NASHVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Titans have kicked their youth movement into high gear with rookie Zach Mettenberger starting at quarterback against the Houston Texans on Sunday.Jake Locker has missed three of the past four games with injuries, and coach Ken Whisenhunt said Thursday that the decision to go with Mettenberger was made Tuesday. The coach said this is an opportunity to see what the sixth-round draft pick out of LSU can do with the Titans struggling at 2-5.No question hes a talented, young player, and maybe itll give us a spark, Whisenhunt said. Offensively, we havent exactly been lighting it up, so thats part of it in consideration.Whisenhunt waited to announce the change to make sure Locker — who has been sidelined with an injured thumb — is healthy enough to back up Mettenberger. The coach also was trying to buy a day to slow down the Texans preparation for the rookie. The shake-up dropped Charlie Whitehurst, who started three of the past four games with the Titans losing two of those, to third on the depth chart.Mounting losses and injuries seemed to make the change inevitable.The Titans had stuck with Locker, the eighth pick overall in 2011, since hiring Whisenhunt in January. But Locker has missed 17 of a possible 39 starts and finished only three games this season because of injuries.Mettenberger will become the fourth rookie quarterback to start in the NFL this season, the third quarterback for Whisenhunt. The Titans already are starting left tackle Taylor Lewan, linebacker Avery Williamson and running back Bishop Sankey with Mettenberger the fourth of six draft picks to start this season.The quarterback dropped to the sixth round after tearing his left ACL on Nov. 29 playing for LSU but led the NFL this preseason with 659 yards passing. The rookie shaved the beard he started growing during training camp after practice just before talking to reporters.By no means am I a Tom Brady or a Peyton Manning, Mettenberger said as he leaned back against his locker. This is going to be my first game, so really I just got to get the ball out of my hands quick, avoid turnovers and put the ball in the (hands of) guys who can make plays for us. Really thats the biggest thing a young guys got to do.Whisenhunt had promised he would be more patient with quarterbacks in his second time around as a head coach. He reached the 2009 Super Bowl in Arizona with Kurt Warner, but the coach cycled through quarterbacks after the veteran left. Whisenhunt started Kevin Kolb, John Skelton, Ryan Lindley and finally Brian Hoyer in his final season in 2012.Once in Tennessee, he inherited Locker who was coming off a Lisfranc injury to his right foot that cost him the final seven games of the 2013 season. The Titans did not pick up Lockers option for 2015 in May, even as they stood behind him as their starter.But Locker hurt his right wrist in a loss at Cincinnati on Sept. 21. He missed a loss at Indianapolis and then started Oct. 5 against Cleveland where he threw for a touchdown and ran for another TD before hurting his right thumb on a helmet.I understood after last year I didnt know kind of how it would go and coming into this year they gave me an opportunity, Locker said. I havent been in. I havent played. Thats been kind of one of those things that Ive dealt with throughout my career, and I imagine it has something to do with that.Fans have been clamouring to see Mettenberger with the Titans losing five of their last six. This franchise also needs to give people a reason to use their tickets and come to the stadium where they have won only two of their last nine home games.Mettenberger fits the profile of the quarterback Whisenhunt has had the most success with: Pittsburghs Ben Roethlisberger. Mettenberger is 6-foot-5 and 224 pounds who can stand in the pocket, and he has a strong arm throwing for 3,082 yards last season at LSU. With Lockers injured thumb, Mettenberger also had taken some practice work with the starters over the past two weeks.He will be the first rookie this franchise has started since 2010. Rusty Smith started at Houston after Vince Young was placed on injured reserve and veteran Kerry Collins was hurt. Smith and the Titans lost 20-0.___Online:AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org and www.twitter.com/AP_NFL___Follow Teresa M. Walker at www.twitter.com/teresamwalker Swell Flasche Kaufen Schweiz . Lack made 20 saves for his third shutout of the season as the Canucks blanked the St. Louis Blues 1-0 in the first post-Olympic game for both teams night. Swell Flasche Marmor . A 19-game winner with the New York Yankees in both 2006 and 2007, Wang spent most of this year at Triple-A for the Yankees and Blue Jays. The 33-year-old right-hander was 1-2 with a 7. http://www.swelltrinkflascheschweiz.com/. The CFL will help tackle womens cancers by playing four special "CFL PINK" games this weekend. Swell Flasche Bestellen . Hemsky left the Oilers Tuesday night loss to the Dallas Stars in the second period and did not return. Through 48 games this season, Hemsky has seven goals and a total of 24 points. Swell Flasche Größe . You can see all the action on TSN2 beginning at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt. Chicago won two of three games during its stay at the United Center. The club began the homestand with a 5-1 win over Pittsburgh on March 1 and fell to Colorado on Tuesday before posting another blowout win in Thursdays tilt against Columbus. MOSCOW -- Former Grand Slam champions Ana Ivanovic and Samantha Stosur made the Kremlin Cup quarterfinals with straight-sets victories on Thursday to set up a rematch of last years semifinal. The former top-ranked Ivanovic beat Klara Zakopalova of the Czech Republic 6-3, 6-1, while 2011 U.S. Open winner Stosur extended her winning streak to seven matches by beating Alize Cornet of France 6-4, 6-1 in the second round. Meanwhile, mens top seed Richard Gasquet, making his debut in Moscow, advanced to the quarterfinals with a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory over Evgeny Donskoy of Russia. The fourth-seeded Ivanovic led 5-0 in the first set, traded early breaks in the second and rolled the rest of the way. "It wasnt an easy match for me," Ivanovic said. "I really started well. But shes a tough player and the second set was much tougher that the scoreline indicates. But I added power in the important moments and was very pleased to win." On Sunday, former French Open champion Ivanovic lost to Angelique Kerber of Germany in the final in Linz -- her first appearance in a final since winning her 11th title in Bali in 2011. Stosur, who won her second title of the season last Sunday in Osaka, won five consecutive games to win the first set and go 2-0 up in the second. "I did what I had to do," Stosur said. "I made her play more balls when I had a chance to attack deep, so overall it was a pretty solidd match.dddddddddddd" Stosur rallied to beat Ivanovic in the semifinals last year before falling to Caroline Wozniacki in the final. "It was a very tough match. She plays differently than lots of other girls. She has lot of kick, a lot of power," Ivanovic said of that match and Stosur. "This year we are meeting a little bit earlier and I really hope I can avenge that loss." Gasquet, who suffered an early exit at Shanghai last week and dropped to 10th in the rankings, hampering his chances of qualifying for the ATP Finals in London next month, was pushed hard by the unheralded Russian. Gasquet broke twice in the first set, but Donskoy won the second with a break midway through. Gasquet won five consecutive games in the decider and closed the match on his second match point. "I wasnt playing good enough in the second set," Gasquet said. "But I have experience. I just added power in the beginning of the third and I managed to break him for a 3-0 lead and that made the difference. I began to play with confidence. It was a good win." Gasquet is chasing fellow Frenchman Jo-Wilfried Tsonga for the eighth and final spot in London. Earlier, veteran Ivo Karlovic landed 16 aces to eliminate fifth-seeded Denis Istomin of Uzbekistan 6-3, 6-7 (10), 7-6 (6), while qualifier Mikhail Kukushkin of Kazakhstan defeated fourth-seeded Alexandr Dolgopolov of Ukraine 6-4, 6-4. ' ' '