be back on special teams again as well.
Ken Amato (3) — As noted above, he’s battling Jeremy Cain for the job as the snapper.
Vince Fuller (3) — Will make the team and be back on STs again. Another player who added a fumble recovery to his special teams stats.
Rob Bironas (3) — When your kicker is making tackles it means a long return and good field position for the other team. I guess the alternative is worse — if he misses a tackle it’s six points for the other team.
Gilbert Gardner was second on the team last year with ten ST tackles, but he’s no longer with the Titans. One newcomer who will help replace him is Josh Stamer. Dan Goldman gave us a scouting report on him saying he was a great special teams player in Buffalo, specifically on the kickoff coverage team.
Now that Calvin Lowry is no longer the starting free safety, he should see more action on STs this year. He was a gunner for much of his rookie season.
One final thing I’d like to mention is blocking FGs and PATs. Antwan Odom, who’s now a Bengal, showed a knack for that over the last few years, including one last year. Kyle Vanden Bosch had a blocked PAT against the Colts last year. I don’t know if any of the new guys will be any good at that or not, but rookie DL Jason Jones is a possibility. He’s tall with long arms, similar to Odom, and as a reserve d-lineman will be expected to play on the line on special teams.