NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The biggest surprise on the unofficial depth chart the Tennessee Titans released earlier this week was that running back Antonio Andrews is the backup long snapper.
Andrews missed Wednesday's practice with a calf issue, but the team plans on him playing Friday night in Atlanta.
Given that Beau Brinkley's lone job is as the team’s long-snapper, odds are very high that he will do all the snapping in all the preseason barring injury.
I asked recently asked Ken Whisenhunt how Andrews ranks among the backup long snappers he’s been around through his coaching career.
“From what little I've seen, I've was impressed,” Whisenhunt said with a laugh. “I think it's a lot easier now because you can't put somebody over their nose because that's where the size thing would have an impact so he can do it, we can get by with him doing it.
“I think the backup long snapper is always a voluntary thing. Whether is mandatory voluntary or really voluntary. A lot of these guys can do a lot of things. You would be surprised how many guys tell me they can throw or how many of them tell me they can run it, especially how many defensive lineman tell me they can catch it. It’s good for Antonio because he is going to be so integral to our team in a number of ways that when you have a guy that can do it like that, there is a comfort level.”
If Andrews couldn’t go and something happened to Brinkley, the Titans could have turned to other “volunteers:” Chase Coffman, Phillip Supernaw, Zach Boren.
