NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Pacman Jones was a destructive force for the Titans, who stained the organization and branded both Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese with irremovable tattoos.

They thought a talented, electric returner and cornerback was good enough to take a chance on with the sixth pick in 2005 and that they could fix him, police him and get all the good and none of the bad.

And what they got was a guy who made some great plays, strayed far from what his coaches asked him to do and stained the organization.

The worst of it resulted in a guilty plea to conspiracy to commit disorderly conduct resulting from his part in stirring up a Las Vegas strip club shooting that left Tom Urbanski a paraplegic.

Jones had more interactions with law enforcement than we could count and was coddled and babied by Fisher which only made things worse. He was as big a distraction as was imaginable. He was constantly in national headlines painting the Titans in a terrible light. He wound up suspended for the 2007 season, one of the first to players to be sidelined under the NFL's personal conduct policy.

The Titans shipped him to Dallas before he was reinstated and could embarrass them any further. [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A nonchalant conversation between two premier NFL players and fringe one in limbo gave us a look into how things can work in the league when it comes to getting players back in the field.

On the debut episode of “Bussin’ With the Boys,” the podcast hosted by Taylor Lewan and Will Compton, guest Delanie Walker was part of a lengthy conversation about pain meds and IVs that are a regular part of NFL Sundays.

Both Walker and Lewan spoke of issues or apparent issues with IVs, which are commonly taken at halftime or before games to prevent or deal with dehydration.

“If you get a certain amount of CCs of air in your blood system… like 100 CCs will kill you,” Lewan said. “If you get enough, it will make your heart dilate in a certain way…” [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Mike Vrabel caught himself at Tuesday’s practice. Running over to see the tight ends work he looked to offer praise and the wrong G word came out.

He quickly corrected himself, shifting from “good” to “great” as players and coaches are doing this offseason. Perhaps he did pushups for it later.

The team’s theme is to make the jump from good -- 9-7 and out of the playoffs -- to great -- a better record, potentially a division title, certainly the assurance of a postseason berth with a home game.

The emphasis on word choice is a fun way, if a little hokey, to continually strike the message.

Following up a question about the Titans’ pass rush, I asked Vrabel about how good-to-great applies to areas where the Titans didn’t even qualify as good in 2018.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- As media availability wound down following Tuesday's open OTA practice, Kenny Vaccaro was kind enough to Take a Lap with me at the Titans' practice field.

We chatted about his worst injury, his best interception (sorry Ryan Tannehill), how winning so often as a youngster eventually put him in a place where he had to learn about how failure can be a good thing, the default song he plays on the piano, his favorite teams in other sports and more.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Delanie Walker was on the field and looking smooth for the Titans Tuesday at an OTA practice open to the local media, a development I found encouraging and was more than I expected.

On a day when Ryan Succop and Adoree Jackson (who had a foot or ankle procedure this offseason and has been in a boot, per Ian Rapoport) didn’t practice, four others in various stages of recovery from knee injuries were also out: Jack Conklin, Jonnu Smith, Jurrell Casey and Jeffery Simmons.

But Walker, who dislocated his ankle and did additional damage in Miami on Sept. 9 was on the field into a team period where he ran four snaps before trading his helmet for a baseball cap.

I thought @delaniewalker82 looked really good considering where he’s coming back from. #Titans pic.twitter.com/is0fFoViEc

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) May 21, 2019

I thought he ran smoothly and looked like himself, and while they were out there Monday with no media I would have [Unlocked]

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Gerald McCoy hardly seems done, and his release was over cost, not ability.

He’s eager, per Adam Schefter, to play for a contender now, with finances not at the top of his concerns.

Still, I would think there are a number of teams willing to pay him who figure to have a solid playoff chance, and the Titans are not on the initial list of prospective suitors provided by Schefter -- the Browns, Patriots, Chargers, Jaguars and Cowboys, “amongst others,” he tweeted.

Those teams are almost certainly a list of likely suitors or wished-for suitors from Tracy Lartigue, McCoy’s agent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Greetings and welcome to the mailbag.

If you haven't been checking in this week, I hope you will circle back to two great pieces. I had an opportunity to Take a Lap with Logan Ryan. ASNd I chatted for about 45 minutes with Nate Washington in a great podcast you won't want to miss.

Now we shall dive into your questions of the week.

@PaulKuharskyNFL Which marginal UFA will the fans obsess over until he is cut then complain all season we'd "be in the Superbowl of only we kept him" this year? #PKmail

— Jason S Maust (@jason_maust) May 17, 2019

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Logan Ryan was at The Zone studio Wednesday promoting his excellent upcoming charity event, The Chow Down, and I secured enough time with him to Take a Lap. 

I learned some things about him I did not know, which I felt good about as I probably know him as well as I know anyone on the team thanks to his relationship with The Midday 180.

You'll enjoy hearing of his hidden talent, his best meal, his worst sport, his comparison of kids at a football camp today to him at a football camp as a kid himself, the best and worst things about Rutgers, the toughest thing about parenting and the most underappreciated person on the Titans' staff.