SB Nation - Kerry Collins

Dolphins vs Titans: Keys to Victory

Matty I — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 05:15:09 -0000

If he plays, this is what I don't want to see on Sunday - VY running free and our big linemen chasing.

For most Dolphin fans, Sunday's game cannot get here fast enough. Any time you get into these situations where there are crucial December football games on the horizon, it seems like the work week just drags on in between these games. Of course, Chris Johnson's tale about Ted Ginn ducking him in a race has made the week a little more interesting. But who really cares? Let's talk some football.

The Dolphins have their work cut out for them - especially defensively - when they travel up to Tennessee on Sunday. Here are my three keys to victory for this week - and note that the Dolphins did an excellent job of hitting on the three keys I laid out for them last week in their win against the Jaguars.

Be prepared for two different quarterbacks
Perhaps one of the worst things to come out of last week was that Vince Young suffered that hamstring injury that kept him from returning to their game and makes him a question mark for this week. Now the Dolphins have got to prepare for two different quarterbacks with two completely different styles.

If the Dolphins have to face Young, that means they have to worry about much more than Chris Johnson running and the quarterback throwing. Not only has Young been the better passer out of him and Kerry Collins this season. He's also a dynamic runner when the situations lends itself to VY escaping from the pocket - forcing opposing defenses to account for his legs. In three of his starts this season, Young has at least 30 yards rushing - including a 73 yard performance against the Texans and one long run of 40+ yards last week - the play in which he injured himself.

Last week the Dolphins had to worry about Jaguar quarterback David Garrard scrambling. And on Jacksonville's lone touchdown drive, Garrard ran three times for 18 yards. But the Dolphins made the necessary adjustments and limited Garrard to just 10 more rushing yards the rest of the game. They'll need to be aware of Young's legs if he is indeed the quarterback for Tennessee on Sunday.

But the differences between Young and Collins go beyond their ability to move in the pocket and run. If Collins is the quarterback, look for shorter passes. But if it's Young, we can expect shots down the field. On the season Collins is completing 10% of the passes thrown beyond 20 yards (2/20). Young, meanwhile, is completing 38% of those passes (10/26).

One of the challenges the Dolphins face this week in practice is preparing for two very different possible quarterbacks. Hopefully Paul Pasqualoni has his defense well prepared on Sunday.

Take away Chris Johnson at all costs
This is probably not possible. But the Dolphins do need to do whatever it takes to limit the impact Chris Johnson has on this game. He's the most talented player in this game for either team and can change the momentum of a game with a single touch of the football.

Johnson not only leads the league in rushing yards, but he's also topped 2,000 yards from scrimmage and is just over 400 yards away from the NFL single-season record in that category. And he's also done something no player has ever done - rushed for 85+ yard touchdowns three times in a career. He just happened to do it three times in one season. Yeah - pretty remarkable stuff.

The closest the Dolphins have come to playing against a back of CJ's style this year was either last week against Maurice Jones-Drew or back in week 3 against Darren Sproles. The Dolphins did a good job at containing both. Sproles was limited to just 55 yards of offense on 20 touches while MJD was limited to 83 yards of offense on 20 touches. But one thing the Dolphins did last week to limit MJD's opportunities to catch the football out of the backfield was to blitz early and often, forcing the Jaguars to keep Jones-Drew in to block rather than release into a route. If it's Vince Young under center, he has the mobility to stay alive facing a blitz long enough for Chris Johnson to release. So I'm not sure if employing that same strategy this week is a good idea.

What I am sure of is that no player the Dolphins have faced in 2009 scares me as much as Johnson.

Don't forget about Ricky Williams
I know I really ripped into Tennessee's porous secondary yesterday and highlighted the matchup of Miami's receivers against the Titan cornerbacks. As much as I do want to see the Dolphins throw it on the opposing defense for the third consecutive week, it's important that the Dolphins don't get too one-dimensional and too aggressive.

I know Ricky might be wearing down a little bit due to the extra workload. After all, he is averaging 23 carries per game over his past five games after seeing just 10 per game prior. But I don't think you want to put it all on Chad Henne's shoulders. That's probably not a good idea.

Sure, the Titans have the 7th ranked rushing defense, giving up only 98.8 yards per game on the ground. But they also see the fourth fewest rushing attempts against them out of all 32 NFL teams - only 23.5 per game. With that said, the Titans are surrendering 4.2 yards per carry, which isn't bad but isn't too good, either.

