SB Nation - Jake Scott

Colts v. Cardinals Game Review: Putting the Pieces Together

Colts Homer — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 15:09:14 -0000

More photos » by Ross D. Franklin - AP

2 months ago: After making a catch, Indianapolis Colts' Pierre Garcon, left, tangles with Arizona Cardinals' Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game Sunday, Sept. 27, 2009 in Glendale, Ariz. Both received penalties on the play. The Colts defeated the Cardinals 31-10. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)

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This was a fun game. My favorite games are the ones when you know that your team is going to win throughout the entire game, and it makes it even better since I didn't think that the Colts would be able to beat the Cardinals with all of the things stacked up against them (No Brackett, Hayden, Gonzalez or Sanders, short week, tired defense, etc.). The Colts had a lot of adversity for this game. They even made the Colts underdogs. That's unbelievable. Obviously, the Vegas people aren't going to make that mistake again. Right now the Colts are probably going to be favored by double digits for the Seahawks game. I'm very happy that they're back playing on Sunday afternoons. I know that it is better for the Colts fans outside of the Midwest, but I'm a greedy person and I enjoy sleeping. The analysis is below.

QBs-Peyton Manning is unbelievable. He has lost two of his top three receivers from 2008, and he is better than ever. Besides Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark, his other top receivers are a second-year player out of D3 Mount Union and a rookie out of BYU. Most QBs wouldn't be able to make that work. Peyton does. The Brady v. Manning debate is on hold. We are seeing what Peyton does with only two top targets and a bad right side of the line. Peyton is second in the league in passing touchdowns and passing yards. If we are going to be making early predictions, I'll say that number 4 is not out of the stretch of the imagination. After the Saints start to look human, Manning will emerge past the Brees hoopla. Bursa sacs were holding Manning back.

The rest is after the jump.

RBs-This was a huge concern of us all after the Chargers loss. It was clear that Addai-Rhodes was not going to cut it. Rhodes was a decent back but nothing special and Addai was always banged up. Fast forward 8 and a half months, and the running attack is lethal. Addai is amazingly consistent. On first down he seems to always get 5 or 6 yards at least. Joseph Addai has come back with a vengeance. He is proving haters wrong and he is looking like the Addai of old. And then there's Donald. Donald Brown looks like a future star. There is no questioning this draft pick now. Brown is very explosive when he gets in the open field. That 70 yard reception was brilliant! He breaks tackles which honestly surprised me as I thought that wasn't going to be a part of his game. For people wondering why he isn't starting right now, look at the differences pre-snap with him in the game. On multiple occasions Sunday night Brown had to be moved around by Peyton to get into position. Once Brown gets a hold of the playbook he will be the main back.

WRs/TEs-This is why Polian is a future Hall of Famer. Somehow he found Pierre Garcon out of Mount Union. Mount Union plays in a nearly century old football stadium that seats 5,000. Mount Union is a dynasty, but the fact that Polian found this diamond in the rough just shows his genius. Garcon is emerging as a great third receiver. He's very explosive, and to say he is a big play threat is an understatement. My guess is that once Anthony Gonzalez returns they will continue to give Garcon playing time on the outside with Gonzalez in the slot. That's why he didn't take Hakeem Nicks or Kenny Britt. Austin Collie has become a nice receiver. He's not the Stokley big play threat yet, but he has good hands and can get the first down. On third down, going to Collie is a great idea. He plays smart and he knows where the first down line is. Garcon is the better receiver right now, but Collie definitely has a future on this team. Reggie Wayne is also pretty good I've heard. He's leading the league in receiving yards right now and he makes the most ridiculous plays. He's working his way onto the All-Pro team. Speaking of All-Pros, Dallas Clark is the best tight end in the league. He's left John Carlson, Jason Witten, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez in the dust. Clark is reaching his prime, and I would not be surprised to see a nice 1,000 yard, 10 touchdown season out of him. Once Gonzalez gets back, Clark is going to be even tougher to guard. Peyton has the weapons to win yet another MVP.

OL-Left side good, right side bad. That's the best way to describe this line. You could use better grammar, but that is as simple as it gets. Charlie Johnson has been a pleasant surprise and has proven doubters like me wrong. He's a good run blocker and so far he hasn't given up a sack this season. Ryan Lilja is reminding us on why he got that contract instead of Jake Scott. Lilja is a great run blocker. Running to the left side is better than ever with Lilja back. He's a sleeper for the Pro Bowl this year. Saturday is Saturday. He's been great this year and he did well last night. No one is doubting him. The right side is getting ugly. Whenever a former 2nd round pick is rotating with a former center that most recently was seen with the Boise Burn of af2, it's a bad sign for that former first day pick. When that former 2nd round pick is in his second year, it's embarrassing. Kyle DeVan is a good player and there is a reason why he is still with the team, but Pollak was a second round pick. He's not good at all. His play resulted in the interception, and he is clueless on the stretch play. Pollak is a liability, and Diem isn't much better. Running to the right is a death sentence for the drive. There is absolutely no blocking at all. This is the biggest need going into the 2010 draft. I'm perfectly content with Charlie Johnson starting at left tackle down the line, but I do not want Ryan Diem. I would support them moving Ugoh to the right tackle position and grooming him into a future starting job.

