SB Nation - Rob Bironas

ConVINCEd - Photos from the Titans - Arizona Cardinals game

Titanfan — Wed, 02 Dec 2009 16:42:25 -0000

I do believe Vince Young silenced most of his critics on Sunday. Even Merril Hoge is backpedaling, as August noted in his morning links. First off, I know it's Wednesday and really time to turn towards the Colts game but I got busy and didn't get these put together yesterday. So here are my photos from the game after the jump.

Chris Johnson strapping his helmut on and warming up for the game.

Jevon Kearse is still a favorite in that stadium. It was good to see him suited up for the game.

The first offensive play of the game was a 30 yard pass to Nate Washington. Showed a sign of things to come.

The first drive of the game Vince Young and the Titans moved right down field and showed a good mix of run and pass.

The Titans showed the deep threat right off by sending Nate Washington down field but Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie broke up the play. Rob Bironas kicked a field goal after this try to go up 3-0.

Whenever a crease in the line develops everyone anticipates that Chris Johnson is going to break off a big run.

Kenny Britt had a catch here for 24 yards on the second drive that the Titans got a field goal on. Britt had a great day and a tough lesson learned. Tuck the ball away, no matter what!

Chris Johnson ran for 85 yards and a touchdown on this play. Like I said, whenever a crease opens up...

On the ensuing kickoff LaRod Stephens-Howling returns it 99 yards for a TD.

Rookie Tight End Jared Cook took this pass reception and got down to the nine yard line to setup the game winning touchdown.

Not a very good photo and I normally wouldn't post this but it's the best I got from the final touchdown play.

What's there to say that hasn't already been said. It was a great game and a special time in the career of Vince Young. Every game now is like a playoff game and that sure felt like it at that game. The Titans have the smallest margin for error and every play counts. It's a good roll they're on and I hope they keep it going at Indy.

Titans 20 Cardinals 17 Recap: Vince Young to Kenny Britt

Jimmy — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 05:06:11 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

There's your winner. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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I don't even know what to say about this game. It was that unbelievable. I have said it a lot of times over the last month, but the transformation this team has made in 5 weeks is nothing short of amazing. Instead of feeling like the Titans are 2-3 years away from contention, I feel like they are in contention this season and are 2-3 players away from being a really, really good team next year.

Let's start with the obvious- Vince Young is a winner, and today he was a winner with unfathomable numbers. He was 27 of 43 for 387 yards and 1 touchdown. 387 yards! He answered a couple of the questions I have had about him today: 1. How will he react when faced with adversity? It was a pretty bad play at the end of the half to let the time run out, but he didn't hang his head. He came back even better in the second half. 2. How will he do when a team knows he has to throw to win the game? How does 9-16 for 93 yards sound? And oh yeah, he did that in the final 2:37 of the game. VY is a legit NFL QB, and he is proving people wrong, myself included, with each passing week.

And then there is Chris Johnson. The pace he is on is just crazy. He had another big TD run in this game, 85 yards, and finished the game with 18 carries for 154 yards and a touchdown. He only needs to average 120.8 yards per game for the rest of the season to get 2,000 and 141.8 per game to tie Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record of 2,105.

What about Kenny Britt? This kid has stepped up in the absence of Justin Gage and proven that he is a legitimate NFL receiver. It has been a long, long time since the Titans drafted one of those. He came up big time and time again in this game including a great catch of the first fourth down of the final drive and the game winning touchdown catch. And you have to love the comments he makes about it after the game:

Kenny Britt, gripping the ball he caught for winning TD, just told me he’s put it down only for a shower. "I’ll never let it go,’’ he said.

(h/t) smash

The Titans defense came out strong in the game forcing the Cardinals to go three and out on their first offensive possession. The Titans did catch a break not having to face Kurt Warner, but Matt Leinart looked better than I expected him too. He looks to lack arm strength, but he is very accurate and gets the ball out on time. On an unrelated note, how much do you think Leinart hates VY? There is little doubt in my mind that he was having flashbacks to the Rose Bowl in the final 2:37 of this game.

Vince got off to a fast start in the game hitting Nate Washington for a 29 yard gain on the Titans first offensive play. That play set up a 52 yard field goal from Rob Bironas that gave the Titans an early 3-0 lead. Bironas struggled in camp and the early in the season, but he has returned to his form as one of the best kickers in the game.

The defense held again and the Cardinals downed the punt at the Titans 5 yard line. Vince took the offense 90 yards to the Arizona 5 before the drive stalled forcing another Bironas field goal. That drive included a big pass to Bo Scaife and another to Britt.

Arizona would get on the board with 2 minutes remaining in the first half when Neil Rackers hit a 41 yard field goal. Vince would hit two big plays on the ensuing drive to get the Titans in field goal range. Unfortunately the Titans would not get a field goal because of the one bad play Vince made on the day. He took a snap with eight seconds left in the half and scrambled around before he was sacked at the half ended. SuperHorn made a good point in the quick recap that about 50% of the time Young makes a TD happen on the play. While that is a good point, Vince has to have better awareness of the time there and get down in time to give Bironas a shot. I have no doubt that VY will learn from that play.

