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| Cornerback Pete Ittersagen spent most of the season on the practice squad before being signed to the active roster earlier this month. |
Tennessee's practice squad players go to work each day to give the best their best and get better.
They've come from small schools and large programs, blending their backgrounds with a common goal: winning a spot on the 53-man roster and playing on Sundays. Together they wade through unfamiliar territory. This is the first time most have not been a starter since they started playing football.
They are in the weight room, the locker room, the film room, the practice field and team dining areas, but they're not where they want to be—yet.
During home games, they watch from the sidelines, routing for their Titans teammates and absorbing every ounce of information to be learned. During away games, they watch from their homes, and it's not nearly the same.
They have an inside perspective from the sidelines or their living rooms. They learn from game film on Mondays with the rest of the team and emulate opponents to prepare the Titans for the next game. They take pride, even ownership, when a Tennessee star succeeds on Sundays.
"You feel like you're part of the team, so you want to see the guys you went up against do well," cornerback Pete Ittersagen said earlier this season. "When you see the offense or Kenny Britt have a good game, you definitely feel like you had a part in that. It ultimately makes you want to perform your job at the highest level."
Ittersagen is a recent example of how keeping the right attitude and approach during a difficult situation can lead to activation. Ittersagen spent training camp with the Titans but was released Aug. 31 and signed to the practice squad Sept. 5. He stayed there the next 10 weeks but was released Thanksgiving day during roster adjustments. He was re-signed to the practice squad Dec. 8 and signed to the 53-man roster Dec. 17. Ittersagen made his NFL debut Sunday against Houston and recorded three special teams tackles.
Ittersagen said Tennessee coaches had told him his release on Thanksgiving may be a "temporary thing" so he kept training as if he could be signed back any day.
"It's great," Ittersagen said of joining the 53-man roster. "This week has been such a blessing."
Injuries and adjustments led to other opportunities for rookies Hall Davis and Kevin Matthews, who were also activated from the Titans' practice squad last week and dressed out for the first time Sunday. Tennessee also signed rookie Malcolm Sheppard from Houston's practice squad last week and activated him against his former team.
Modern-day nomads
Davis and Matthews were on Tennessee's practice squad all fall, while Sheppard endured a pinball game of transactions with Houston. Not all practice squad players make it through a full season with the same team. Those who don't spend a whole season in the same place become modern-day nomads,
Tight end/fullback Joel Gamble joined Tennessee's practice squad during the season and has been released. He was replaced by Riar Geer, a rookie out of Colorado. Offensive guard Jeff Hansen, a rookie out of Montana State, was added to Tennessee's practice squad last week. Tennessee added cornerback Chris Hawkins, a rookie out of LSU, and defensive end Pannel Egboh out of Stanford, to its practice squad this week.
Ittersagen, Davis and running back Herb Donaldson all had stints with other teams. They know that their current opportunities are week-to-week, and they readily accept it as part of the business.
The Titans signed Ittersagen on Aug. 2, one day after he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts. Ittersagen, who played at Division III Wheaton College in Illinois, originally signed with Jacksonville in April 2009. The Jaguars cut him in September 2009, and the Colts signed him this past May.
"This business is crazy, and it's lucrative and it's not like anything else," Ittersagen said. "You could be cut next week. Anyone could be. You basically have to focus on week-to-week. That's kind of the mentality of the NFL, having a short memory after a win or loss and moving on. The job security, nothing is guaranteed to anyone in this business.
"That's just the nature of the business, and you get used to it. You understand it and try to do what's best for the team," Ittersagen continued. "You get a month-to-month lease, if you're smart. You don't take anything for granted and you treat each week like it's a gift from God that you're being blessed with. Ultimately, that's kind of how you want to live your life. Just don't take anything for granted, and from that standpoint, I've learned a lot."
Davis, a rookie out of Louisiana-Lafayette, was drafted by St. Louis last April and traded to Washington as the preseason was winding down. The Redskins cut Davis, and the Titans signed him in September. Donaldson joined Dallas last December and spent camp with the Cowboys before he was cut. The Titans signed Donaldson in September.
The Western Illinois graduate said he tries to emulate the running styles of opposing backs each week and that he's enjoyed getting to go up against "such a good defense."
"My college coach used to say, 'You're getting better or you're getting worse,' so we definitely try to take a step forward each day," Donaldson said.
Gamble spent part of last season on Philadelphia's practice squad and spent the preseason in Cleveland before he was released in September. The Titans signed him to the practice squad in October.
"You've just got to be prepared (for changes)," said Gamble, a graduate of Shippensburg University, a Division II school in Pennsylvania.
Gamble returned to his native state of Maryland after his release from Cleveland. He kept training and waiting for another phone call. When he got it, he packed a bag and came quickly to Tennessee. He is a free agent right now, hoping for another shot.
