SB Nation - Kevin Vickerson

The Tennessee Titans Defensive Line At Week 11: Like a phoenix rising from the ashes of a dumpster fire

August West — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 16:53:12 -0000

CJ may carry the flag, but the defensive line carries the torch on this team.

On the way to 13 wins and the AFC's top seed in the 2008 playoffs, one unit truly defined the Tennessee Titans: (usually after that colon I'd write 'the defensive line' like it held some sort of impact or suspense, but come on, you read the title of the post). Last year's defensive line was a nearly mythical beast -- like half Deacon Jones, half El Chupacabra, and half Manbearpig -- that relentlessly harassed offenses and disrupted any game plan that couldn't be executed in 2.3 seconds. Mothers of quarterbacks and offensive linemen cried when they would discover heir husky pride and joys would have to face Big Albert and the gang the next week. It was defense so good it bordered on sexy sometimes.

Well, that collection of talent was squandered in the playoffs, and the most dynamic talent on the line cashed in on a rebuilt image for a pile of monopoly money soaking in the Potomac Basin. With Albert gone and coordinator Jim Schwartz headed to Detroit there was much speculation as to how, yet little doubt if, the defensive line could come close to making the impact they had the year before. Sure Albert is gone, we said, but this unit was always a big rotation and that depth would be the key. Jason Jones grew into a beast at the end of last season, and the ends will be better than ever!

Cut to week 6 of 2009 and we’re all feeling a little foolish after an 0-6 start and an especially emasculating 0-59 loss to the Patriots...

The D-line struggled with a pile of injuries (Jones, Ford) and disappearing acts by veterans so beloved they had nicknames (Boom King, The Freak). Efforts to blitz and use the safeties aggressively, combined with injuries to Cortland Finnegan and Vincent Fuller, resulted in a line that couldn’t penetrate and a secondary that couldn’t cover.

Looking at the last three games, however, one that same defensive line has combined with a healthy secondary to give us a glimpse of the defense we expected at the beginning of the year. Where as a few weeks ago Tony Brown looked like the only D-lineman who did a lick of work in the off-season, we’re now looking at massive strides being made by MCM favorite Jacob Ford, self-made starter William Hayes, rookie Sen’Derrick Marks and a healthy Jason Jones. The deep rotation is also benefiting from improved play by Boom King and newcomer Jovan Haye, along with the reliable (if unspectacular) contributions of Dave Ball and Kevin Vickerson.

What has this improved play wrought? Do 10 sacks in 3 games sound better 11 in 6 games? You bet it does. Well, how about forcing 8 turnovers in 3 games (most due to pressure) after we only got 8 in the previous 6?

What about a sack rate that’s better than the vaunted Colts D-line? I mean hell, that’s all their DE’s do is play the pass.

We have the best RB in the league right now, and Vince Young is a walking headline no matter what he does, but anyone who overlooks the improvement Chuck Cecil and Jim Washburn have gotten out of the line does so at their own peril. The pressure has helped cover for our horrendous safety play, and they don’t waste their opportunities when Cecil dials-up the blitz.

Are they back to where they were in 2008? Of course not; the 2008 defensive line was a rare collection of talent, but this group is showing signs of turning into something special all the same.

So lets debate Vince Young over 600 comments in a troll call, and lets vote Chris Johnson into the Pro Bowl until he gets more votes than most presidents. But just remember: it’s going to be the success or failure of Tony Brown, Williams Hayes, Kyle Vanden Bosch, Jason Jones and Jacob Ford that decide if we’re watching a miracle or just a nifty turnaround.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Tennessee Titans Run Defense

John B — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 13:57:42 -0000

More photos » by Tim Larsen - AP

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When they handed the Titans their first loss a year ago, the Jets ran for 192 yards against a defense that included Albert Haynesworth. This could be the game for the Jets' rushing attack to get on track. The numbers don't look terrible, but New York has had problems running the ball early in games. Defenses have stacked the box against Mark Sanchez.