The third quarter was pretty boring until CJ took a hand off and went 85 yards for a TD while running away from two Cardinal defensive backs that had an angle. Kick coverage, which has haunted the Titans all season long, haunted them again on the ensuing kickoff when LaRod Stephens-Howling went 99 yards for a TD. Momentum stolen.

The Cardinals would take their first lead of the game on a six yard TD run by Tim Hightower. That was set up by a 21 yard completion from Leinart to Beanie Wells on Nick Harper as shocking as that may be.

I found it interesting that Rod Hood and LenDale White were inactive for this game. Fisher was very short about the decision on White in the postgame which leads me to believe that it could have been disciplinary. However that is pure speculation on my part. The more interesting one was Hood. What did Fisher expect to happen if Harper or Cortland Finnegan were injured? Did he not watch Hood play in the three games he filled in for Harper? I am really at a loss on that one.

The defense would hold twice after the TD drive to give the offense a chance at the end. It looked like the Titans were going to take the lead after the first stop when VY hit Britt for 51 yards, but Britt was stripped from behind by Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and the Cardinals recovered.

And here is the final drive play by play:

Play 1- Vince does a nice job of avoiding the rush in his own end zone and finding Britt for a 6 yard gain. I wondered while watching live why they weren't quicker to get on the ball, but I figured that they were planning to run once because the two minute warning was coming up. I was wrong.

Play 2- Incomplete pass to Scaife on the sideline. Looked like a play he should have made.

Play 3- Incomplete on a slant to Britt. The throw was a little low but in a good place because it was either going to be caught by Britt or no one.

Play 4- Maybe the best throw of the drive. Vince throws what looked to me like a stop fade to Britt. The DB never saw the ball coming. Britt made a heck of a play on it.

Play 5- This was the crazy tip ball that ended up in the arms of Scaife for a 19 yard gain. The Titans got a huge break here because balls that are tipped up like that rarely land in the arms of the offense.

Play 6- Lavelle Hawkins catches a 2 yard out. Not a big play but positive yardage and clock stoppage.

Play 7- Jared Cook makes an appearance with a nice catch and run of 12 yards.

Play 8- Incomplete intended for Nate Washington.

Play 9- Vince scrambles for 6 yards and gets out of bounds.

Play 10- Vince does a great job of getting away from the blitz and throwing the ball away.

Play 11- The second 4th down conversion on the drive in the form of VY to the Hawk for 13 yards and out of bounds.

Play 12- Complete to Scaife for 5 and out of bounds.

Play 13- Incomplete on a shot down the field to Washington.

Play 14- Cook makes his second play of the drive 17 yards and out of bounds.

Play 15- Incomplete on a miscommunication between VY and Scaife.

Play 16- Vince sacked, but not a terrible play because it was only a loss of 1 and the Titans still had 2 timeouts.

Play 17- Incomplete on a ball that Washington should have been able to come down with.

Play 18- Vince steps up like he is going to run while keeping his eyes down field and finds Britt in the back of the end zone for the game winner.

And there you have it. 5 in row in a season that continues to boggle the mind with the playoffs still being a possibility. It is really unbelievable to watch.

Site note: I understand people having a problem with the countdown to the draft remaining up on the front page, but the Titans haven't lost since I put it there. I refuse to have a loss on my head so it stays.

Arizona Cardinals vs. Tennessee Titans Preview

Jimmy — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 20:35:17 -0000

The numbers for the Arizona Cardinals look a lot like those for the Houston Texans. They have a devastating aerial attack and are decent to not very good running the football. The key on defense will be keeping the Cardinals from getting the big play with their excellent receiving tandem of Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin. Kurt Warner is a very accurate quarterback who does a great job of finding the open receiver and getting him the ball. The Titans defense has been better of late, but they still gave up some big chunks Monday night against the Texans. The worst thing that could happen in this game would be to give up some big plays early and dig a hole for Vince Young and the offense.

The Cards are 27th in the NFL in rushing which is a little surprising considering they have two pretty talented running backs in Tim Hightower and Beanie Wells. Obviously part of the low rushing number is because they are so successful throwing the ball. The key here for the Titans will be to stop the run with their front four so they don't have to take anyone out of pass coverage for support.

The Arizona defense has good numbers against the rush, but they have given up a 100+ yard rusher in three out of the last four games. One of those 100+ yard rushers was Justin Forsett. (Don't feel bad if you have to Google his name.) Chris Johnson can run against this defense. The key there is the defense being able to keep it close enough that the offense doesn't have to abandon the game plan.

