NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vince Young is opening a restaurant, and Ahmard Hall wants to dine there. Dave Ball plans on hitting the snooze button if he even bothers setting an alarm.
The Titans practiced Wednesday and Thursday before enjoying some time off during their bye weekend. Titans coach Jeff Fisher gave players their schedule for time off well in advance so they could make plans with their families or recharge any way they want.
Young is opening Vince Young Steakhouse in Austin, Texas, Saturday. The former University of Texas quarterback's restaurant is a fine-dining establishment. Hall, who was a teammate of Young's at Texas, said he plans on trying to make the grand opening during his trip home.
"Vince is the king of Austin, so I think he'll have a great turnout down there," Hall said.
Hall said he plans to relax and reflect on how Tennessee (5-3) has done so far this season. He gave the team a "B-plus" but not an "A" because the Titans did not close out games against Denver and San Diego.
"You've got to get time away from football," Hall said. "You're in here a lot, put a lot of long hours in, so when you don't have the obligations to the team, you definitely want to clear your mind and come back full and ready to go."
Most players said the bye week will be a time to rest and recover. Ball, who has a career-best six sacks on the season, plans on hitting the sack.
"My favorite kind of vacation is the one where I get to sleep in every day and just enjoy time with the family," Ball said. "I think everybody's pretty tired. We've gone eight weeks, plus preseason, plus camp, so everybody's a little tired and to just get our legs back is going to be a good thing."
Tennessee's defense has played 549 snaps this season, which is second-most in the NFL. That number is 59 more defensive snaps than Jacksonville, 81 more than Houston and 114 more than Indianapolis.
The bye comes at the midpoint of Tennessee's season and at a time when multiple players are banged up. Young (ankle), running back Chris Johnson (thigh) and wide receiver Kenny Britt (hamstring) are among Titans that will benefit from the time off.
Young suffered an ankle sprain and knee sprain on Oct. 18. He returned to the lineup last Sunday but aggravated the ankle in the fourth quarter against San Diego. Britt hurt his hamstring in the first quarter and didn't return against the Chargers. Fisher has already said that Britt is out when the Titans visit Miami on Nov. 14. Johnson has not missed any game time.
Tennessee claimed receiver Randy Moss off waivers from Minnesota Wednesday and hopes to have the 13-year NFL veteran familiar with the Titans' offense before visiting the Dolphins.
Fisher said the bye will also be welcome for Titans rookies who are adjusting to the length of the NFL season. Counting preseason games, rookies Marc Mariani, Alterraun Verner and Damian Williams have played 12 games.
"That's a whole college season, so it's great to have a bye week right now, get your legs back and get your mind refocused," said Williams, who also plans to catch up on sleep.
Verner plans to return to California this weekend to attend football games at Mayfair High School (Lakewood, Calif.), where his jersey will be retired Friday, and at his alma mater, UCLA. Verner said he's enjoyed each opportunity with the Titans this season.
Rookie Rennie Curran, who made his NFL debut Sunday, said he was more ready for the next opportunity than a bye this week.
"It was fun being out there," Curran said. "I was just trying to show the coaches, that even though I'm a rook, I can still get out there and make some plays and I can contribute and help the team out.
"After the game, I was still fresh and ready to go," Curran continued. "I could have played another game. It was definitely nice to have my legs up under me where a lot of guys were kind of beat up and ready for this break, I feel like I can help this team. I'll be ready for these next eight games, and hopefully will be able to contribute more as I continue to build the coaches' and my teammates' trust."
