The Tennessee Titans are favored in just two games of the upcoming 2012 season.

Cantor Gaming put odds on every game for the first 16 weeks of the NFL season and the Titans are only favored to win in week eight against the Colts and week 12 at Jacksonville... See Full Story

Courtesy of Nashville's News 2 WKRN

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans aren’t on the clock yet, but general manager Ruston Webster and head coach Mike Munchak said Tuesday that they are “ready to roll.”

The 2012 NFL Draft begins at 7 p.m. (CT) Thursday with the first round from Radio City Music Hall in New York. It continues at 6 p.m. Friday with the second and third rounds and concludes Saturday with rounds four through seven.

The event has blossomed into a major event that warrants prime time coverage and significant media attention, but is the product of hours of film study, tedious analysis and forthright discussions among Titans executives and scouts that occur with much less bravado.

“First of all, I want to start by saying how happy I am with the way the process has worked,” Webster said during Tuesday’s pre-draft press conference at Baptist Sports Park. “For about the last week-and-a-half, we’ve been in with our scouts and coaches and just solidifying the draft board. We’re in pretty good shape there now. We went through every position with every coach and every scout. Our coaches did an outstanding job of doing their work, and our scouts are very prepared. I think at this point in time, we’re ready to roll.”

The Titans have a total of seven selections, including the 20th overall pick on Thursday. Webster, who was promoted in January from his position as vice president of player personnel, said the Titans usually project 21 to 25 players as first-round selections.

The amount of time teams have to make a selection after “going on the clock” is different for different rounds, but Webster said the Titans have a system that allows for conditions that change when a preceding team selects a player that the Tennessee scouts had in mind.

“We’ll have a group of six players kind of lined up there the way we would take them,” Webster said. “When one of them gets taken, someone else will come on that list and we’ll just keep moving up that way. That way, there’s no panic in the room and probably not even too much discussion.”

Webster participated in his first NFL Draft in 1988 as a regional scout with Tampa Bay and has been involved in each since, including 2010 and 2011 with Tennessee. He said he has found six players to be a good working number to allow some flexibility, but maintain efficient decision making.

“Experience tells you one of those guys will be there,” Webster said. “I guess the point for us is to have a pool of players and when somebody drops off that list to have somebody else to come on it. We’ll just keep working the list.”

Munchak, a longtime assistant coach, said he has been looking forward to his second draft as head coach. He said this year has been different because he was able to spend more time at the pre-draft combine in Indianapolis in February. In 2011, Munchak was still building his coaching staff at the time of the combine.

“Last year, I was hired during that time and was hiring coaches, so I wasn’t involved at all in the first run-through of seeing possible college draft picks,” Munchak said. “This year was nice because I was able to spend a week to 10 days with the scouts, start getting a feel for the strengths of the draft and getting to know some of these guys.”

Munchak said he also gained additional evaluative experience in the past year to help consider players at other positions than just offensive line, which was his specialty as an assistant.

Thursday will mark the second time in Titans/Oilers franchise history to select from the 20th overall spot. In 1987, when the franchise was still the Houston Oilers, the team selected wide receiver Haywood Jeffires from N.C. State. Jeffires made 515 catches in his career, which is second best in franchise history.

The Titans drafted quarterback Jake Locker out of Washington in the first round last year with the eighth overall pick. Tennessee then drafted defensive players with four of their next five selections, including second-rounder Akeem Ayers who started all 16 games in 2011 and produced results at linebacker. The Titans were happily surprised that Ayers was still available at the 39th overall slot.

Webster said the Titans will focus more on their plans than the actions of other teams, but will be prepared for all scenarios.

“You try never to fall in love with one guy,” Webster said. “Jake was somebody we targeted last year, but even in that case, you have to be ready just in case that player is not there. We had a pool of players at that point in time as well. We’ll do the same thing (this year).”

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-- The Tennessee Titans return to the primetime football lineup with games against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football and their long-time rival the Pittsburgh Steelers on NFL Network. The Titans will open the 2012 season against the reigning AFC Champion New England Patriots at LP Field on September 9th.

• 2012 Schedule (PDF)

“It is obviously exciting to open the season at home against a quality opponent in New England,” said head coach Mike Munchak. “They have been one of the best teams in the league for a number of years and the game will be a great test for us.

“What stands out to me is the two home primetime games. We didn’t have any last year and those are fun for our fans and an opportunity to showcase our team.

“The bye falls really late, but hopefully the Thursday night game in October will give us a long weekend and extra days to get players some rest. The final six games feature four division games and five AFC games, so it gives us a chance to control our own destiny down the stretch.”

The Titans schedule features home games against New England, New York Jets, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville. Tennessee will travel to Buffalo, Miami, Green Bay, Minnesota, San Diego, Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville.

Again this year, the NFL will feature “flexible scheduling” for the Sunday night game in Weeks 11-17. Teams will be given two weeks notice if a game is moving from an afternoon game to a night contest.

