Campbell strictly a special teamer so far

The Titans spent plenty of time during the offseason praising second-year cornerback Tommie Campbell, with defensive coordinator Jerry Gray calling him the team’s second-best corner from a technical standpoint and saying he hoped Campbell could push Alterraun Verner for a starting role.

Even through most of training camp and the preseason, Campbell appeared the odds-on favorite to be the Titans’ third cornerback.

But through the Titans’ first two games, Campbell has yet to take a single defensive snap.

“I thought I had a pretty solid training camp at cornerback, so I don’t know (what happened). Who knows?” Campbell said. “I just know I have to continue to get better. I guess it’s experience or whatever the case may be, but I just need to get better.”

Gray explained that the Titans’ first two games, against New England and San Diego, meant Ryan Mouton would be a good match-up in the slot against receivers like Wes Welker and Eddie Royal.

So instead of Campbell coming in on passing downs and Verner moving into the slot, the Titans opted for Mouton in the slot. That left Verner on the outside and Campbell on the sidelines.

“You look at a guy like Welker who’s quick and fast, and we thought that was a better match-up for Mouton (as opposed to moving Verner inside),” Gray said. “He only had a couple of catches in that game, so that was really good for us.

“We try to really match up what guys can do well, and let them go out there and play, and not be deficient and say, `Hey, coach, he caught the ball because he’s more athletic.’”

What’s also interesting, though, is that on the few occasions the Titans have gone looking for a fourth cornerback during the first two weeks, it’s been rookie Coty Sensabaugh – not Campbell – who’s gotten the call. Sensabaugh has just six defensive snaps, but that’s still six more than Campbell.

“He’s probably one of the most steady rookies I’ve been around,” Gray said of Sensabaugh, the team’s fourth-round pick. “He doesn’t get shaken up a lot.

“It’s nothing against Tommie. I think Tommie is going to play in the right time. It may be this week. He’s probably our fastest guy back there and definitely our biggest, so we’ll get a chance to see him.”

In the meantime, Campbell will continue to focus on special teams, where he leads the Titans with four tackles through two games.

“I’ve been doing everything on special teams – blocking, covering kicks – and I take a lot of pride in that,” Campbell said. “I’m here to do my job on special teams and do whatever the team asks me to do, just be prepared and ready to go whenever the time comes.”

Source: Titans Insider