Titans yet to pick starting QB

The Tennessee Titans still have yet to decide whether Matt Hasselbeck or Jake Locker starts in their third preseason game, and coach Mike Munchak says he could go all the way up to opening week before picking his starting quarterback for the season.

"We have done that before, but I don't necessarily think we will do that," Munchak said Sunday.

Hasselbeck and Locker split work yet again with the first-team offense, rotating between drills Sunday in the final open practice of training camp for Tennessee. Munchak said he will meet with his assistant coaches Sunday night and make a decision on a starter.

Asked if the decision will be on the starter for Thursday night's exhibition against Arizona or for the season, Munchak had a short answer.

"We will talk about that tomorrow," Munchak said.

Locker was just 4 of 11 for 21 yards in his first NFL start Friday night, a 30-7 win at Tampa Bay.

Hasselbeck, who was intercepted twice in the preseason opener, was 4 of 5 for 29 yards. On Sunday, both had their moments with Hasselbeck picked off in a two-minute drill, while Locker completed 1 of 5 passes.

But Hasselbeck had some nice throws to tight ends Jared Cook and Craig Stevens into the end zone on another drill, while Locker made a nice pass to Cook down the right sideline.

Munchak said repetitions always help, though they saw Hasselbeck throw for more than 3,500 yards in 2011 with Locker impressive each time he came off the bench as a rookie.

"You have ideas on what you think is best, but ultimately you want to let things play out as long as you can and make the best decision for the team," Munchak said.

Neither Hasselbeck nor Locker spoke with reporters Sunday. Cook said the wait to pick a starting quarterback is not causing problems in the locker room and sees no pressure to rush a decision.

"It's good that they kind of push each other. They know that someone's right on their shoulder. Watch out. Competition's good," Cook said.

"You've got a guy you invested in the future in in Jake and you also have a guy who's a crafty veteran who knows the game period in Matt. It's not an easy decision, and we've only played two games. You really can't decide a lot in two games."

Quarterback isn't the only position battle going on for the Titans right now, but it easily is the most watched in the first real competition for this team at that spot in years. The Titans open Sept. 9 against New England, and coaches will have to decide how many defensive linemen to keep, defensive backs, receivers and linebackers.

"This is just one of many that, hopefully, we will get right," Munchak said of picking a starting quarterback.

Steelers 26, Colts 24: Andrew Luck shook off a pair of early interceptions to put together three second-quarter scoring drives, giving visiting Indianapolis a halftime lead before Pittsburgh rallied for the victory.

The top overall pick completed 16 of 25 passes for 175 yards and added a 1-yard touchdown run for the Colts (1-1), who held their own against a perennial Super Bowl contender.

Ben Roethlisberger passed for 81 yards with a touchdown and an interception for the Steelers (1-1), who took an early 14-0 lead when Ike Taylor picked off Luck's pass and took it 50 yards for a score.

The pick hardly rattled Luck, who led the Colts to scores on three of their next four drives. By the time he left, Indianapolis held a 17-14 at the break.

Rookie Danny Hrapmann kicked four second-half field goals for the Steelers, including the 22-yard winner with 23 seconds remaining.

Jets still looking for TD after two preseason games: Things were supposed to look a lot different for the New York Jets' offense.

There's a new coordinator in Tony Sparano, a rededication to a run-first approach and the addition of the elusive and electrifying Tim Tebow.

So far, this year's Jets look a lot like last year's - and that's not a good thing. At all.

"It's the second preseason game," quarterback Mark Sanchez said, trying to ease everyone's fears. "It's not time to hit the panic button. You have to improve and learn from this stuff. I know we can do it."

But now they've got to show it.

Through two preseason games, the Jets (0-2) have failed to score a touchdown, with their nine points coming on three field goals.

"I don't think you can get frustrated," Tebow said. "We haven't even played a real game. When the regular season gets here, then that's when it's for real. We've got to continue to show improvement and get better every day."

Sanchez has been knocked around, much as he was last season, with a serious lack of pass protection that has led to him being sacked five times and prevented him from having time to do much of anything

It wasn't just him. Tebow was also visibly upset with the offensive line Saturday night in the Jets' 26-3 loss to the Giants after taking one of his four sacks.

"I'm not sure what play exactly, but probably just frustrated," he said. "We want to get on the same communication and have it run smooth, everyone being on the same page."

