Ron Borges

When you didn't have a single 100-yard rushing or receiving performance last season while your defense was allowing eight opposing backs to rush for 100 yards or more in a game against you, your problems are pretty evident. But are they solvable?

Those are the burning issues the Tennessee Titans need to address, but before coach Jeff Fisher gets to them, he first has to decide who is going to replace former Pro Bowl quarterback Steve McNair.

McNair was locked out of the Titans' complex quite literally this spring before finally being traded to the Baltimore Ravens, and his logical heir appeared to be 30-year-old Billy Volek. Volek put up more passing yards in his first 10 professional starts than any quarterback since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger. His 2,788 yards include 2,486 two years ago, when he also threw 18 touchdowns as a replacement for the ailing McNair. But he started only one game last season and struggled so badly this summer that the Titans signed free-agent Kerry Collins late in the summer, and it appears he'll start the season leading Tennessee's suspect offense.

None of that will matter for very long, regardless of how well Collins or Volek does, because sitting behind them is No. 1 draft choice Vince Young, who is coming off a remarkable season in which he led the University of Texas to a one-man trip to the national championship and a strong summer of hopeful performances.

The pressure on Fisher to play Young will be enormous. If Young starts making plays in limited opportunities, especially with his legs, while Collins and/or Volek struggles trying to lead a suspect offense, the demand to see Young on the field full-time will be enormous.

The firing of McNair may carry with it its own problems off the field. He was an extremely popular player, one who played with an assortment of pain and injuries, even after being hurt so badly several years ago that he could not practice all week. McNair played in the games well enough to lead the Titans to the playoffs. That will not soon be forgotten by his teammates. But they are also professionals who understand life goes on. The issue is how long will it be with Collins, who has led one team to the NFC Championsip game and another to the Super Bowl in a checkered career with just as many ups as downs.

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Another rookie, second round choice LenDale White, might chase Chris Brown and Travis Henry to the bench as well. White slipped in the draft, but offensive coordinator Norm Chow is high on him after coaching him at USC. He is a bruising runner who will have an opportunity to challenge Brown, who rushed for 216 yards fewer in 15 games last season than he gained the year before in 11. Go figure.

Hot seat
David Givens. Although he is a former seventh-round draft choice and the Patriots' No. 2 receiver behind Deion Branch, Givens was signed to a five-year, $24 million contract to become the Titans' No. 1 pass catcher. To justify that contract, which included an $8 million signing bonus, Givens will have to be a lot more explosive than he was in New England. Of course, when your stiffest competion averaged only 12.7 yards a catch last year, that might not be difficult.

Overheard
GM Floyd Reese and Fisher are locked in a nasty power struggle after years of working well together. When things were going good, there was enough glory for everyone. Now that the past two years have produced a 9-23 record with only minimal relief in sight this season, they are at each other's throats. Case in point? Fisher and Chow wanted to draft USC quarterback Matt Leinart, the former Heisman Trophy winner, believing he was far more ready to play quickly in the NFL than Young, who spent his career working out of a shotgun offense and running as often as he threw.

Reese's response? "The Tennessee Titans select Vince Young.” This will come to a head some time this year and when it does somebody's head will roll. Just before camp broke, owner Bud Adams seemed to side with Fisher when he said he would be the coach next year as well, regardless of what happens this season. That kind of loyalty is sometimes the kiss of death, but it looks like Fisher has the high ground. At least for the moment.

Outlook
Not as bleak as the past two years, when they were throwing deck chairs off the Titanic to get under the salary cap. But the talent has been so depleted they have a long, long way to go just to get back to 8-8 let alone competitive with the Colts and Jaguars.

Prediction
Fourth.

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