DL-Talk about a nice recovery. Against Miami the defensive line was pretty bad. Obviously Dwight Freeney played well in Miami, but no one else really did. Ed Johnson looked lost (and high), and Antonio Johnson was always getting pushed off the line. On Sunday night, I was almost sure that Big Ed was starting in the backfield. How a man that big can get off the line that fast is beyond me. Eric Foster is also becoming a nice rotation player. He played some defensive end as well as defensive tackle last night, and he did great at both positions. He is probably the best at batting down balls on the defensive line, and of course he is great at stopping the run. Antonio Johnson was not as impressive as Foster or Ed, but he didn't do anything to hurt the Colts, which is better than what we could say about the defensive tackles from 2007 and 2008. Without Dwight Freeney for the next two to three weeks, the defensive end position will be very different. As we saw Sunday night, Freeney is superhuman. On almost all 51 passes he hit Warner. He embarrassed Mike Gandy out there. With Freeney out, we will see more of Raheem Brock. Robert Mathis will take over for Freeney in the "Embarrassing Offensive Tackles" department, but there will have to be a rotation. Philip Wheeler played some defensive end Sunday night, and I have always thought that he would be a nice fit at defensive end. Throw in Keyunta Dawson and I can go two games without Freeney.

LBs-Freddy Keiaho didn't suck last night? I know, surprising. He didn't do anything terrible. I am still stunned. Everything I've seen from him would suggest that Kurt Warner would have torn him apart. Keiaho still should not be playing, but it does make Gary Brackett's injury less scary. On the outside, I am very content with Tyjuan Hagler and Clint Session. There is a reason why Hagler is starting over Wheeler, and Session has continued to play well. They are doing very well in stopping the running game. Obviously right now they are no David Thornton or Marcus Washington, but I feel fine with them back there. Jordan Senn did not impress me at all last night. If they have to play a backup linebacker, I would prefer to see Ramon Humber.

DBs-Once Kelvin Hayden and Bob Sanders get back, this will be the best secondary in the league. Jerraud Powers didn't play as well last night as he did against Jacksonville, but he is still the future of the cornerback position along with Hayden. Marlin Jackson did well as the nickelback last night. Is he worth re-signing? I'm not sure. Without a salary cap next year, I say go ahead. It pains me to say this, but Jennings did not suck last night. I still do not want him out on the field since we've all seen what happens when he is sucking. With Hayden hopefully coming back, it won't be a problem. Jacob Lacey is becoming one of my favorite rookies. He was very clutch Sunday night. His stop at the one yard line was HUGE. The next play was the Bethea interception. If Lacey can keep it up, he will work his way into the 4th spot above Tim Jennings. At safety, Antoine Bethea has played well this year. He still isn't the Pro Bowler from his second season, but he is a very good player and a quality starter. Melvin Bullitt has always played well in place of Bobzilla, but he isn't Bob Sanders. Once this team gets Sanders back, it will be even better in pass and run defense. Hopefully Bob will practice this week.

STs-Adam Vinatieri may be losing it. He is very, very close to being 2-5 this year, and he doesn't even kick off anymore. I think that this is the last year for Vinatieri. Next year Andrus will be the kicker. Vinatieri has not looked good this year. In fact, the whole field goal unit has looked bad. The blocking is weak and Vinatieri has been weak. On the other hand, McAfee is still great. On 11 kickoffs, he has 3 touchbacks. McAfee is still punting well. He's averaging about 45 yards per kick and he has 2 kicks inside the 20 on 9 punts. The return game is as expected. Simpson cannot return kicks and Rushing is a decent punt returner.

Top 5 players from the Colts-Cardinals Game

5. Pierre Garcon: Garcon is definitely stepping up when he has to. With Marvin Harrison and Gonzalez gone, he needed to become an acceptable target for Peyton. He's gone above and beyond that. Garcon had his great touchdown where he burnt the corner, and he played well for the rest of the game too. Garcon will end up getting more targets as the year goes on.

4. Reggie Wayne: Wayne is leading the league in receiving yards at this point, and last night he made one of the best catches of his career for a touchdown. He is a big target, and he has shown that he can get it done without Marvin on the other side of the field.

