Since the release of running back Chris Johnson the Titans have been working with an offence that lacks a true superstar. Daniel Descalso Jersey . In Johnson the Titans cut a three-time Pro Bowler with six straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a 2,006-yard season in 2009. What the Titans are left with is a trio of potential stars and it all starts under centre with fourth-year quarterback Jake Locker. "Weve got some skill players that were excited about, but a lot of it is going to come down to what Jake can do for us," Titans first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt told USA TODAY Sports. "So far, that has been progressing very well. He has done a nice job in the preseason. He worked very hard. I said one of the first things that intrigued me about Jake was that he exhibited a lot of the qualities that you want to see in a quarterback and he has done nothing to disprove that in the short time weve been around." The key to that is the short time Whisenhunt has been around. Locker has appeared in only 18 games over the last two seasons due to foot, hip and shoulder injuries. Sure, Locker has thrown 22 touchdowns in 23 career NFL games and in seven games before his season was cut short in 2013 he was completing 60.7 per cent of his passes. But if he cant stay on the field who cares? In his defence, the 26-year-old pivot doesnt believe his painful past reflects the player he is. "It does bother me," Locker told the Tennessean in November, a day before season-ending surgery to repair the Lisfranc injury in his right foot. "I feel like I have always done everything in the offseason, and put in the preparation to be as healthy and as strong as possible to prevent things from happening. And Ive just had some freak deals that have unfortunately been major injuries for me." In a perfect world Locker will start all 16 games and have a chance to grow with two young and explosive receivers. Kendall Wright may carry the majority of expectations coming off a 94-reception, 1,079-yard season in 2013. "All the little things that I think it takes to be a good player, hes shown," Whisenhunt said in August, as quoted by the Associated Press. "Hes doing that day in and day out, and thats important." On the downside, Wright may have helped the Titans move the ball into scoring position with 52 first-down receptions, but the 5-foot-10 Baylor product found the end zone just twice. Its hard to believe a player who caught nearly 100 passes and surpassed 1,000 yards in his sophomore season scored just two touchdowns. Its a shortcoming not lost on the third-year receiver or his coach. "This year I plan on breaking a little more of those tackles, trying to get loose and go score," Wright said. "He can do a lot of different things," Whisenhunt added. "Were going to try to put him in situations where we can explode that. Hes an explosive player, good hands, hes got good vision." What could turn into the most pleasant surprise on the receiving end is sophomore Justin Hunter. Hunter appeared in 14 games in his rookie year last season and caught 18 passes. It seems small, but the second-round pick averaged 19.7 yards a catch, amassing 354 yards, and scored four touchdowns. Its never a sure thing, but with more reps and comparable averages its safe to say Hunter could easily join Wright in the 1,000-yard club and hit double digits in touchdown receptions. The Titans are keeping Hunter humble though. The sophomore was punished for running a bad route during a practice in mid-August and had his name on a practice jersey replaced with JAG, meaning "Just Another Guy." If Hunter is who many think he is, then "Just Another Guy" is definitely a label that wont stick and the Titans will have a star for years to come. "Hes just so big and long and has the ability to jump, and hes got a big catch radius," Locker said. "So youre able to put the ball in a lot of different places to give him a chance." SECRET WEAPON If Locker is the answer at quarterback for the Titans then Whisenhunt is the light that will guide him to the Promised Land. Spending last season as the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Whisenhunt lit a fire under Philip Rivers. At 32, Rivers had one of the most productive seasons of his 10-year career, setting a career high in completions (378) and completion percentage (69.5) while throwing for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions. And not too long ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner found new life when Whisenhunt arrived as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. Warner threw for 83 touchdowns during their three-year partnership and fell five points short of a Super Bowl title together in 2008. If anyone is going to get anything out of Locker, itll be his quarterback-whisperer head coach. HEDGE FUND Rookie left tackle Taylor Lewan, selected 11th overall in 2014, and rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a sixth-round pick in 2014, arent guaranteed any playing time in their inaugural NFL seasons, but that doesnt mean they arent a valuable part of the Titans organization in the future. In Lewans case, he sits behind a respectable pair of tackles in Michael Roos, a 10-year Titans vet, and Michael Oher, a Super Bowl champ with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. “Its a unique situation. Most teams dont have the opportunity to draft a tackle in the first round and also have two outstanding offensive linemen,” Lewan said in August, via ESPN.com. Hes not wrong. He also didnt get picked at No. 11 for no reason. And when hes called on for the challenge, he says hes ready for anything. “When I get my opportunity, Im going to do whatever I can to be successful and thrive,” he said. Mettenberger, who leads all quarterbacks with 659 yards in the preseason, is in an interesting position as well. At third on the depth chart behind Locker and backup Charlie Whitehurst, coach Whisenhunt has admitted he has seen flashes from the LSU alum but he has also made it abundantly clear that Mettenberger will remain in the third slot once the season begins. “Unless it was an injury situation, no," Whisenhunt said of the possibility of Mettenberger dressing as