NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Coach Mike Mularkey warned the Tennessee Titans 10 draft picks.They better study hard because he planned to call on them during a team meeting the next day to test their knowledge of the playbook and didnt want any rookie embarrassed.Sure enough, Mularkey brought the rookies in front of their teammates where he pulled a surprise by asking them to spell instead of questions about pass protections and quarterback blitzes.A spelling bee in an NFL team meeting?Titans defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau had never heard of such a thing in his 57 years in the league, but Mularkey got what he wanted.The spelling bee left the Titans laughing for days, especially the memory of one rookie misspelling physical, while also ensuring Tennessees newest players pored over their playbooks.I think outside the box all the time of what can I do differently that will keep them constantly on edge and keep thinking, Mularkey said.Being hired as an NFL head coach even once isnt easy.And third chances are pretty rare, and Mularkey and his career 18-39 record has gotten just that in Tennessee after two seasons with Buffalo and one in Jacksonville.Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk saw enough of Mularkey as he finished the final nine games last season as interim coach to give him the job after interviewing a handful of coaches in January.Her decision made Mularkey the 16th man hired as a permanent coach of three or more NFL teams since the NFL-AFL merger in 1970. He joined Seattles Pete Carroll and John Fox of Chicago as the leagues current coaches with their third different team. And both Carroll and Fox have coached in multiple Super Bowls.I must be doing something right that people believe in me and trust in me to take over their team and lead it, Mularkey said. And Im very confident in my ability. I think Im very good at what I do regardless of records or personal comments from people that dont know me very well.A ninth-round draft pick in 1983 out of Florida who played nine NFL seasons at tight end for Bud Grant in Minnesota and Chuck Noll in Pittsburgh, Mularkey believes his diligent note-taking kept him around much longer than skill or his surgically repaired knees should have allowed. When Strunk fired Ken Whisenhunt on Nov. 3 last season, one of the first things Mularkey did was start checking the notes taken in meetings.After a full offseason, Mularkey is seeing better answers to his questions.In team meetings, I call it rapid fire. ... Ill pop them a question that they need to know immediately in front of their teammates without looking at their notes, and its been pretty impressive, especially the rookies, Mularkey said.Ive picked on them a lot this offseason, and I think theyve already been forewarned: `You better be prepared when you come in that team meeting room.Competition starts every morning during the team meeting usually pitting receivers versus defensive backs, offense against defense and special teams.Whatever he has in store for us, we never know, wide receiver Kendall Wright said. Were just ready for it. It makes you think. It makes you go home and study stuff because you never know what hes going to do.Linebacker Wesley Woodyard, who said NFL players love to compete even at rock, paper, scissors, understands what Mularkey is trying to achieve.If you have the mindset `I have to compete against this guy across from me and I have to beat him and I have to win, it definitely translates onto Sundays, Woodyard said.Me, I can only speak for me just being a linebacker thats made his career off of competition. It brings the best out of everybody, and we welcome it.Yet as a head coach, Mularkey has only one winning season to his credit -- his first when he went 9-7 in Buffalo in 2004.He resigned after going 5-11 in 2005 and was fired in Jacksonville after going 2-14 in 2012 with a new owner who wanted to rebuild. Now hes trying to turn around a franchise that has had one winning season since last reaching the playoffs in 2008.Mularkey believes the Titans are the right team at the perfect time for him.Im happy with whats going on here, Mularkey said. Theres a lot of good things that are different than any of the previous two places Ive been a head coach, and Im excited.Im a little bit different in the sense that if theres anything Im trying to have a little more fun with the players, that they enjoy coming into work every day. We work hard, we work really hard, but we also are going to have fun doing it.---Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and AP NFL Twitter feed: http://twitter.com/AP-NFL---Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker Nike Tanjun Cheap . -- There were so many positives from the Orlando Magics first victory of the season that it was hard for coach Jacque Vaughn to stop praising his players. Nike Tanjun Wholesale . According the Toronto Star, a knee injury will keep Sundin out of the lineup, which includes former teammates Gary Roberts, Darcy Tucker, Tie Domi and Curtis Joseph. http://www.cheapniketanjun.us/ .com) - Manchester City midfielder David Silva is expected to miss the next four weeks because of a calf problem. Nike Tanjun Sale . DAmigo scored twice in regulation and added the shootout winner as the Toronto Marlies edged the San Antonio Rampage 5-4 in American Hockey League action. Nike Tanjun Clearance . However, he did make them miss him a little less. Cundiff, who had the unenviable job of replacing Dawson last season, agreed Thursday to a one-year, $1.Sky Sports commentator Richard Boxall reflects on a first day full of surprises at the Masters, both good and bad. The biggest surprise of the opening round of the 80th Masters was Rickie Fowler, who failed to break 80. Hes obviously a fantastic player, but Augusta National is the kind of course where, if your game is slightly off, everything you do wrong gets overly exaggerated. Rickie Fowler could not break 80 on the first day at Augusta And you can get in even deeper trouble if you try to limit the damage and be too conservative. If you bail out at the 11th, for example, and miss the green too far right then getting up and down is such a tough ask. Thats what this place does to you, and if youre struggling with your game, Augusta will find you out. Andy Sullivan also shot 80 and that was disappointing, I was really looking forward to watching him play and I tipped him to do well this week on his Masters debut. Hes a great character and he had a hole in one in the Par 3 competition, but it didnt go well for him on Thursday and, after opening with an 80, theres a good chance his suitcases will be at the course! Andy Sullivan struggled on his Masters debut, but hell be back But hes still a great player and he has had a fantastic couple of years. Im not sure theres all that much you can learn from knocking it round in 80, but Ive no doubt hell be back.Adam Scott starting with a 76 was also an eye-opener considering the form he has been in, although he cant complain about his year so far! Hes a past winner here, but he just had one of those days and hell be happy to make the cut now. Adam Scott will be happy to make the cut after starting with a 76 Another former champion who struggled was Bubba Watson, who dropped five shots in four holes on a really bad back nine and came home in 41.dddddddddddd And, again, thats the way the course can bite you. Once youve made a mistake, there isnt a plaster big enough to stop the bleeding!That phrase applied to Jason Day, who stormed to the turn in 31 and played the back nine in 41, including a wretched six at the 16th. It was plain sailing for him when he got to five under at the turn, but one bad shot is all it takes to alter your mindset, especially here. The fairways suddenly look narrower and the holes get smaller, and you get to the stage where the 18th cant come soon enough.In terms of the pleasant surprises, what a great performance from the European players on Thursday. To have eight of them in a tie for ninth or higher was absolutely fantastic, and I must admit I didnt quite expect that.Four of them were Englishmen, and it was great to see and great for European golf. It was particularly nice to see Sergio Garcia up there on three under. Hes such a good ball-striker and if he can get his putting right, he can do well again this week. Shane Lowry got off to a great start, and his natural feel will serve him well at Augusta Shane Lowry enjoyed a superb day, and to fire 68 in those conditions in only his second Masters was impressive. Shane has got great hands and natural feel, and thats ideal for Augusta because youve got to be so precise with the short-irons and around the greens. He doesnt mind the windy conditions and he shapes the ball both ways, which is a crucial asset here. Like Garcia, hes another wonderful striker of the ball and he could surprise a few people this week, just as he did at the WGC-Bridgestone last season. Also See: Ernies nightmare nine Monty: Par-fives crucial Weekend menu on Sky Sports When to watch the Masters China NFL Jerseys Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys NFL Jerseys Cheap Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap Basketball Jerseys Online Stitched Hockey Jerseys Wholesale Baseball Jerseys Football Jerseys Outlet College Jerseys For Sale Cheap MLB Jerseys Wholesale Soccer Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys For Sale Wholesale NFL Jerseys ' ' '