Things were looking good for Stafon Johnson early after he got into the game for the Titans in the pre-season opener.  He carried the ball 3 times for 23 yards (7.7 ypc) and he also caught 2 passes for 12 yards (6.0 avg).  But he then dislocated his right ankle and broke his right fibula on a play.  His old USC coach Pete Carroll was by his side at the cart for a while before he was driven to the paramedics.  He had surgery and is likely to miss the next 8-12 weeks.  This is a shame for Johnson who fought his way back from a serious throat injury last season when he was benching and the bar came down across his neck which almost killed him.  Hopefully he’ll get well soon and get back on the field at some point in 2010.

The Titans have placed 35-year old CB Nick Harper on the Injured Reserve List with a fractured forearm ending his season.  Harper played in 11 games for the Titans this season and he made 81 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, defensed 6 passes and he has 1 interception.  28-year old Rod Hood will replace Harper in the starting line-up this weekend against the Seahawks.  Hood has played in 5 games for the Titans this season and he has made 12 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, defensed 3 passes and he has 3 interceptions.  Hood should do a decent job against the Seahawks.

The Titans have lost Keith Bulluck (torn left ACL) and David Thornton (pectoral/shoulder injury) for the rest of the year.  This will really hurt the defense as Bulluck was the team’s leading tackler this season.  Bulluck played in 14 games for the Titans this season and he made 108 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, defensed 7 passes and he had 3 interceptions.  Thornton played in 11 games for the Titans this season and he made 59 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack.  It’s hard enough to lose one impact player on the D but the Titans lost two so someone will need to step up this week.

The Titans have lost DT James Jones for the rest of the year due to shoulder surgery.  Jones played in 7 games for the Titans this year and he made 15 tackles, 2 tackles for a loss, he defensed 5 passes and he had 4 sacks.  Jones has now played in 20 games in his two years with the Titans and he has 46 tackles, 7 passes defensed, 9 sacks and 3 forced fumbles.  The Titans will miss Jones who was a big time playmaker in the D-Line rotation.

The Titans have lost starting WR Justin Gage for at least a couple of weeks due to multiple fractures to transverse process bones in his back.  Gage has played in all 8 games for the Titans this season and he has caught 22 passes for 302 yards (13.7 avg) with 1 TD grab and he also has 2 tackles.  Kenny Britt (20 rec, 296 yards) and Nate Washington (23 rec, 202 yards, 4 TDs) will need to step up with Gage out of action.