NFL notebook

The Titans have thw week off which means some NFL team's offense will be saved a beating. Was it only three years ago this team appeared headed down the slop chute --buried by bad contracts and an aging roster.
Every move hasn't been ideal -- Derrick Mason has never been replaced -- but give the Titans organization credit for rebuilding quickly and judiciously.
Look at the defense, which is what makes this team competive.
By using every means open to them -- the draft, high dollar free agents and street free agents -- they have built a formidible group. Starters Michael Griffin, Cortland Finnegan (an absolute steal), Keith Bulluck, Tommy Tulloch and Albert Haynesworth came out of the draft and form a solid corps. Add productive but unheralded free agents like Chris Hope, Nick Harper and David Thornton, the LB they swiped from Indy, and you see more good decion making in action.
Kyle Vanden Bosch, a steal from the Cardinals, is the leader and old dog Jevon Kearse adds some fire as well.
By the way, keep an eye out for Jason Jones, a second rounder who can play DE or DT. If they get him in the right spot he could be a standout.
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Watch out for Steve Breaston the Cardinals wide receiver stepping into Anquan Boldin's spot this weekend. Breaston can run and catch and he returns kicks. With Boldin wanting a new team next year, Breaston is getting a chance to show what he can do.
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It's too soon to call former Vol DT Justin Harrell a bust, but so far he has shown next to nothing. The first round pick (2007) has been hurt this season and didn't do squat in his rookie year. He should come off IR soon and the Pack needs a third tackle to step up.
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The Jags took DEs Quentin Groves of Auburn and and Derrick Harvey from Florida to provide instant pass rush, but it hasn't happened. Neither player seems to have developed enough technique to overcome the tremendous size and quickness of NFL tackles. Both players are promising, but there's work to be done and in the meantime the Jags can't get to the QB.
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Jordan Gross missed last week's game for Carolina, the first time in his five-year career he didn't suit up. Carolina's best offseason move was resigning Gros.
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I never believed the Mike Martz was going to make a superstar out of Vernon Davis hype. Martz went on and on about Davis's athletic ability but he prefers a smaller, slower receiver who runs his routes precisely to a sloppier star "athlete." That's why a Dane Looker or Mike Furrey succeeds with Martz. His best receiver of this type was Az Hakim, who could run his routes but also had good speed. Davis has 18 catches so far and hasn't been a factor.
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Who's counting? Me, that's who. Vernon Gholston doesn't have a sack yet as the transition to OLB is going very slowly.
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Get ready add the name Ryan Torrain to the Broncos mix at RB. The rookie, who looked good in the preseason is about to come off IR. And whatever happened to Mike Bell?
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Two weeks in a row the Ravens defense brutalized their opponents for most of the game, only to see it slip away in the fourth quarter as they tired and their lousy offense failed to produce points. Ray Lewis may be getting older, but still spends a lot of the game in the other team's backfield making plays.
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Can Roethlisberger survive this season? He's getting pounded.
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The Rams have Mark Bulger back at starter this week. Trent Green looked like a backup last week. He made some plays, but the arm looked mediocre at best. It's hard to judge any of the "skilled" players in the Rams offense, as the OL has been so weak. They need an OT and a C badly. The DL scenario is better. Leonard Little looked healthy last week and Chris Long is making some plays at RDE. Last year's top pick, DT Adam Carriker, played well last week as well.
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Atlanta has beat two bad teams and a mediocre one. Can they beat a good team? One maybe. But this bunch still has a long way to go. Upgrading the DT posiiton would be a big help, though Grady Jackson has made some plays.
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It took three years, but former LSU DT Kyle Williams is making a name for himself in Buffalo, starting alongside South Georgia's pride and joy, Marcus Stroud.
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Is there a more underrated player in the NFL over the last five years than London Fletcher, who is now making 10 tackles a week for the Redskins?