The Titans 2012 schedule contains several interesting stories:

• The schedule features six games against 2011 playoff teams: Houston (twice), New England, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Detroit. The Titans will face three of these six opponents in the first four games of the schedule.

• Former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will return to Nashville for the first time as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

• The Titans will make their first regular season trips to Green Bay and Minnesota since 2004.

• This is the first year without a three-game home stand or three-game road trip since 2008.

• This will mark the 7th Monday Night Football game played at LP Field and first since 2008 (Indianapolis).

• Since byes were introduced into the NFL in 1990, this is the latest bye in franchise history.

• This will be the first time the Titans have finished the regular season at home since 2006.

Titans QB Jake Locker's youth football camp will take place June 16-17 at Battle Ground Academy from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Locker will be on site to direct camp activities and provide instruction during the two-day event. He will be joined by a selection of the top prep and collegiate coaches from the Nashville area.

The camp is open to boys and girls ages 7 to 14 and focuses on team concepts and fundamentals of football. Groups will be small to ensure that each camper gets personalized instruction. Locker will also give daily talks highlighting the finer points of the game of football and beyond.

Each camper will receive an autographed camp team photo with Locker, a camp T-shirt, goodie bag and the opportunity to win additional prizes.

Cost of the camp is $149.

Additional information and registration is available by visiting www.JakeLockerProCamp.com or calling 888-389-CAMP (2267).

NASHVILLE, Tenn. --The Tennessee Titans agreed to terms with defensive end Kamerion Wimbley on a multi-year contract.

“He is an excellent athlete, who has natural pass rusher traits – ability to bend, get low and has a nice feel for using his hands,” said Titans general manager Ruston Webster. “I liked him coming out of Florida State as 4-3 defensive end and he will return to that role with us.  In addition to that, his time as a 3-4 rusher gives him added versatility.”

“Kamerion has been a very productive player in this league and is a good pro,” added Titans head coach Mike Munchak. “On passing downs over the last few years, he has played with his hand down in Oakland and he will playing full-time at defensive end for us. I feel like he is coming into the best years of his career and his skills will help us pressure the passer.”

A six-year NFL veteran, Wimbley (6-4, 255) has totaled 42.5 career sacks in 94 regular season starts. He played the last two seasons with the Oakland Raiders, after starting his career with the Cleveland Browns (2006-09). In his two seasons with the Raiders, he registered 32 starts and 16 sacks, including seven last year with one interception.

As a rookie in Cleveland, he totaled 11 sacks, which was a Browns rookie record and the second highest that season by an NFL rookie. Wimbley racked up 26.5 sacks in his four seasons with the Browns.

Wimbley was originally a first-round pick (13th overall) by the Cleveland Browns in the 2006 NFL Draft from Florida State.

-The Tennessee Titans promoted Mike Reinfeldt to Senior Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer after serving as the team’s General Manager for the past five seasons, and Ruston Webster was elevated to Executive Vice President/General Manager after serving two seasons as the Titans Vice President of Player Personnel. Additionally, Lake Dawson has been promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel.

Reinfeldt will oversee all aspects of the organization - both football and non-football - in Nashville and will report to Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams, Jr.. Webster will assume control of all football operations for the team.

Lake Dawson has been promoted to Vice President of Player Personnel.

“Mike has done a nice job for us as our general manager, but I believe we need someone in place who oversees the entire franchise there in Nashville,” said Adams. “Mike is uniquely qualified for that position with his previous experience. Our VP’s have done an outstanding job over the past couple of years managing their departments, but this will streamline things to have someone on site to direct the entire organization and who will execute things the way I want them done.

“With this shuffle, we really have the best of both worlds – as you might remember our final two candidates when we were filling the general manager position five years ago were Mike (Reinfeldt) and Ruston Webster. We now have both of them working for us and Ruston will take over the General Manager role.”

Head coach Mike Munchak called Webster a "great talent evaluator."

“This is a great decision by Mr. Adams to keep a group of good people together," Munchak said. "Ruston is a ready for this job. He did a great job last year with the draft – organizing things, involving all of the parties, evaluating the talent, communicating through the draft process. His greatest access is his ability to evaluate talent and I expect that to continue and look forward to working with him. Ruston also will benefit from having Mike as a resource and a sounding board.”

“I want to thank Mr. Adams for naming me to this position,” added Reinfeldt. “I look forward to further integrating all of our departments and believe a lot of good will stem from this move. I am really happy for Ruston, because he is ready to be a general manager and I expect he will excel in that role.”

Webster has six years of experience in the Player Personnel role split between three teams – two years with the Titans, four with the Seattle Seahawks and one with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He also served as the interim General Manager for the Seahawks for the conclusion of the 2009 season, after Tim Ruskell’s departure from the team. In addition to working in Pro Personnel, Webster has a vast depth of experience as a college scout, serving as the Director of College Scouting for Tampa Bay for four seasons (2001-04) and 10 seasons as a regional scout for the Bucs.