The key for VY will be to keep doing what he has been doing- keep taking the throws that are there, not forcing things and making a few plays here and there with his legs. Their pass defense hasn't been good so Vince should be able to make some plays down the field. Obviously the worst thing that he could do in this game would be to turn the ball over a couple of times and give Warner and company a short field.

The Cardinals are a very good team, but they are not a team the Titans we have seen since the bye week cannot beat if they play well. I'll take the Titans on another game winner late by Rob Bironas.

Titans 20 Texans 17 Recap: Vince Young Reclaims Houston

Jimmy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 16:48:35 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Money! (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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That was a really fun game. The transformation this team has made since the Boston Massacre is really astounding. They are playing with a fire that they really didn't in weeks 4-6. I am not sure how much of that can be attributed to Vince Young, but it is safe to say that his enthusiastic style of play is rubbing off on the guys around him. It is fun to watch.

The Titans came out of the gate hot last night forcing Houston to go three and out on the first series. The third down play was especially sweet as the front four collapsed the pocket around Matt Schaub before Tony Brown brought him down for a sack. Chatt Town Tony Brown has made himself a lot of money this year playing so well outside the shadow of #92. It is amazing that the Titans brought him in basically off the street- another in a long line of success stories under Jim Washburn.

The Titans went three and out as well on their first possession after a Lavelle Hawkins! sighting would have given them a first down but was negated because of an illegal shift. Anyone else curious why we never see Hawk returning anything. I am pretty sure he returned at least kicks in college, and if he is going to be active the might as well find a way to use him. The third down call- screen to Bo Scaife- was horrendous.

The Texans would get the first score of the game after a terrible 34 yard punt from Brett Kern gave them great field position. The play that set up the score was a Schaub 15 yard completion to Andre Johnson with our secondary chasing him Reynaldo Hill style. The touchdown came on a little underhanded toss to Slaton.

After both teams traded punts the Titans would put together a 9 play 80 yard drive that was capped off by a 13 yard pass from VY to Kenny Britt. The play was a really good read by Vince because he had Chris Johnson short but waited for Britt to come open in the end zone. Britt also had a 16 yard catch on that drive. Britt is easily the best rookie receiver the Titans have ever had, and should stay on the field even when Justin Gage comes back from his injury, but of course we know that it is impossible for a player to lose their starting job to injury, unless they are named Vince Young.

The next score came from the Texans when AJ ran right past Nick Harper (SHOCKING!) for a 12-yard TD catch. That prompted a whole host of jokes involving Harper, a vacuum, and Andre's last name in the game thread. Let me take this opportunity to thank everyone that participated in the open game thread. I don't get to be in those nearly as much as I would like, and I had an absolute blast being there last night.

The Titans would answer once again with another long drive- 75 yards this time. That drive included another catch by Britt, a 36 yard run from CJ and the first of two plays on the night that made me run around my living room in celebration when VY faked the pitched to CJ and took the ball to the one. He had been setting that up for a couple of week now and executed it to perfection. The nearly forgotten LenDale White punched it in on the next play to tie the game.

The Titans had a nice drive going coming out of the half that was halted when, in the words of gramsey, Vince went Kerry Collins and fumbled running by himself. The Texans made a couple of big plays off the fumble but were unable to capitalize when Kris Brown missed a 49 yard field goal wide right. That was a huge play in the game because the Texans get a lot of momentum if he is able to hit that kick.

The Titans came back and got a field from Rob Bironas that was set up by a 12 yard run by Vince Young. I can't remember if that was the option read or not, but the option read they ran was a thing of beauty. The Texans defensive end crashed on the fake to CJ, Vince kept the ball and got a big gain. Again, it is amazing how well he is running this offense. He is obviously putting in the time to really understand what Dinger is wanting to do, and it is paying off.

The Texans got a field goal of their own after both safeties decided to watch Johnson run by himself. Maybe Johnson has really good running form and the guys in our secondary are just trying to learn from it. That play went for 49 yards to the Titans' 8 yard line, and to the defenses credit, they were able to hold forcing the field goal.

Bironas missed a 49 yard field goal on the Titans ensuing drive, and things didn't look good for the Titans. The Texans had been hitting big plays and had good field position, but the defense stepped up. Tony Brown got another sack that forced a third and long and AJ dropped a pass going across the middle. He was being defended by Keith Bulluck on that play, and as much as we all love Bulluck, that is a HUGE mismatch. That prompted Hal to ask me why we kept having linebackers covering Johnson. Excellent question.

After trading punts again the Titans had the ball at the Texans 6 with 2:52 to play. The first play was CJ for 3 yards, but the Titans got the phantom horse collar call. Yes, it was a bad call, but they owed us one from the non-call when Vince was tripped. We all know how it played out. My only problem with the last drive was we had 1st and 10 at the Texans 40 with 1:09 left- I understand they wanted to get closer, but they should have run the ball at least once. Best case scenario CJ breaks another one to get us even closer, and worst case scenario it gets stuffed and they are forced to use one of their timeouts. I love that there was never any doubt about the Bironas field goal from the moment it left his foot.

