By CRAIG PETERS, Titans Online

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Questing to upgrade the Titans’ roster, Ruston Webster thought it was time to move up.

Webster, who on Saturday completed his first NFL Draft as Titans general manager, made his first draft-day trade. Tennessee vaulted up 10 spots to Miami’s original 145th overall turn in the fifth round at the cost of the Titans’ original selecting positions in the fifth and seventh rounds.

He and the Titans, however, quickly reclaimed a seventh-round spot that was 16 notches ahead of where Tennessee would have picked by dealing a sixth-round slot in next year’s draft to Minnesota.

The Titans started the third and final day of the draft by tabbing Clemson cornerback Coty Sensabaugh at 115th overall in the fourth round. Tennessee capitalized on trading up in the fifth round to add Taylor Thompson, who played defensive end at Southern Methodist but entered the draft at tight end, the position at which he garnered all-state status as a prep athlete in Texas.

The Titans added Oklahoma State safety Markelle Martin with the 190th pick in the sixth round and finished the selection process with Rice defensive end Scott Solomon at the 211th spot in the seventh round.

Webster and second-year Titans coach Mike Munchak said the overarching theme of this year’s draft was speed. Tennessee’s first six picks—Baylor receiver Kendall Wright, North Carolina linebacker Zach Brown, Michigan defensive tackle Mike Martin, Sensabaugh, Thompson and Markelle Martin all have drawn praise for their fleet feet at their respective positions.

“I think we got a lot faster,” Munchak said. “I think (defensive coordinator) Jerry (Gray) talked about it with Brown. We know Kendall Wright and the quickness and the speed that he brings to it. (Mike) Martin is a nose tackle that runs a 4.8. The corner (Sensabaugh) is a 4.3 guy and the tight end (Thompson) runs a 4.6 or less. We definitely brought a lot of speed and a lot of guys that loved the game.”

Solomon, meanwhile, also has a 40-yard dash time under 4.8 seconds, but is more known for his strength. He bench pressed 225 pounds 40 times, and has a 421-pound power clean, 500-pound bench press and 600-pound squat to his credit.

Webster said the qualities that scouts and coaches saw in Thompson and Solomon made the trades worth it. He also said he expects that Tennessee will have compensatory picks in 2013 to make up for free agents who leave and sign elsewhere after the 2012 season.

Webster and the Titans used a sliding scale of six players that could fit with each round’s choice and subbed added players into the mix when teams ahead of the Titans took the players off the board. Webster said a couple of guys the Titans had in their mix of six were drafted earlier in the fifth round, so he wanted to make the deal.

“There were some guys, I think, without naming names, that’s the thing about picking 20, you get into that do I trade up and go get this guy that I really want or do I wait knowing we have a good pool of players there and keep the pick in the next round or whatever,” Webster said. “That’s the dilemma. I think by the time we drafted Taylor Thompson I was tired of some of that happening and we moved up.”

TENNESSEE NATIVE JOINS TITANS: Sensabaugh, who played at Dobyns-Bennett High School in Kingsport, Tenn., said he looked forward to the opportunity to play for the team in his home state. Sensabaugh is the first Tennessee native drafted by the Titans since defensive end Jacob Ford, a native of Memphis, in 2007.

The Titans, which began in 1960 as the Houston Oilers, chose Texas natives with their first, fifth, sixth and seventh picks.

THOMPSON PLAYS THROUGH POSITION CHANGE: Thompson originally committed to Vanderbilt, but decided he wanted to go to school closer to his hometown of Prosper, Texas. SMU hired June Jones as coach after Thompson committed, and Jones incorporated a spread offense that didn’t utilize the tight end position. Thompson switched to defensive end to stay on the field and helped the Mustangs break a 25-year bowl drought in 2009 and return to bowl games the next two seasons.

Thompson thinks his time as a defensive end will only help as he goes back to the tight end post.

“Since I played defensive end for the past four years in college, I kind of have the mindset of the opponent,” Thompson said. “That’s a huge thing in football, to understand the enemy. I have that athletic side of me that I can bring to offense that I can really be an aggressive and athletic tight end to help make plays in the pass game and in the run game.”

TITANS FIND VALUE IN LATE ROUNDS: Tennessee believes it did quite well in landing Markelle Martin and Solomon as late in the draft as it did.

Martin started all 37 games of his final three years at Oklahoma State, but tore his meniscus after the Senior Bowl. He had surgery on the injury, but not enough time to recover for the pre-draft combine, when many physical attributes are measured.

