Bills' safety depth thins as Searcy heads to Tennessee

Buffalo Bills safety Da'Norris Searcy finished the 2014 with a bang. Now, he starts the 2015 season with a buck — 24 million bucks, to be exact.

The 26-year-old, who tallied three interceptions, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery last season to go with his 44 tackles, signed a four-year deal with the Tennessee Titans Tuesday, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

Despite sporadic playing time, Searcy came into his own the past two seasons, posting a top-10 run-stop rating in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus.

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Jason McCourty ready to sell brother Devin on Titans

New England Patriots defensive back Devin McCourty is at the end of his five-year, $10 million contract, and the 27-year-old is in line for a big pay day.

His brother is hoping the Tennessee Titans are the ones to sign the check.

Jason, who signed a six-year, $44.26 million extension with the Titans prior the 2012 season, is hoping he can convince his twin to head down south and join him in the Tennessee secondary for 2015 and beyond.

First things first: Devin -- a former Pro Bowler and a current Super Bowl champ -- will have to part ways with the Pats.

"I'll see what I can do. It's going to be hard to get him out of New England," Jason said via NJ.com. "You know how the business side of it goes. We'll see. 

"If he becomes a free agent, I'll be doing everything in my power to try to get him to Tennessee."

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Curtis Martin says CJ2K is still one of best in NFL

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Former New York Jets running back Curtis Martin is one of the greatest of all time.

The Hall-of-Famer thinks Gang Green's newest running back, ex-Tennessee Titans speedster Chris Johnson, is one of the greatest of his time.

"With things even across the board -- the blocking is the same, quarterback is the same -- I still think he's one of the best running backs in the league," Martin said recently, via ESPN New York. "I'll say this: He has as much talent as anyone in the league."

McCourty gets bonus info on Colts from brother

BY NICK ST. DENIS

When Devin McCourty found out he would be facing the Indianapolis Colts this coming Saturday, the New England Patriots defensive back knew exactly who to turn to.

McCourty texted his identical twin brother, Jason, asking for some notes on the Colts' skill position players.

Jason, who was apparently happy to help, faces the Colts twice a year as a cornerback for the Tennessee Titans and had plenty to share.

Wilkerson: 'The ref told me it was a clean hit'

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Tennessee Titans quarterback Jake Locker was carted off the field Sunday after taking a hit from New York Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.

Wilkerson hit the third-year signal-caller after Locker released a throw in the third quarter of Gang Green's ugly loss. Locker, who also took a little shot from Jets defender Quinton Coples on the play, never returned to the game due to a hip injury.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the league is "considering" fines for Wilkerson and Coples.

Geno 'extremely disappointed' in 'piss-poor' game

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Geno Smith played like a rookie quarterback Sunday.

The, well, rookie quarterback, threw two interceptions and lost two fumbles in the New York Jets' 38-13 loss to the Tennessee Titans. All four turnovers were converted to touchdowns for the other team.

“Extremely disappointed in the way I took care of the ball today,” Smith said after the game, via The Star-Ledger. “I mean, I was just piss poor. I guess it’s a part of being a rookie, but I don’t look at it like that.”

Four Point Stance: Jets at Titans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Prior to the season, not many people figured the Week 4 matchup between the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans would feature two 2-1 teams. But stout defenses, solid rushing attacks and sound play from the young quarterbacks have led the teams to early-season winning records.

The Jets are coming off a strong but a penalty-ridden contest that saw them fight off the Buffalo Bills thanks in part to some fourth-quarter heroics from Geno Smith. The Titans, meanwhile, ousted the San Diego Chargers with a last-minute scoring drive manufactured by Jake Locker.

Whichever team comes out on top in this late-afternoon AFC bout will be taken seriously going into the second quarter of the season.

Injury report: Milliner, Ivory out, a bunch probable

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets sidelined rookie cornerback Dee Milliner Week 2 to protect his confidence. He'll be sidelined Week 4 to protect his hamstring.