The same cannot be said for Kris Brown's field goal that never had a shot. I was scared when we gave the ball back to the Texans after the horrible pooch kick. They had good field position, :44 seconds and two timeouts. The announcers were quick to tell us that K. Brown had been hitting them from 80 in warm-ups. I have never understood how that is relevant. The Texans hit plays of 16 and 11 before attempting the kick. I probably would have taken one more shot had I been them to try and get it closer. They didn't, K. Brown kicked it a mile to the left and I once again ran around my living room.

Winning is so much more fun. That one was especially fun with all of the crap leading up to the game. Now on to Arizona.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Vince Young Is Our Quarterback Edition

August West — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:39:31 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

Andre Johnson spent all night finding Nick Harper because he needed some toast to go with his eggs and bacon.

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This was my favorite quote in years (Full video at the end of this post):

Tafoya: For those people who still questioned, Vince, whether you could still play at this level in the NFL and be consistent, what's your answer to them?

VY: I love y'all too!

Paul K has these great tidbits as well:

When he was installed ahead of Kerry Collins following the Titans' 0-6 start, Young inherited a team with little more to lose. While the Texans seemed to feel the pressure as the moments that would decide the game arrived, the easy-going demeanor Young prides himself was still evident.

He put his arm around coach Jeff Fisher’s shoulder when he arrived at the sideline after failing to realize the 2:00 warning was upon the team in the first half. He patted an official on the backside after he was marked down, correctly, short of the goal line on one scamper. And he said he talked after the game amiably with Cushing, who was flagged for a late hit on Young out of bounds, telling his one-time USC rival that he should be defensive rookie of the year.

Newest VY fanboy: Paul Kuharsky... though, truth be told, if you're still hatin' on the man today then hating is something you were just born to do.

Last night might have been the most encouraging performance we've seen so far from Chris Johnson (and Mike Heimerdinger, in all honesty). Against one of the league's better run defenses, CJ was contained from breaking his signature huge plays yet managed to slash and grind his way to 151 yards while still averaging an elite 5.2 yards per carry. Getting it done in multiple was while never being stopped: just another reason CJ is the best back in the NFL right for 2010.

How far has Vince Young's passing progressed? Even Mike Florio, who got a good chunk of his NBC money for publicly hatin' on Vince, is giving the man some credit.

Follow us through the jump as the celebration continues....

This year, Nick Harper is the worst CB I've ever seen line-up in a Titans uniform, and I watched the entire Reynaldo Hill era. I watched Denard Walker too. This guy has lost it and that game would've been much less heart-attack inducing had Rod Hood started. I guess Fisher needs Bud to make that call for him as well?

Antonio Smith should have been ejected for elbowing Kevin Mawae in the kidney well away from the play last night. How friggin' stupid do you have to be to blatantly cheap-shot the president of the NFLPA? Also, how hilarious is it that the president of the player's union is getting called the dirtiest player in the league by some? How does that make one lick of sense? Are we to believe that Mawae is such a political and legal genius that players would vote for him despite being injured and hurt by him? Or are we to believe that the douchecanoe casting stones is just a petty, vindictive player who was a proven cheater on multiple occasions?

KSK knows why we won: Rob Bironas' Gunfingaz!

There still isn't a clear timetable of Justin Gage's return to the line-up. Kenny Britt has been great in Gage's absence, but getting Gage back would still be a big boost to the offense.

Looking at the AFC standing we have a long hill to climb to make a wildcard spot over the next 5 weeks, but there's one thing working greatly in our favor: the teams that are in front of are the Steelers (could be sans Big Ben for a while, already missing Troy), Broncos (slumping hard), Ravens (Flacco is regressing, D isn't what it was), Texans (can't close), the Jets (somehow Sanchez threw 2 INTs in last night's game) and the Dolphins (missing Ronnie Brown, but they're the one team in this cluster who are improving).

Send me links or don't send me links. I don't care today because WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tennessee Titans 20 Houston Texans 17 Recap: Wide Left!!

Jimmy — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 04:56:34 -0000

More photos » by David J. Phillip - AP

Another 151 on the board!!. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)

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I just pulled about 4 muscles in my legs jumping up and running around the living room. What a game!

Vince Young still owns the city of Houston and the Texans. It is truly amazing to see the transformation he made in his time off. He knows this offense inside and out, something that couldn't be said of him before, and he has that confidence and swagger that we all loved watching his rookie season. He is making smart throws and pulling the ball down and running at the right time.

What more is there to be said about Chris Johnson? He stays on pace for his 2,000 yards with another 151 tonight on 29 carries.

You gotta love Rob Bironas. Misses a big kick but comes back and nails the one that really matters. Who has two thumbs and predicted the game would be won by a late Bironas kick? This guy.

