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Givens talk

Comments from the Titans’ press conference in Tennessee announcing the signing of David Givens:

General manager Floyd Reese:
“We’re here to welcome another Titan. David Givens has agreed and signed a contract. It’s a five-year contract. He will hopefully be a Titan for a number of years and finish his career here. I think David, again, is the prime candidate for free agency. He’s young, he’s healthy, he’s productive, he is as classy as anyone you’ll ever want to meet. He’ll be a leader on our team and to top it all off, he’s got more Super Bowl rings than he has [ring] fingers for. That’s very, very important to us. Very happy to have him, excited. In addition, we have agreed but we have not signed Kevin Mawae. He will come in and be our center. He is different than some of the other unrestricted free agents we’ve talked about, but I think certainly carries his own credentials. I think he will come in and give us some leadership. He has been a perennial Pro Bowl center for 10, 12 years. He is a professional in every sense of the word. Classy. And again, someone we are very, very excited about having as part of the Titans organization.”

Givens
On the desire to be a No. 1 receiver:
"First of all, I have to say that I'm very thankful for everything the Patriots did for me. I'm very happy that they put me in a position to win Super Bowls and make plays. Unfortunately for that team (Patriots), it's time for me to move on. When it goes to the receiving corps -- in New England we had a lot of guys that could be considered number ones, guys that just knew how to make plays. Here, I'm looking forward to the opportunity to fight for the number one job and basically share time with whoever is across from me. Whether I'm a number one today or going to be, I'm not really concerned."

On why he chose Tennessee:
"I think my opportunity to flourish here is a little better. Financially, obviously I was happier with the contract here. I feel that this organization is a place where I can flourish and show my skills."

On bringing leadership to the locker room:
"Yes, definitely. I consider myself a veteran in the game now. My work ethic will exude throughout the team. I'm a type of guy that leads by example rather than words. There are a lot of young receivers here and a lot of guys that can learn from different guys around the league. I feel like I can come in here and just help this group of guys improve."

On young players listening to veteran players:
"I'm not too familiar with the guys here. I don't know what exactly they need to learn, but from my past experiences young guys do listen to the older guys without a problem. If you want to be good, you watch the guys that done it before. That's how I've improved as a player in the last few years and if a guy wants to improve, I think they will do the same thing."

On being labeled a possession receiver:
"Well, definitely my numbers in New England were products of the system. Like I said, in this system here I will be able to flourish a little more than I did there. My role on this team will be larger than it was in New England and that's what I look forward to."

On his time in New England:
"Definitely winning Super Bowls is fun [laughing]. I had a great time in the tenure I was there in New England. There are times in the game when it's going to be stressful and you're not going to have fun and that happened in New England, but there were times it was very fun as well. I don't know if I'm answering correctly, but anywhere you go you're going to have your ups and downs."

On helping a Titans turnaround:
"I really think that it's going to be. It's kind of like a roller coaster in this league, you win some a couple of years, you start to win some and then you lose some. I think this team is on an upward swing right now, with the free agents coming in including myself and that's the big reason why I decided to sign with this team."

On the importance of character to a football team:
"I think it's very important. What you do off the field definitely shows on the field as well. If you're a guy that can maintain and manage himself and stay out of trouble and do different things like that, you're going to be a better player on the field because you have less things to worry about. So, character is always big and if you have good character guys you're going to have a good character team. That's always big."

On playing with Steve McNair:
"I've been watching Steve McNair for years. I think Steve is a very tough quarterback, he's a smart guy and in my eyes he knows how to make plays. Whether he's throwing or running, or whatever it is. I'm very excited to be playing with him and I'm looking forward to it."

On the Titans possibly drafting a rookie quarterback:
"I don't know exactly who will throw me the ball, but I have confidence that Steve, the starting quarterback here, will be able to get the ball to me. Regardless of who is the younger guy, regardless who comes in, whoever it is, they're going to learn from Steve and I have confidence that they will be good enough to lead this team."

On when he'll start working out in Tennessee:
"As soon as possible."

EXTRA POINT: With ESPN.com reporting that Kalimba Edwards has spurned the Browns and re-signed with the Lions, that could increase the Browns' interest in Willie McGinest. The Browns, who envisioned Edwards as an outside linebacker in the 3-4 defense, are hosting McGinest today.