New receivers coach helping Bennett tweak his game

Enter new receivers coach Ray Sherman, who has helped Bennett find a new area for improvement.

“Basically, it’s release off the line of scrimmage,” Sherman said. “He’s got to be patient but also get off the line with some quickness. He’s also got to understand what a defense is trying to do to him. He’s also got to understand certain coverages.”

Bennett credits Sherman with helping him work on his game. Bennett is going into his fifth NFL season, but this will be his first as the Titans’ No. 1 receiver. He is coming off his best season yet as a pro with 80 catches for 1,247 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Titans will need similar production from Bennett who not only is the most veteran receiver on the team, he is the only receiver with more than two years’ NFL experience.

Sherman said defenses will be trying to take Bennett away from Steve McNair whenever possible.

“That’s why we have to move him around a bit, so people won’t try to take him away. He’s a smart guy who understands all the positions. We have to devise plans where we can move him around,” Sherman said.

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BELL’S RETURN:@ If offensive lineman Jacob Bell plays Friday night at San Francisco, that will mark an early return from a torn anterior cruciate ligament. Bell tore his right ACL on Christmas night in a loss to Denver, and the Titans’ most optimistic prediction was that he might be available after the season started.

But Bell teamed up with safety Tank Williams and receiver Tyrone Calico in the training room, and the trio helped push each other through their rehabilitation. Bell, a fifth-round pick out of Miami of Ohio, responded by being able to work out in training camp.

“It’s been tough. It’ll be nice to get out there and play and see all the hard work we’ve done,” Bell said.

With left tackle Brad Hopkins having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee, Bell likely will work at right tackle but doesn’t expect more than a dozen snaps. But he sprained his other knee Tuesday and did not practice Monday.

Coach Jeff Fisher said they will see how Bell is Thursday and take him to San Francisco to see if he’ll be able to play. Still, it will be amazing considering that he’ll be back in a game in about eight months since the injury.

“It’s about right on target,” Bell said.

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WAITING FOR A CALL:@ Kicker Jay Taylor had been working out in Orlando, waiting and hoping for an NFL team to give him a call. The Titans finally did.

They worked him out Tuesday along with Steve Christie and Wade Ritchey and liked what they saw. They released Ola Kimrin, and Taylor had his first practice Wednesday.

“At this position, you pretty much always have to be ready for a phone call,” Taylor said.

Taylor, 28, played with Tampa Bay last season as an injury replacement for Martin Grammatica and went 4-of-5 on field goals and hit all 11 extra points. But he has been in camp for Miami, Buffalo, Seattle and Cleveland in the NFL, played for Orlando in both the XFL and the AFL and for the Rhein Fire in NFL Europe.

“It’s been an adventure,” Taylor said. “You never can get too comfortable at any one place, so obviously one thing I would hope to happen in my career is to be able to stay somewhere and start a career for an extended period of time (with) one team, one place.”

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DIZZY BAT RACE:@ Few people escape the traditional dizzy bat race for the rookies that concludes training camp for the Titans, and top draft pick Adam “Pacman” Jones was no exception. Rookies line up in groups at the goal line, run about 20 yards and put down a football before sprinting to a group of awaiting teammates who make them turn around and around, then watch them stumble back toward the ball.

Defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth yelled out that he wanted Jones to go first in his group, but defensive back Vincent Fuller already had started. Jones went second and showed little effect from the spinning.

The biggest falls came from offensive lineman Joel Rodriguez, an undrafted center from Miami, who fell twice. Former LSU quarterback turned safety Marcus Randall also fell twice, while tight end Bo Scaife was spinning with his head on the bat when they dumped ice over his back.

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EXTRA POINTS:@ Highlights of the final practice of training camp included an interception by top draft pick Adam “Pacman” Jones in a one-on-one passing drill against receiver Tyrone Calico. The receiver had done a little dance when he caught a long pass against Jones on Monday, and the cornerback returned the favor after his pick. … Rookie receiver Brandon Jones had a spectacular one-handed catch of a pass from Steve McNair. … Friday night’s exhibition with San Francisco will be only the second preseason game between these franchises. The then-Houston Oilers won the other game 17-3 in 1977 in Houston. … Kyle Vanden Bosch’s three sacks rank him fourth in the NFL. Former Tennessee Vol Constantin Ritzmann of Buffalo is tied with three others with four sacks.