And to make it all the more sweeter, that very well could be the dagger in Houston's quest to learn what being in the playoffs feels like. Here's to hoping they don't find out any time soon.

Enjoy the win. If nothing else, it keeps the Titans long-shot playoff hopes alive for another week. Have a ball in the comments on this thread. We will have a full recap and much, much more on this game in the morning.

GO TITANS!!

Titans 41, Bills 17: Week 10 Film Session

Brian Galliford — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 13:32:03 -0000

by John Russell - AP

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Call this ripping the band-aid off quickly, or pinching your nose to avoid the bad taste. I typically run film reviews on Tuesdays, but I couldn't force myself to watch a second of Buffalo Bills football on an otherwise valuable Monday evening. So this is the short, get-it-over-with-quickly version of what we usually do on Tuesdays. I sincerely doubt many of you will mind, given the sad state of affairs that was the Bills' 41-17 loss yesterday to the Tennessee Titans.

To discuss (briefly): Trent Edwards and the quarterbacks, Alex Van Pelt, the offensive line, John McCargo, the linebackers, Jairus Byrd and Dick Jauron.

On Trent Edwards and the quarterbacks. Edwards' numbers weren't as awful as they've been before on Sunday (18/28, 185 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT), but if you watch closely, you see a quarterback that is completely and utterly shell-shocked, and it's leading to breakdowns in his game. He's even struggling to take the snap and cleanly get into his drop consistently. His throws, particularly in the second half, were erratic and lacked precision. Edwards doesn't play like he trusts anyone - his line, his receivers, or himself. Yes, he made a few big plays in the passing game - and yes, he's still clearly a much better quarterback than Ryan Fitzpatrick - but I'm ready to officially declare him the latest in a long line of failed experiments at quarterback in Buffalo.

On the Wildcat and Alex Van Pelt. Folks - it really, really sucks to be Alex Van Pelt. Get that into your head. The man has proven this season that he knows how to set big plays up. Terrell Owens' reverse for a TD? Set up by Van Pelt's faking the reverse. Fred Jackson's Wildcat TD throw to Lee Evans? Set up by Van Pelt's extended use of it on back-to-back plays over the last two games. The man clearly has a knack for setting the table for his players to execute. But his players rarely execute, and his offensive line's enormous amount of miscues and terrible quarterback play overshadows his solid play-calling. As you recall, Van Pelt was made the offensive coordinator just days prior to this season after the firing of Turk Schonert. Now, with Dick Jauron's tenure in Buffalo likely to last only another seven games, Van Pelt's one shot to be an NFL coordinator might be wasted despite his putting in some good efforts.

On the offensive line. No, Andy Levitre was not OK at left tackle, folks. There's a reason the Bills drafted him to play guard - he's a good player, but he's not an NFL-caliber tackle. He struggled on the edge. But to be fair, Levitre wasn't the only one who struggled. Edwards was sacked twice and forced to scramble or throw the ball away at least another half-dozen times. The line as a whole committed another five false starts, which has gotten to the point where the penalties are so redundant that it's laughable. There is solid talent up front, but when are these guys going to start showing that they get it?

On John McCargo. Given this was the ninth game in McCargo's fourth season as a pro, it's probably too late to expect him to stay in Buffalo based on any of a number of solid performances he has a chance to put up the rest of the season. He's been a complete non-factor after the Bills drafted him in the first round in 2006, but to his credit, he came to play on Sunday. McCargo may have been Buffalo's best defensive lineman in Tennessee; I realize that isn't saying much, given the dominant performance of Chris Johnson, but McCargo piled up five tackles and was far more active than he's ever been in his career. Clearly, the performance will likely fall under the "too little, too late" umbrella, but McCargo is good enough to kick around in this league for a while as a reserve.

On the play of the linebackers, Poz in particular. I know everyone here is very anti-Paul Posluszny at the moment. Poz had another typical week, finding himself behind plays far too often and making himself a factor in the backfield far too infrequently. Many will continue to point out his ugly missed tackle in the fourth quarter that led to Johnson's second TD, which also happened to be the game-winning points. He's very obviously having an awful season. I still think he's a legitimate NFL-caliber starting linebacker. He might even be able to do it at middle linebacker, but the Tampa 2 is not his friend. His talents are wasted in a gap-control defense. Poz needs to be in a system similar to Minnesota's, where he's got massive tackles in front of him and can flow to the football in a more natural manner. He'll never be a dominant defender, but we don't have enough information to condemn him further than "he's having a bad season."

As for the rest of the linebackers? Not much to say. I thought Bryan Scott did about as well as could have been reasonably expected playing a new position. Even with the healthy return of Kawika Mitchell in 2010, this position is still very obviously the Achilles heel of Buffalo's defense.

