The Tennessee Titans will be the last team to begin their OTAs this offseason, with their first practice scheduled for May 30. The Titans may be one of the last teams to settle on a starting quarterback, as offensive coordinator Chris Palmer said there is no timetable to determine whether Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker will be under center when the New England Patriots come to town on September 9.
"We’ve not put a time schedule on it,” Palmer said according to John Glennon of The Tennessean. "I think coach (Mike) Munchak will sit and talk with the offensive coaches. I think (general manager) Ruston Webster will come down and talk with the coaches, and I think we’ll come to a conclusion as soon as we can."
Hasselbeck started all 16 games for the Titans last season, completing over 61 percent of 518 pass attempts for 3,571 yards with 18 touchdowns and 14 interceptions, despite losing No. 1 wide receiver Kenny Britt to a knee injury earlier in the season. Hasselbeck's experience gave him a big advantage over Locker last year and the 36-year-old figures to open the offseason on top of the depth chart. However, the younger, more athletic Locker, who played well in limited (about 10 percent of the team's snaps) action as a rookie, should close the gap now that he has the benefit of an NFL offseason.
"Like any profession, the second year in your job, you’re better than your first year, and in the fifth year, you’re better than you were the second year," Palmer said. "So from that standpoint, (Locker’s) not learning the verbiage. He comes in and he understands the verbiage.
"He understands what the coaches are asking and they’re talking the same language. So from that standpoint, it will allow him to play faster and comprehend what we’re trying to do."