Titans Protect Themselves in Contract

NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Titans care much more about protection than punctuality in negotiating a contract with their top draft pick, Adam &#34;Pacman&#34; Jones.<br> <br> General manager Floyd Reese prides himself on getting his top draft picks under contract and on to the field for the first practice of training camp. His lone exception since the franchise relocated to Tennessee was defensive tackle in Albert Haynesworth in 2002, a five-day holdout.<br> <br> But with Jones&#39; arrest on July 13 on a felony vandalism charge and two misdemeanor assault charges stemming from a nightclub fight, the Titans want to make sure the first defensive player taken in April&#39;s NFL Draft is able to earn what they pay him.<br> <br> &#34;I don&#39;t think there&#39;s anybody in any business, certainly not in the football world, that wouldn&#39;t think we need to protect ourselves some way some how,&#34; Reese said. <br> <br> &#34;I think whether they will admit it or not, I think they have to understand that. And I think that will probably make it unique at the minimum, make it a little bit longer, maybe a little bit harder. But it&#39;s something we have to do.&#34;<br> <br> Jones&#39; agent, Michael Huyghue, did not return a message left by The Associated Press.<br> <br> The Titans open training camp on Friday. Reese still hopes to sign Jones by then, but he also expects Jones&#39; agent to use the threat of a holdout to counter the Titans&#39; demands.<br> <br> &#34;If they understand what we&#39;re trying to do, it would be hard to argue with our argument. And I think if they are realistic about it, it won&#39;t be an obstacle. If they look at it the other way, that there&#39;s not anything we need to worry about, there&#39;ll probably be a stumbling block,&#34; Reese said. <br> <br> Hours after Jones was arrested, Huyghue issued a statement that Jones was the victim of &#34;opportunists, who prey on professional athletes for financial gain.&#34;<br> <br> But Robert &#34;Big Daddy&#34; Gaddy, the man who filed the charges, played at Alcorn State with Titans quarterback Steve McNair and has worked as his bodyguard. Gaddy pressed charges two hours after he called police to his club, which is located a block away from the Titans&#39; stadium.<br> <br> Jones also was in a room at the hotel used by the Titans to house their rookies during training camp when police were called to help security remove someone from the room. Police found marijuana on the table and a bag in the pocket of Lewis Kuffuor, who was arrested on a charge of simple possession.<br> <br> In April, Georgia authorities investigated a report that Jones was involved in a fight in a nightclub near Atlanta in April, but no charges were filed against him in that case.<br> <br> The Titans thought they had investigated Jones&#39; character in depth before taking him. He had been placed on one year&#39;s probation while at West Virginia for a bar fight in August 2002.<br> <br> They hope that signing Jones and keeping him busy with football will help give him time to mature. They need the 5-foot-10 cornerback to compete for one of their open starting jobs.<br> <br> © 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.