Griffin bouncing back and forth at safety spots

Safety Michael Griffin, a sixth-year pro, has been to the Pro Bowl twice.
(George Walker IV/The Tennessean)


Free safety or strong safety? Strong safety or free safety? These days, Michael Griffin figures things out when he looks around the huddle.

If Robert Johnson is in the game, Griffin is most likely playing strong safety, giving him more run responsibility and allowing Johnson room to range. If Jordan Babineaux is in the game, Griffin is more likely at free safety, with the bulkier Babineaux handling more of the run responsibilities.

“It’s whatever they tell me,” Griffin said. “I go into the game or practice, look around and whoever’s in there, I know what position I’m playing.”

At some point in the near future, Griffin is looking forward to the Titans making a decision on whether to start Johnson or Babineaux, which would give Griffin more clarity as to his spot.

“You just really wish you knew what was going on, but we still have one more preseason week, so I guess once this week is over with, we’ll know where I’m at,” Griffin said. “But right now, I’m just back and forth, back and forth.”

Griffin played primarily free safety alongside Babineaux last year, but when Griffin and Chris Hope played together, the two alternated at times between free and strong safety. Griffin said it doesn’t matter to him which position he plays, and figures the more reps he gets at both spots, the better off he’ll be in case of emergency.

“It’s a good thing to know all the positions,” Griffin said. “It’s good to see what you can do if injuries were to happen, what you’d have to do to work your way around it.”

Source: Titans Insider