On Jairus Byrd. Go vote this kid into the Pro Bowl. He's now got eight interceptions on the season after picking off Vince Young, giving him the NFL lead as well as picks in each of his last five games. He might be the elite ball hawk in the NFL, at least this season. Rarely do you see rookies make the most of their opportunities. Byrd is still very much a one-dimensional presence - he struggled against the run once again yesterday - but Buffalo might actually have an elite player on their team. He just produces.

On Dick Jauron. After guiding the Bills to a 24-32 record in his first 56 games as head coach of the Bills, this game may have been the straw that broke the camel's back for Jauron. No, the team didn't look discernibly better or worse than it has all season, but for the first time with the team, Jauron coached as if he had little to no confidence in his team on the whole. The decision to decline a holding penalty and let Rob Bironas kick a 51-yard field goal to give the Titans a 27-17 lead spoke solely of a complete lack of confidence in his defense. The decision to pull Edwards late in the fourth quarter for no glaringly apparent reason spoke of a man who literally has run out of options at the game's most critical position and is just flying by the seat of his pants. Jauron is a professional, and he'll get all he can from his troops over the next seven weeks. After that, the odds of Jauron being in Buffalo are astonishingly small.

Another fourth quarter meltdown: Titans 41, Bills 17

Brian Galliford — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:07:21 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

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The Buffalo Bills are one of the toughest outs in the NFL through three quarters. The Bills have played some of the better teams in the league - New England, New Orleans, and Houston among them - tough through three quarters, only to melt down late in the game. That trend continued for the Bills on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans, as yet another fourth-quarter meltdown turned a 17-17 tie after three quarters into a lopsided, hideous 41-17 loss.

Just about everything that could have gone wrong did. Chris Johnson was unstoppable, picking up 232 yards on on 35 touches with two scores. Vince Young hurt the Bills with his arm (17/25, 210 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and his legs (29 rushing yards). Trent Edwards showed some signs of life, but a late pick-six and a terrible second half got him benched in favor of Ryan Fitzpatrick (who had a lovely pick-six of his own on a ball that went through Terrell Owens' hands). The team committed another 10 penalties, including five false starts. Dick Jauron made yet another questionable sideline decision, declining a holding penalty that allowed Rob Bironas to kick a game-clinching 51-yard field goal with a little over three minutes remaining. That score put Tennessee up 27-17.

The meltdown undid some good work on Buffalo's part. Fred Jackson threw a touchdown pass to Lee Evans out of the Wildcat, one of two Evans scores on the day. Owens was actually a factor down the field (3 catches, 85 yards), though his attitude was... lacking... at the close of the game. Jairus Byrd recorded his eighth interception of the season, giving him an interception in each of the last five games.

Buffalo now stands at 3-6 on the season, and they've lost two straight games. The team's downward spiral continues, and from the looks of it, the folks at One Bills Drive are officially in "play out the string" territory.

Bills Fantasy Friday: Week 10 Start 'Em/Sit 'Em

Kurupt — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:52:42 -0000

It seems like an eternity since they last played, but Buffalo Bills football returns this Sunday as the team travels to Nashville to take on the "surging" Tennessee Titans. The Bills last took the field in Week 8 and saw the offense put up another feeble effort as the defense finally fell apart in the fourth quarter, losing 31-10 at home to Houston.

The lack of fantasy success for Bills skills players continued, and there may be no end in sight. Trent Edwards returns from his concussion suffered way back in Week 6 with low expectations. It's been a struggle for him following a decent start to the season, as both he and the Bills' offense has become totally out of sync. The bumbling Bills will be facing a hot Tennessee offense led by the NFL's leading rusher, Chris Johnson. Things could get ugly for the Bills' run defense this week.

Let's take a look at the individual fantasy players of note for this week, after the jump.

Quarterbacks
Trent Edwards - Edwards hasn't played since being knocked out in the 2nd quarter of the Bills victory over the Jets back in Week 6. The offense was just as bad without him, and maybe worse. Don't be surprised by an early jolt of life from Edwards and the Bills offense, especially going against the league's 32nd ranked pass defense. However, with the way he's played since mid-September, it'd be hard to believe he'll have the success that other quarterbacks have seen against the Titans. Pro Bowl Cornerback Cortland Finnegan has come back the past two weeks, after a hamstring injury, to help the Titans defense allow a very respectable 181.5 passing yards per game. The Titans pass defense has also allowed just 4.4 yards per passing play the past two weeks. To me, the Titans defense, with a healthy Finnegan, is much closer to the past two weeks' performances than of the prior six. I expect Edwards to have some nice plays in his return, but struggle for the most part. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Vince Young - Young has led the Titans to both wins this season after replacing the ineffective Kerry Collins. He hasn't produced big numbers (297 total passing yards, 44 rushing yards, 2 total touchdowns), but has limited his mistakes (no interceptions, one sack taken) during this time. Young won't be much of a threat through the air, though the Titans like to go deep, but could really hurt the Bills with his legs. He's done it before. Still, I wouldn't expect much production yardage-wise, but he could find the endzone multiple times. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Running Backs
Marshawn Lynch - While the Titans pass defense has improved significantly the past two games, their run defense has taken a hit allowing 325 yards on the ground, 3 touchdowns and 9.0 yards per carry. Lynch and the Bills run offense have really struggled all season. Lynch is averaging just 43.4 yards per game and 3.1 yards per carry. Also, after 11 receptions in his first two games back from suspension, he has caught just six passes in the past three games. It's tough to recommend starting anyone on the Bills offense at this point, but in this matchup, Lynch might be the top choice. With Edwards back in the lineup, expect to see Lynch utilized in the passing game more. He's a flex option and not much more. Verdict: Start 'Em as a flex only