Tebow has yet to be the spark that was expected, save for one drive Saturday night that led to the team's only points. But the NFL's most popular backup quarterback could've gotten the crowd fired up when he spotted a wide-open Stephen Hill in the end zone on second-and-20 from the 29. Instead, Tebow short-hopped the throw, waved his hand as if telling Hill he should've come to the ball, and it was another opportunity lost.

"I mean, clearly we have to get more production in the regular season than we've gotten in these two preseason games," coach Rex Ryan said. "There is no doubt. But I'm 100 percent sure when we kick it off for real, we will have more production.

"There's absolutely no doubt about that."

The starters for the Jets probably will play about three quarters next Sunday night against Carolina, and then will sit until the season opener against Buffalo. That means there's not much time to start feeling positive about things.

"This is our last chance," Sanchez said. "We need to play well. We need to put our best foot forward in this last dress rehearsal for Buffalo and I'm confident with a week of prep, our guys will be ready."

Tempering concerns is the knowledge Sanchez is playing with essentially half an offense. Three of his top receiving threats - Santonio Holmes (rib, back), Jeremy Kerley (hamstring) and Chaz Schilens (ankle) - are out with injuries.

The Jets have also shown very little flavor in an offense that was expected to be, in Ryan's words, "vanilla with some sprinkles" against the Giants. In other words, Sparano has not yet unleashed the wildcat-style scheme with Tebow that Ryan has warned opposing defenses they will have to prepare for.

Cutler says Bears offense still has work to do: Jay Cutler's answer was short and to the point.

As explosive as the Chicago Bears' offense looked in Saturday's 33-31 preseason win over Washington, he realizes it's not quite a finished product.

How far has it come?

"Two preseason games," he said. "So that's how far we are."

The question is: How far can it go?

The Bears believe they now have the talent and depth to make a big run after injuries wrecked what was shaping up as a playoff season last year. New general manager Phil Emery addressed several areas with a flurry of moves, none bigger than the trade with Miami for Pro Bowl receiver Brandon Marshall.

That gave Cutler a legitimate go-to target for the first time since he arrived from Denver and reunited him with his former Broncos teammate. Big things are expected, and the Bears got their first taste on Saturday.

Held out of the preseason opener against Denver following the birth of his son, Cutler wasted no time connecting with his old friend. He dropped back on Chicago's first play from scrimmage and found Marshall open deep along the right sideline after beating Cedric Griffin for a 41-yarder that drew a roar from the crowd and set the tone while helping set up the game's first touchdown.

It was exactly what the Bears envision from those two, the sort of big plays that leave the crowd in awe and the opponent on its heels. With a rifle-armed quarterback and a Pro Bowl receiver, the message to the rest of the league seemed simple: Get used to it.

They see a defense sharing the load with an offense that they believe could be explosive, and there certainly were glimpses of that on Saturday, right from the start.

That 41-yarder?

"What it does is it gets the guys on the sideline fired up, those guys like Lance (Briggs) and Brian (Urlacher) fired up, special teams fired up and we just feed off each other," said Marshall, who also turned a short pass into a 20-yard gain on that drive.

It's not just about Cutler and Marshall. It's about depth and balance.

The Bears believe they have a good mix at receiver with Earl Bennett, rookie Alshon Jeffery and Devin Hester behind Marshall to go with a balanced running attack between Pro Bowl pick Matt Forte and newcomer Michael Bush, although they didn't take many handoffs on Saturday.

Forte carried just four times for 16 yards in his preseason debut. Bush finished with 21 yards on five attempts, running it in from the 1 on the Bears' first possession and faking a defender on his 8-yard TD later in the first quarter.

"We know Michael can run it between the tackles, but I think it was good for him to show everyone that he can make you miss also," coach Lovie Smith said. "I think his second touchdown run, the guy was one-on-one in the hole, it was a great cut by him to make a guy miss. He is a big back and can do a lot of good things."

The Bears believe their offense can do a lot of good things, too. But there are some concerns on the left side of the line, particularly at the tackle spot.

J'Marcus Webb started and wound up rotating with Chris Williams until late in the game, and although there weren't any major missteps, there didn't seem to be any real answers, either. Webb seemed to hold up against Washington's Brian Orakpo until the Pro Bowl linebacker left with a shoulder injury late in the first quarter.

Another test looms Friday.

The Bears visit the New York Giants, and if they want to push Webb and Williams, that will be a good opportunity. Not only do the Giants boast one of the best defensive lines, it'll be the third preseason game.