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.

The Titans have placed WR/KR/PR Mark Jones on the Injured Reserve List due to a severe hamstring injury.  This is a shame for the Titans as Jones at least could catch the ball.  He returned 13 kickoffs for 264 yards (20.3 avg) and he also returned 3 punts for 23 yards (7.7 avg) in three games for the Titans this season.  In addition, Jones caught 1 pass for 9 yards this year.  This is a big loss for the Titans who have had big troubles on special teams this year.

The Titans will probably be without 22-year old running back Javon Ringer for the next 2-3 weeks with a back injury.  Ringer has played in six games for the Titans this season and he has carried the ball 7 times for 47 yards (6.7 ypc).  He has also returned 9 kickoffs for 181 yards (20.1 avg) this season.  The Titans will just lean on Charles Johnson and LenDale White a little more with Ringer out of action.  Ringer was a very solid 5th round pick for the Titans out of Michigan State.

The Titans have lost cornerback Nick Harper for the next 4-6 weeks after he broke his right forearm in last night’s game against the Colts.  He is third on the team with 38 tackles and he has defensed 2 passes this season.  It’s hard to say how bad this will hurt the Titans who were already awful at defending the passing game even with a healthy Harper.  22-year old CB James McCourty will replace Harper in the starting lineup while he is out of action.

The Titans will be without veteran defensive back Vincent Fuller indefinately due to a broken right arm.  He has made 9 tackles, 1 tackle for a loss, had defensed 1 pass and he has 1 interception so far this season.  With the pass defense not playing to well this season Fuller was not a player they could afford to lose.

UPDATE:  Vincent Fuller has been placed on I.R. ending his season. 

The Titans will be without starting punter Craig Hentrich with a calf injury this week against the Jets.  There is no timetable for his return to action.  He has punted the ball 9 times for 422 yards this season (46.9 avg).  Hentrich has no touchbacks this season and he has pinned the opposition inside the 20 yard line 3 times (33.3%).  Kicker Rob Bironas punted the ball 1 time for 40 yards last week against the Texans.  The Titans would be smart to bring in a free agent punter this week so that Bironas doesn’t wear out his leg.

UPDATE:  Craig Hentrich has been placed the on Injured Reserve List ending his season.