Fred Jackson - Jackson has just 14 carries in the past two games, and hasn't caught a pass since the Cleveland game. I wouldn't expect a huge spike in production this week, so keep him on your bench once again. He needs to be given more touches again before he is fantasy worthy. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Chris Johnson - Johnson leads the NFL in rushing with 959 yards. Johnson is averaging a ridiculous 6.7 yards per carry. Johnson has 12 rushes of over 20 yards (the Bills have four). Johnson has six rushes of over 40 yards (the Bills have one). Johnson has five 50+ yard touchdowns (the Bills have none). Simply put, he's damn good. Going against the Bills feeble rush defense, ranked 32nd in the NFL, looks like a major mismatch....and it is. I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson rushed for well over 200 yards this week, and fully expect him to have some big plays. If you have him on your fantasy team, be happy about it. If you don't, sit back and hope the Bills can miraculously shut him down. Verdict: Start 'Em

LenDale White - White has just 56 carries for 198 yards this season, and looks to be losing nearly all his touches as Johnson gets better and better. He's no longer a touchdown vulture, so he has little value to fantasy owners. Don't expect much. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Wide Receivers
Terrell Owens - As of right now (Friday morning), it's looking like Owens will be very iffy come Sunday. He is battling a hip injury that came out of nowhere on Tuesday, and is said to be "struggling" with it. It's not looking good for him this week. Knowing Owens, he's likely to try and play through the injury, but he'll probably be even more ineffective than usual. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Lee Evans - Evans saw a bit of a revival with Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback, but struggled in his last outing against the Texans finishing with just 2 catches for 29 yards. With Owens potential out, and Finnegan playing at a high level again, it could be another stinker for him this week. I did what I said I wouldn't do again this season and recommending starting Evans against Houston. Never again! Let him do the opposite of what I say! He should see more looks this week, but don't expect a huge game, or even a good game. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Nate Washington - Washington leads the Titans with 23 receptions, but has just 202 yards to show for it. He has a respectable 4 touchdowns on the season, but hasn't been the deep threat that Tennessee expected. Expect the Titans to throw only when they really need to, so Washington isn't much of a play this week. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Justin Gage - Gage leads the Titans with 302 receiving yards and looked good last week hauling in 4 passes for 97 yards. Young seems to like him, and the Titans will probably look to get him deep, so the potential for some big plays is there. Unless you are really desperate, look elsewhere. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Kenny Britt - Britt has just 3 catches in the last four games. I still think he's going to be a very good NFL WR, but it'll take some time (and a better QB). Keep an eye on him in the future. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Tight Ends
Shawn Nelson and Derek Fine - Nelson returns to the field this week following a concussion and subsequent migraines. Fine is still the starter. Neither have been effective this season. Fine has just three catches since week 3, and Nelson has flashed his potential only occasionally. Going forward, it'll be imperative to work Nelson into the lineup and passing game much more. Let's hope he responds with some production. Neither is fantasy relevant though. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Bo Scaife - Watching the Titans the past three or four seasons, Scaife proved to be one of Vince Young's favorite targets. He has six catches since Young returned to the lineup this year, and could be a sneaky play this week. The Bills defense has struggled against tight ends all season, so there should be opportunities for Scaife underneath. Don't be shocked if Scaife puts up nice numbers this week. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Alge Crumpler - Crumpler isn't a fantasy option anymore. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Kickers
Rian Lindell - Lindell is tied for 8th in the NFL with 13 field goals made for the season. He's been one of the few bright spots for an otherwise desolate team for fantasy purposes. Going against one of the league's most generous defenses could give Lindell more chances than usual. Still, it's tough to use the kicker for one of the worst offenses in the league. Go with a kicker from a better offense. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Rob Bironas - See Lindell, Rian. Bironas has more value because the Titans have the ability to move the ball on the ground. If the Bills can get stingy on 3rd downs in their own territory, Bironas could be a nice option this week. Again, I'd go with a kicker for a better offense, though. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Defense/Special Teams
Buffalo D/ST - The Bills defense has been quite opportunistic of late, forcing 13 turnovers and adding 6 sacks in the past three games. However, the Titans, under Vince Young, haven't turned it over and have allowed just one sack. Something has to give. If the Titans can control the ball and run wild on the Bills, as expected, sack and turnover opportunities just won't be there. But if the Bills defense can slow down Johnson and force some 3rd and longs, Young could be forced into some mistakes. I tend to believe it's more likely the former will happen. Verdict: Sit 'Em

