Titans: Time to reach deal with Jones

General manager Floyd Reese said Sunday after the Titans’ fourth practice in three days of training camp that there had been no change in negotiations with Jones. The Titans have been waiting for a counter offer from Jones’ agent, Michael Huyghue.

Reese said they were sitting and waiting with no talking going on Sunday, which he called a bit of a shock.

“But we’ve been in this league long enough to see a bit of everything,” Reese said.

“This is a busy time for us. This is an important time, and even though people on the outside may not realize it, one or two practices are key. We can’t get this practice time back, especially if you’re a young guy who missed minicamp. He needs every single snap he can get.”

Coach Jeff Fisher said he puts no pressure on the cornerback to sign when he speaks to him.

“He knows I want him here. He knows he needs to be here, and when he gets here, we’ll take care of it,” Fisher said.

With Jones holding out, veteran Tony Beckham is working with the first-team defense with Andre Woolfolk.
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ENOUGH TO GO AROUND: The Titans are trying to spread the work out among their three undrafted rookie quarterbacks, but Gino Guidugli of Syracuse had the best opportunity Sunday. He led the third and final two minute drill, getting the ball with 90 seconds on the clock, and he concluded with a 15-yard touchdown pass over the middle to O.J. Small.

“That’s what you work for,” Guidugli said. “That’s every day in the different types of things we do in practice. That’s when it all comes time to pay off and just feels good when you get an opportunity to go in there and you succeed at what you do.”

The other undrafted quarterbacks include former Heisman Trophy winner Jason White of Oklahoma and Shane Boyd of Kentucky. White said he isn’t worried about getting his share because the coaches have been doing a good job splitting the work.

“It’s just a matter of who he puts in at the time. You still get mental reps whether it’s Boyd back there whether it’s Gino, Steve (McNair) or Billy (Volek). You’ve still got to take your mental reps. That’s the way you get better,” White said.

The Titans would like to find somebody they could groom as their No. 3 quarterback behind McNair and Volek.

Coach Jeff Fisher said they will be looking at the quarterbacks over the next week to see where they are.

“They’ll all on occasion make a play, and then they’ll all take a step back. There’s a lot to learn here. After this weeks is said and done, if we need to make a decision then we will,” he said.
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KICKING AWAY: Punter Craig Hentrich is back punting as he works his way back from an emergency appendectomy in June. He missed the Titans’ final minicamp session because he had gotten ill while golfing on an off day and found himself in surgery an hour later.

“I don’t want to get too sore. I’ve got a long camp left, and I’m trying to kind of ease my way back into it,” Hentrich said.

And how about that Yamaha keyboard sticking out of his locker?

“I just like to toy around during our down time. No, I’m not accomplished,” Hentrich said.
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INJURY UPDATE: Defensive end Shawn Johnson went down screaming in pain during a one-on-one drill between the linemen, and he had to be helped up before he walked off the field. Coach Jeff Fisher said Johnson’s right shoulder apparently partially dislocated before going back in. He was being examined after practice.

Linebacker Rocky Calmus sat out Sunday afternoon’s practice with some stiffness in his back. Fisher said the problem was not connected to the injuries that limited him to four games in 2004 and that Calmus was among those players due for a rest as he works his way back into the defense.
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EXTRA POINTS: Rookie wide receiver Brandon Jones made a very nice one-handed catch during a passing drill after a slight pushoff on cornerback Tony Beckham. … Rookie cornerback Reynaldo Hill made up for that later in the drill by breaking up a pass intended for Jones.