No Deal Signed by Jones Means No Appearance in Atlanta

Tennessee’s top draft pick, Adam “Pacman” Jones, didn’t sign a deal or practice Tuesday, and Coach Jeff Fisher said that means the cornerback won’t be going to Atlanta for the Titans’ next exhibition game.

Jones really wanted to play in Friday night’s exhibition game against the Falcons because Atlanta is his hometown.

Both sides had been close enough in talks Monday they had hoped Jones could practice Tuesday afternoon.

But Jones’ agent, Michael Huyghue, had to fly from Jacksonville, Fla., to Nashville on Tuesday afternoon trying to work out the last pieces of a five-year contract.

“It’s not like anybody’s upstairs inking a contract right now,” Fisher said.

Fisher knew how much Jones wanted to play against Atlanta after talking with him Monday, but the coach made it clear the cornerback had to be on the field Tuesday when the team worked out in full pads to make the trip.

“He’s not here. He’s not going to Atlanta. We’ll hope he’s here on the practice field and does enough work so he can go to San Francisco,” Fisher said of the Titans’ third exhibition on Aug. 26.

If a deal was signed that allowed Jones to practice today, Fisher said they would be too busy preparing for the Falcons to do more than let Jones catch some punts and practice.

That won’t leave enough time for Fisher to feel comfortable letting him play on such short notice.

If Jones wants to be at Friday night’s game, he’ll have to tap another option.

“That’s the beauty of ‘Will Call’ now. You can put tickets at ‘Will Call’. That’s not a problem,” Fisher said.

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Buffalo running back Willis McGahee missed his second straight practice with a sore right leg, but is expected to play in Saturday’s exhibition game against Green Bay.

Coach Mike Mularkey said he continues to hold McGahee out for precautionary reasons, but expects him to practice before Saturday. Mularkey declined to reveal the nature of the injury, except to refer to it as “a tweak.”

McGahee would only say that he expects to play Saturday, referring all other questions about his injury to Mularkey.

He appeared to hurt the knee area in the first quarter of Buffalo’s 17-10 win at Indianapolis on Saturday.