The Tennessee Titans are heading into the 2014 season with a lot of questions and a lot of optimism. A new regime headed by first year head coach Ken Whisenhunt, along with the clearing of RB Chris Johnson and his bloated salary off the roster. Jake Locker has his shot to impress this coaching staff, if not, rookie Zach Mettenberger could be the heir-apparent to take over Whisenhunt's offense that once led the Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl.

Draft:

OT- Taylor Lewan 1st round (Michigan) Known for a quick temper that some times gets him in hot water, the 6' 7" tackle has great balance and is quick to engage with the linebackers on running plays and has the athletic ability to beat the ends on the pass rush.

RB- Bishop Sankey 2nd round (Washington) Although he'll need to work on pass protection blocking, Sankey will shine in Nashville. The all-time school rushing record, once held by Corey Dillon, and good hands out of the back field as well. He is the heir-apparent to the bulk of the load.

DT- Daquan Jones 4th round (Penn State) At 6' 4" 320 he'll have the size but strength is a question. His ability to fight off blockers is the main concern, as well as keeping the weight off. He does possess good fundamentals.

S- Marqueston Huff 4th round (Wyoming) Very physical and can play CB also. He can be beaten deep so the question of game maturity will be pressed all season long.

LB- Averson Williams (Kentucky) Not the best athlete, but has great fundamentals and was the Wildcats captain. He is an ILB and would struggle on the outside.

QB- Zach Mettenberger 6th round (LSU) At 6-5 225 and a strong arm, draws comparisons to Carson Palmer. After a sexual battery charge got him kicked off UGA he went the JUCO route. After transferring back to an SEC level LSU, he saved his college career. Footwork has been a question in the past, which led to inconsistent play at LSU.

Offense:

QB- This the final year of Jake Locker's rookie contract and it's do or die. Riddled with injuries and inconsistency, 2014 has to be where Locker puts it all together. Locker has all the tools and was heading to a decent 2013, when injury struck and sidelined him. If he puts together a good campaign, Locker will definitely be in line for a long extension. If he falters, the Zach Mettenberger era will probably begin. Mettenberger has looked outstanding this preseason.

RB- Say goodbye to Chris Johnson's all or nothing running style and hello to rookie Bishop Sankey's inside the tackles approach. Veteran Shonne Greene will also be in the goal line mix and Dexter McCluster will spell that long run threat at a much cheaper price than CJ's $8 million price tag.

WR- This unit will lean heavily on three men. Kendall Wright had 94 catches and a 1,000 yard season last year. Veteran Nate Washington has been solid and second year man Justin Hunter is ready to take a much larger role. After that, inexperience is huge problem. As the season progresses health and depth will be the constant juggling act. Delanie Walker at TE, will be the starter with Craig Stevens and Thompson Taylor set to contribute. Walker is the best receiver of the trio by far.

O-Line-  Michael Roos and Michael Oher are set to start with rookie Taylor Lewan in line to contribute heavily. Guards Andy Levitre and Chance Warmack are the starters and the second year Warmack lost 15 pounds in the off-season and should be able to be much more productive. Brian Schwenke starts at center. Chris Spencer and Byron Stingily should provide good depth.

Defense:

D-Line- The switch to the 3-4 from the 4-3 will make this unit of transition. Al Woods, Sammie Hill and rookie Daquan Jones look to be playing mostly at the nose tackle position. The ends will be rotated by Casey Jurrell (10.5 sacks in 2013), Ropati Pitoitua, Lavar Edwards and Karl Klug. All year the Titans will experiment with combinations as they look to gel in this new scheme.

LB- Much of the same can be said for this unit. Many players will take turns as ends and OLB as Tennessee will try to figure out what groups work well together. ILB's will be led by Cach Brown, Wesley Woodyard and Moise Fokuo. OLB's will have Derrick Morgan, Kamerion Wimberly, Akeem Ayers and Shaun Phillips

DB- Safety Michael Griffin and CB Jason McCorty are the leaders in the defensive backfield and starters Coty Sensabaugh (CB) and Bernard Pollard (S) are being expected to be very solid. Tommie Campbell, rookie Marqueston Huff, George Wilson and Blidi Wreh-Wilson are all expexted to contribute heavily in nickel and dime schemes as well as added depth.

With the changing of the guard at head coach, Ken Whisenhunt brings an established winning resume and track record of coaching quarterbacks well. Mike Munchak, though well respected as the Titans ex-coach, was believed to have been too loyal and soft on his assistants. This is a die-hard and patient fan base, but they are starving for success. This season will give Whisenhunt a chance to get his feet wet. By next year, Titan fans will expect a turn around. 2014 will be all about Jake Locker and his ability to win games. If he fails, Mettenberger will get a chance to prove that he is the future, and Locker will be sent packing. This division is down and can be had by a team like Tennessee. A .500 season is reachable in Nashville and would be considered a great campaign. Only the Colts stand in their way as a true contender. Of course, Jacksonville and Houston are thinking that same way.  

Tennessee Titans Schedule

Sun, Sep 7 @ Chiefs 1:00 PM

Sun, Sep 14 vs. Cowboys 1:00 PM

Sun, Sep 21 @ Bengals 1:00 PM

Sun, Sep 28 @ Colts 1:00 PM

Sun, Oct 5 vs. Browns 1:00 PM

Sun, Oct 12 vs. Jaguars 1:00 PM

Sun, Oct 19 @ Redskins 1:00 PM

Sun, Oct 26 vs. Texans 1:00 PM

Sun, Nov 9 @ Ravens 1:00 PM

Mon, Nov 17 vs. Steelers 8:30 PM

Sun, Nov 23 @ Eagles 1:00 PM

Sun, Nov 30 @ Texans 1:00 PM

Sun, Dec 7 vs. Giants 1:00 PM

Sun, Dec 14 vs. Jets 4:05 PM

Thu, Dec 18 @ Jaguars 8:25 PM

Sun, Dec 28 vs. Colts 1:00 PM