Less than 24 hours after Jake Locker arguably outplayed Matt Hasselbeck in the Tennessee Titans' preseason opener, coach Mike Munchak has yet to decide on a starter for Friday's game at Tampa Bay.
Facing mostly the Seahawks' second-team defense, Locker looked sharp in leading the Titans' down the field in the two-minute offense. Locker completed 7-of-13 attempts for 80 yards, while Hasselbeck finished 5-of-9 for 45 yards and two interceptions. Hasselbeck took the majority of his snaps versus Seattle's starting defense.
Early in his career, Locker has been adept at handling the offense in hurry-up situations. Last season, the Titans' 2011 first-round pick nearly led the team to a pair of double-digit comebacks against the Falcons and Saints. On Saturday, Locker went 5-of-7 for 59 yards in a two-minute drill that led to a 32-yard field goal by Rob Bironas just before halftime. Locker completed several passes to rookie wide receiver Kendall Wright during the series.
A louder than normal preseason crowd in Seattle also helped Locker and Hasselbeck experiment with a silent count.
“I thought (Jake) sat in the pocket nice, he made some good completions,” Munchak said. “You want to see how they handle that with the commotion, the hurry-up, getting off the line of scrimmage, getting the ball spotted, all that kind of stuff. Matt's done that forever, but since Jake has gotten here he has a good feel for that.”
Munchak didn't have a chance to review the game film before Sunday's press conference, but indicated that a problem with the receivers' alignment on the game's first offensive play led to an interception by Hasselbeck. The low pass bounced off wide receiver Nate Washington's fingers and was returned for a touchdown by Seahawks cornerback Brandon Browner.
“Matt was a little uncertain because of the distribution (of the receivers),” Munchak said. “It ended up with Kendall being a little deeper than he needed to be so it affected the throw.”
The three-time Pro Bowl quarterback wasn't helped by several drops from Chris Johnson and a holding penalty on right tackle David Stewart, Munchak added. The penalty left the Titans with a 3rd-and-15 from their own 48 early in the second quarter. Hasselbeck threw a pass up for grabs inside the Seattle 10 that was intercepted by Seahawks' cornerback Richard Sherman.
“Like we said last night, it ends up being like a punt,” Munchak said.
Munchak indicated at the start of training camp that he'd like to name a starter around the Titans' third preseason game. He did not reveal on Sunday if the decision will be made before an Aug. 23 game vs. the Cardinals or in the days following the game.
“We're not looking at the calendar,” Munchak said. “One has to be named by a certain time – the sooner the better as we go through our process.”
Munchak provides Morgan with a vote of confidence: Pannel Egboh received the start at left defensive end over Derrick Morgan on Saturday, but Munchak was pleased with the play from the third-year defensive lineman. Morgan recorded a tackle for a loss and won several battles in one-on-one situations, Munchak said.
Defensive coordinator Jerry Gray also moved Morgan inside on a first quarter sack by defensive tackle Karl Klug. Morgan rarely played on the inside in 2011.
“We see him as a starter and playing a lot,” Munchak said. “It just depends which package is on the field.”
Munchak: Missed FG unacceptable: Munchak was unhappy with a 36-yard missed field goal by undrafted rookie free agent Will Batson late in the loss. The snap from rookie long snapper Beau Brinkley went low but was handled by holder Brett Kern.
Munchak discussed the play with special teams coach Alan Lowry on Sunday. Brinkley has replaced longtime long snapper Ken Amato, who served as the Titans' long snapper from 2003-2011.
“You can always blame it on a lot of things, but the bottom line is you have to make the kick,” Munchak said.
Healthy roster after the opener: The Titans didn't suffer any major injuries in the defeat, Munchak said. Munchak did not provide a timetable on when wide receiver Kenny Britt (knee), safety Markelle Martin (knee) and defensive end Dave Ball (concussion-like symptoms) could return. Britt and Martin remain on PUP.
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