Great Unkowns

Four days after Tennessee was knocked out of the NFL playoffs in January, Titan running back Chris Brown was knocking out sets on the squat rack.

When most of his teammates were on vacation, Brown was on a mission.

He showed up unannounced at team headquarters, walked into the weight room, picked up some dumbbells and quietly, without fanfare, officially began his quest to unseat an institution. Oh, Brown never actually said he wanted to take the starting tailback job from Eddie George -- in fact, Brown said all along he wanted George to stay -- but it was clear to coaches that Brown had the dedication it took to step from the shadows.

“I thought he was coming back in March,� said Steve Watterson, the Titans’ strength and conditioning coach. “I had no idea he’d be back here the week we lost in the playoffs.�

Brown’s coaches were thrilled to hear the news.

“We loved that,� said Mike Heimerdinger, Tennessee’s offensive coordinator, who has watched the second-year running back go from a talented but injury-hampered understudy to the Titans’ every-down back and one of the most promising players of this exhibition season.

“We thought he’d be as good as he is,� Heimerdinger said of Brown, who led the AFC this summer with 240 yards rushing in 32 carries. “He showed flashes of it last year.�

Problem was, Brown couldn’t stay healthy enough to get established last season. Hamstring injuries sidelined him for five games, something that never happened to him at Colorado, where he rushed for 2,787 yards and 35 touchdowns in two seasons. He was drafted in the third round in 2003 by the Titans, who hoped he might one day replace George, perhaps the biggest star in the franchise’s brief -- post-Houston Oiler -- history.

“We have a talented young prospect with some unknowns in Chris Brown,� Coach Jeff Fisher said in July after George was released. “The question with Chris is he is still an unknown quantity because he hasn’t been there a whole year.�

Because of a hamstring injury he sustained early in training camp last summer, Brown didn’t get his first carry in 2003 until the fourth game of the regular season. He sat out two more games a few weeks later when the injury flared up again.

Working with Watterson this off-season, Brown strengthened his hamstring and added 12 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame, bulking up to 227 pounds.

“It only took about three or four plays in mini-camp for people to notice the difference,� Watterson said. “On the third or fourth play, he busted one right up the middle and almost tore off one of our linebacker’s arms when the guy tried to arm-tackle him. Everybody realized that, no, things are a little bit different.�

Now, after a strong exhibition season, the Titans think Brown has a bright future, as long as he can stay healthy. When they released George, and he promptly was picked up by the Dallas Cowboys, they turned their eyes to their back of the future.

“The transition has been easy because Chris is letting his play take care of it,� Heimerdinger said. “His running ability has taken care of the transition.�

That was obvious last week, when Brown reversed his field in an exhibition game against Dallas and scored on an 18-yard run that he punctuated by stiff-arming Cowboy safety Roy Williams at the five-yard line.

“I was just worried about getting into the end zone and keeping him off,� said Brown, whose quotes are as flat as his running is dynamic. “But I know he’s a great safety who was trying to make the tackle.�

For many of his former Tennessee teammates, seeing George in a Cowboy jersey was downright bizarre. It was for Rocky Boiman, who tackled George for a two-yard loss on his first carry.

“When you’re in the heat of the game, and things are happening so fast, you don’t really think, ‘Oh my God, there’s Eddie George,’ � Boiman told reporters. “But after the play, you look, and it was a little weird to see him getting up off the pile for another team.�

Brown, meanwhile, has separated himself from the pack -- even though it was only during the exhibition season.

“Chris has done everything and then some,� tackle Brad Hopkins told the Tennessean, a Nashville newspaper. “He’s far exceeded my expectations as a running back, especially so quickly. I can’t get enough of the dude.�

Antowain Smith, who won two Super Bowls with New England, understands how high expectations can only increase the load on Brown’s shoulders.

“There’s a lot of pressure on Chris right now,� said Smith, signed as an insurance policy to back up Brown. “People want him to be replacing Eddie George. He needs to line up and play like Chris Brown, and I think he’s done a good job of that so far.�

And that’s not just with his running. Heimerdinger said Brown has done a good job of picking up blitzes and protecting quarterback Steve McNair, the league’s co-most valuable player. A lot of that goes unnoticed by all but the most informed observers, the coach said.

“For a running back in this league, it’s easy to run,� Heimerdinger said. “Everybody can see if a guy’s got shake and vision and can make people miss. But can they pick up blitzes? Do they know who to block if somebody’s already gotten their guy? That’s the stuff that we see in him that most people don’t.�

It’s just like Brown showing up in the weight room four days after the playoff loss. Not a lot of people saw it. But the right ones did.

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AFC East

The rich get richer. The New England Patriots, who have won two of the last three Super Bowls, added running back Corey Dillon to their arsenal, giving them someone with more big-play potential than Smith. In addition to Coach Bill Belichick, a defensive guru, the Patriots have two coordinators, Charlie Weis (offense) and Romeo Crennel (defense), who probably will wind up being head coaches in the coming years. The focus of the team is Tom Brady, whose .739 winning percentage is best among active quarterbacks.