3. Joseph Addai: On 13 carries he got 63 yards and he made two big catches. One was the touchdown screen and the other was when he had to extend his body to come down with a pass that easily could have been a pick. Addai is getting back into 2006 form.

2. Peyton Manning: Manning is the best QB in the league. He is a favorite for the MVP again this year, and he is on pace to throw over 35 touchdowns and 4900 yards. He's pretty good, and Sunday night was his best game so far. He is doing this without Anthony Gonzalez. WOW.

1. Dwight Freeney: Even though Peyton was phenomenal, holding a very good offense to 10 points is a great feat, and Freeney was the main reason. His constant pressure got Warner to make bad throws and it got some sacks too.

Next up, Seattle Seahawks.

The All-AFC South Roster

shake n bake — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 23:24:40 -0000

With the division "bloggers" over at ESPN.com digging into their bag of gimmicks, listing top 10 "building blocks" (players you'd choose if your goal was to contend for a title over the next 3 years) I set out to expand on their concept. Building an All-AFC South cast of starters, and now a 45 man gameday-roster that fits under the cap (with room to spare for the inactives).

QB: Still gotta have Peyton Manning (14mil), he's expensive, but the best QB in the league is worth it. On the principal that it's better to go out with a bang than a whimper my backup is the newly signed Rex Grossman (620k) In a league where Jim Sorgi, Cleo Lemon and Dan Orlosky make 1.3, 2.8 and 3.1 million a year, respectively, a QB who has had even short term success as a starter is a great deal for the league minimum.

RB: I chose MJD for the All-AFC South starters, but his new contract extension makes him 3 times more expensive than Chris Johnson or Joseph Addai, and the price of 5 Steve Slatons. MJD isn't THAT much better than the other 3, not by a longshot. So with MJD out in a cost cutting move, I'll pass up my former draft crush and the back I've fiercely defended for the last year, for Steve Slaton (552K). Slaton is the cheapest, was a better receiver than Johnson and weathered a workload that broke Addai down in 2007. The main hole is Slaton's game is as a pass blocker. Where could we find a tandem partner who can pass block? Joseph Addai (1.67mil), and I've got the cash, so let's grab all 3 starting backs still on their rookie deals, Chris Johnson (1.79mil)

WR: I was able to save on the backs, but there isn't cheap talent near the levels of Andre Johnson (7.2mil) and Reggie Wayne (6.96mil), Anthony Gonzalez is a great 3rd WR for relatively little (1.31mil), Kevin Walter (2mil) averaged 15 yards a catch while catchin 63% of his targets last year, both solidly above average.

TE: I'm all about the passing offense, meaning I'll lay down the nearly 10million for the two best TEs in the division. Dallas Clark (6.77mil), and Owen Daniels (2.79mil), A blocking TE and possible FB Gijon Robinson at the league minimum (385K) to fill out the TEs.

LT: 5.88mil isn't much to pay for my first choice of left tackles, Michael Roos. To backup I'll take a project tackle for 1.6mil, Duane Brown.

LG: My first choice of left guards comes pretty cheap at 1.2 million, Eugene Amano. Backing up will be a solid guard who can swing outside, Charlie Johnson (556K).

C: Jeff Saturday's new deal costs just 3.98mil this year. 396k for Jamey Richard, the only other center Peyton's taken real game snaps from in years.

RG: Jake Scott 4.5mil, I didn't really want to spend at guard but the cheaper options are either coming off major injuries or aren't proven. To get guard value out of this pool laying out the cash for Scott is the surest way. I'll back him up with a 16 game starter at guard last year for a vet minimum deal Mike Brisiel (460K).

RT: All four AFC South starting right tackles cost between 4 and 6 million, so I'm making a position change, Tony Ugoh (941K). Ugoh is a powerful run blocker, who would now have much less pressure on him in pass pro.

DEs: Pass Pressure is VITAL and Mario Williams comes remarkably cheap this year at 2.65million allowing for splurging on Dwight Freeney (11.2mil), and Robert Mathis (6.86mil), Dave Ball (620K) is a cheap combo of size and pass rushing ability.

DTs: A 3 man team of undersized pass rushing DTs comes pretty cheap. Tony Brown (1.4mil), Eric Foster (385k), Jason Jones (761K) For some size and massive upside I'll take Amobi Okoye to rebound for (3.12mil), and round out the DTs with Antonio Johnson for some safe league minimum (385k) beef.

