The Dick LeBeau factor in Tennessee is already at work.

LeBeau's first item of business when he joined the Titans was to do a full assessment of the entire defense from last year's 2-14 team that finished 27th in the NFL in total defense.

And while there is lots of room for improvement, LeBeau said things aren't as far away as they seem as the Titans go into the second year of running a 3-4 scheme.

“I spent a lot of time when I first game here just looking at our game film from last year. A lot of time. I looked at every player, every play. I thought collectively for a group running a new defense, which is an involved defense, I thought they did a great job,” LeBeau said. “There was a minimal amount of setting the defense wrong and people going the wrong direction, but you could see that some of them were thinking a little bit before going. This is not a business for thinking too much before they snap the ball. You've got to know what you're doing and go. I think those are growing pains that are involved in any new installation and any new concept and any new coaching staff., And fortunately that is behind us now.”

LeBeau said he sees some talent and rather than mold the players to the system, he wants to mold the system to the players on hand to give them their best chance to succeed.

“Some people would say it's to get a system and draft people to fit it. Some of us don't have that much time,” he said. “We try to accentuate what our players can do and I think we have some players who can do some things. ...I'm here for one reason. I want to help this team get where we want to get.”

The Hall of Famer, credited as being the inventor of the 3-4 zone blitz scheme used by many teams around the league, is already having an impact on the defense months before the first meaningful live snap. It even caused Derrick Morgan, who looked to be out the door as a free agent, to instead re-up with the Titans.

“I think adding a guy like that is going to make each individual better, which in turn, is going to make the defense better,” Morgan said. “That was one of the key reasons for me signing back, just adding the knowledge to the defense. I think it's invaluable and it's going to help the defense.”

Cornerback Jason McCourty, who is still looking for his first postseason since joining the Titans in 2009, is excited for what LeBeau brings.

“It's awesome. Sometimes he just stands up in the defensive room and he just tells stories from his playing days or his coaching days,” McCourty said. “For a player to be in the room with him, a Hall of Fame player and a Hall of Fame coach, that's awesome. That's the most knowledge you're going to get from somebody. … We go over fire zone defenses, and he invented fire zone defenses. That's impressive in itself. That's awesome as a player and just as a student and somebody that loves the game to be able to learn from somebody like him.”