Titans' Chance Warmack shows improvement

Chance Warmack never expected things to be easy in the National Football League, despite the can't-miss label placed on him before the 2013 NFL Draft.

So when the Titans' guard struggled during his rookie season — and during the first part of this year — he didn't panic.

"College was slow for me, too — my freshman and sophomore year (at Alabama),'' said Warmack, the 10th overall pick by the Titans in 2013. "It took me about a year and a half to really grasp what I was doing, but I started to do what I wanted to after that in the college game.

"It's kind of been the same thing in the league. It's a process. You're not going to jump right in and be the best offensive lineman. You have to learn your assignments, and then once you learn your assignments you have to figure out how to make it work for you. But I am getting there."

The Titans have been a mess on the offensive line this season — three starters from the season opener are on injured reserve, and across the board the overall play has been a major disappointment.

Warmack, however, has turned into a bright spot in the second half of the season. He's posted positive grades in six consecutive games dating back to the Nov. 17 game against the Steelers, according to Pro Football Focus. It's the best stretch of Warmack's young career, and a big turnaround from even the beginning of this season, when Warmack posted negative grades in five of the team's first six games.

Warmack's plus-12.8 overall grade from Week 11-Week 15 was second to only the Eagles' Evan Mathis among guards.

"I think everything he is doing is better, from the standpoint of his run blocks, his pass blocks, his recognition,'' coach Ken Whisenhunt said of Warmack. "He is getting comfortable in the system. He has worked hard, I give him credit. I think that has been one of the encouraging things for us to see is the way Chance is growing in that position. That's a good thing.

"It is good to see that, and hopefully that trend continues."

Warmack, an All-America performer at Alabama, admittedly had some issues during his rookie season, when he posted positive grades in just four of his 16 starts. He's still a work in progress today, regarded as a better run blocker than pass blocker.

After his rookie year, Warmack got even more serious. He enlisted the help of former NFL offensive lineman LeCharles Bentley, who helped him gain a better understanding of the game. He also changed his eating habits, which allowed him to show up for the start of the 2014 season in much better physical shape.

Warmack (6-2, 323) believes it's paid off. Warmack has played in 922 of 925 snaps in 2014. Since being drafted by the Titans, Warmack has started 31 consecutive games.

"I feel like whatever work you put in during the offseason reflects on how you are going to be at the end of the season,'' he said. "This is the NFL, nothing is going to come easy for you. No one is going to give you any handouts. Anything that is going to happen, you have to make it happen for yourself."

Those around him say he's taken a professional approach as well.

"When he has questions he is not afraid to stay after and ask to find out what the answer is, and that helps you make strides,'' offensive coordinator Jason Michael said. "And Chance has made strides.

"Chance is having a better time of understanding what we are looking for, and that takes time. Chance is starting to make that climb and it has shown; he has improved."

Looking ahead, there's plenty of uncertainty on the offensive line for the Titans. Both of the team's starting tackles at the start of the season — left tackle Michael Roos and right tackle Michael Oher — are on IR, along with center Brian Schwenke.

Roos has an expiring contract, and Oher's sub-par play this season is expected to result in him being let go just one year into a four-year contract he signed before the season.

Left guard Andy Levitre has struggled living up to the expectations placed on him after signing a six-year, $46.8 million contract before the 2013 season, which has his future with the team in question.

Warmack called the Titans' 2-13 season a "tough one."

"Every team has adversity, but this is new for me,'' he said. "I have never seen any of this before. But you learn from it and you adjust."

At the end of this season, Warmack said he'll work even harder heading into 2015.

The big man has big goals.

"I just want to be the best at what I do. It is easy to say that, but you take little steps into becoming that person," Warmack said. "It just doesn't happen every night. And you appreciate the ups and the downs. I've learned a lot this season, and it's made me the man I am today. I am just going to keep moving in the right direction and try and become a Pro Bowl-type guard."

Reach Jim Wyatt at 259-8015 or on Twitter @jwyattsports.

NEXT GAME

COLTS (10-5) at TITANS (2-13)

When: 3 p.m. Sunday

TV/radio: WTVF-5 / 104.5-FM