Tennessee D/ST - The Titans D/ST has really taken a hit this season after performing as one of the better fantasy units the past few years. They are coming on though. In the past two weeks, they've forced six turnovers and accumulated eight sacks. I'd expect the sack numbers to continue. Playing at home could give them a nice boost as well. This unit makes for a good one week fill-in, if that's what you're looking for. Verdict: Start 'Em

Sleepers
Buffalo - Honestly, I don't see one. The offense has been so bad, it's hard to imagine any player making an unexpected huge contribution.

Tennessee - I'd say the Titans D/ST makes for a quality sleeper this week. It's unlikely many teams have been starting this unit this year, so they could put up an uncharacteristic total against the struggling Bills offense.

*****

It's hard to believe it's already Week 10, but here we are. It's the stretch run for fantasy leagues, so time to pull out all the stops. Make some trades to pick up players who will get you wins now, and go with the guys who have been producing this season. Good luck to all, enjoy the games and go Bills!

Why Matt Stover was brought in to sub for Adam Vinatieri

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:24:34 -0000

More photos » by Michael Conroy - AP

about 1 month ago: FILE -- In this Oct. 4, 2009, file photo, Indianapolis Colts kicker Adam Vinatieri kicks against the Seattle Seahawks in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Indianapolis. Vinatieri is out four to eight weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee to remove a piece of cartilage. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy, File)

Browse more photos »

Indy Star's PhilB has a good blog entry up talking about Matt Stover and what he brings to the Colts while kicker Adam Vinatieri heals up from surgery to remove loose cartilage in his knee. Like Vinatieri, Stover is a humble, hard-working guy who has a knack for delivering big kicks in the clutch.

After everybody had their questions answered, and Stover made it perfectly clear he just wanted to help this team win a Super Bowl, that a kicker like Adam Vinatieri can't be replaced, we chatted again. The recorder was off. And what a rush of enthusiasm, to hear him talk about how happy he was to still have a chance to kick. More to the point, to be in this situation, stepping in for a good friend, on such a good team.
I'm guessing if any of us couldn't do our jobs for whatever reason, and a good friend had to step in and help out, well, we would be grateful. Stover is prepared to go the distance with the Colts. It was reported that he kicked 53-yard field goals in his Tuesday workout. He is ready. And, like Vinatieri, missing clutch kicks is unacceptable.

Now, I know some here are suggesting that it is a "waste" to have three kickers and three quarterbacks on an active roster. The cries for "Adam to IR" or the even more ridiculous "Let Pat make all the kicks" really need to simmer down.

Like me, PhilB believes Vinatieri is still a clutch kicker. Without him, the Colts do not beat the Minnesota Vikings and San Diego Chargers last season, which would have meant no playoffs. And like me, Phil believes that Vinatieri will kick long after he recovers from surgery. Stover is 41. Vinaiteri is 36. I also believe the Colts feel Vinatieri is a key veteran whose presence is necessary in developing consistent special teams play. When Ray Rychleski barks out orders to do this and that, those orders carry more weight with players when someone as well-liked and well-respected as Adam Vinatieri nods. Remember, the team voted Adam and Melvin Bullitt co-captains of Special Teams.

So, when you lose someone as vital as Vinatieri, it is important to replace them with someone who others respect. Enter: Matt Stover.

Now, for some of you, there is this rather silly notion that the Colts should use rookie punter Pat McAfee as the field goal kicker. McAfee, a kicker in college at West Virginia, is able to kick FGs, but to ask him to punt, kick-off, AND kick field goals is a bit too much. McAfee has punted the ball great and his kick-offs are outstanding. However, even if he could hold up physically to handling all three jobs, would you trust a key, high pressure, big time kick to a rookie or to a veteran who has been there, done that a hundred times over? For me, I go veteran.

Others here are wringing your hands about about Stover's leg distance on kicks. Folks, if you need your kicker to consistently make 50-plus yard FGs, your team's offense stinks. I know lots of people around here go ga-ga for Rob Bironas and his bionic leg, but the reason the Titans have Bironas attempting all those long FGs is because their offense can't get the ball in the damned endzone. Also, Bironas has missed some important kicks this year, some of which cost them in their Week One loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

So, if you are still on the fence about the important of carrying three kickers, get down already! I personally want Adam Vinatieri back as healthy as possible for December and January, where he has etched his mark on the NFL and secured his bust in Canton. While he heals, I have full confidence in Stover handling pressure kicks; not so much in McAfee. If injuries occur and there needs to be some roster shuffling, I'd rather see players like Chad Simpson cut than a veteran kicker like Stover.