Paul Kuharsky, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

Titans are worst of all the candidates for Hard Knocks

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Nine teams are eligible to be covered by HBO for the annual “Hark Knocks” series that follows a team behind the scenes through training camp.

Without a team stepping forward to be spotlighted, the league and network can choose from teams that don’t meet exemption criteria.

That list, per Richard Deitch of Sports Illustrated: The Giants, Washington, the Vikings, the Buccaneers, the Rams, the Browns, the Texans, the Jaguars and the Titans.

The draft and free agency will have a bearing on all those team, of course. There may be a coach and/or GM who decides having cameras around and players watched extra closely will be good for their team.

There may be an owner who trumps his employees and raises his hand for the show, eager to be seen and/or get TV time.

While I didn’t find last season’s series on the Atlanta Falcons particularly interesting, I think a behind-the-scenes look at any team noteworthy. We get to things that are typically shielded from view.

For HBO and league purposes, the Titans would be the least interesting team on the list.

It might be good for Ken Whisenhunt, who people would see is more interesting than he typically appears publicly. But GM Ruston Webster is a very low-key guy, and the roster is filled with low-key players.

There would be an interesting storyline regarding Zach Mettenberger and whatever new quarterback comes in. We’d likely learn more about the close friendship between Taylor Lewan and Mettenberger.

How things work and unfold can be compelling, but lacking big personalities and big storylines makes it less likely to be good television.

The Titans simply don’t have storylines like Tom Coughlin trying to fix the Giants, Robert Griffin III trying to save his career in Washington, the Vikings presumably post-Adrian Peterson, the Bucs with the first pick from the draft, the Rams with their loaded defensive front, the Browns and Johnny Manziel or the Texans with J.J. Watt.

The Jaguars certainly rank at the bottom of the list too. But energetic coach Gus Bradley would make for good TV and prompts me to score even the Jaguars higher than the Titans.

Coming off a 2-14 season, the Titans have a lot of work to do. The additions they make will produce some quality storylines.

None of them will make the Titans the team the NFL and HBO want to feature.

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