I'm not saying that the Dolphins will be able to run over the Titans. But they just have to be careful not to completely abandon the ground game. After all, the Dolphins have a $160+ million offensive line and want to be known as a power running team. So let's put those big guys up front to work and make them earn their money against a very physical Tennessee front four.

Vince Young Sits Out Practice Wednesday; Wants to Play

Jimmy — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:05:48 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Who knew he could be so fast with only one foot? (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Browse more photos »

Both the Tennessean and Titans Radio are reporting via Twitter that Titans quarterback Vince Young did not practice Wednesday. The Tennessean adds that Kerry Collins took the reps with the first team, in case you are wondering.

VY's quote from @titansradio concerns me a little:

"I'm day to day. I want to play. ...I feel pretty good, just taking it easy to be on the safe side."

Last week Vince repeatedly said that he would be good to play on against the Rams. Today he is saying that he hopes to play. A hamstring injury can be a tricky one to come back from because it has to completely heal or it will continue to get re-aggravated. Hopefully Vince is a quick healer, or maybe John McClain will be willing to lend him a hamstring tendon (Frank Wycheck morning radio joke).

Nice To Be On The Other End Of A Blow Out - Photos From The Titans - St. Louis Rams Game

Titanfan — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:11:47 -0000

When the Patriots clobbered the Titans by 59 points it didn't look like there was anyone out there that the Titans could beat. So even though the Rams were coming in with a 1-11 record I still had my apprehensions about this game. I'm glad that it didn't take long for those fears to be put to rest. It's been a roller coaster of a season with lots of highs and lows and after the Colts provided the low of not winning out this game provided lots of high marks. They are still in the playoff picture and that's a pretty remarkable feat to be able to say in December after the September and October they had. They just keep coming on.

More pics after the jump.

The first offensive play for the Titans was this 31 yard completion to Kenny Britt.

66 yards later Chris Johnson took this five yard pass for a touchdown.

Vince Young pulled up after gaining 44 yards on this run with a strained hamstring muscle. He was on his way to having a big day until that happened.

Insert Kerry Collins and the Titans keep moving.

Chris Johnson almost gave me a Heisman pose here. Stick that arm out and it'd be perfect.

Keith Bulluck and the Titans Defense held the second leading rusher in the NFL to 47 yards. Bulluck had 2 interceptions and 10 tackles in the game.

A huge Defensive performance by the Titans. Cortland Finnegan high stepping after the first of his two interceptions.

Steven Jackson is a huge individual.

The high point for St. Louis was this fake punt for 51 yards.

Alge Crumpler scored his first TD in Nashville since joining the team last year. He's had a tradition of seeking out a youngster in the stands and giving them the ball after scoring. So that was the first time Alge had been able to do that in Nashville. I headed for home shortly after this and just as I got out the gate Vinny Fuller intercepted a pass and ran it right towards my seat for a 45 yard TD. That probably would have made for my best photo of the day. (still kicking myself)

Miami comes in here Sunday in a make or break game for either team to maintain playoff hopes. It don't get any better than playoff atmosphere. I'm looking forward to it.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Surprising Output From All Over The Place Edition

August West — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 15:06:56 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

CJ is so fast he'll sprint past our receivers before they even know he's headed to the house.

Browse more photos »

I've hammered Gary Estwick on the regular in this space, but I'll give him credit for posting probably the most relevant analysis on this game between the Titans and Dolphins so far from the local media:

Miami has recorded a sack in all but one game this season – a 22–21 win over New England (Dec. 6)...

It’s all bad news for the Titans offense, in need of a win Sunday at LP Field to stay alive in the AFC playoff hunt. Starting today, quarterback Vince Young enters the work week after leaving last Sunday’s rout of St. Louis with an injured hamstring. Meanwhile, backup Kerry Collins is not mobile enough to shake off Joey Porter, Jason Taylor and former Titan Randy Starks – they are responsible for a total of 20 sacks in 2009.

Shutdown Corner has pretty charts on the year Chris Johnson is having, and notes that he'd need to average about 160 yards per game to break Dickerson's record.

