Titans Clearly Lack Confidence In White

There’s very little question that the Tennessee Titans aren’t comfortable with handing LenDale White the keys to the backfield.

 

White has natural power and good burst for his size, but the Titans remain concerned about his soft frame and conditioning.  There are just too many red-flags to trust White with the mental responsibilities of being a starting running back in the National Football League. 

 

In the past week, the Titans have expressed strong interest in Chargers’ restricted free agent Michael Turner and veteran Corey Dillon.

 

Turner would be an ideal fit with Tennessee.  He displays good balance and power inside to keep the chains moving consistently.  He does a great job finding the open hole and has enough speed to reach the perimeter.  Turner would give the Titans a physical presence to build their ground game around quarterback Vince Young.

 

If they fail to land Turner, the Titans could look at Dillon as experienced insurance for one year.  Dillon has lost a step, but would be dependable enough to not to become a liability in the backfield.

 

 

Arizona has questions at left tackle:  The Cardinals added some experience with Mike Gandy at left tackle in case they fail to land Joe Thomas on draft day.  Gandy is best suited as a swing player at guard and tackle, but has experience at left tackle.  Gandy’s tools are adequate across the board to be effective at guard, but he gets exposed in space at left tackle.  Arizona will give Oliver Ross a look at left tackle, but he’s always struggled with speed rushers and has terrible technique in pass protection.  Opponents often attack him with blitz packages.  Ross will get a long look after being reunited with Russ Grimm, his line coach from Pittsburgh.

 

Macklin to the Redskins:  Gregg Williams likes depth at cornerback, prompting the addition of veteran David Macklin.  Macklin lacks the speed and ball skills that would fit within Williams’ scheme, but he’s tough and experienced.  Unfortunately, Macklin struggles to matchup downfield against bigger receivers and lacks speed to stay with pass catchers in pure man coverage.  Hopefully, he’ll just be relied upon as a backup because he gets exposed as a starter on the outside.  Overall, the key for the Redskins will be the health of veteran Shawn Springs for one more year at cornerback.  Carlos Rogers must rebound after a sophomore slump in 2006 to become a young matchup guy to build around.  Rogers played very soft last season and seemed to lack confidence on the field.  Fred Smoot will push Rogers and provide the Redskins with a solid cover guy after a couple subpar seasons in Minnesota.  

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