Tennessee's Cover 2 scheme calls for safeties to play deep to prevent the big play. We may see 8 up front at some points, but I would guess this will be less than New England and Houston used. It is going to come down to execution. Can the Jets offensive line control the point of attack to give Thomas Jones and Leon Washington room?

As we discussed in the passing matchup preview, the Titans rotate heavily on the defensive line. We'll see Kyle Vanden Bosch and David Ball at one defensive end spot. Jevon Kearse, Jacob Ford, and William Hayes at the other. Tony Brown, Kevin Vickerson, Jason Jones, and Jovan Haye will line up in the middle at tackle.

I can see the Jets having a lot of success on the ground. In a system like this, defensive linemen are usually small, particularly at end. Since there's not a ton of blitzing, teams sacrifice size for speed. Linemen are solely responsible for generating pressure. That means there could be issues against a power run attack with a big offensive line. On the left side, where Kearse and Ford will be, the Titans will reguarly be giving 60 pounds to Damien Woody. That's also the side David Thornton will line up at linebacker. Thornton is a good player, but I'd rather run at him than standout Keith Bullock on the other side. Stephen Tulloch will play the middle. It will be a typical Jets run attack. Alan Faneca will pull to the right side. Can the Titans stop it? If not, they will definitely have to put an eighth in the box, and Mark Sanchez has shown the ability to beat those fronts.

I would like to see more Tony Richardson this week. Against the Pats, there were a lot of three receiver sets early. That doesn't make a ton of sense to me. Jerricho Cotchery and Chansi Stuckey are the only receivers with receptions. Get the best lead blocker in the game into the action.

New York Jets Pass Offense vs. Tennessee Titans Pass Defense

John B — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 12:00:21 -0000

More photos » by Nick Wass - AP

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Last season, the Jets went into Nashville and crushed the Titans in no small measure due to a huge day by Brett Favre. Operating out of spread sets, Favre picked Tennessee's vaunted defense, neutralizing its pass rush by consistently getting the ball out quickly and finding an open target. The strategy will be a bit different this time around with a rookie quarterback. We won't see complicated looks. The Jets have featured a scaled back playbook in the first two weeks. How can you tell? Only two receivers, one tight end, and one running back have as many as 2 receptions. The featured targets have done a great job getting open, and Mark Sanchez has been very accurate, making good decisions.

In some ways, the Titans will not be as difficult of a challenge as the Texans and Pats presented. Tennessee's Cover 2 scheme relies more on execution than aggressively attacking the opposing quarterback with exotic fronts. For the Titans, what you see is generally what you get, a lot of four man rushes. Albert Haynesworth is gone, but the unit has a lot of talent and rotates linemen a lot. Javon Kearse and Kyle Vanden Bosch will start at end, while we'll see Jacob Ford, William Hayes, and former Jet David Ball behind them. Tony Brown, Jason Jones, Jovan Haye, and Kevin Vickerson will line up at tackle. There are a lot of talented pass rushers from this group.

Although they will not have as many perplexing fronts as the Texans and Pats did, the Titans have the best secondary the Jets have faced this season. Cortland Finnegan is a Pro Bowl cover corner. After a rough week against Andre Johnson, he'll have plenty of motivation. I would expect to see plenty of man coverage on Jerricho Cotchery.

Nick Harper mans the other corner spot. The Titans play a ton of zone, which is where Harper is best. This is an area Chansi Stuckey should be able to find some room to work. He has been great at breaking off his routes and finding an opening. If the offensive line can protect Sanchez, Stuckey could have a big day finding holes in the zone. Ditto Dustin Keller working the seam against the linebacker corp of David Thornton, Stephen Tullock, and Keith Brooking.

If you're waiting for David Clowney to have his breakout week, it probably won't be this one. Cover 2 means the two safeties play deep to guard against vertical routes, and the Titans have a pair of really good ones in Chris Hope and Michael Griffin.

