NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Coach Mike Munchak on Thursday gave members of the Nashville Sports Council an update on the Titans and drew comparisons between building a football team and running a business.
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| Mike Munchak was the guest at the Comcast Spotlight Sports Speakers Series presented by the Nashville Sports Council. Munchak addressed the audience in a program emceed by Mark Howard from 104.5's The Wake Up Zone. Click here for a slideshow. |
Munchak was the guest at the Comcast Spotlight Sports Speakers Series at the Millennium Maxwell House hotel, which was emceed by Mark Howard from 104.5's The Wake Up Zone. Munchak and the members of the Nashville Sports Council were joined by a dozen Titans rookies at the dinner.
Draft picks Chance Warmack, Justin Hunter, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Brian Schwenke, Lavar Edwards, Khalid Wooten and Daimion Stafford and fellow rookies Eloy Atkinson, Maikon Bonani, Travis Harvey, Rashad Ross and Dontel Watkins attended the event. The players posed for photos and signed autographs.
Munchak explained to the guests the way the Titans broke their busy offseason into phases, formulating a plan with general manager Ruston Webster the day after the 2012 season ended and taking measured steps to execute it.
Munchak first evaluated available coaches and said he was pleased when new receivers coach Shawn Jefferson, new running backs coach Sylvester Croom and new tight ends coach George Henshaw became available because of their experience and ability to help offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains build a streamlined offense around Jake Locker's strengths and one that coaches think will allow players to play faster.
The defensive side also had adjustments with the addition of senior assistant Gregg Williams and the move of Chet Parlavecchio from an assistant position on special teams to linebackers coach, and Munchak shifted Nate Kaczor from assistant offensive line to special teams and added Steve Hoffman as a special teams assistant. Munchak said he likes to gather feedback from all his assistants even though he's the final decision maker.
"You can never have enough great resources around you," Munchak said.
The next phase was the free agency period that began in March. Tennessee targeted specific players it had in mind and quickly signed several including guard Andy Levitre, tight end Delanie Walker, running back Shonn Greene and defensive tackle Sammie Hill on its first surge and continued to add veterans like safety Bernard Pollard from the Ravens and receiver Kevin Walter from the Texans.
The NFL Draft offered the next opportunity for the Titans to execute the plan, and the Titans were able to get Warmack at the 10th overall spot and aggressively trade up in the second round to select Hunter at the 34th spot.
He said rookies and vets benefitted from Tennessee's nine-week offseason program that wrapped up this week and will be ready to compete because they have learned more about each other.
"Nine weeks ago, these guys needed name tags and never had to trust each other," Munchak said. "They're already through the uncomfortable part of competing because they now know who they're competing with."
Munchak finished the event by taking questions from the crowd, posing for pictures and signing autographs.
About the Comcast Spotlight Sports Speakers Series
The Comcast Spotlight Sports Speakers Series is one of the many activities that **Nashville Sports Council **corporate and individual members, as well as Middle Tennessee sports fans, can enjoy throughout the year. Members have an opportunity to network with fellow members and guests and can get up close and personal with great guest speakers from the sports world. The Sports Council typically hosts five or six Comcast Spotlight Sports Speakers Series events every fiscal year.
