| | By John Clayton
ESPN.com
NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Keeping a championship team together can be limiting. Tennessee Titans general
manager Floyd Reese and head coach Jeff Fisher labored over offers to keep right
tackle Jon Runyan, knowing it would keep them out of free agency.
Reese and Fisher loved Runyan. He's an aggressive right tackle with a nasty
attitude that worked perfectly for their Eddie George-led running offense.
The Eagles offered Runyan a six-year, $30.5 million deal and the Titans
fretted about matching it.
|  | | Kenny Holmes and the Titans' D-line will have more speed behind them at linebacker. |
"We pulled away," Fisher said. "We pulled away for the reason that if we
kept Jon, we would have been done in free agency. By letting Jon slip away,
we got right tackle Fred Miller and linebacker Randall Godfrey and re-signedMarcus Robertsonand Neil O'Donnell. To me, we took care of four needs
instead of one."
In retrospect, the Titans feel as though they have come out a stronger
team, but they are most excited about the linebacker position. Godfrey,
despite being a middle linebacker, shows every sign of being an every-down
player. First-round choice Keith Bulluck, fourth-rounder Peter Sirmon and
fifth-rounder Frank Chamberlin form the basis of a linebacker class that
should get the Titans through the next five years.
"The concern I had last year was not only the depth at linebacker, but
just the fact that you have to be careful not to allow youself to get odd at
the same position," Fisher said. "Our linebackers were maturing but we
were still productive. Now, we've added size and speed and youth."
Godfrey, 27, makes it all work because he works at it. He committed three
hours of most offseason days studying tapes of the Titans defense. Fisher
uses so many formations and ways of attacking that it takes time to learn.
"I also had to bring a lot of work home, too," Godfrey said. "I still
don't have the defense totally down. It's a multiple defense and I have to
make a lot of calls and adjustments when we are blitzing. I depend on Eddie Robinson a lot to help put me in the right spot."
Robinson is the lone returning starter at linebacker. The irony of the
changeover is that Godfrey came from Dallas, but two Titans starters -- Joe
Bowden and Barron Wortham -- went to Dallas in free agency. As much as he
hated to lose two linebackers who went to the Super Bowl, Fisher feels his
defense will prosper.
"We can run," Fisher said of his linebackers. "We've also added size and
we needed size. We've got some good tight ends in this division. Look at
Baltimore right now. They've got two tight ends, Shannon Sharpe and Ben
Coates. You can't always put a defensive back on a tight end. With the way
we've upgraded the linebackers, we've got the linebackers who have the speed
to cover them."
The battle for a starting job on the strong side has yet to be concluded.
Backup Greg Favors, who came over to the team on waivers from the Chiefs
last year, has an edge on Bulluck until he learns the system, but the battle
is a good one.
"Greg is a physical, tough, hit-you-in-the-mouth, talk-trash-to-you kind
of guy," Robinson said. "Keith is coming along well. He reminds me a lot
of Kevin Hardy, with whom I played with in Jacksonville. He's a tall, rangy guy who can fight off blockers."
Fisher is also pleased that Sirmon and Chamberlin have excelled on special
teams.
"We have five linebackers right now that have the potential to be every
down linebackers," Fisher said.
None of them are going to be as adamant about playing every down as
Godfrey. "His goal was to be able to stay on the field every down, so he
comes in early and stays late here to make sure that happens," Fisher said.
Godfrey loved it at Dallas, but he sees a Titans team that loves
linebackers. Defensive end Jevon Kearse, at 258 pounds, has the speed of a
linebacker. Strong safety Blaine Bishop plays his position almost like a
linebacker.
"This defense as a whole is one of the fastest I've been around," Godfrey said. "Look on film. You see players flying all over the field. A lot of
times, Kearse will get upfield and he runs a play down. In that way, all you
have to do is keep your feet square and keep moving because somebody's
coming to help you."
Had they kept Runyan, the linebacking corps may not have been as fast.
John Clayton is the senior NFL writer for ESPN.com.
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