Offensive guard Ryan Durand made the Titans' 53-man roster out of training camp and played in one game this season (helping Tennessee score a late touchdown at Dallas) but was released in November during a roster adjustment. Titans coaches hoped Durand would clear waivers so they could sign him to the practice squad and were successful in that regard.
Rookie development
Other players on the practice squad have been with the Titans for all of their young careers. Tennessee drafted rookie Myron Rolle this past April and signed rookies Patrick Trahan and Matthews in April after they were not drafted.
Rolle started in three seasons at Florida State before taking off 2009 to become a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University in England. Rolle plans to become a neurosurgeon when his football career ends and has already started a charitable foundation. He said he tries to soak up all the information at every opportunity.
"What you do when you're on the practice squad is continue to work on your craft and find something every day to try to improve in your game," Rolle said. "I work on recognizing route combinations, looking at (quarterback Vince Young's) drops and identifying which routes may come in that regard, using the practice time as valuable time to develop my skills.
"The biggest difference is you don't suit up on Sundays," Rolle said. "The meetings are the same. I prepare the same way. I watch just as much film, maybe more than some guys because my ultimate goal is to be an active roster player and when that transition does come, I don't want it to be so new and foreign to me. It's a little difficult to see what DBs are doing on television. When we're playing at home, I stand right behind (defensive coordinator Chuck) Cecil and listen to the defensive calls and watch (safety) Chris Hope."
Trahan, a linebacker out of Ole Miss, sometimes lines up at tight end during practices and has displayed skilled hands on multiple touchdown grabs.
A high school coach nicknamed Trahan "Gator" when looking at game film of a sack. The Louisiana native was playing defensive end, "got cut down" on his way to the quarterback and crawled the rest of the way, recording the sack from the ground. That determination has helped Trahan as he has learned from both sides of the football.
"(Practicing offense) shows you what the offense is trying to do by running different routes and combinations," Trahan said. "You see how they try to rub you or get you out of position to make different plays."
Trahan said he hadn't played offense since middle school and is more comfortable on defense but wants to do whatever is asked of him.
"I really feel like, even though I don't play, I'm a part of the team," Trahan said. "Everybody has treated me like I am part of the team, even though I'm on the practice squad. I think people respect that I go hard on the practice squad and I play both ways. I might not be able to play on Sunday, but I can have my games during the week and I can get better as well as get the team better."
Matthews, who played collegiately at Texas A&M, embraced the role of getting defensive line starters prepared for opponents and developing his skills in the process. Matthews lined up against Jason Jones and William Hayes at practice most of this fall and used the learning opportunities.
"They're giving me what they're giving to other guys that are starting on the other team," Matthews said. "I'm just trying to take it and run with it."
Aside from the competition, Matthews has multiple sources to mine for advice. He talks with Titans linemen Fernando Velasco and Durand, who were on the practice squad last season, offensive line coach and Hall of Famer Mike Munchak, and Matthews' father Bruce Matthews, another Hall of Fame lineman who spent all 19 of his pro seasons in the Oilers/Titans franchise.
"I've learned a lot, gotten a lot better," Matthews said. "Everything's gone well so far. I always talk to my dad about any problems I could be having. He's always there to give me his opinion, tell me what he did."
Activation
Opportunities can come to players who work up from the practice squad like Velasco, a third-year pro who spent all of his rookie season on the practice squad.
Velasco spent most of 2009 on the practice squad and made his NFL debut in November 2009 on special teams against San Francisco. Velasco won a roster spot during training camp and has played in each game this season — mostly on special teams. He made his first start at offensive guard on Oct. 10 at Dallas in place of Leroy Harris, who was out with an injury. Velasco made his first start at center Sunday against Houston, and is scheduled to start at the post in the Titans' final two games in place of Eugene Amano, who was placed on season-ending injured reserve last week.
Velasco said Titans coach Jeff Fisher "really emphasizes" the importance that practice squad players "give a great look, don't take any plays off and go full speed" so they can show the starters how the game's going to be on Sunday.
"The practice squad is almost like a blessing in disguise," Velasco said. "Everybody wants to be on the 53-man roster. I kind of compare it to being red-shirted in college. You can use it to your advantage or just blow it off. You can use it to your advantage of going against the starters each and every week and every day. My rookie year I was going against Albert Haynesworth every day, every play. My second year I was going against Tony Brown every play, so just going against those guys, you can't help but get better."
Extending the dream
While their competitive nature and history of standing out on previous teams makes it somewhat difficult to watch from the sidelines, the practice squad players said they are thankful for the opportunity that they have.
They know other talented players who are not in football anymore. They know that some practice squad players across the league will eventually win roster spots and some will not. Their dream of playing professional football is continuing rep by rep.
"My football dream is still alive," Trahan said. "It's not the way I might have wanted it, but I'll take it because it's not over. It's hard, but it's a future."
