Mike Heimerdinger office looks just like it did the day he left in 2005.
Mike Heimerdinger office looks just like it did the day he left in 2005.
The office didnt have any pictures when I left and it doesnt have any pictures now, Heimerdinger said. Papers are still all over the place, there are a bunch of scratches on the board and clothes all over so not much has changed. The office is the same and the staff is pretty much the same.
Heimerdinger returns as the Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator after spending the previous two years as the Denver Broncos assistant head coach. He also was the New York Jets offensive coordinator in 2005.
But hes a familiar face in this city, where he was the Titans offensive coordinator from 2000-2004 and helped Steve McNair, Eddie George and Derrick Mason put up some big numbers.
Tennessee is reaching into its past to build for the future: Former stars Jevon Kearse and Justin McCareins also return to the lineup.
Kearse was a three-time Pro Bowler at defensive end with Tennessee before signing as a free agent with Philadelphia, where he played from 2004-2007. Wide receiver McCareins set career highs with the Titans, posting 813 receiving yards and seven touchdowns in 2003, but he was traded to the New York Jets, spending the past four seasons with them.
Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said it feels like the good, old days sort of.
All we need is Eddie George and McNair back, Fisher kidded. Kearse and McCareins are both veterans and theyve returned to camp with smiles on their faces. Both of them have had good camps and we should see some production out of both of them.
Heimerdinger hopes hell have as much success with Titans quarterback Vince Young as he did with McNair, the co-MVP in 2003.
Theyre both different quarterbacks, Heimerdinger said. Vince is bigger than Steve, which I didnt think was possible. Hes taller. They both have a little different backgrounds coming out of college. Steve threw it 60 times a game and Vince came from a different style of offense. But theyre both very talented quarterbacks, very good athletes and both had the ability to throw and make plays.
Heimerdingers biggest challenge will be to improve Youngs passing game. During Youngs second NFL season in 2007 he improved his yardage and completion percentage, so the next step will be upgrading his woeful touchdown-to-interception ratio (9-to-17 in 2007).
Hes got to keep learning and seeing things, Heimerdinger said. Weve got to get some guys outside to make some plays and do a good job of protecting him and keep the pocket clean so he doesnt have people in his face all the time. And he can step up and do some things that we want him to do.
The first-team offense struggled in the first three preseason games, managing just two field goals and no touchdowns in 12 drives. However, rookie running back Chris Johnson, the teams first-round pick, should provide a jolt to the attack with his 4.24 speed.
McCareins played for Heimerdinger in 2005 in New York, when he made 43 receptions for 713 yards and two touchdowns.
I learned how to be a professional under coach Heimerdinger as a rookie and he does a really good job coaching receivers and getting his message across and letting us know what he expects out of us, McCareins said. And I just like working for him.
McCareins was hampered by a strained hamstring early in training camp, but feels that injury is behind him.
We have a lot of potential with some very good running backs, a very solid O-line, obviously a special quarterback in Vince Young and a very nice group of young receivers - guys that are big and fast, McCareins said. And Im just happy to be a part of it. It doesnt seem so long ago that I walked in these doors as a rookie. It feels like I never left.
Titans fans hope Kearse can regain the form that saw him lead his team in sacks during six of his first seven seasons in the NFL. The Freak freaked out quarterbacks when he set a rookie record with 14.5 sacks in 1999, earning the former Florida star Defensive Rookie of the Year honors.
His numbers declined somewhat in Philadelphias defensive system, which required him to read and react. In Tennessee hes asked to attack and react, which suits his style of play better.
Here Im able to get outside and just go, Kearse said. You just get up on the ball and attack and react, whereas in the past four years I was in a little different scheme where I was doing a lot of reading and sitting back. And in this one Im able to use my God-given talent.
Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch, a Pro Bowler during two of the past three seasons, is glad to see the Kearse at the opposite end of the line as Tennessee seeks a return trip to the playoffs.
Jevon was built for this system, Vanden Bosch said. As defensive ends in this system, we just get upfield and attack and make things happen. And thats the type of end Jevon is. Hes a big-time playmaker and I think hell flourish this year in our system.
Kearse has battled through some injuries during the past few seasons and he will turn 32 on September 3, but he feels great to back in Tennessee.
I know that as long as I get back to my old self and get real comfortable with what I was used to doing, we can be as good as we want to be - one of the best lines in the NFL right now, Kearse said.