It all depends on the men up front. The Jets have been able to keep Sanchez upright the first two weeks. If he has time, he can do damage. I won't expect a game as big as Favre had last season, but there are areas the Jets can exploit the Titans with Stuckey and Keller in particular.

My Final Prediction of the Tennessee Titans 53 Man Roster

Jimmy — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 16:13:32 -0000

by John Russell - AP

Some tough decisions ahead for this man. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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This was the toughest one yet. The Titans have until tomorrow at 4 p.m. to be down to 53.

53 Man Prediction (new editions in italics)

Kerry Collins, Vince Young (2)

Chris Johnson, LenDale White, Javon Ringer, Ahmard Hall, Quinton Ganther (5)

Nate Washington, Justin Gage, Kenny Britt, Lavelle Hawkins, Dominique Edison, Mark Jones (6)

Alge Crumpler, Bo Scaife, Jared Cook, Craig Stevens (4)

Michael Roos, Jake Scott, Kevin Mawae, Eugene Amano, David Stewart, Leroy Harris, Mike Otto, Troy Kropog (8)

Kyle Vanden Bosch, Jevon Kearse, Jacob Ford, William Hayes, Dave Ball (5)

Tony Brown, Jovan Haye, Jason Jones, Sen'Derrick Marks, Kevin Vickerson (5)

Keith Bulluck, Stephen Tulloch, David Thornton, Gerald McRath, Stanford Keglar, Colin Allred (6)

Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Ryan Mouton, Tuff Harris, DeMarcus Faggins (5)

Michael Griffin, Chris Hope, Vincent Fuller, Donnie Nickey (4)

Rob Bironas, Craig Hentrich, Ken Amato (3)

There are no doubt some tough calls on this one. The last edition had Cary Williams, Jason McCourty (who they will add to the practice squad) and Ryan Fowler.

Tennessee Titans 27 Tampa Bay Buccaneers 20 Recap: All Aboard the Kenny Britt Train

Jimmy — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 04:13:29 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Mike Reinfeldt and Jeff Fisher celebrated the same way after the game thinking about the '09 draft class. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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Did anyone else think Chuck Cecil was about to run out on the field and show Ed Hochuli what an unnecessary roughness penalty looked like? That call against Kevin Vickerson was absolute crap.

We will start with the good news from the starters: The first team defense has looked great for two straight weeks. They are flying all over the place and making plays. It is waaaay to early to declare that the loss of Albert Haynesworth isn't that big of a deal, but this unit is well on their way to being just as good as they were last season.

The bad from tonight was the first team offense. We did not see any of the sharpness from the passing game that we saw last week. Kerry Collins underthrew a deep ball to Nate Washington in the end zone and had another fluky interception.

The first team line was not able to open any holes for Chris Johnson tonight. They finally got on track at the end of their time on the field last season but weren't able to do that tonight. I am not overly concerned about that though because it is still really, really early, but it would be nice to see them get on track next week.

Some love for VY after the jump.

Vince Young came back from his poor outing last week and looked solid. He just looked like he was feeling good in the pocket. I didn't see the happy feet that I saw last week. VY made a nice decision on a screen pass that was blown up to throw the ball away, tucked the ball and ran when it was there, and kept the play alive on the TD strike to Kenny Britt. That is the VY we saw his rookie season.

Speaking of Britt, he was very impressive tonight. It is always good to see a receiver take a big hit and hang on to the ball. Hopefully he will continue to shine in this preseason and prove to the coaching staff he deserves to be on the field.

A few additional random thoughts:

Jevon Kearse was wreaking some havoc tonight. That was good to see.
William Hayes and Dave Ball also spent a lot of time in the backfield. The Titans have a deep group of defensive lineman.
Did I mention the call on Vickerson was crap?
Jared Cook is going to be a stud.
Cory Curtis got way to excited about the TD pass to Britt.
I like Javon Ringer.
Ryan Mouton is not the answer in the return game, but the pick 6 was awesome.
You gotta love seeing 3 touchdowns put up by rookies!
The Bucs have a guy named Stylez White on their roster.

