Terry McCormick has a great article in today's City Paper about the different battles we will see in camp this year. He highlights the battles at free safety, cornerback, nickelback, middle linebacker, running back and wide receiver. This is going to be the most exciting camp the Titans have had in recent years. Here are my opinions on each battle:
Free Safety
I am hoping with all of my heart that this position ends up being played by Michael Griffin. My reason for this is two fold; 1. That means Lamont Thompson will not be on the field. That is never a bad thing. 2. It means that two, or maybe even three, cornerbacks have had a great camp. I still think Griffin's best position in the pros will be safety.
Cornerback
I firmly believe the starters at corner will be Harper and Herndon. This battle does seem to be one of the more interesting of camp though. You have 4 guys that have at least some experience playing the position in Harper, Herndon, Hill and Finnegan.
Nickelback
Assuming Finnegan does not win a starting corner spot this job is his to lose. He did an excellent job there in 2006. I will be extremely disappointed if this is where Griffin ends up. I don't think you should spend your first round pick on a guy who is only going to be on the field for about half of the defensive snaps.
Middle Linebacker
I assume that Fowler will be the starter because the Titans gave him a lot of money. I liked the athleticism Tulloch showed playing there last year. If he can learn his assignments on defense he can make this another great camp battle.
Running Back
This is the battle I am most excited about. I have no idea how this one will shake out. Part of me thinks that LenDale will end up the starter, but he seems to have a knack for disappointing us. In the end I think we will see the dreaded running back by committee.
Wide Receiver
This one is the widest open of all the positions. At least at running back we only have 3 guys to choose from, and in the end they will probably all get carries. At wide receiver we don't even know which guys will be on the field. There are 3 spots wide open that 6 guys will be competing for.
The battles shall commence in about 3 weeks. Let me know your thoughts.