the backup in Week 1. “I still think at times he struggles with some things, which is not uncommon for a young player. Its been invaluable, the amount of reps that weve gotten him and how hes performed. I think its been fantastic.” But despite being the 178th pick in the draft, Mettenberger has found a way to get noticed and become a viable option for the organization going forward. He might find his way to the field sooner than many think. Cheap MLB Jerseys Authentic . McCutchen was cut before the series opener against Seattle on Monday night, when Lewis was set for his first start for Texas since July 18, 2012. Texas selected Lewis contract from Triple-A Round Rock. Cheap Diamondbacks Jerseys Authentic . Jeter doubled high off the left-field wall and scored on Jacoby Ellsburys first hit in pinstripes in the fifth. Hiroki Kuroda (1-1) pitched 6 1-3 sharp innings in the Yankees 112th opener in New York. In what manager Joe Girardi said would be a season-long lovefest for Jeter, the shortstop was cheered every step of the way by an adoring crowd of 48, 142 -- even when his double-play grounder back to Orioles starter Ubaldo Jimenez (0-2) scored Solarte in the third inning for the first run. http://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.com/?tag=cheap-jake-lamb-jersey . Sizemore, who turned 29 on Jan. 4, has been limited to six games over the past two seasons because of an injured left knee that twice required surgery. He originally got hurt on Feb. 25, 2012, during a fielding drill in Oaklands first full-squad spring training workout and had surgery that March 21 to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament. SAN ANTONIO -- Portland coach Terry Stotts is running out of adjectives and analogies to describe the San Antonio Spurs dominance in the second quarter. Kawhi Leonard scored 20 points, Tony Parker had 16 points and 10 assists, and San Antonio rolled to a 114-97 victory over the Trail Blazers on Thursday night for a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference semifinals. After being struck by a "tidal wave" during the second quarter of the opener, Portland took on even more water in Game 2. "The onslaught at the beginning of the second quarter was obviously the turning point in the game," Stotts said. Boris Diaw scored six straight points to ignite a 23-8 run that gave San Antonio a 54-36 lead with 7 minutes remaining in the first half. The Spurs outscored the Trail Blazers 41-25 in the second quarter, raising their advantage to 77-48 in that period in winning the first two games of the best-of-seven series convincingly. Nicolas Batum scored 21 points for the Trail Blazers. Damian Lillard had 19 points and LaMarcus Aldridge added 16 points and 10 rebounds, but the Trail Blazers All-Star duo put up 43 shots. Aldridge was 6 for 23, missing back-to-back dunks in the second quarter. "We missed a lot of shots," Aldridge said. "I definitely wasnt in a good rhythm tonight. I missed two dunks and four or five layups, so if those shots go in, then the whole game is different." The Trail Blazers host Game 3 on Saturday night. Manu Ginobili added 16 points, Marco Belinelli scored 13 and Diaw had 12 as San Antonios reserves outscored Portlands 50-19. Making matters worse for the Trail Blazers, reserve Mo Williams was limited to 9 minutes due to a groin injury. He finished with four points. "Our bench is coming alive," Parker said. "They had a hard first round. They had a hard time against Dallas, but the last two games the bench is playing well." The Trail Blazers, who found a snake in their locker room before the game, had a much better start than in Game 1. Batums 3-pointer gave Portland its first lead of series at 7-4 with 9:47 remaining in the first quarter. It lasted for 16 seconds before Leonards 3 tied it. San Antonio soon began using the quicker pace to force turnovers and find open shooters. The Spurs had 17 fast-break pooints in the first half compared to two by the Trail Blazers. Curt Schilling Jersey. . Wesley Matthews was clearly frustrated, taking his mouthpiece out and looking upward in frustration before glaring at his teammates. Matthews responded by scoring 10 straight points in the third quarter while San Antonio went scoreless for 4 minutes, pulling Portland within 81-69 with 2 minutes remaining in the third. After losing 116-92 in the opener, Portland was sparked by greater activity by Robin Lopez, who had six rebounds and a blocked shot in the opening six minutes. He struggled once Diaw entered the game. Portland did not allow any fast-break points in the second half, closing within 10 points midway through the final quarter. Lillards 18-foot jumper pulled the Blazers within 92-80 with 9:17 remaining and his driving layup a minute and half later cut the margin to 94-84. Batum, who was 1 for 5 on 3-pointers in Game 1, hit his third of the game to cut the lead to 99-91 with 5:37 remaining. "The first two games, they went on a big run in the first half of both games," Lillard said. "Then in the second half, we come out and make those adjustments and those corrections and clean things up and then we play a much better half. We have to do a better job of taking away those second chances." The Trail Blazers had a chance to close within seven inside 5 minutes, but Leonard blocked Matthews layup from behind to maintain the Spurs advantage at 102-93. Parker followed with a jumper in the lane on Lillard, and Leonard and Ginobili hit back-to-back 3s to put San Antonio up 110-93 and put the game out of reach. NOTES: Portlands Thomas Robinson found the snake two hours before tipoff when he reached for a bag in his locker. The team initially thought it was a baby rattlesnake, but stadium officials later determined it was a non-venomous snake. The snake was estimated between 3 to 4 feet in length. ... Spurs general manager R.C. Buford was honoured before the tip after being awarded NBA Executive of the Year on Wednesday. Buford, who won the award for the first time in his 12th season as the teams general manager, received a rousing ovation from the sell-out crowd. ... Parker had to towel off after having beer spilled on his left leg when he tumbled into the courtside seats 2 minutes into the game. ' ' '