Johansson for some of his best third-period saves.

Since the release of running back Chris Johnson the Titans have been working with an offence that lacks a true superstar. In Johnson the Titans cut a three-time Pro Bowler with six straight 1,000-yard rushing seasons, including a 2,006-yard season in 2009. What the Titans are left with is a trio of potential stars and it all starts under centre with fourth-year quarterback Jake Locker. "Weve got some skill players that were excited about, but a lot of it is going to come down to what Jake can do for us," Titans first-year coach Ken Whisenhunt told USA TODAY Sports. "So far, that has been progressing very well. He has done a nice job in the preseason. He worked very hard. I said one of the first things that intrigued me about Jake was that he exhibited a lot of the qualities that you want to see in a quarterback and he has done nothing to disprove that in the short time weve been around." The key to that is the short time Whisenhunt has been around. Locker has appeared in only 18 games over the last two seasons due to foot, hip and shoulder injuries. Sure, Locker has thrown 22 touchdowns in 23 career NFL games and in seven games before his season was cut short in 2013 he was completing 60.7 per cent of his passes. But if he cant stay on the field who cares? In his defence, the 26-year-old pivot doesnt believe his painful past reflects the player he is. "It does bother me," Locker told the Tennessean in November, a day before season-ending surgery to repair the Lisfranc injury in his right foot. "I feel like I have always done everything in the offseason, and put in the preparation to be as healthy and as strong as possible to prevent things from happening. And Ive just had some freak deals that have unfortunately been major injuries for me." In a perfect world Locker will start all 16 games and have a chance to grow with two young and explosive receivers. Kendall Wright may carry the majority of expectations coming off a 94-reception, 1,079-yard season in 2013. "All the little things that I think it takes to be a good player, hes shown," Whisenhunt said in August, as quoted by the Associated Press. "Hes doing that day in and day out, and thats important." On the downside, Wright may have helped the Titans move the ball into scoring position with 52 first-down receptions, but the 5-foot-10 Baylor product found the end zone just twice. Its hard to believe a player who caught nearly 100 passes and surpassed 1,000 yards in his sophomore season scored just two touchdowns. Its a shortcoming not lost on the third-year receiver or his coach. "This year I plan on breaking a little more of those tackles, trying to get loose and go score," Wright said. "He can do a lot of different things," Whisenhunt added. "Were going to try to put him in situations where we can explode that. Hes an explosive player, good hands, hes got good vision." What could turn into the most pleasant surprise on the receiving end is sophomore Justin Hunter. Hunter appeared in 14 games in his rookie year last season and caught 18 passes. It seems small, but the second-round pick averaged 19.7 yards a catch, amassing 354 yards, and scored four touchdowns. Its never a sure thing, but with more reps and comparable averages its safe to say Hunter could easily join Wright in the 1,000-yard club and hit double digits in touchdown receptions. The Titans are keeping Hunter humble though. The sophomore was punished for running a bad route during a practice in mid-August and had his name on a practice jersey replaced with JAG, meaning "Just Another Guy." If Hunter is who many think he is, then "Just Another Guy" is definitely a label that wont stick and the Titans will have a star for years to come. "Hes just so big and long and has the ability to jump, and hes got a big catch radius," Locker said. "So youre able to put the ball in a lot of different places to give him a chance." SECRET WEAPON If Locker is the answer at quarterback for the Titans then Whisenhunt is the light that will guide him to the Promised Land. Spending last season as the offensive coordinator of the San Diego Chargers, Whisenhunt lit a fire under Philip Rivers. At 32, Rivers had one of the most productive seasons of his 10-year career, setting a career high in completions (378) and completion percentage (69.5) while throwing for 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns with just 11 interceptions. And not too long ago, Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner found new life when Whisenhunt arrived as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals in 2007. Warner threw for 83 touchdowns during their three-year partnership and fell five points short of a Super Bowl title together in 2008. If anyone is going to get anything out of Locker, itll be his quarterback-whisperer head coach. HEDGE FUND Rookie left tackle Taylor Lewan, selected 11th overall in 2014, and rookie quarterback Zach Mettenberger, a sixth-round pick in 2014, arent guaranteed any playing time in their inaugural NFL seasons, but that doesnt mean they arent a valuable part of the Titans organization in the future. In Lewans case, he sits behind a respectable pair of tackles in Michael Roos, a 10-year Titans vet, and Michael Oher, a Super Bowl champ with the Baltimore Ravens in 2013. “Its a unique situation. Most teams dont have the opportunity to draft a tackle in the first round and also have two outstanding offensive linemen,” Lewan said in August, via ESPN.com. Hes not wrong. He also didnt get picked at No. 11 for no reason. And when hes called on for the challenge, he says hes ready for anything. “When I get my opportunity, Im going to do whatever I can to be successful and thrive,” he said. Mettenberger, who leads all quarterbacks with 659 yards in the preseason, is in an interesting position as well. At third on the depth chart behind Locker and backup Charlie Whitehurst, coach Whisenhunt has admitted he has seen flashes from the LSU alum but he has also made it abundantly clear that Mettenberger will remain in the third slot once the season begins. “Unless it was an injury situation, no," Whisenhunt said of the possibility of Mettenberger dressing as the backup in Week 1. “I still think at times he struggles with some things, which is not uncommon for a young player. Its been invaluable, the amount of reps that weve gotten him and how hes performed. I think its been fantastic.” But despite being the 178th pick in the draft, Mettenberger has found a way to get noticed and become a viable option for the organization going forward. He might find his way to the field sooner than many think. Vlade Divac Jersey . 