NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The question was simple. Has Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher ever seen a player confuse a lineman as much as rookie Jevon Kearse did Fred Miller of St. Louis?

Fisher chooses his words carefully.

"I should not put him in the class of Reggie White, but I saw Reggie White do that to offensive tackles a number of times," said Fisher, who was White's defensive coordinator at Philadelphia from 1988-90. "I saw an offensive tackle retire on Wednesday before we played them."

	Jevon Kearse will be looking to make life miserable for the Colts offense and Edgerrin James.

That's high praise for a rookie defensive end who has played only seven NFL games, but Kearse consistently amazes his teammates and coaches with his athleticism that earned him the nickname "The Freak" at Florida for his 4.43 speed and 86-inch arm span.

The 6-foot-4, 254-pounder is speedy enough that cornerback Denard Walker believes he could cover a receiver.

"Before his time is up, he's going to be up there with the greats," Walker said. "He's what you call a special player ... He's a phenomenal athlete."

On Sunday, Miller was flagged six times for false starts trying to get a jump on the speedy Kearse and twice more for holding in the Titans' 24-21 victory.

Miller called Kearse a good player but said noise from the crowd of 66,415 drowned out the snap count and was responsible for the false starts.

Titans receiver Yancey Thigpen doesn't agree.

"I think Jevon had the guy terrified of his speed alone," Thigpen said. "He got in his head early, and the guy just couldn't get him out of his head."

Kearse did more than play with Miller's mind. He sacked Rams quarterback Kurt Warner once, giving him four this season, tops on the Titans. He also forced a fumble and repeatedly used his speed to make downfield tackles.

The comparisons to White, the NFL's all-time sacks leader, almost embarrasses the modest Kearse. He said Monday he can't believe he's playing in the NFL, let alone starting and playing every down.

"I feel like the coaches, as each game goes by, they're gaining more and more confidence in me," Kearse said. "I'm also gaining respect from other teams' offensive tackles."

"I don't think Jevon has a clue how good he's playing or how good he can play," Thigpen said.

Kearse's biggest challenge might be keeping up his weight as he tries to survive his first NFL season after leaving college following his junior year. Counting exhibitions, he will play at least seven more games than in any season at Florida.

He turned to a nutritionist in September after dropping to 245 pounds and has gained weight since then, but his fast-paced style on the field leaves him drained. Against the Rams he fought cramps and needed four bags of intravenous fluids at halftime.

"It was frustrating," Kearse said. "I told them to put five or six bags in me so I could hurry up and get out and help the team."

What Fisher likes most is that Kearse wants to improve. Kearse simply used his speed to get past linemen in September but often ran past the quarterback. Now he's incorporating moves with his speed to get into the backfield and make tackles.

Fisher expects the comparisons to White, who had 192{ sacks over 14 NFL seasons, will grow with each game Kearse plays. Meanwhile, he's having fun coaching the rising star.

"This is an opportunity to do things on defense with a player that doesn't come along very often," Fisher said.