Milliner joins fellow first-year Jet running back Chris Ivory on the "out" list for Gang Green's battle with the Tennessee Titans. Additionally, New York won't face former Jet running back Shonn Greene, who is nursing his recently repair knee.

Once again, the Jets have a whole bunch of players on the probable list, including the team's most notable names. Here's the complete list:

Shonn Greene won't get a shot at Jets' defense

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Last spring, running back Shonn Greene likely circled this week on the calendar when he saw his Tennessee Titans were facing his former team, the New York Jets.

Unfortunately, the only circling he'll do Sunday, if he's even present, is circling the field during warmups.

Greene won't be a go for the Titans' Week 4 bout with Gang Green, as he's recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. The Titans think he would have been a big asset going up against one of the best run defenses in the league.

CJ2K: There could be controversy with Greene

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Shonn Greene spent most of his tenure with the New York Jets in a somewhat by-committee backfield with no drama.

Things might get a little dramatic in Tennessee. (photo: AJ Guel, Flickr)

Greene signed on with the Titans last week to work alongside Chris Johnson. Wednesday, Johnson expressed some (or a lot) of disdain regarding Greene's place on the team's running back depth chart.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick lands gig with Titans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

While at home, Ryan Fitzpatrick found a home.

The journeyman quarterback, most recently of the Buffalo Bills, met with a couple teams at the NFL owners meetings in Arizona Sunday, as they were taking place just a short drive from his home.

Fitzpatrick ultimately signed on with the Tennessee Titans, and he'll take over backup duties behind Jake Locker in place for the recently-released Matt Hasselbeck. (photo: Doug Kerr, Flickr)

Fitzpatrick reportedly meets with Bengals, Titans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Former Buffalo Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick has accepted the fact that he's bound for a backup job.

Now, he's just looking for one. (photo: Ryan Fitzpatrick, Flickr)

The NFL owners meetings are currently taking place in Phoenix, Ariz., a half-hour drive from Fitzpatrick's hometown of Gilbert, Ariz., and Fitzpatrick is using the situation as an opportunity to sell himself.

Shonn Greene to join Chris Johnson in Tennessee

BY NICK ST. DENIS

Shonn Greene was a guaranteed goner the second the New York Jets' 2012 season came to a close.

Greene, however, landed on his feet rather quickly. (photo: Marianne O'Leary, Flickr)

The fifth-year tailback, coming off a season in which he averaged a career-low 3.9 yards a carry and a career high four fumbles, signed with the Tennessee Titans Wednesday, according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

Former Bills guard Andy Levitre headed to Titans

BY DAN BEGNOCHE

Buffalo Bills general manager Buddy Nix was unable to complete his free-agent trifecta Tuesday, as offensive lineman Andy Levitre has reportedly headed south of the Mason-Dixon Line and signed a six-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.

According to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, Levitre’s deal is worth more than $46 million and was inked just shortly after the free agent period began.

The deal makes Levitre one of the highest paid guards in the league, a price tag the Bills obviously couldn’t match. (photo: Matt Britt, Flickr)

King says Titans will 'go out hard' for Bills' Levitre

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The Buffalo Bills covered two of their top three in-house free-agent priorities over the last week, franchise-tagging safety Jairus Byrd and re-signing return man/cornerback Leodis McKelvin.

But guard Andy Levitre, one of the Bills' best players on offense, is poised to hit free agency.

At least five other teams are reportedly prepared to partake in the Levitre sweepstakes, including the Tennessee Titans.

Former Bills safety George Wilson signs with Titans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

George Wilson was expected to land on his feet quickly after the Buffalo Bills released the veteran safety a week and a half ago. And that he did.

Wilson signed with the Tennessee Titans Friday. (photo: Chris Seward, Flickr)

“George is a quality veteran player,” Titans general manager Ruston Webster said, via the team's website. “He will contribute for us on the field, but his contributions also will come off the field, in the locker room and in the meetings rooms."

New York Jets' season ends in typical Jets fashion

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets' season came crashing to an end Monday night in only a way that the Jets could manufacture.