Overall it was another fun night of Titans football. While the first team offense didn't look as good as they did last week, the first team defense was impressive again and the back end of the roster was impressive. You cannot ask for much more from a preseason game.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: The Exodus Is Here, The Happy Ones Are Near Edition

August West — Fri, 07 Aug 2009 14:10:36 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Michael Griffin is a bad, bad man. Just ask anyone unfortunate enough to come across the middle.

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Kenny Britt won't see the field against the Bills this Sunday, but he is expected to finally practice this afternoon!

By all reports (including the great series of camp recaps hal has going) Nate Washington is killing it in practice. It's yet another sign of just how hard the former undrafted free agent works on a daily basis to maximize his physical gifts, and that work ethic will get him major brownie points from this coaching staff.

Chuck Cecil (take that, Gramsey!) is keeping a tight lip about any changes to the defensive scheme or tendencies so far. Here's a great quote from Kearse:

"When you are dealing with Chuck Cecil you are talking about violence. Some of the young guys don't know about Chuck, but I remember,''

This week's Friday Jam is a dedication to John Hughes, who passed away yesterday at the age of 59. It's a stellar mash-up of his movies set to the Who's Teenage Wasteland. I honestly got a little choked-up at parts. That man made some effin' great movies.

Follow us through the jump for a ton more links!

Kevin Vickerson's weight loss and stellar fill-in play last season may not be enough to earn a job thanks to a ridiculous numbers crunch on the entire defensive line unit. The same is true for highly touted undrafted free agent Mitch King. You have to love this kind of stuff from coach Washburn:

If you start counting numbers, there might be 11 guys [in camp with us on the D-line spot] who can be on somebody's 53-man roster.

On that note, here's an interview Mitch King did for theHawkEye.com.

Though there are Hall of Famers who punted, there isn't a single HOFer who was solely a punter. Here Craig Hentrich talks about why that is, and what it might take to change the line of thinking that's keeping these great players out.

Cary Williams is going a long way towards alleviating the concerns about depth at CB with his play in camp.

Peter King, you slay me:

If I were a football fan, I'd be worried about the NFL season in 2011.

Glad to see you have nothing to worry about, then.

I don't even know what to make of this... is there actually anyone opposed to honoring Steve McNair all season? If you're one of those folks, just click here.

If there's anything you would like to share with the MCM community, please take advantage of the comments, fanshots and fanposts to do so! Or, you can always email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Twitter Beatdown Edition

August West — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 13:53:57 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

When Bud Adams started the Oilers in 1960, the US had just launched its very first weather satellite. Now his people have to make policies regarding things like Twitter and Ustream.

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Tony Brown is preparing for his first season without Albert Haynesworth next to him since the former undrafted free agent broke through in 2006, and many around the Titans say Brown could have a break-out year as a result.

It pretty much goes without saying that whomever wins the no. 3 spot in the RB rotation will be expected to be a key player on special teams as well. It was that shortcoming which led to Chris Henry being inactive for all but one game last year.

Apparently Paul Kuharsky's Facebook page isn't exactly stocked with MENSA members, and the dimmer of the group had plenty to say about VY's comments in Esquire. Once again, why people want the guy to strive for mediocre I will never understand.

Follow us through the jump to find out what Jeff Fisher is telling the players about Twitter and Ustream...

Kevin Vickerson lost 30 pounds compared to his playing weight last year, and now tips the scales at 305 lbs.

The Tennessean breaksdown Kenny Britt's surpassingly palatable contract, which is good for up to $12 million over 5 years.

Amid rumors of a Twitter lockdown that's coming, and a precipitous fall in online activity yesterday by Bulluck, LenDale and CJ, we finally have a little bit of an idea what players have been told so far about the popular online service:

"Basically (Fisher) has said you just have to watch what you do, telling people where you are and this that and the other," Bulluck said. "He said it more for our protection, not to be a jerk or anything like that. He wants to protect his players, protect his team and keep everything inside the locker room.