Back when they had Ricky Williams and David Boston, the Miami Dolphins were in much better position to make a run at the division title. But Williams quit football and Boston sustained a season-ending injury, and the Dolphins now have to find new ways to score.

The big questions in Buffalo concern whether Drew Bledsoe can bounce back from the worst season of his career, and whether Willis McGahee can overtake Travis Henry as the No. 1 running back -- each has said he wants out if he’s not starting. Buffalo’s defense, which has had the fewest takeaways in the league for two consecutive years, made strides this summer: eight in three exhibition games.

This is the fifth season for New York Jet quarterback Chad Pennington -- and the first one in which he’ll start the opener. If the Jets can protect him, they should improve on last season’s 6-10 mark. Their defense is younger and quicker, especially at linebacker.

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AFC North

If there’s a Super Bowl sleeper on the East Coast, it’s the Baltimore Ravens. They’re loaded with eight Pro Bowl players, and six of their standouts might be the NFL’s best players at their positions -- running back Jamal Lewis, left tackle Jonathan Ogden, tight end Todd Heap, middle linebacker Ray Lewis, cornerback Chris McAlister and safety Ed Reed. The addition of seven-time Pro Bowl defensive back Deion Sanders could be a huge bonus, even though the 37-year-old star figures to play only 25 to 30 plays a game in the nickel package. For the offense, a lot is hinging on the health of Ogden, who suffered a knee injury in the last exhibition game, and the status of Jamal Lewis, who faces a federal drug trial. Another question: Can the team of coaches working with Kyle Boller transform him into a quarterback who can put up average passing numbers? If so, the Ravens could be in business.

Quarterback Carson Palmer looked good this summer in his new role as starter for Cincinnati. Now we’ll see whether the Bengals can improve a defense that ranked 28th last season in yards and points allowed.

Jeff Garcia had the mobility and dink-passing skills to flourish in San Francisco, but is he the right fit for Cleveland’s offense? He’ll definitely have help; running backs William Green and Lee Suggs are very capable, and rookie tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. has looked spectacular in practice.

Pittsburgh has the offensive personnel to put up big numbers, but the Steelers have serious concerns about their offensive line. Last season, which wound up being a 6-10 disaster, the Steelers couldn’t run and their receivers often had to break off their routes early because the line gave Tommy Maddox almost no time to set up and throw.

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AFC South

Welcome to the quarterback corner. With the league’s co-most valuable players McNair (Tennessee) and Peyton Manning (Indianapolis), and up-and-coming stars David Carr (Houston) and Byron Leftwich (Jacksonville), this division is loaded with outstanding passers.

Manning, who has thrown for 4,000 yards in five consecutive seasons, can set an NFL record with an encore performance. He’ll begin that campaign Thursday in the opener at New England, a rematch of last season’s AFC championship game. The Colts looked inconsistent in exhibition games this summer, primarily because of injuries to defensive players.

In addition to McNair, the players to watch in Tennessee are running back Brown and receiver Tyrone Calico, who could be among the league’s best. Calico is recovering from a knee injury in an exhibition game and is expected to sit out the opener at Miami. Brown is a significant upgrade from George, who looked predictable and plodding in his last years with the Titans.

Second-year Jacksonville Coach Jack Del Rio wanted his team to get off to a fast start this summer. But the Jaguars’ first-string offense failed to score a touchdown in the first three exhibition games. Still, the Jaguars are the chic choice of some to make a surprise playoff run.

For the first time in their three-season history, the Houston Texans won’t start a rookie on offense. They also feature Domanick Davis, the 2003 rookie of the year, who started the last 10 games and finished with 1,031 yards. He’ll try to regain that form despite sitting out most of training camp because of a sprained ankle.

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AFC West

If Mike Shanahan can coach the Denver offense back up to snuff, the Broncos could have a very good year. They’ve done a lot to build their defense this season, trading running back Clinton Portis to Washington for cornerback Champ Bailey and signing free-agent safety John Lynch, defensive tackle Luther Elliss and defensive end Raylee Johnson. With quarterback Jake Plummer on the field, the Broncos were 9-2. They were 1-4 without him.

Oakland had to do something about stopping the run -- the Raiders were 30th in that department last season -- so it signed two high-profile defensive linemen: Warren Sapp and Ted Washington. Although both players are on the downside of their careers, they should be able to do a decent job of plugging the gaps. Rich Gannon will start at quarterback, but Coach Norv Turner will turn to Kerry Collins if Gannon looks shaky or the Raiders are out of the playoff picture. Receiver Jerry Porter needs to step up and pick up the slack now that Tim Brown’s in Tampa.

Remember when Kansas City had good defenses? Well, coordinator Gunther Cunningham was the architect of those, and he’s back. It remains to be seen if he can get the same type of productivity out of this group as he did with the classic defenses of Derrick Thomas, Neil Smith, James Hasty and the rest. The Chiefs can certainly find the end zone. They were 13-3 in 2003 and led the league in scoring the last two seasons. Meanwhile, Priest Holmes figures a 2,000-yard rushing season is within reach.

Despite all their troubles, and the fact they could be the worst team in football, the Chargers have one of the most exciting players in the league in running back LaDainian Tomlinson. He, alone, is reason to watch them.