LBs: Can't run a Tampa-2 without a top cover MLB, Gary Brackett (3.08mil), DeMeco Ryans is more than worth the 1.4mil price tag to slide to the strongside, on the weakside Clint Session comes dirt cheap at 552K, Xavier Adibi (498K) was a favorite prospect of mine and is working his way into the Texans lineup as a cover LB, I'll round out the LBs with some size and run D from Phillip Wheeler (546K) and Zach Diles (474K)

CB: Cortland Finnegan is an easy choice for just 3.65mil, Kelvin Hayden at 6.68mil is fine for a young talented corner. Marlin Jackson will hold down the slot for 2.76mil. For a backup Fred Bennett has great upside for only 460K

FS: Antoine Bethea or Michael Griffin? Bethea or Griffin? How about both since Bethea comes cheap (552K), Griffin isn't too expensive for a Pro Bowl safety (2.2mil) and both have played as nickel corners.

SS: Gotta have Bob. Sanders costs 6.13mil, but is an All Pro lock and DPOY threat when he makes it through a season healthy. I'll back him up with a starting caliber safety and dynamite special teamer making the slightest bit above the veteran minimum (462K) Melvin Bullitt

K: Kris Brown has nearly the leg of Bironas (my choice when money was no object), and makes half as much (1.35mil)

P: 1.25mil for Matt Turk isn't too much ... I guess.

RET: T.J. Rushing (535K) with Chris Carr out of the division, André Davis' price tag over 4 million and the Jags return games more than a TD below average with Brian Witherspoon having taken over returning from MJD, T.J. is the best bet, even with last year a lost season due to a knee injury.

Total Cap Cost: 124mil (09 cap is 128)

Thanks to Tim at BattleRedBlog for tips on a few cheap useful Texans.

AFC South "Building Block" Team

shake n bake — Sat, 13 Jun 2009 01:18:11 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

The top QB and C in the AFC South (and the league) (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

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The division "bloggers" over at ESPN.com are digging into the bag of gimmicks, listing top 10 "building blocks" (players you'd choose if your goal was to contend for a title over the next 3 years). I don't hate Kuharsky's AFC South list so instead of re-doing it I'll do an expanded version. An entire team for the AFC South. Two versions even. An All-AFC South cast of starters, and this weekend a 53 man roster that fits under the cap.

I'll be running a Colts style offense and defense, because that's what I like and it should give plausible cover for any homer picks.

QB Peyton Manning (IND) Obvious choice here. The other QBs in the division are older and inferior, barely younger and inferior, and significantly younger but fragile and inferior.

RB Maurice Jones-Drew (JAC) 4 excellent backs in the AFC South. MJD wins out over Slaton and Chris Johnson via his outstanding receiving and blocking skills, and his health (though in a lesser workload) gives him the edge over Addai

WR Andre Johnson (HOU), Reggie Wayne (IND) An easy choice again. Two perennial Pro Bowlers

TE/WR Dallas Clark (IND) A TE/WR hybrid takes the place of fullback in a league that's phasing out the brusing lead blockers. Clark is the clear choice for a TE that can play the slot or even split out wide.

TE Owen Daniels (HOU) With Clark stashed away in the hybrid role, the Texans young star TE is the clear choice coming off a 70 catch, 862 yard season.

LT: Michael Roos (TEN) Finally a bit of love for the Titans. The only clearly estabished LT in the division with Ugoh and Duane Brown young inconsistent players and the Jags using a free agent stopgap until their rookie tackles are ready.

LG:Eugene Amano (TEN) The real stars of the Titans offense were the O linemen. What else could possibly explain LenDale White being able to run for positive yardage?

C: Jeff Saturday (IND) A pair of injuries prevented Saturday from a 4th straight Pro Bowl and very likely a 3rd All Pro in 4 years this past year. Saturday gets the nod over the other contender Kevin Mawae by virtue of being 4 years younger and having beaten Mawae out for a Pro Bowl spot each of the previous 3 years.

RG: Jake Scott (TEN) Not a lot of competition with the Titans OL since the Colts and Jaguars interior linemen couldn't stay healthy.

RT: Tony Pashos (JAX) The Jags were among the best in the league running behind right tackle. I've seen Texans RT Eric Winston getting some love, but the Texans were just mediocre running behind him and FO's game charters tagged him with 7 sacks last year, 2nd worst among RTs.

LE: Mario Williams (HOU) No surprises on the DEs as the AFC South took all 3 of the conferences DE Pro Bowl bids.

DT: Tony Brown (TEN) Suddenly the AFC South isn't looking so strong at DT with Albert Haynesworth lured to Washington by the scent of fresh cash, youth sensation Amobi Okoye hitting a major sophomore slump and John Henderson a very large man on the wrong side of 30, injured and feuding with the coaching staff.