“In the beginning I knew I was going to drop a couple of rounds, but to drop so far, I had no idea,” he said. “As the rounds started to go by, I texted my agent and he told me it was probably because of the knee. It’s something I understand and am OK with. I’d rather it be something that can be fixed than something you can’t fix. My knee can be fixed. I can really get back to 100 percent, so I would rather slip for something like that than for some other issue.”

Martin recorded 74 tackles (55 solo) and broke up 11 passes during his senior season that the Cowboys concluded by defeating Stanford in the Fiesta Bowl.

Webster said the Titans debated between Martin and Solomon in the sixth round before deciding to claim the safety, and then traded into the seventh because Solomon was still available.

Solomon missed the 2010 season but returned with vengeance in 2011 to post a career-best 8.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss. He vowed to be “relentless” in his pursuit of quarterbacks and a roster spot.

The past three seventh-round players taken by Tennessee — Marc Mariani in 2010, and Zach Clayton and Tommie Campbell in 2011 — earned spots on the Titans’ active roster.

“I’m going to be a ball of fire in there doing everything I can to help the team out and to be a contributor in any way I can, Solomon said. “I wasn’t familiar with (the success of previous seventh rounders), but (I’m) definitely encouraged now. Hopefully my great attitude will help me get that roster spot.”

JOB INTERVIEWS: Teams are allowed a maximum of 30 visits by players in the time that leads up to the draft. Munchak said the Titans tried to capitalize on each trip by having the visitor meet with multiple departments at Baptist Sports Park.

“That’s one thing that is nice that we’ve set up is that the guys that come into this building spend time with everyone in the building from the PR department, to the front office, to the coaches, so you get a chance to get a feel for these guys other than just their athletic ability,” Munchak said. “I think that’s what is encouraging. We got some guys who love to play, some guys who bring a passion to it along with talent, or we wouldn’t have selected them. I’m really excited about the group we have, that they’re going to come in, they love to compete and they’re going to add a lot to the football team.”

IN THE DIVISION: The Texans drafted Georgia center Ben Jones (6-2, 303) with the 99th overall pick, Michigan State receiver Keshawn Martin (5-11, 192) with the 121st overall selection and Nebraska defensive tackle Jared Crick (6-4, 279) with the 126th pick in the fourth round. Neither Indianapolis nor Jacksonville had a slot in the fourth round.

Houston drafted Texas A&M kicker Randy Bullock (5-9, 205) with the 161st overall pick in the fifth round and Purdue tackle Nick Mondek (6-6, 304) with the 195th overall choice in the sixth round. The Texans traded their seventh round spot to the Buccaneers.

Jacksonville chose Nevada linebacker Brandon Marshall (6-1, 242) at the 142nd overall spot in the fifth round and added Florida State cornerback Mike Harris (5-10, 188) at the 176th slot in the sixth round. The Jaguars closed their draft by picking Ashland (Ohio) defensive tackle Jeris Pendleton (6-3, 323) with the 228th overall choice in the seventh round.

Indianapolis tabbed Alabama defensive tackle Josh Chapman (6-1, 316) with the 136th overall selection and Mississippi State running back Vick Ballard (5-10, 219) with the 170th pick in the fifth round. The Colts took Ohio receiver LaVon Brazill (5-11, 192) with the 206th pick in the sixth round.

Indianapolis added Georgia tackle Justin Anderson (6-4, 335) with the 208th pick to start the seventh round, then followed with Vanderbilt defensive end Tim Fugger (6-3, 248) at 214, and concluded the 2012 Draft with Northern Illinois quarterback Chandler Harnish (6-2, 219) at the 253rd and final spot, which has been nicknamed “Mr. Irrelevant,” a moniker that may fit this season since the Colts drafted QB Andrew Luck (6-4, 234) with the No. 1 pick Thursday night.

NASHVILLE, Tenn.-- The Tennessee Titans return to the primetime football lineup with games against the New York Jets on Monday Night Football and their long-time rival the Pittsburgh Steelers on NFL Network. The Titans will open the 2012 season against the reigning AFC Champion New England Patriots at LP Field on September 9th.

• 2012 Schedule (PDF)

“It is obviously exciting to open the season at home against a quality opponent in New England,” said head coach Mike Munchak. “They have been one of the best teams in the league for a number of years and the game will be a great test for us.

“What stands out to me is the two home primetime games. We didn’t have any last year and those are fun for our fans and an opportunity to showcase our team.

“The bye falls really late, but hopefully the Thursday night game in October will give us a long weekend and extra days to get players some rest. The final six games feature four division games and five AFC games, so it gives us a chance to control our own destiny down the stretch.”

