NASHVILLE, Tenn. — With all the additions the Titans made in free agency, offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains said he's already reminded players there's only "one rock" to go around.
The plan, however, is for Tennessee to maximize options and opportunities by improving the amount of time it holds onto the football. The Titans ranked last in the NFL in time of possession in 2012, keeping it for just 27 minutes, 18 seconds.
Loggains is preparing for his first full season as offensive coordinator after being promoted from quarterbacks coach for the final five games of the 2012 season. He said he looks forward to a full offseason of installation that will blend influences he's drawn from Bill Parcells, Sean Payton, Norm Chow and the late Mike Heimerdinger.
When asked how those different philosophies combine, Loggains said, "It comes together because the head coach (Mike Munchak) and the general manager (Ruston Webster) around here think only three things happen when you throw the football, and two of them are bad."
The offseason should allow Loggains to assess players at their healthiest and develop a plan for getting the most out of each player. He's had two days on the field so far with veterans, that including guard Andy Levitre, tight end Delanie Walker, running back Shonn Greene and receiver Kevin Walter who joined the Titans as free agents. Three offensive and five defense players the Titans drafted two weeks ago are scheduled to arrive at Baptist Sports Park Thursday evening for a rookie minicamp.
"I don't want to be over-positive about it right now but we've gotten to work on the field with these guys the past two days," Loggains said. "We're really excited about the change in the roster because what it's done is not only change the roster, but change the culture. There's more of a sense of urgency. … We've really upgraded the roster from a talent standpoint, not to mention the competition that's going to happen on the interior of the offensive line."
Loggains said the Titans will be a run-first team, even though the Titans have selected receivers Kendall Wright (20th overall in 2012) and Justin Hunter (34th overall **this year**) in the past two drafts.
Running back Chris Johnson said he's been paying attention to all the moves the Titans made in free agency and the draft and has been pleased, especially with the additions to the offensive line. In addition to Levitre, the **Titans drafted** guard Chance Warmack (10th overall) and center Brian Schwenke (107th).
"This is the first time since I've been here that I've really seen Tennessee step up like that, as far as free agency and get so many guys," Johnson said. "It's been good. This year we stepped up and got a lot of guys and solidified with some great draft picks, so it's something to look forward to."
Johnson said "a lot of things are changing" on offense.
"When Dowell came in, he didn't have a lot time to really sit there and put plays in and do his own thing," Johnson said. "It was a situation where he got thrown in the fire and had to do what he could do. It's a totally different offensive coordinator. Basically we learning a new playbook right now, and there's a lot of different things going in."
One thing that remains certain is that Johnson will be atop the depth chart, which Greene has said he has no problems with. Johnson said he thinks Greene will be able to help the team as well. The Titans want to run the ball as often as possible, but a general target is likely at least 30 carries a game.
Loggains said that will allow for both running backs to have opportunities, though the amount may vary from game to game.
"CJ is a franchise running back, and I'll be the first to say that," Loggains said. "Shonn will be a change-of-pace back that's going to come in. There will be games, that when Shonn is rolling, he may get 15, 20 carries, and maybe a game when CJ's rolling and he carries it about 30 times. We're not going to put a number on that, but we're going to try to use both to their strengths."