DT: Eric Foster (IND) As a 265lb undrafted rookie Foster stepped in and because Indy's starting nosetackle. Despite being hopelessly outsized at NT with an even smaller tackle beside him, Foster made plays and helped hold together an Indy run D, that as we've seen in 2006, could be much much worse.

RE: Dwight Freeney (IND) Still the top pass rusher in the league, he's full recovered from the season ending foot injury, though it will prevent him from playing on offense.

SLB: DeMeco Ryans (HOU) A prolific young tackler moved out to hold down the strong side.

MLB: Gary Brackett (IND) You would struggle to find a LB in the entire league, let alone the division to cover the gap down the middle of the Cover-2 better than Brackett.

WLB: Daryl Smith (JAC) The only starting OLB in the division under 30, with more than 1 year of starting experience.

CB: Cortland Finnegan (TEN), Kelvin Hayden (IND), The #1 CBs on the two best Pass Ds in the division.

SS: Bob Sanders (IND), Last year was an injured year, so now I can expect a healthy Sanders for my franchise's 1st and 3rd season.

FS: Antoine Bethea (IND), 3 talented young free safeties in the division. All three started their rookie years, the difference, Bethea made the Pro Bowl in his first two years, while Nelson and Griffen are going into year 3 without a Hawaiian vacation on the resume.

Update: Michael Griffin made the Pro Bowl last year, but it wasn't listed on PFR. I will consider arguments for him replacing Bethea.

K: Rob Bironas (TEN), My view of kickers is probably unusual (and mostly confined to FO readers). There is no clutch, and further, for NFL caliber kickers, accuracy is pretty much even across the board, with the variation in FG% mostly due to chance and different proportions of long vs short FG attempts. So with this view of kickers, the obvious choice is the biggest leg who has proven to have NFL quality accuracy. Bironas was tops in the AFC in kickoff distance the last two years, and only the legendary Seabass topped him in touchbacks over the last two seasons.

P: Matt Turk (HOU), Had a dip in his usually outstanding net average, but still doing an excellent job of pinning teams deep with a high ratio of inside20's to touchbacks.

A full roster with Salary cap in effect coming this weekend.

State of the Tennessee Titans Roster: Offensive Line

Jimmy — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 18:12:04 -0000

The offensive line was the strength of the 2008 team and should be again in 2009. It all starts with the bookends at tackle with Michael Roos and David Stewart. Roos finally got the credit he deserves last season with a Pro Bowl bid, and Stewart is one of the nastiest players in the league. Don't be surprised to see him in ~~Hawaii~~ Miami next season.

Both guards were new last season with Jake Scott coming in via free agency and Eugene Amano getting his first shot to be a starter. Both guys played pretty well last season and should continue to improve with more time in the system.

Kevin Mawae still anchors the middle of the O line, but his health has been declining over the past couple of seasons. Leroy Harris proved last season that he can hold his own if Mawae goes down. There was even talk that Harris is physically a better player than Mawae. If the Titans have faith that Mawae is ready to go this season, you could see Harris push Amano for the starting guard spot when camp comes around.

There really isn't any experienced depth behind Harris on the roster, but that is nothing to worry about with Mike Munchak coaching these guys up. There is a good chance that there is another Pro Bowl lineman among the Troy Kropog/Ryan Durant/Fernando Velascos of the world.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Can You List A Game Plan As DNP/Coach's Decision? Edition

August West — Mon, 29 Dec 2008 15:01:17 -0000

Well, we looked that bad in most of the preseason and that turned out ok. We should have added Mike Heimerdinger and his assistants to the long list of Titans who sat-out this game because that scheme had nothing going on, and it was pretty obviously intentional.

The one thing I do like about what happened Sunday is that it'll give Fisher all the ammo he needs to ride these guys like rented mules over the next two weeks. There's a near zero percent chance he lets these guys come out flat when it's playoff time in Tennessee.

VY had a few good passes and more bad passes in a performance that looked a lot like what we've seen from him since halfway through his 2nd season. His body language looked better, and it was good to see him signal to some receivers that he was taking the blame. We just need more passes from him like that beauty to Justin McCareins Brandon Jones he dropped right over the defender.

The only thing the Titans lost that mattered yesterday was the no.1 scoring defense title, which ended up in Pittsburgh's hands after they shut-out the hapless Browns.

At 2 hours and 29 minutes, Sunday's exhibition was the fastest NFL game since 1996. That surprised me because it still felt like it took for dang ever.

The Sporting news breaks down what each AFC playoff team should feel good about and what they should worry about. The only one of their worries for us that ring true to me is the need to get Albert back in top form, because I'm not buying the 'lack of playoff experience' as long as we're starting Kerry, Hope, Harper, Scott, Haynesworth, Bulluck and most of the coaching staff that got us to those AFC Championships and Super Bowl.

