Titans coach throws bricks to make point

By PAUL KUHARSKY Tennessean Staff Writer

Plenty of frustrated NFL position coaches occasionally want to throw something other than a football at their players.

Fred Graves does it every time he's on the practice field. Graves, the Titans new receiver coach, has been throwing bricks covered with white tape at his troops, forcing a new level of concentration for an unproven group out of which the Titans are hoping a few productive players emerge.

Miss one and take a brick to the chest.

Drop one and a foot is at risk.

"If I toss you a football and you drop it, no big deal unless I am yelling at you as a coach," Graves said. "But if I toss you a brick, without you sidestepping it, you're going to look at it with your hands and eyes. You won't just throw your hands out there because of the consequences. Everybody knows, 'Hey, this thing will hurt.' "

Exhausting work

Several receivers said after Thursday's minicamp practice that they appreciate Graves' innovations and that he's worked them incredibly hard.

Asked whether he was worried about a receiver hurting a toe with a dropped brick, Coach Jeff Fisher said, "I worry about them cramping up."

While Brandon Jones dismissed the No. 1 receiver tag many are eager to pin on him, he is considered the most promising wideout in the bunch.

"(Graves) doesn't give us a breather at all so right now we're kind of mad, like, 'Man, we can't get a break or whatever,'" Jones said.

"But we know that on Sunday we're going to be able to run all day. We're going to be able to look the ball in, catch the ball."

The receivers meeting room includes a fine system for sins such as missed assignments and dropped balls. But there are also ways for the players to earn back.

On Thursday after Graves had thrown bricks to several receivers, he had Jones and Courtney Roby jog down a sideline and back tossing the brick back and forth along the way. Then they threw passes to each hand from about 5 yards away as they stood still.

"It's a good drill," Roby said. "The only thing that gets you is when that point hits your hand. Other than that, it builds soft hands and makes you focus."

Later, in a practice period when Graves had the receivers to himself, they focused on a red line that's drawn parallel to the sideline, roughly 5 yards onto the field

"We say 'We've got to win the red line,'" Graves explained. "What that is is guys getting a good release, not getting pushed out to the sideline because that's what defensive backs are taught to do.

"When I get pushed to the sideline, I'm telling the quarterback, 'Throw me a perfect ball.' Whereas if you stay inside or on the red line you've got a chance to maneuver and make a play."

Not alone

Graves isn't the only coach being an innovator for the Titans. Running back coach Sherman Smith has his group running through windows created by white piping, a process intended to remind them to stay low at the line of scrimmage.

"You don't want to go through the hole standing straight up," running back Quinton Ganther said. "You want to come out low and explode."

Graves said he's always been on the lookout for different drills that will keep things interesting and that he's collected ideas from over the years from people such as Fred Biletnikoff and the coach who worked with Jerry Rice at Mississippi Valley State.

Graves has told his receivers the uncommon drills are dealing directly with fundamentals and technique, and they should expect to see them regularly.

"The newness should never wear off," he said. "To keep it from being monotonous we try to change it up with a couple other little drills. But catching the bricks, catching the tennis ball, using the red line, those are everyday deals."