Dawson has spent five seasons with the Titans – his first four as Director of Pro Scouting and last season as VP/Football Operations. He originally joined the Titans in 2007 as the Director of Pro Scouting.

Reinfeldt’s background:
Tennessee Titans (2007-2011), General Manager; Seattle Seahawks (1999-03, 2005-06), Sr. VP (1999-03), VP-Football Operations (2005-06); Green Bay Packers (1991-98), CFO (1991-93), VP-Administration (1994-98); University of Southern California (1988-90), Associate Athletic Director; Los Angeles Raiders (1985-87), CFO; Houston Oilers (1976-83), Safety; Oakland Raiders (1975-76), Safety.

Webster’s background:
Tennessee Titans (2010-11), VP-Player Personnel; Seattle Seahawks (2006-09) VP-Player Personnel; Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1988 – 2005), Dir. of Player Personnel (2005), Dir. of College Scouting (2001-04), Dir. of Pro Personnel (1989-91), Regional Scout (1988, 1992-2000); College Coach, Tulsa (1987), Alabama (1986), Southwestern Louisiana (1985).

The Tennessee Titans Cheerleaders will show their support for our troops with three separate trips overseas.

Six Titans cheerleaders, who rehearsed final details of their MWR tour performance Wednesday night at the Nashville Athletic Club,  departed Nashville Friday to visit troops in Kuwait for a week.  The cheerleaders will be performing a one-hour show at five different military bases with a demanding schedule.

In addition, other military trips will include two Titans cheerleaders joining a group of NFL cheerleaders traveling to Diego Garcia and Singapore at the end of January for a seven-day trip. In addition, Titans Pro Bowl Cheerleader, Brooke, will be visiting troops in Guam for a week, departing from Hawaii on January 31 after the Pro Bowl.

“We are incredibly honored to be able to see tens of thousands of members of our U.S. Military stationed abroad over the next month,” said Stacie Kinder, Titans Director of Cheerleading.  “These men and women are the real heroes of our country and to be able to bring them a little bit of ‘home’ when they are missing their loved ones is so meaningful for all of us.   We are very familiar with Fort Campbell and have enjoyed our visits on base, so we know we have a lot of Titans fans over there that will be thrilled to see their favorite cheerleaders from various teams.  Preparing for these trips has been a great deal of work, but it’s been worth every minute, knowing who we will be entertaining.”

The opponents for all 2012 regular-season games have been determined and a complete list of each team’s home and away matchups was issued  by the NFL.

The Tennessee Titans, after a 9-7 finish this season, will face four playoffs teams outside their division next year  with the Patriots, Steelers and Lions at home and the Packers on the road. The Titans play the Jets and Bears at home and travel to the Bills, Dolphins, Chargers and Vkings.       

Home: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, New England Patriots, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions

Away: Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Jacksonville Jaguars, Buffalo Bills, Miami Dolphins, San Diego Chargers, Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings

The scheduling formula implemented in 2002 with realignment guarantees that all teams play each other on a regular, rotating basis. After the 2008 season, a decision was made to continue with the same rotation in 2010 and beyond.

Under the formula, every team plays 16 games as follows:

• Home and away against its three division opponents (6 games).

• The four teams from another division within its conference on a rotating three-year cycle (4 games).

• The four teams from a division in the other conference on a rotating four-year cycle (4 games).

• Two intraconference games based on the prior year’s standings (2 games). These games match a first-place team against the first-place teams in the two same-conference divisions the team is not scheduled to play that season. The second-place, third-place, and fourth-place teams in a conference are matched in the same way each year.

Beginning in 2010, a change was made to how teams are paired in the schedule rotation to ensure that teams playing the AFC and NFC West divisions would not be required to make two west coast trips (e.g. at San Francisco and at Seattle), while other teams in their division had none (e.g. at St. Louis and at Arizona). The pairings of teams are listed in the digital version of the 2011 NFL Record and Fact Book (attached).

The official 2012 schedule, with playing dates and times, will be announced in the spring.

NFL Kickoff 2012 Weekend will begin on Thursday night, September 6, and the regular season will conclude on December 30.

Super Bowl XLVII at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana will be played on Sunday, February 3.

The Tennessee Titans informed secondary coach Marcus Robertson and assistant secondary coach Curtis Fuller that they will not be retained for next year.

STATEMENT FROM MIKE MUNCHAK

“I want to thank Marcus and Curtis for their time here. After meeting with the coordinators over the last couple of days, we decided to make this move today. Letting Marcus go was not an easy thing. He spent so many great years with this organization as a player, front office employee and a coach. I respect both men, but I wanted to move in a different direction for both of these spots. The interview process might take some time, but we will find the right fits for the secondary room moving forward.”