Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt said he had a photo of wide receiver Justin Hunter removed from a wall in the team facility.
It’s unclear if he was joking.
Flash back to September. Hunter made a 34-yard, game-winning catch in the final seconds against the Chargers at LP Field. Whisenhunt was on the other sideline that day as Chargers offensive coordinator.
“He made a good play,” a smiling Whisenhunt said Thursday as the Titans concluded a three-day minicamp. “He pushed off, but he made a great play.”
Now that they’re with the same team, Whisenhunt has a greater appreciation for the former University of Tennessee star and is certainly not holding a grudge. Hunter, however, is determined to be a more consistent contributor in his second NFL season.
He’s added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-4 frame and now weighs 208 pounds. But after watching game film of himself from last season, he wants to change more than his body.
“Sometimes I would look at it and be like ‘What am I doing out there?’ ” Hunter said. “A year older and a year wiser, things should be a lot easier for me this year, and a lot better.”
Hunter did have his moments – the game-winning catch against the Chargers, a 109-yard game against the Raiders, a 114-yarder against the Broncos – but in many games he was almost invisible. He didn’t have a catch in six games and had only one catch in four others.
He finished with 18 catches, 354 yards, a 19.7-yard average and four touchdowns. He gave himself a C-plus grade for his rookie season.
“I feel I like I could have done a lot more in the beginning. I feel like I could do things a lot better, especially going into camp. I could’ve probably stayed healthy. I missed (organized team activities) and felt like I was playing catch-up the whole way,” Hunter said. “And some plays on the field I could’ve made. … I feel like I could’ve had some bigger games than I did.
“I expect highly of myself. And I am going to work hard to make sure they trust me more. They want me to be a playmaker basically. If the ball is in the air, they want me to go get it.”
Hunter’s commitment this offseason has impressed veteran wide receiver Nate Washington.
“The unfortunate thing … Justin went from a rookie year to a new head coach, so his head is still spinning. But he’s a lot more comfortable in making the plays. He doesn’t come out there as a quiet kid anymore just trying to make it through practice,” Washington said. “He is talking to the guys more and opening up. You can see the growth in him. He understands he has more growing to do, but he is heading in the right direction.”
The Titans are currently without a third-round pick in the draft next week because they traded it last year to move up and grab Hunter in the second round. General manager Ruston Webster said he’d love to have that third-round pick, but he has no regrets.
“When he caught that ball against San Diego we felt good about it. I think Justin has probably only scratched the surface and he should only get better,” Webster said. “He just needs to continue to improve his overall game, from his route running to his catching to his blocking. He is still a very young player.”
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