Young Receivers Showing Promise for Titans

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Posted 6:52PM on Thursday, June 23, 2005

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Tennessee Titans three drafted receivers are tossing around the idea they might need a nickname. Nothing as fancy as the Three Amigos late of the Denver Broncos, just a little something to recognize that they all were drafted within 68 slots of each other and quickly have become friends. "We just can't think of anything just yet," Brandon Jones said. If these three receivers keep improving and fulfill the early promise shown in the Titans' minicamps, which conclude Thursday, then Courtney Roby, Jones and Roydell Williams won't have to think of a nickname. Somebody will take care of that for them. "They all can run, and all three are very good athletes," Ray Sherman, the Titans' new receivers coach, said Tuesday. "They want to be students of the game. They are listening, paying attention and taking notes. When you have those qualities, you can build from that, and that's what I'm excited about." The Titans had little choice but to invest heavily in receivers during the April draft. Faced with salary cap woes, they cut Derrick Mason despite a career-best season with 96 catches for 1,166 yards, and chose not to keep former draft picks Eddie Berlin and Darrell Hill. They took Roby, Indiana's all-time leading receiver who ran a 4.33 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine, with the 68th overall pick. Later in the third round, they selected Oklahoma's Jones, a talented athlete who turned down the New York Yankees to play football with his 4.45 speed and a 36-inch vertical leap. Williams, of Tulane, was taken with the 136th pick. He set the Conference USA record for touchdowns receiving with 35 and ran a 4.48 in the 40. The Titans have Drew Bennett replacing Mason and Tyrone Calico, a second-rounder in 2003, as the other starter. Jones has been working opposite Bennett until Calico returns from left knee surgery, but all three know they must play this season. "It's real fun," Williams said. "All of us know we have a big task ahead of us and most likely we'll be playing. We're pushing each other to get in the best shape possible and learn the offense as fast as possible." The three don't sit next to each other in receiver meetings, but they talk constantly while on the field for practice. They also study the playbook together and escape football with trips to restaurants or a game of pool. The Titans are doing their best to help prepare these three receivers, grouping them so that most of their passes come from Steve McNair or backup quarterback Billy Volek. Jones addressed McNair as Mister when he first arrived, a habit the 10-year veteran has tried to end. But Jones admits he still slips occasionally. "He never hears me. He gives me information, and I say, 'Yes sir.' That's still a weird part I've got to get past," Jones said. "I try to call him Mac or Steve now." © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.