The Titans schedule features home games against New England, New York Jets, Chicago, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville. Tennessee will travel to Buffalo, Miami, Green Bay, Minnesota, San Diego, Houston, Indianapolis and Jacksonville.

Again this year, the NFL will feature “flexible scheduling” for the Sunday night game in Weeks 11-17. Teams will be given two weeks notice if a game is moving from an afternoon game to a night contest.

The Titans 2012 schedule contains several interesting stories:

• The schedule features six games against 2011 playoff teams: Houston (twice), New England, Pittsburgh, Green Bay and Detroit. The Titans will face three of these six opponents in the first four games of the schedule.

• Former Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz will return to Nashville for the first time as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.

• The Titans will make their first regular season trips to Green Bay and Minnesota since 2004.

• This is the first year without a three-game home stand or three-game road trip since 2008.

• This will mark the 7th Monday Night Football game played at LP Field and first since 2008 (Indianapolis).

• Since byes were introduced into the NFL in 1990, this is the latest bye in franchise history.

• This will be the first time the Titans have finished the regular season at home since 2006.

N, N.Y. -- Nike unveiled the next generation of NFL uniforms, featuring superior lightweight performance built for a body-contoured fit to amplify speed.

• Photos

Upon completion of the Nike/NFL contract, the Tennessee Titans were the first team to take full innovation in the Nike Elite 51 football uniform. The Titans design aesthetic will stay true to years past while updating the color-blocking in the neckline in order to accommodate the Flywire technology to reduce weight and provide a lockdown fit over the pads.

Designed and engineered from the inside out, the new uniform focuses on creating a system where the baselayer, padding, jersey and pant work in concert. A few of the new innovations include increasing sleeve articulation for better range of motion and integrating new four-way stretch fabrication to provide a streamlined shrink-wrap fit.

In addition to serving as the Titans on-field supplier for uniforms, sideline apparel, practice wear and baselayer, Nike will also provide men’s and women’s fan wear apparel. Athletes will now also be able to wear the Nike Vapor Jet 2.0 Glove featuring the interlocking team logo on the palms.

Key features of the Nike Elite 51 uniform include:

• LIGHTER - The Nike jersey and pant, wet or dry are lighter than previous versions

• FLYWIRE TECHNOLOGY - Eliminates layers, reduces weight, and provides lockdown fit

• ZONED MESH VENTILATION – Provides cooling zones for optimal thermoregulation

• ZONED STRENGTH - High tenacity, stretch material, for lightweight lockdown strength.

• CUT FOR MOBILITY – Four-way stretch, hydrophobic materials enable range of motion wet or dry.

• STRETCH TWILL NUMBERS – Four-way stretch even on numbering system

• CUSTOMIZABLE BASELAYER PADDING – Nike Pro Hyperstrong baselayer with integrated lightweight, Deflex padding offering customizable flexible protection.

• DEFLEX PADDING - Lightweight, flexible impact protection integrated into top “hit zone” areas

• ALUMINUM D-RING BELT - Aircraft-grade aluminum D-ring belt reduces weight.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Tennessee Titans own seven selections, including the 20th overall pick, in the 2012 NFL Draft.

Kicking off in primetime for the third consecutive year, the first round will start on Thursday, April 26 at 7:00 p.m., CT. The second and third rounds are set for Friday, April 27 at 6:00 p.m., CT. Rounds four through seven will be held on Saturday, April 28 at 11 a.m., CT.

The Titans currently have one pick in each of the seven rounds.

2012 NFL DRAFT ORDER

1. Indianapolis Colts
2. Washington Redskins (from St. Louis Rams)
3. Minnesota Vikings
4. Cleveland Browns
5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
6. St. Louis Rams (from Washington Redskins)
7. Jacksonville Jaguars
8. Miami Dolphins
9. Carolina Panthers
10. Buffalo Bills
11. Kansas City Chiefs
12. Seattle Seahawks
13. Arizona Cardinals
14. Dallas Cowboys
15. Philadelphia Eagles
16. New York Jets
17. Cincinnati Bengals (from Oakland Raiders)
18. San Diego Chargers
19. Chicago Bears
20. Tennessee Titans
21. Cincinnati Bengals
22. Cincinnati Bengals (from Atlanta Falcons)
23. Detroit Lions
24. Pittsburgh Steelers
25. Denver Broncos
26. Houston Texans
27. New England Patriots (from New Orleans Saints)
28. Green Bay Packers
29. Baltimore Ravens
30. San Francisco 49ers
31. New England Patriots
32. New York Giants

Peyton Manning will no longer be terrorizing Tennessee Titans fans twice a season  – at least not in an Indianapolis Colts' uniform.

