Hill returning to home state of Florida as NFL starter
Hill was one of the last players drafted last April, grabbed by the Titans in the seventh round with the 218th pick overall. A Fort Lauderdale native, he spent his last two seasons in college at Florida where he had to impress scouts at the school’s Pro Day.
“I’ve really been thinking about this since the last time we played Jacksonville, the chance to go back and play them in Jacksonville,” Hill said.
Hill will start his 10th game of the season Sunday against the Jaguars, and he currently leads the Titans with three interceptions. He also has 44 tackles and has defended nine passes.
“I just got a chance to really show people what I can do,” Hill said. “Now it’s late in the season, and we play Jacksonville in Florida. So it’s a chance to go down there, and a lot of people there know me. I get a chance to play in front of a big crowd.”
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PLAYING TIME:@ Offensive lineman Jacob Bell started 14 games himself as a rookie in 2004 as a replacement for an injured Zach Piller and was someone the Titans wanted to look at as a tackle before he tore his right ACL on Christmas night.
He finally got his chance last week.
Bell replaced rookie Michael Roos and played the second half of last week’s loss at Miami at right tackle, and coach Jeff Fisher said they likely will follow the same approach Sunday at Jacksonville.
“I think even if Jacob is not pleased with his play, I think Jacob stepping into an offseason will feel better maybe being a little displeased with how he played as compared to having not played at all,” Fisher said.
Bell had played in two games at right guard when Benji Olson was hurt and had helped on special teams.
“I think I’m just happy to be able to find a way to contribute this year, to work on my game and try to improve, then go into the offseason knowing they have the confidence to let me play,” Bell said.
“It’s the last game of the year, and it’s going to be a good way to go into the offseason, have something to look at and know what I have to improve upon.”
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ANOTHER STRONG FINISH?@ The Titans can only hope that middle linebacker Brad Kassell finishes off 2005 like he did the 2004 season. Kassell had a career high and led the Titans with 19 tackles in their season finale victory over Detroit last season. That tied the team mark for most tackles originally set by Joe Bowden on Sept. 6, 1998, and again by Keith Bulluck on Sept. 28, 2003.
Kassell said he had a good game.
“It felt good. It was something I could try to build on. You still have to go out there and play, even though you’re not playing for the playoffs. Just go out there and try to better yourself,” he said.
Kassell returned to the Titans but coach Jeff Fisher pointed out that it got the attention of the Detroit Lions, who tried to grab the then-restricted free agent.
“The players realize this. This is a tough game from this standpoint. Players are doing the best they can,” Fisher said.
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EXTRA POINTS:@ The Titans are 27-18 in regular season finales, including 9-2 under coach Jeff Fisher since 1994 and the last three. Keith Bulluck, who already has 139 tackles, will lead the Titans in tackles for a fourth straight season. He will join Gregg Bingham and Al Smith, currently the team’s director of pro scouting, as the third player to accomplish that in franchise history. … Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch remains tied for second in sacks in the NFL with 12 1/2. … Adam “Pacman” Jones is averaging 9.8 yards per punt return, which is second in the AFC. He could finish with the best punt return average by a rookie for this team since Billy “White Shoes” Johnson averaged 10.3 yards per return in 1974.