After an absolutely deplorable showing by their offense, the Jets still had the ball at the Tennessee Titans' 25-yard line with just under a minute to go, down just four points and poised for an improbable scoring series that would keep their season alive for at least another week.

So it's only fitting that maybe the Jets' best player, center Nick Mangold, snaps the ball low, which gets kicked by running back Bilal Powell and ends up in the hands of the dismal Titans, who end the Jets' season on a play that says all anyone needs to know about Gang Green's 2012 condition.

Gameday Deciding Factors: Jets at Titans

BY NICK ST. DENIS

The New York Jets (6-7) are winners of three of their last four contests, and with a victory over the Tennessee Titans (4-9) Monday night, they can remain just on the outer edge of the Wildcard race with two games to go.

Gang Green's defense has been stout as of late, and their run game has been just as good. Their passing attack, however, is still stagnant thanks to quarterback Mark Sanchez's shaky play and a injury-depleted receiving corps. The Jets hope recently-aqcuired wideout Braylon Edwards can help turn it around before it's too late. (photo: Al Guel, Flickr)

DECIDING FACTORS:

Away-field advantage. If I were the Jets, I'd be happy to be on the road. The Jets encounter much more animosity at home than on the road, with fans voicing their displeasure via a sea of boos following every single three and out or turnover, no matter what the circumstance is. The Jets are 3-3 on the road and 3-4 at home, and they'll finish the season with two more away games in three contests.

Braylon's role. Edwards will make his return debut in a Jets uniform Monday night, but how big of a role he plays remains to be seen. Edwards has been nursing a hamstring ailment the last few weeks and was very limited throughout the week. However, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday that Edwards could start depending on which formation the Jets opt to go with on their opening series. Edwards might already be the Jets' best receiver, and he has a good history with Sanchez, so expect Sanchez to take plenty chances in his direction like he did in the pair's 2009 debut on an early-season Monday night, given Edwards is full-go.

Mo, Coples factor. Jets second-year defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson and first-year defensive lineman Quinton Coples had big-time games last week. Wilkerson has been one of the best D-linemen in the NFL all season, constantly drawing blocks from the opposition's running backs on passing downs and being equally stout against the run. Coples has been explosive off the line in limited action, and the two will look to smother a Chris Johnson-led rushing attack while harassing young signal-caller Jake Locker.

Greene light. The Titans have been very susceptible to the run as of late, which plays right into the hands of a Jets offense that have rediscovered its identity as a ground-and-pound unit. Gang Green will feed the rock to Shonn Greene as much as possible as long as the score is within a touchdown. Greene had been sharing carries with Bilal Powell, but Powell is currently nursing a toe injury and may be somewhat limited.

Week 15 AFC East game picks: Jets at Titans

Lead writer Nick St. Denis and AFC East Daily contributors Dan Begnoche and Sean Donovan pick the New York Jets' Monday night contest with the Tennessee Titans.

Nick's take:

At this point, being on the road actually benefits the Jets, who seem to be hated more in their own stadium than in their opponent's despite the fact that they've won three of four. The Jets' defense is playing lights out as of late, thanks mostly to the efforts of defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson and cornerback Antonio Cromartie. Stout defense and a sound running game continues to be the formula for another Jet win.

Prediction: Jets 20, Titans 10 (Nick's record: 33-11)

Sean's take:

After all of the media-manufactured controversies and ugly losses, the Jets' 2012 season still has a chance to take an entirely new tone with a playoff berth. It'll require a little luck, but first a win in Tennessee against a team that poses numerous matchup problems for New York. Under this pressure, Mark Sanchez falters and the world prepares for an over-analyzed Jets offseason.

Prediction: Titans 23, Jets 13 (Sean's record: 34-10)

Plenty of blame can go to Dolphins' defense, too

BY SEAN DONOVAN

In a 37-3 blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans, the Miami Dolphins' offense turned the ball over four times and frequently put its defense in bad positions.

But that doesn't mean the defensive unit is without blame in the debacle.

"We just couldn't make plays to get off of the field," Dolphins coach Joe Philbin said after the game, according to the team's website. "We couldn't stop them."