As expected, the Colts officially release the four-time NFL MVP this morning in a press conference that saw Manning present himself gracefully but emotionally.

After leading the Colts to 11 10-win seasons, dominance of the AFC South and one Super Bowl championship, Manning missed all of last season due to multiple surgeries to address neck issues.

The Colts were then the worst team in the NFL, earning the No. 1 pick in this spring's NFL draft that obviously will be used for Stanford's highly touted Andrew Luck.

Manning is expected to be pursued vigorously by Miami, Washington, Arizona and the New York Jets.

Here's the full release from the Colts:

INDIANAPOLIS – The Indianapolis Colts today elected not to exercise the contract option on four-time MVP and 11-time Pro Bowl quarterback Peyton Manning, thus terminating him and making him an unrestricted free agent.

Manning, a 14-year veteran, missed the 2011 season following neck surgeries.  The medical procedures for Manning started since the end of the 2009 season.  Manning was scheduled to enter the second year of a five-year contract signed prior to the 2011 season.

“Today is a very difficult day for every Colts fan,” said Colts Owner and CEO Jim Irsay.  “Peyton Manning has meant so much to the organization, the city of Indianapolis, the state of Indiana and to Colts fans worldwide.  We salute Peyton for all he has accomplished on and off the field, and we wish him health and happiness as he moves forward.

“Peyton represented what we aspire to have in our players.  He promised to win for the Colts years ago, and he did.  His achievements are as notable as those of any athlete in any sport, and I offer him my sincerest thanks for his outstanding service and example.”

Manning joined the Colts as the first overall pick in the 1998 NFL Draft and directed 13 memorable seasons with Indianapolis that included eight division championships (1999, 2003-07, 09-10), three AFC Championship game appearances (2003, 2006, 2009), two conference titles (2006, 2009) and a World Championship in Super Bowl XLI.

Manning completed 4,682-of-7,210 passes for 54,828 yards with 399 touchdowns and 198 interceptions in setting virtually every club passing record.

Manning is the only NFL player to open a career with 13 consecutive 3,500 -yardage and 25 -touchdown seasons.  He started the first 208 games of his career, an NFL career-opening record at any position, and his consecutive games streak marked the second-longest ever by an NFL quarterback.  He is one of 11 players ever to start 200 consecutive regular season games.

After a 3-13 rookie season, Manning helped the Colts produce a 10-game turnaround in 1999 on the way to the AFC East title.  It marked then the best one-season improvement in NFL history.  In 2000, Indianapolis went 10-6 and earned a second straight playoff berth (the first for the franchise since 1976-77), and it started what would become the winningest decade in NFL regular season history.  Indianapolis rolled to a record of 115-45 (.719), the most victories by team in any NFL decade.  Ten franchises have combined to produce the 13 100 -victory decades in the NFL history.

Manning was a part of 141 victories, the most by any Colts player.  He is one of 11 NFL quarterbacks ever to top 100 career starting wins.  His victory total ranks fourth among NFL quarterbacks, and his victory total with one team has been surpassed only by three other players (160, Brett Favre, Green Bay (186 overall); 148, John Elway, Denver; 147, Dan Marino, Miami).

In addition to being the most glamorous Indianapolis professional athlete, he helped project the Colts onto a national stage as prominently as the franchise ever had been in its history dating back to 1953.  Manning ranks third in NFL history in completions, yards and touchdowns.  His 11 double-digit victory total seasons are the most by any quarterback in the Super Bowl era, while nine consecutive years in that category (2002-10) are an NFL record.  Manning owns an unprecedented 11 4,000 -yardage seasons, and he helped Indianapolis achieve a record seven different offenses featuring a quarterback with 4,000 yards and a rusher and a receiver each who topped 1,000 yards.  The feat has been accomplished but 39 times in the NFL’s 92 seasons, and never as often as by the Colts.  Manning produced the 13 best Colts seasons in completions and yards, the 12 best seasons in attempts, the 10 best seasons in games with a touchdown pass, 12 of the 13 best seasons in completion percentage and 13 of the 15 best seasons in touchdown passes.  Manning owns the club seasonal marks in completions (450, 2010), attempts (679, 2010), yards (4,700, 2010) and touchdowns (49, 2004), and he owns six of the club’s seven 30 -touchdown seasons.  Twice (at New Orleans, 9/28/03; at Detroit, 11/25/04) he tossed six touchdown passes in a game, and he threw for five in four other outings.  He is one of six NFL players to twice throw for six scores in a game.

