White is vowing to do something about that as he enters the final season of his rookie contract. A noticeably slimmer White reported for the Titans offseason work at 238 pounds, and even revealed he weighed 261 pounds when he ran for an 80-yard touchdown last October against the Kansas City Chiefs.

"I'll let y'all keep guessing how much exactly I weigh," said White, who has indicated he would like to play at around 240 this season. "It's just about trying to make my body look the way I want it to look. I've always been a big guy. They say I'm out of shape and all this and that, but I was 230 pounds as a senior in high school. I've been up to 265 before, too. I went 80 yards last year at 261."

White said losing the extra weight has put less pounding on his knees.

"I don't really care if I have an ab or not. I know how much I weigh, and I know when I go out there and I run now, how my knees feel. I know how I feel when I wake up in the morning and everything like that. I feel amazing," White said.

White rushed for 773 yards and 15 touchdowns last year after being relegated to the No. 2 role behind rookie Chris Johnson. It didn't help his cause for a long-term extension that Tennessee picked rookie Javon Ringer of Michigan State in the fifth round of the draft last month. But White said he welcomes any sort of competition.

"This is for ESPN. This is for everybody. I don't care if I was on San Diego's team, New England, any team, you can go get anybody. You can go get Emmitt Smith. You can go get anyone, I will never run from competition," White said. "I never have and I never will. You can ask Reggie Bush. You can ask Chris Johnson.

"Y'all go get anyone in America. I will never run from no competition. I don't care who it is. Barry Sanders, the great. Deion Sanders, 'Primetime' if I was a cornerback."

Of course, the skeptics point to the fact that White is in a contract year and needs to prove that he is past such things as weight and commitment issues. But White insists that that is not the case.

"I'd definitely like to be a high-paid guy," White said. "But my whole intention wasn't to come in this year saying, 'This is my contract year. I have to get better.' I want to be a Tennessee Titan. This is where I want to be for the rest of my career. This is what I want to do."

Titans coach Jeff Fisher seems pleased with White's improved dedication and is eager to see how the competition at running back unfolds with Johnson, White, Ringer, Rafael Little and Chris Henry all in the mix.

"Every year, every single offseason, if you're doing the right thing, you're creating competition," Fisher said. "And the running back position in particular is an important position for us and for everybody around the league. He reported to the offseason program significantly lighter than he has in previous years."