In the first media hit-job I could find, Gregg Doyel shows that he doesn't understand what happened in regards to game-planning (none), personnel (back-ups in the line, WR spot and backfield) and intensity (coma-like) on Sunday. VY didn't look great, but if you think that's a suitable sample enough to make a judgement then you're just a highly regarded troll.

PK looks ahead at the Titans playoff path, and it's surprising cogent thought:

1. Tennessee (13-3). Oh, the Titans will need the first-round bye. Imagine the physical welts a divisional-playoff game against Baltimore would leave, and then, in a potential title game, the Colts or Steelers coming to town -- Indy on an 11-game winning streak, the Steelers with Terrible Towel revenge on their minds.

Steelers-homer Will Brinson goes over why Crazy Legs wasn't fined for his celebration involving a towel against the Steelers

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.)

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: How To Clinch A Playoff Spot Before Thanksgiving Edition

August West — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:57:59 -0000

Oh how the times have changed: a few years ago the Titans made the playoffs without a single starter making the Pro Bowl. Now Haynesworth, Bironas, Hentrich, Crazy Legs, Mawae, Amano, Scott, Bulluck, Finnegan, Griffin, Hope, Boom King and Kearse all have a good to very good chance of making the Pro Bowl this year. How Amano and Scott are doing better than Roos and Stewart I have no idea, but that's a very impressive tally none the less. ****UPDATE: Paul Kuharsky has a breakdown of where the AFC South players rank in the voting, and their tallies as of yesterday.

I wrote a lot of mean jokes about PK while trying to figure out why I was so annoyed about this armchair diagnosis of VY, but in the end I had to say I kind of agree. If VY makes it back and is successful as the Titans' starter, it'll be a sign of tremendous character and perseverance... on a level that most young, rich and top 5 picks don't show historically. I could definitely happen, but it would be the exception to the anecdotal-rule.

Jim Wyatt lays out the ways the Titans could clinch a playoff spot this weekend with a victory over the Jets.

LenDale White got probation for his mighty lame sounding off-season disturbing the peace incident.

Gary Estwick reports from Boom King's charity Wrestling event on Monday night at the Wild Horse, and there are some odd pics as well...

Not familiar with the career and stories about Kerry Collins pre-Titans? Check out ESPN's Clip Reel on him.

Sports Journalism's Golden Calf, Mike Lupica, says the Giants are the new Yankees, but he also uses this profound logic and expert syntax:

[The Giants] are the class of the sport right now, both sides of the ball, just about everywhere except with personal seat licenses. And that stands whether the Titans are 10-0 or not.

Here's an update on the race for the yearly league awards as measured by the awesomely named Bucky Brooks:

Coach of the Year

1. Jeff Fisher, Titans (1): When your team rolls out to a 10-0 start, you have to be considered the front runner for this award.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

2. Chris Johnson, RB, Titans (2): The electrifying runner has been held to fewer than 100 yards in his past four starts, but continues to make contributions as an all-purpose threat. After tallying 88 total yards against the Jags, Johnson ranks second among rookies with 990 yards from scrimmage.

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Albert Haynesworth, DT, Titans (1): The one-man wrecking crew put on an outstanding show against the Jags (seven tackles, one sack and a forced fumble). Haynesworth's seven sacks push him into a tie for the league lead among defensive tackles with the Vikings' Kevin Williams.

Veteran commenter and patriot Rustmeister weighs in on the Titans, with a little special hope that Mr. Favre leaves a few divots in the turf at LP Field courtesy of our defensive line.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, 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.)

Strange reversal: Colts are signing Titans players, not vice versa

BigBlueShoe — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 13:00:15 -0000

I guess we Colts fans can take a certain measure of pride in Tennessee's 10-0 start. I mean, Tennessee has spent the last few years plucking free agents from the Colts in an effort to build up their team. Many of the players they poached were on the teams that started 13-0, 9-0, and 7-0 the last three years. Their defense's veteran foundation is built around LB David Thornton and CB Nick Harper. Their offensive line, one of the best in football, was strengthened this past off-season with the signing of OG Jake Scott. Last year, the Titans also signed DT Corey Simon and TE Ben Hartstock. Both are no longer with the Titans. All these players mentioned were Colts players prior to signing with the Titans. Needless to say, the Titans have long been admirers of Bill Polian's drafting genius probably because the Titans are so bad at drafting themselves (Vince Young).

This season, however, it has been the Colts that have been signing players from the Titans. A few weeks ago, Indy plucked DT Antonio "Mookie" Johnson from Tennessee's practice squad. Johnson's play against the Steelers was a big key in the Colts' win in Pittsburgh. And as recently as yesterday, the Colts signed TE Jamie Petrowski from Tennessee's practice squad (tip to GoHorse88). This move likely means that rookie TE Tom Santi is headed to IR.