"I know he is going to address it again. But what can he do? What are you going to do, get fined for every character you put in the Twitt? I don't know what he is going to do, and I don't feel as if anything I do on it affects this team directly. Anything I do is just an outreach to the fans and so on and so forth. I am very general with mine.''

Terry McCormick takes a look at Bud Adams' 50 years as an NFL owner... expect stories like this to just keep rolling in this year.

Titansonline.com has a great write-up on Safety, Tuff Harris, who grew up on a Crow Indian Reservation around Long Grass, Montana. That's not exactly the typical backdrop for an NFL success story.

State of the Tennessee Titans Roster: Defensive Tackle

Jimmy — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 18:48:27 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

I bet Albert never had to do this! (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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Pretty safe to say that defensive tackle will be the most watched position on this team in 2009. In case you haven't heard, the Titanslost the best defensive tackle in the league this offseason. There is no question that there isn't a player in this group that is as good as Albert Haynesworth, but I really do believe that Jim Washburn can take this group and get their play as a whole be better than the DT play as a whole in 2008.

Tony Brownis the incumbent starter. He is one of those guys that Washburn has pushed the right buttons to make him realize his potential. He is a run stuffer who can get after the passer a little bit and has some nice dance moves, but in all seriousness, he is a valuable asset to this rotation.

Jovan Hayeis currently listed as the starter at LDT. I am very interested to see what the Titans will get out of Haye. He is a hometown boy, playing his college ball at Vanderbilt, and had a very good season in 2007 when he recorded 6 sacks with Tampa. Haye followed that up with a 0 sack performance last season, so it remains to be determined what type of player he really is.

Jason Jones is the guy that most of us expect to emerge as a start. He showed flashes of being really good, especially in his 3.5 sack, 3 forced fumble performance against the Steelers last season, but it remains to be seen if he can be a steady performer over the course of a 16 game season.

The other unknown is 2nd round pick Sen'Derrick Marks. Marks showed a lot of upside in his career at Auburn, and if history has taught us anything it is that Wash can coach up a guy like that. It will be exciting to watch his progression through camp and into the season.

Kevin Vickerson is coming off a decently productive season and should continue to improve this season. He is a solid role player to add depth to this group.

Then there is the object of shake's affection, Mitch King. King put up some really good numbers in college ~~as a defensive end~~. He listed as a DT on the current depth chart. He will have to put on some weight to play at that position. If he is able to do that he will probably make a strong push to make the roster.

The Titans Five Biggest Defensive Questions Heading Into 2009

Jimmy — Fri, 01 May 2009 19:20:46 -0000

More photos » by Alex Brandon - AP

Who you think gonna replace me?(AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

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Now that free agency and the draft have ended, we can start to take a look at the 2009 version of the Tennessee Titans. Today we will look at the five biggest defensive questions for 2009.

1. How will the rotation replace the loss of Albert Haynesworth?

No one player is going to be expected to replace Albert. It will be done by the rotation. The question is how good is the rotation?

They know what they have in Tony Brown. He is a space eater that can get after the quarterback a little. Jason Jones excited us last year with his solid play early and stand-out game against the Towel Boys. He played defensive end in college so he is more of a pass rusher. Sen'Derrick Marks is probably the most athletic of the bunch and should be able to get after the passer. Jovan Haye is the wild card. He had 6 sacks in 2007 but 0 in 2008. Let's hope we get the '07 version. Kevin Vickerson, at the back end of the rotation, is a space eater that seemed to make huge strides last season (minus the performance enhancing drug suspension).

Obviously the Titans are hoping for the whole to be greater than the sum of the parts. The odds are it will be with Jim Washburn guiding the ship.

