Former basketball player trying hand at tight end

Gregg Guenther is in training camp with the Tennessee Titans as a tight end even though he spent his senior season at Southern California playing basketball for the Trojans. The Titans signed him three days before camp opened, and he has been impressive so far.

“It has been more than a pleasant surprise for us,” coach Jeff Fisher said.

Whether the 6-foot-8 Guenther makes the roster remains to be seen. The Titans already have veteran Erron Kinney, Ben Troupe and rookie Bo Scaife, a sixth-round draft pick this year, and they usually only carry three tight ends.

But Guenther has the advantage of being familiar with how new offensive coordinator Norm Chow calls plays because he played football with Chow and the Trojans through his junior season.

“He’s very athletic, very athletic,” Chow said. “He started for me when he was a junior. Then some things happened when he was a senior. An injured guy that kind of took his place, so he went and started on the basketball team.”

Guenther ranks fifth in catches through two exhibitions with four for 60 yards, and his 24-yarder set up the game-tying field goal that set up overtime in a 20-17 loss to Tampa Bay in the preseason opener. He suffered a mild concussion in the victory at Atlanta and sat out practice for a second day Monday.

Gates set an NFL record for tight ends last season with 13 touchdown receptions and led San Diego with 81 catches for 964 yards. The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Gates was a power forward at Kent State who didn’t play college football at all.

Kinney thinks Guenther might have a chance eventually. The Titans have been giving him plenty of work on special teams where he would have to work as a fourth tight end.

“Athleticism has a lot to do with it and what you do in basketball is a lot of the same type movements. Body control, that kind of stuff helps you in effect as a blocker and a receiver,” Kinney said.

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ACL UPDATE: Three of the Titans still healing from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries are getting close to playing. Coach Jeff Fisher said this is the week they targeted for safety Tank Williams and receiver Tyrone Calico, while offensive lineman Jacob Bell also has a chance to play Friday night at San Francisco.

“Were going to watch him very closely the next couple weeks and see how he is. He definitely has a chance. Hopefully, well be able to get him in a ball game. Were looking seriously at the possibility at him playing this week,” Fisher said.

All three have been practicing in training camp, but the Titans didn’t take them to Atlanta last week. Calico is the only one of the three who missed almost all of 2004 because of his knees, but Fisher said they don’t see any deficiency now.

“What we have to do is get him back in the swing of the offense. He has done as much as what the rest of the guys have done. To us, and to Ty, it is a matter of him playing. We don’t see any speed deficiencies. He is catching the ball well. It is just a matter of him getting comfortable,” Fisher said.

Calico said it’s up to Fisher.

“I’m looking forward to playing Friday,” the receiver said.

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GOOD IMPRESSIONS: Top draft pick Adam “Pacman” Jones is trying to make amends for some of the impressions he’s made with his arrest on July 13 and his contract holdout. His agent released a statement that Jones is partnering with the 100 Club of Nashville, which provides financial relief to families of police, firefighters and emergency workers who lose their lives in the line of duty.

Jones’ own father was killed when he was a child, and he said in the statement that he knows what such a loss does to a family financially and emotionally.

“This organization is a life-saver to these families, and I am proud to be a part of it,” Jones said.

He practiced for the first time Monday, and that also marked one of the first sightings of a No. 32 Jones jersey among fans. Jones signed autographs for fans after he answered questions from reporters.

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STAR APPEAL: The Titans drew their biggest crowd of fans in days as they prepare to wrap up training camp Wednesday, and the big reason was Steve McNair. He didn’t practice, but he was scheduled to sign autographs for fans.

And sign he did.

McNair started at the far end of the fence when practice ended, and he was still signing nearly an hour later.