Manning was at the helm when the Colts won a franchise seasonal-record 14 games in 2005 and 2009, and he helped the club become the first in NFL history to win 11 and 12 games in seven consecutive seasons (2003-09).  He also helped the club become the only one in NFL history to win seven or more consecutive regular season games in six consecutive years (8, 2004; 13, 2005; 9, 2006; 7 and 6, 2007; 9, 2008; 14, 2009).  Manning helped engineer the team to start 5-0 in 2003, 13-0 in 2005, 9-0 in 2006, 7-0 in 2007 and 14-0 in 2009.  In its decade of achievement (2000-09), the Colts set the NFL record with 23 consecutive regular season wins.

Manning helped lead the Colts to 400 points in 10 of 12 seasons from 1999-2010.  He helped direct the club to 13 consecutive seasons with 5,000 net yards.  He won the league crown in passing yards in 2000 and 2003.  He threw for touchdowns in 182 of 208 games, for two or more touchdowns in 123 games and for four or more touchdowns in 22 outings.

Manning teamed with 35 different players for touchdowns and tossed scoring passes in 35 of the 36 arenas in which he played during regular season action.

Manning’s 63 career 300 games tie Dan Marino for the most in NFL history.  His six career seasons with 30 touchdowns rank behind Brett Favre’s nine for most ever.  With 399 touchdown passes and 198 interceptions for his career, Manning is the only NFL player with 200 more touchdowns than interceptions at any point in a career.  Manning (13) is second to Brett Favre (15) for most 20 touchdown seasons.  He directed 45 fourth-quarter and overtime game-winning drives, a club record and among the most in league history.

INDIANAPOLIS – The NFL named Tennessee Titans owner K.S. “Bud” Adams Jr. the first recipient of the Salute to Service Award presented by USAA, the League’s Official Military Appreciation Sponsor. In its inaugural year, the award acknowledges exceptional efforts by members of the NFL community to honor and support U.S. service members and veterans.

Adams was announced as the winner during the NFL Honors award ceremony and gala in Indianapolis this evening.  As part of the prize package, a $25,000 contribution will be made by USAA in Adams’ honor to the aid societies representing all five military branches.

“The entire NFL community stands together as a proud supporter of our nation’s troops and veterans,” said Bud Adams, Jr. “It’s my desire to see the work we’ve done encourage others to take action to support the men and women who make sacrifices daily so that we can live our lives freely.”

A veteran of the U.S. Naval Reserve serving during World War II, Adams’ connection with the military community is a personal one, and in his 52 years as franchise owner, he has been a longstanding advocate of all servicemen and women.

Since moving with the franchise to Nashville in 1997, he has been a familiar face to the troops stationed at nearby Fort Campbell, home to the Army’s 101st Airborne Division, and the Night Stalker and Green Beret special operations forces.

Located less than an hour away from the Titans’ home field, Adams has established relationships with the base’s primary commands and frequently hosts Fort Campbell troops at Titans’ home games. More than 11,000 troops have attended games as guests of Adams at LP Field since it opened in 1999. Adams also conducts an annual, all-day visit to Fort Campbell where Titans players, cheerleaders and staff can participate in autograph sessions and greet residents at the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital and the on-post schools.

Adams was one of 22 coaches, active and former players, and team executives and personnel nominated by their clubs for demonstrating outstanding support for the military community. The submissions were evaluated in December and January by a panel of judges from the NFL and USAA, including NFL greats Roger Staubach, Chad Hennings, Rocky Bleier and Jim Mora Jr. Earlier this week, the judging panel named both Adams and Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh finalists before officially naming Adams the award winner.

The Salute to Service Award concludes a series of military appreciation events and initiatives held throughout the 2011 season by the NFL and USAA inviting football fans across the country to salute members of the Armed Forces.

“It has been a remarkable experience for USAA to work with the NFL to create these opportunities for fans to join us in honoring the military community for their service,” said Steve Speakes, executive vice president of USAA’s external affairs and a retired Army lieutenant general. “It was very encouraging to witness fans share their enthusiasm for their favorite teams with America’s home team – the U.S. military.”

About USAA

USAA provides insurance and more to 8.6 million members of the U.S. military and their families. Known for its legendary commitment to its members, USAA is consistently recognized for outstanding service, employee well-being and financial strength. USAA membership is open to all who are serving or have honorably served our nation in the U.S. military – and their families. For more information about USAA, or to learn more about membership, visit USAA.com.