News

(opening comments)

I just want to thank everyone for staying after the draft. I don’t have a big statement. I think it was a productive weekend for the Tennessee Titans and I think everyone worked hard, they worked together – the coaches the scouts.  We got a number of players – I think if you look at the board and who we took, it was a very productive day for us. That being said they still have to work out on the field, hopefully we go on from here.

(on being confident you filled any holes that were on your roster)

I think we added a lot of good football players, we had 11 draft picks. We went back and forth with a number of scenarios to package picks to move up, move back, move forward and I think we got players we targeted and fell to us. There weren’t any surprises and we got some guys that compete at a lot of different positions.

(on surprises around the league of some teams taking players earlier than they needed to)

Are you talking early or late or in general? I think that is always the case. You can look at your draft board and guys pick guys that don’t even show up on your board and I think that happens every year. Sometimes you are right and sometimes those guys turn out to be good players. So I think the best you can do is to evaluate the guys, get the input of everybody and when you pick it, think you are right. It happens every year and it happened again this year.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(on how much better did you get on the offensive side of the ball)

Clearly, Kenny [Britt] is going to contribute and contribute early for us. [Jared] Cook is going to contribute. We are going to have to find a spot for him, if you will. He is really, really talented and we are going to work to find the mis-matches. Javon [Ringer] is going to do some things and he is going to be an exciting little runner through the OTA’s and camp and we will see where that goes. We are especially excited about Troy [Kropog], that was Munch’s [Mike Munchak] guy. When Mike targets a guy, he is usually right – so we were very fortunate that he was there. I think offensively, we definitely helped ourselves. Defensively we have added speed. We got speed at the corner spot. With the loss of Chris [Carr] and Eric [King], we got some young guys that can fill those voids from a special teams standpoint. As we get together, Mike [Reinfeldt] and the staff, to discuss needs they are three and four deep on both sides of the ball and this year it would appear at first glance that we have been able to fill those. Now time will tell, but this is a very talented group.

GM MIKE REINFELDT

(on in your mind was it big to add playmakers to the offense)

I think so, I think you always look for that in the draft. I think that is what happened with Cook and we had a chance. A guy was there that we didn’t expect to be there and when you have a chance to add a difference maker you need to jump in there and make it happen.

(on drafting non BCS players)

I think our philosophy is to find the best players and when we watch a tape of a guy we don’t really know that he is a junior or what schools. I think we are trying to look at the quality of play. We have had success with the big schools and the little schools.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(on if this going to be his most competitive training camp)

Yes.  It is clearly going to be very competitive.  We have created a lot of competition for the bottom part of our roster.  This was important to us.  We also created some opportunities at the top of the roster, so it will be very competitive.  We are experiencing this right now upstairs as we are trying to get some undrafted free agents to sign to round out the roster and they are choosing to go elsewhere for less money.  That is difficult upstairs right now but it is a good thing for us.

(on how important it is to keep pace with the rest of the division in the draft)

It goes back to this Joe, you have to evaluate the draft some point in the future with the exception of if someone in the division steps up there and gets a skilled player that we put a Pro Bowl grade on then that is a concern.  The Houston Texans I think really helped themselves defensively.  They clearly upgraded their football team last year offensively.  I think they helped themselves defensively with the two selections.  Jacksonville clearly was dealing with some needs.  They had some difficulty up front on the offensive line and they addressed them because we had good grades on their tackles. Indy always does a great job staying one step ahead.  Joseph Addai is clearly their starting running back, but now they have a real solid number two that is going to create problems for you.

(on Dominique Edison)

We mentioned a little bit earlier the 6-2, 205 pound receiver that is very, very explosive that runs very, very well.  He is a 4.4 guy that can get down the field and make catches.  At that point in the draft, you are looking to upgrade the bottom part your roster with someone that can potentially help you on special teams and he has the measurables to do so.

GM MIKE REINFELDT

(on Nick Schommer)

I think he is a guy that can play safety, makes a lot of plays and can play special teams.  We think he has a chance to play safety in the NFL.  He makes a lot of plays and does a lot of things.  He is a tough guy that can run a little bit.  He has a chance to compete at the safety position.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(on Ryan Durand)

He is a center/guard prospect.  He is somebody that can come in and help to solidify depth on the offensive line.  He is talented.  He is a smart guy, tough guy.  Again Mike [Munchak] liked him and we lean heavily on Mike’s opinion.  He has done a great job for us.

GM MIKE REINFELDT

Mike [Munchak] does a great job and we listen to him.  He has great expertise in that area.

(on Jason McCourty)

He can really run.  He played a lot and he has some skill.  He will compete in that area.

(on any areas where they still need to add)

I think we added a little bit of everything, so I think we feel pretty good about that.  Now the process starts and the rookies will come in Thursday or Friday and we will have some mini camps and some OTAs.  I think will still look to add a veteran here or there.  If we see one that we like that drops out, I think we need to look all the time to get the roster better.  So I think we continue that process.

(on adding a veteran receiver)

It could be.  We will kind of see where it goes.  I think we are very pleased with the way the weekend came out.

(on whether they need to sign a rookie free agent quarterback for rookie camp)

We will probably have a fourth quarterback.

(on whether they are relieved the draft is over)

It is all kind of a blur.  We have been working so hard, so long to go through the process the last two or three weeks.  We have gone through the meetings all day and as I came down here I looked at the summary of it and it seems like some of this stuff happened 10 days ago.  It is a blur and it is a lot of stuff happening but I think from the perspective of the organization you feel good about it.  It kind of worked like it should.  I think we will go on from there, but I think you do feel good about it.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

It is just an ongoing process.  This is one step in the process of getting better and one step in the offseason process.  Clearly we will regroup and we will continue to try to sign some undrafted free agents and we get right on to our evaluations of the draft, our own self evaluations and then we are going to eagerly await the arrival of the new players this weekend.

GM MIKE REINFELDT

(on the trend of specific schools now producing NFL talent that weren’t before)

I think it as changed a little bit.  There are some schools now that you do see some high quality guys, obviously the Rutgers and UConns.  There are a number of players coming out of those schools.

(on how drafting Jared Cook solidifies the tight end position long-term)

I think that was part of the equation too, not only the talent of Cook but also the fact that after this season potentially we will have two tight ends with their contracts up.  That is part of it.

(on potentially removing the franchise tag from Scaife)

Our intent would be not  to take it off.  We put it on for a reason and we will leave it on for the same reason.

(on whether not picking a defensive end means they will lock up Kyle Vanden Bosch)

We have a number of players that are going to be free agents after the 2009 season.  At this point in time, it is part of the process.  I think we have 15 or 16 that will become free agents.  We will take that as the process goes forward.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(on where Javon Ringer fits in)

He is coming in to compete to earn a roster spot on this football team and we will go from there.  We created competition there.  The best part about what we do is we get to play the best players, so we will see what happens

GM MIKE REINFELDT

(on how many rookie free agents they can sign)

We have 67 players under contract with 11 it will be 78.  The drafted guys don’t really count until they sign if that makes sense.  We can go above 80, so I think we will be in the mid-80s and add seven or eight college free agents.