NASHVILLE, TN, Feb. 13, 2007 — Mike Reinfeldt has been studying free agents the past few weeks and preparing for the NFL Combine with the Seattle Seahawks. That is what he expects will help him slide into the job as the Tennessee Titans' new general manager.

"The good thing is that I'm not coming from a different industry," Reinfeldt said Tuesday. "A lot of what I'm doing here I've already been doing in Seattle. I've looked at the tapes, I've looked at different players, and I think there are actually a number of positions where (Seattle) had similar needs in free agency."

Reinfeldt wasted no time joining the Titans' scouting sessions on Tuesday morning and filling a job that had been empty since Floyd Reese resigned Jan. 5 after 13 seasons. Time is short with the combine starting Feb. 21 and ending two days before free agency begins March 2.

The Titans took a short break and introduced Reinfeldt at a news conference as the 11th general manager in franchise history and the first new one since 1994. He had been vice president of football administration and salary cap guru in Seattle but left for his first role as general manager and executive vice president.

He is a former All-Pro safety who played for the then-Houston Oilers between 1976 and 1983 and called the move very special.

"The fact I started off early on playing with the Oilers, it's fascinating to me. After I finished playing with the Oilers, I went to the Raiders, USC. I went to the Packers, then I went to the Seahawks. It's like I've covered the whole country, and I'm back where I started. It's a very fulfilling thing for me," Reinfeldt said.

He rejoins a team ready to win now.

Coming off an 8-8 season, it was their third consecutive year without a winning record or a playoff berth, and owner Bud Adams has made it clear that's not good enough. They have Vince Young, the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, 10 draft picks in April, three starters who will be free agents and an estimated $36 million in cap room.

Chief operating officer Steve Underwood now can turn his attention to working out a new long-term contract with coach Jeff Fisher, and Fisher said the scouts have worked hard enough that the Titans are on schedule in preparation for the draft.

"The challenge is to spend the extra time with Mike and Steve as far as free agency is concerned. I think that's where we need to spend our time," Fisher said.

That is where the Titans can help themselves the most by trying to boost the NFL's worst defense.

They could use a quality defensive end to ease the pressure on Kyle Vanden Bosch, who had only 6.5 sacks in 2006 after a career-high 12.5 in 2005. They must decide whether to bring back tackle Robaire Smith and could use a veteran cornerback opposite Adam "Pacman" Jones.

Reinfeldt's front-office experience has been primarily with numbers, the salary cap and money as chief financial officer for both the Raiders and the Green Bay Packers. He spent seven of the past eight seasons in Seattle working with the salary cap and negotiating contracts.

But he said he has been breaking down film and grading players for years, since his playing days between 1976 and 1983 when he tried to figure out if he would make the team. He had been helping the Seahawks evaluate and grade film, and Seattle general manager Tim Ruskell called this a natural move for Reinfeldt.

Reinfeldt said the Titans likely will bring in a salary cap expert, and more personnel changes are likely in a department where Rich Snead, director of player personnel, and Mike Ackerley, director of college scouting, both interviewed for general manager.

Reinfeldt also has the title of executive vice president, which Reese also held, and Underwood said Reinfeldt will have the same power as general manager.

"Mike will work with Jeff," Underwood said. "We'll have a collaborative effort, and if we can't get consensus among ourselves, we'll go to Mr. Adams about it."