08-03-2007, 09:44 AM
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#1 (permalink)
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Both of them
Join Date: Sep 2006
Posts: 10,224
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Return game can withstand loss of Pacman
Return game can withstand loss of Pacman, Titans say - Nashville, Tennessee - Friday, 08/03/07 - Tennessean.com
Quote:
The competition for punt and kickoff returner is just getting rolling, and not everyone is ready to concede the Titans will give up a lot of explosive unpredictability without Pacman Jones.
Rookie running back Chris Henry, a candidate to return kickoffs, said he's seen highlights of Jones' work and understands how dynamic a return man the Titans will be missing.
Still, he asked, who's to say another freakishly gifted return man isn't on the training camp roster?
"We don't know yet, the season hasn't started," he said with a grin. "You never know what's going to happen, who's going to emerge at the return spots. He's definitely an amazing, exciting player. You could only hope to duplicate that or get close to it."
Others who coached and played with Jones, who's serving a season-long NFL suspension, admit the Titans lose something on special teams AP — After Pacman.
"He's definitely going to be hard to replace because Pac was hitting his peak at the end of last season," linebacker Keith Bulluck said. "I think in our last four or five games he made a play in the return game every game.
"We're definitely going to miss that a lot. That definitely has to be an emphasis on special teams, to get a guy back there to at least get positive yardage."
Plenty of candidates
Special teams coach Alan Lowry said defensive back Cortland Finnegan gives the Titans the best chance to minimize drop-off and thus currently ranks at the head of the line for both punt returns and kickoff returns.
"He's got the most quickness, and he's really explosive," Lowry said. "He's strong for his size a lot like Pac was. So we'll give him the first shot and see what happens."
Brandon Jones and rookie Chris Davis also will get chances to return punts, while Courtney Roby and Henry will get looks on kickoff returns. Brandon Jones and Roby have some experience at the jobs.
Jones was out with a hamstring issue on Thursday, when rookie cornerback Michael Griffin got some work on kickoff returns.
Lowry said he hopes the Titans will get to field a lot of punts in their four preseason games.
The competition for the kickoff return job is more straightforward because the duties are more straightforward. Kickoffs generally allow for less freelancing and instincts. Returners are encouraged to make one solid cut and take what they can get.
Many times when Pacman Jones broke free, Finnegan was running stride for stride by his side. One veteran in the secondary chimed in during a recent Finnegan interview that the second-year pro isn't just as fast as Jones, but faster.
Speed, however, is not necessarily enough.
Jones scored four return touchdowns last year, with one called back. His unique ability to reverse course, go backward in order to go forward and to slip tackles will be hard to replicate.
The Titans won't know for sure what kind of wiggle the replacement candidates have until they are used in game situations in the preseason.
"Anytime you can start anywhere, that's a good thing," Finnegan said. "I hope I get the opportunity. … Just get positive yards, that's what I plan to do. I'm definitely going to try to pick up where he left off, but it's definitely big shoes to fill."
Better blocking
Despite Jones' big year in 2006, Lowry said the supporting cast struggled.
"It wasn't one of our best blocking years," he said. "Pac just ran really well. He made guys miss. In the Philadelphia game he made six guys miss in the space the size of a phone booth. We really have to emphasize blocking better."
Many new Titans such as Griffin and linebacker Ryan Fowler are regarded as likely to emerge as premier special teamers.
As the special teams leader, veteran defensive back Donnie Nickey said it was disappointing last season to see breakdowns in the scheme, though it was nice that Jones could bail out the group periodically.
"There were times when we probably got about 60 percent of our blocks and Pac made two or three people miss and we got good returns out of it," Nickey said. "Missing Pacman we've got to be more disciplined with our blocks.
"We're making a commitment to do better in that area, especially on kick returns. I think we can do some good things. We've got to be accountable and hold each other accountable."
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Return game can withstand loss of Pacman
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