Petrowski played his college ball at Indiana State, and is a Vigo County (aka Terre Haute) boy. This opportunity allows him to actually play (rather than sit on a team's practice squad) for his home state team.

Is it still possible to catch Tennessee and win the division? Yes, but unlikely. What I know now is with the signing of Mookie and the return of Joseph Addai, the Colts are now rounding into shape. Getting Bob Sanders back 100% is the next big key. Remember, in that close game earlier in Tennessee, the Colts did not have Bob Sanders, Joseph Addai, Antonio Johnson, or a healthy o-line. And yet, despite missing all those key players, the Colts held the Titans running game in check and had a chance.

But, to be honest, Tennessee is a team that we should really put out of our minds. If they lose a few in a row (which is possible), then we can start talking taking the division. But Tennessee is not this week's opponent. San Diego is, and the team is represented here by a great new blog: Bolts From The Blue. Look for some cross-blogging between our two blogs the rest of this week.

Tennessee Titans Midseason Report Card: Offensive Line & Fullback

August West — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 02:15:56 -0000

		Passing									Rushing					Sacks
	G	Rating	Comp	Att	Pct	Yds	Y/G	Y/A	TD	INT	Rush	Yds	Y/G	Avg	TD	Sack	YdsL
2008 - Kerry Collins	8	72.9	117	207	56.5	1236	154.5	6.0	3	3	16	35	4.4	2.2	0	3	21

How good has the Tennessee Titans offensive line unit been over the first half of 2008? It's no stretch to say they've played at this level.

I put Kerry Collins' stats up there to point out this: 210 times Kerry has dropped back to pass, and he's only been sacked on 3 of them. Simply put, for a QB who was sacked 305 times in 14 years (21.8 times per year), that stat doesn't change without a little help from the big uglies up front. It's a good illustration of just how dominant this line, already renowned for it's run blocking, has been in the passing game as well this year.

Oh yeah, they also pave the way for the AFC's leading rusher and the NFL leader in touchdowns.

Kevin Mawae is having the best year I can ever remember him playing. I was a big fan of Mawae's during his Pro Bowl filled tenure with the Jets, but he really seemed to fall off last year. He would get bull rushed back into the pocket, which forced Vince to bail, and struggled getting to the second level. For whatever reason, though I get the suspicion Dinger's blocking schemes have helped, Mawae has been a beast this year. He's the spokesman for one of the best all around units in the league and a clear leader in the locker room. I think it's safe to say that Mawae's grit and veteran smarts have never benefited the entire offense more than this year.

Tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart came to the team in the same 2005 draft, and they're turning the corner to being widely regarded among the best tackle tandems in the league at the same time as well. Both men have been consistent bullies in the run and pass game regardless of the competition. Roos has refined his footwork, and he's playing from a more stable base and lower than I've ever seen him consistently do before. Stewart, known in the locker room as Big Country, is regularly compared to Jon Runyan, and he lives up to the company. Stewart brutalizes defenders at the first and second level on the regular. He will require help from the tight end with elite speed rushers, but he held his own against the troublesome Colts DEs all night on MNF.

Guards Eugene Amano and Jake Scott were the wildcards on this line coming into the year. Any fears of a drop-off or transition period were quickly cast aside though. Amano usually shows absurd strength driving defenders on run blocks even if he does get popped backwards sometimes. Last year when he filled in Amano would struggle with larger DTs, but I haven't seen any evidence of that this year. Colts defector Jake Scott has been better than advertised. Like everyone else on this line, he's smart and rarely turns the wrong way, but I think Scott is the best pulling guard we've had in a while. That makes sense because the Colts really value mobility in their interior lineman.

I'm including fullback Ahmard Hall in this grouping because he's primarily a blocker, that's certainly his forté and not at all because I completely spaced on mentioning one of my favorite Titans in the running backs post yesterday. It seems like at least once a game Hall lays a big block... the kind that get defenders fired the next day. He only has 6 attempts for 19 yards this year, but Hall's military work ethic and lead-by-example mentality have been giving linebackers’ and cornerbacks’ nightmares all year.

So, when any offensive line has a running back duo productive, and a pocket passer QB who gets that much time, how could you give them anything less than an A?

Grade: A

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: No Need To Feign Outrage Over Here Edition

August West — Fri, 24 Oct 2008 13:55:15 -0000

Mr. Monday Night is ready for the curtain to go up. If Bulluck is half as good as he was against the Saints on MNF last year we're money.

Boom King continues to nurse his groin injury, and he won't guarantee he will be healthy by Monday. Let's hope he gets back and into form by game time because we're going to need the defensive line to be in full effect.

