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Agent: Would love to pursue trade for Volek

NASHVILLE (AP) — Agent Drew Rosenhaus told the Tennessee Titans on Monday that he’d like to pursue a trade that would allow Billy Volek to be a starting quarterback in the NFL sooner rather than later.

That’s not a subject the Titans are interested in talking about.

“To me, that wouldn’t make sense based on you have to have two good quarterbacks to have a chance to win,” coach Jeff Fisher said.

“We have two good quarterbacks. Why would you give one away unless you had a chance to get a better one? We’re not necessarily into developing players for other people. We’re developing players for our future.”

Rosenhaus visited the Titans to help conclude a one-year deal for safety Arturo Freeman, who practiced Monday afternoon. With Chicago already losing Rex Grossman to a broken ankle, the timing seemed right.

“They’re not real receptive to that,” Rosenhaus said. “Billy’s not unhappy here, but he would love the chance to be a starter in the NFL. He’s a starting-caliber quarterback, and this is very tough for him. He’s a wonderful talent, and he’s not in position right now to demonstrate just how gifted he is, and it’s tough.”

Rosenhaus pointed out Volek has been working with the second-team offense.

Volek, 29, is in his sixth season with the Titans, who gave him a roster spot as an undrafted free agent in 2000 out of Fresno State. He has thrown for more yards in his first nine starts than any quarterback in NFL history, with 2,591 yards.

He threw for 426 against Kansas City last December with 492 yards the next week against Oakland. That made him only the fourth player in NFL history with back-to-back 400-yard passing games and only the second with 900 or more in a two-game stretch.

Rosenhaus said he’s got to try to promote Volek to a place where he can play up to his ability.

“It’s not going to happen here as long as Steve stays healthy, and we certainly don’t wish anything ill toward him,” Rosenhaus said.

Volek tested free agency and was wooed by Buffalo and Green Bay with the chance of replacing Drew Bledsoe or Brett Favre or back up Michael Vick in Atlanta. Volek wasn’t very happy after Friday night’s exhibition loss with playing two full quarters as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

“I want to be a starter. Right now I’m called to be backup to Steve McNair. Depending on what Steve does this year and years down the road, if he does decide to come back, I want to go somewhere and be a starter,” Volek said.

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FIGHT CAMP: Monday featured a series of fights in both the morning and afternoon practices.

In the morning, running back Damien Nash tangled with linebacker Brad Kassell, who held him down on the ground before being pulled off. Coach Jeff Fisher had to grab Nash to break it up. In the afternoon more scuffles broke out, with the best featuring defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth and center Justin Hartwig.

“It’s about that time in training camp,” Fisher said.

He said the coaches came down hard on players for mistakes in their exhibition opening loss to Tampa Bay.

“What they have to understand is that you’ve got to learn to practice against each other with pads on and play ball, but it doesn’t become a brawl,” Fisher said. “Things got a little out of hand. It’s training camp. We haven’t had any of those, and these things happen at training camp.”

Some of the players might wind up fined for the fighting. Haynesworth left the afternoon session a little early, but Fisher wouldn’t say if he had been ordered to the locker room.

“That’s between Albert and I,” Fisher said.

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BAD TIMING: Fullback Robert Douglas isn’t happy when he hears people talk about how he had a chance to become the latest undrafted free agent to play his way onto the Titans roster.

The fullback out of Memphis had been very impressive in minicamps before breaking his left fibula, an injury that has kept him out of training camp. Now he waits for the day he is cleared to return.

“I can’t cry over spilled milk. As far as everyone getting reps on the field, I have been studying practice harder than I ever could,” Douglas said. “I’m out there practicing and reading what I’m supposed to do. Learn the tailback spot. I figure out the routes and everything on the receivers. You’ve got to stay in it mentally.”

He still has some discomfort in his lower leg. But he refuses to sit around and feel sorry for himself. Jimmy Dixon from Georgia Tech has benefited most from the extra work during Douglas’ absence.

“It’s day to day. I have to keep praying every night, going to rehab every day and see what happens,” he said.

The Titans carried two fullbacks last season with veteran Robert Holcombe and rookie Troy Fleming. Holcombe was released in February, and Fleming now is the starter.

“It’s frustrating for us and for him,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We’re running out of time to evaluate him. He’s close, but he still has some soreness in the leg right now.”

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BAD SLIDE, GOOD TEST: Steve McNair said Monday that he can laugh and joke now, but he was sincere about needing to see how his surgically repaired chest performed as soon as possible in the preseason.

McNair scrambled twice in last week’s 20-17 overtime loss to Tampa Bay, and he wound up landing on the football on his second run after putting his shoulder into cornerback Jermaine Phillilps.

“I had to make sure. … I wanted to see if it would hold up, and it held up. Now I can go out and be careful. At the same time, I’m not going to shy away from any hits. I have to be smart and careful about it,” McNair said.

He missed eight games in 2004 because he had gristle connecting to his sternum where bone should have been. Doctors grafted a sliver of bone from his right hip onto that spot last December.

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RIGHT TACKLE SETTLED? Rookie Michael Roos has impressed coach Jeff Fisher enough with his play at right tackle that the coach has put him at the top of the competition. The Titans had been rotating Roos with Todd Williams.

“We’ll decide this week whether we’ll flip it and give Todd a chance or not,” Fisher said.

That means a decision is likely soon on the only open position on the offensive line to give the winner more time to work with the other starters.

Roos, their second round pick out of Eastern Washington, earned great reviews from the one man who matters most — Steve McNair.

“The only time I was hit was when he couldn’t block everybody,” McNair said. “That’s the only time. He’s come a long way. He’s competing for the job, and he’s making a good first impression.”

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CUT OR KEEP? Strong safety Tank Williams started growing his hair while rehabilitating his torn left anterior cruciate ligament along with offensive lineman Jacob Bell. They had decided to keep growing their hair until they returned to the field.

Well, both have practiced in training camp, and the hair is still growing. Williams said he’s not sure now if he will cut his hair after usually keeping his head shaved the past three years.

“I said I was going to keep it at least until I’m back on the field. It might be a little bit longer. I might get out there and be like that’s my sign (that) I’m back and cut it off. It’s going to be a wait-and-see thing,” Williams said.

Free safety Lamont Thompson, who wears his hair in dreadlocks that brush the top of his No. 28 on his jersey, sat at a nearby locker and swung his hair around, urging Williams not to cut his.

“It does feel kind of good when it flows in the wind,” Williams said.

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