2. Who will step up to be the #3 corner?

Most of us would have liked the Titans to take a corner before the end of the 3rd round in this draft after losing so many corners in the offseason. They didn't, so that leaves a huge question in my mind. The Titans did sign DeMarcus Faggins in the offseason, and he is a nice player for depth purposes, but I am not going to feel really good if he has to be on the field for any extended period of time.

They obviously saw a lot of potential in Ryan Mouton, but he appears to be a project at best. I doubt he will be ready to step in and play if Cortland Finnegan or Nick Harper go down.

Cary Williams? Jason McCourty? That just isn't change I can believe in yet.

3. How much different will the defensive scheme look with Chuck Cecil at the helm?

The honest answer here is no one really knows. Jim Schwartz took a very statistical approach to the scheme (Think Moneyball meets the NFL). There weren't a lot of "risky" blitzes, and the secondary sat in zone coverage for the most part. I expect things to be different with Cecil calling the shots. We all know he played hard nosed football 100% of the time, so I just don't see him sitting around waiting for the other team to make a mistake like Schwartzy did. Of course we won't know how he will call games until they take the field at Towel Boy Stadium on opening night.

4. Is there a quality linebacker on the roster behind Keith Bulluck and David Thornton?

Bulluck will be 32 and Thornton will be 30 when the season starts, so the odds of both of them staying healthy for the whole season are not very good. (Not to mention the looming free agency for Bulluck) The Titans have not spent a high pick on a LB since they took Bulluck in the first round in 2000. This could be the year we find out if any of them are going to be quality NFL players.

5. Will the defensive ends hold up for the whole season?

Just as with the linebackers, the starting defensive ends on this team aren't getting any younger. Add to that the fact that Kyle Vanden Bosch missed most of last season with a groin injury and Jevon Kearse isn't exactly the Cal Ripken Jr. of football, and you can see why the depth question is important here. The front office obviously felt good about the sport since they didn't spend a draft pick on an end for the first time since the Lincoln Administration. It is easy to see why the would be comfortable with the depth when you look at the production they got from Dave Ball and Jacob Ford last season. Combine that with the portential they see in William Hayes, and they seem pretty set. The question then becomes how well those depth guys would play in expanded roles.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Oh The Joys Of A Bye Week Edition

August West — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 15:11:14 -0000

A message from MCM to Crazy Legs: We Titans fans love you and want you to get the accolades you deserve, but ROY is definitely not one you deserve. What Matt Ryan did was harder than what you did, and you're making yourself look like an idiot with statements like this. Just drop it, please.

Maybe Crazy Legs should ask Jeff Fisher what it's like to have a great year which defies all expectations, but have that legitimately not be enough to win the appropriate reward.

Boom King and Haynesworth are getting closer to being healthy, and i just heard Jeff FIsher say on 104.5 The Fan that they would be back on the practice field next week - though he declined to say what day.

It's a tense waiting game over the next few days as Titans players and coaches wait to see who will be at LP Field next week. No matter who makes it, our boys are going to have to be ready to play a talented team who's very familiar with out team and scheme.

In order to keep guys sharp and working with their head on a swivel, Fisher had them practice yesterday in full pads (which has been a rarity this season).

Intrepid reader Joy Kat points us towards this article, where-in the Titans opine their short playoff stay last year and look for more time in the post-season this year.

Kevin Vickerson is coming back off of his suspension, and the Titans have until next week to clear a roster spot for him if the want to. I honestly have no idea if he'll be back, or if he'll get buried behind other options like Chris Henry did after his suspension last year.

People who say the Titans don't have enough playoff experience are ill-informed and obviously don't know what players are actually on the roster.

Happy Birthday to Titans starting QB Kerry Collins, who turned 36 on Tuesday.

So is Chad Pennington the official NFL Comeback Kid now?

On a more selfish note, Nick Harper isn't getting any younger and I think we're all aware of his declining (to be nice) man-to-man coverage skills. With that in mind, perhaps we should look at CB early in the draft, and there's one right here in town that just might fit the bill...

I know you good people are reading more great articles than I can track down each day, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com! (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)