In preparation for the Monday Night showdown, the Tennessean's David Climer brings us the 5 most memorable Titans-Colts meetings.

Crazy Legs isn't happy about his $10,000 fine and plans to appeal it as excessive:

Johnson pointed out that Bengals receiver Chad Ocho Cinco's touchdown celebration against the Titans last season — he got behind a television camera and pointed it at the field — resulted in a $7,500 fine.

"I'll just have to watch what I can do,'' Johnson said of future celebrations. "I know you can't use props or anything like that. But I feel if Chad only got fined $7,500 for using a camera, I shouldn't be fined $10,000. That's not right.''

I'm hoping that he'll see those celebrations just aren't worth the cost on the ledger or on the field.

The Colts know their shot at another AFC South tiara is on the line Monday. You see, it becomes a crown when we win it.

Paul Kuharsky discusses David Thorton, Nick Harper and Jake Scott, who all left the Colts to sign with the Titans over the past 3 years. The battle between Peyton and Harper will definitely be fun to watch, because I'm betting Cortland teaches Manning really quickly why nobody has thrown his way very much in weeks.

Gary Estwick shares some notes he picked-up while slyly looking over Ron Jaworski's shoulder in the film room, including the startling revelation that our WRs are trash:

2) Titans receivers continue to make QB Kerry Collins’ job tougher by failing to get off the line and separating from cornerbacks. Route running was also a problem at Kansas City.

BigW sends us this story, which asks just how good has the Titans pass defense been so far this year? I'd say Epic Success:

In fact, six games into the season, Tennessee has surrendered just one TD pass (that's 1, for those of you keeping score at home), which puts the Titans on a pace to surrender just three TD passes all year. They've added 10 INTs to the total, for a 1-to-10 TD-to-INT ratio that's virtually unprecedented in NFL history.

Enlightened reader JasonI send us this one of the more infuriating columns out there: Jason Whitlock continues to take shots at the Titans, but remember that this obese clown would write 2 fawning tomes a week if we had signed Jeff 'effing George. Instead, he says our defense isn't good enough and takes shots at Collins and Young.

Awesome-O commenter Hartley and I must have been reading this article at the same time: The Nashville Scene dives in to the Vince Young psychodrama. There's not really anything new here, but it does tell the story of how VY got to this point pretty well, and why so many folks shouldn't write him off just yet.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: One Man's Promotion Is Another Man's Demotion Edition

August West — Fri, 26 Sep 2008 13:47:49 -0000

The Tennessean points out the preponderance of starting QBs right now who are well into their 30's: Kerry Collins, Gus Frerotte, Brett Favre, Trent Green, Kurt Warner, Jon Kitna and Damon Huard are all 35 or older. Of course, the Jets are probably the only team that's ecstatic to be in this situation.

Ryan fowler was blind-sided by his demotion in favor of Stephen Tulloch, and Fowler believes the move is permanent. Jim Wyatt says Fowler handled the demotion with great class and aplomb, despite being obviously disappointed.

Yahoo! Sports wins my award this week for best MSM game preview of Sunday's match-up.

Gary Estwick gives us ammo to expect a payback by the Titans this Sunday:

Minnesota has won the last four games against Houston/Tennessee, outscoring its AFC foe 111-60.

The Titans offensive line has played very well so far this year, and they'll need to keep it up this weekend against a ferocious Vikings defensive line. This SUnday is going to be the best test against a 4-3 defense we see all season, IMO... time for Roos, Stewart and Scott to earn those big contracts they got in the off-season.

Terry McCormick reports that VY has been throwing with a knee brace on, but Fisher has been dodging giving a time-line for the QB's return.

Scout.com offers up a free report on how rookie running backs are faring and list Crazy Legs as the 2nd most productive RB so far (behind Matt Forte who doesn't split time and doesn't compete with a passing game):

2. Chris Johnson: Like Forte, he's quickly gotten involved in both the running and passing game. And he's also brought a quiet maturity to a team that has been unsteady at the running back position. A powerful and fast runner, Johnson has been asked to carry the ball at least 15 times in each of his three games, and he has posted no less than 74 yards per game. That's a nice start for a rookie who is sharing reps.

ESPN scribe Elizabeth Merrill talked to several members of VY's inner-circle and people important to his past, such former Titans GM Floyd Reese and VY's long-time spiritual adviser, to get a read on what they think VY is going thorough. The results aren't mind blowing, but definitely worth a read.

Matt Williamson from ESPN Scouts Inc. breaks-down what VY has to improve on the field... sounds a lot like what 'Dinger talked about improving all off-season.

If you have anything you'd like to pass along for the next day's links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com