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Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. Vlade Divac Lakers Jersey . Louis Blues brought in the premier unrestricted free agent centre, and did it without breaking the bank. PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Penguins were glad to be back at Consol Energy Center after their longest road trip in three years. Recently, though, theyve felt right at home against the Washington Capitals regardless of where they play. Marc-Andre Fleury made 32 saves for his fifth shutout of the season, leading Pittsburgh to a 2-0 victory over Washington on Tuesday night. Jussi Jokinen and Sidney Crosby scored for the Penguins, who swept the teams home-and series one night after beating the Capitals 3-2 in Washington. Pittsburgh has beaten its longtime rivals a franchise-record eight straight times. "Every time we play them, its pretty intense," said Fleury, who has 28 career shutouts. "Its always a close game and a hard-fought game, so its nice to get the W." The Penguins have also won three in a row and picked up at least a point in eight of their last 10 games. Pittsburgh was at home for the second time since the end of the Olympic break, having travelled more than 6,000 miles in playing five games over three time zones the previous 10 days. Jaroslav Halak stopped 32 shots in his third start for Washington. Alexander Ovechkin was held without a point for the fourth consecutive game as the Capitals lost for the fourth time in their last five. Fleury tied his career high for shutouts in a season while winning his sixth straight start against the Capitals, whom the Penguins swept the season series from for the second year in a row. "We created a lot more chances than last game and more shots, and that was something we wanted to improve on," Crosby said. "But defensively we were pretty good." Pittsburgh widened its lead in the Eastern Conference to three points over the idle Boston Bruins and also increased its Metropolitan Division bulge to 16 points over the New York Rangers. Unlike Fleury, Halak was played both games on consecutive nights between the teams. Acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Sabres last week, Halaks first three starts with the Capitals have come over a four-day span. Jokinen beat him at 16:41 of the first. Left unchecked by Capitals defenceman Mike Green while skating through the slot, Jokinen offered a deft re-direct of Matt Niskanens shot from the right point for his 17th goal of the season -- but first since Jan. 30. Evgeni Malkin earned the second assist on the play, extending his assists streak to five games. Crosby scored for the second straight night against Halak, this time with a low wrist shot to the stick side with 5:48 left in the game after skating swiftly down the right wing. Halak said he wass surprised by the shot -- he was expecting Crosby to pass it to Chris Kunitz.dddddddddddd. "I just tried to look to pass as long as I could," Crosby said, "just to see if hed bite and try to hold him there." Lee Stempniak had the only assist on the goal in his home debut for Penguins after he and fellow forward Marcel Goc were acquired in trade-deadline day deals last week. Eleven minutes into the second period, the Capitals came the closest to scoring when rookie Evgeny Kuznetsov flipped a shot from just to the right of Fleury that clanged off the post before deflecting off of Fleurys left pad as he sprawled out. "If we tie the game there," Ovechkin said, "maybe its a little bit different game." Largely untested and forced to make just 12 saves through two periods, Fleury faced the brunt of the Washington onslaught during the third. "The first period, they controlled the game," Ovechkin said. "The last 30 minutes, we played our game, got the puck deep, started to cycle. Maybe we were just a little bit tired, maybe we were just a little sleepy. We just werent ready for the first period. The Capitals No.2 NHL power play had two opportunities over the games final 12 minutes, plus an extended 6-on-5 with Halak pulled over the final 90 seconds. But Fleury denied chances by Mark Chimera, Troy Brouwer and Marcus Johansson for some of his best third-period saves. "The first and second, there werent too many shots," Fleury said. "The third was crazy -- but it was fun though. You get a good sweat and get a win." Washington dropped into 11th place in the Eastern Conference standings and dropped three points out of the final playoff spot. "(The desperation level) needs to be a little more from everybody," Halak said. "Now, its do-or-die for us." NOTES: Kunitz missed a shift after crashing violently into the goal post during the third period. Bylsma said the contact was not directly to Kunitzs knee. ... Washington C Brooks Laich did not make the trip to Pittsburgh because he continues to be hampered by a groin injury. Laich has missed two of the past four games. ... Early Tuesday, the Capitals recalled C Casey Wellman and D Patrick Wey from their American Hockey League affiliate in Hershey. Wey, a native of a Pittsburgh suburb, was a healthy scratch. ... Before the game, Penguins coach Dan Bylsma said that D Kris Letang has been skating and working out in Pittsburgh. Letang has not played since suffering a stroke Jan. 29. He remains out indefinitely. ' ' '