Some smart guy wrote about the disconnect between Wonderlic scores and the career success of quarterbacks back in November, using Vince Young as a central example. I very strongly agree with him that an IQ test is a poor determining factor, and that a combination of emotional aptitude and ability to find patterns are far more important than the kind of mental skills a Wonderlic or IQ test pinpoint.

This look at this week's match-ups from a Florida perspective is pretty good, and included a name I hadn't thought of in years:

[Randy] Starks, who left for Miami as a free agent in early 2008, is putting the finishing touches on a Pro Bowl-worthy season and has been living in opponents' backfields the second half of the season.

Here's a more in-depth read on Randy and his coming-out party as an impact D-lineman.

Congrats to Jim Wyatt for digging a little deeper and coming up with 5 interesting and timely things to know about the Titans. Well played by the staff of the Tennessean this week. Well played.

Don Banks re-drafts last year's 1st round; here Kenny Britt is gone before we draft, and we take Wisconsin LB Deandre Levy. Things like this are the reason I'm opposed to time travel.

H/t to steadfast reader/commenter studiocat for pointing us to Terry McCormick's break-down of the playoff chase as it stands this week.

Have love, need links: mcmaugustwest@gmail.com

Titans 47 Rams 7 Recap: The Good, Bad and Ugly

Jimmy — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 16:49:38 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Makes me want to hurl. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Browse more photos »

I am not up to the challenge of writing a traditional recap about this game. It was boring the first time, and I have a feeling that reading about it would be even more boring. So I decided to mail it in with a good, bad and ugly post. Here goes:

The Good

The defense. I know they were facing a guy from a D-II school who had never made an NFL start, but five picks is pretty impressive no matter the occasion. Good to see our boy Keith Bulluck come up with two of them. This secondary has been torched by the better passers in the league this season, but have feasted on the lesser competition. The bad news is their are no passing cupcakes left on the schedule.

The defense was also able to help Chris Johnson extend his rushing lead over Steven Jackson by holding Jackson to just 47 yards on 19 carries. CJ now leads SJ by 347 yards!

The Bad

CJ fell way off the pace to catch Eric Dickerson, and now faces an uphill battle to get to 2,000. He needs 125 yards per game the rest of the way to get to 2,000 (doable) and 160 per game to catch Dickerson (probably not doable). At least he still has a good shot at the yards from scrimmage mark of 2,429. CJ has 2,017 thus far and should be able to take that one down.

The Ugly

The offense with Kerry Collins under center. There is not a defense above the high school level that is afraid of Collins right now, and the Rams proved yesterday they are no exception. They loaded up to stop CJ, which I guess is why Heimerdinger decided to let KC put the ball in the air 19 times.

I give this team about a 5% chance of beating the Dolphins next week if Collins is under center, so a lot of my time this week will be spent petitioning the football gods for healing for Vince Young's knee.

Ok, so maybe that was just as boring as the usual recap would have been, but at least I didn't spend as much time writing, and you didn't have to spend as much time reading. That is my Christmas present to each and everyone of you.

Vince Young Leaves Practice with a Knee Injury

Jimmy — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 20:21:42 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Browse more photos »

The Tennessean is reporting via Twitter that Vince Young left practice early today with a knee injury. They say that Kerry Collins finished practice, but they do not say how serious the knee injury was.

I am sure there will be plenty more news about the injury this afternoon. Stay tuned.

[UPDATE]- The Tennessean is reporting that this is the same knee that he injured in the game this past Sunday, good call by me, and that he as been trying to push through it. Fisher said this after practice:

“He has been trying to push through practice and he just had a setback so we shut him down,’’ Fisher said. “We’ll tend to him inside and see how he is tomorrow.’’

That Tennessean article also includes this gem:

Asked if Collins would be ready in the event Young doesn’t feel better, Fisher joked: “He has been deer hunting every day. He doesn’t come to practice or meetings, so I don’t know.’’

Rams vs Titans: Compare and Contrast

VanRam — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 18:18:17 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Offensive foundation, Chris Johnson

Browse more photos »

It doesn't seem like it was all that long ago, when you looked at week 14 on the St. Louis Rams schedule and thought they could very well get a win against an equally hard-luck Titans team. Not anymore. The Rams are now 13-point underdogs for their trip to Music City.

The Titans are now playing for a trip to the playoffs, after starting out 0-6. That sixth week of the season featured the Rams overtime loss to the Jaguars and the Titans getting shut out by the Patriots who scored 59 points (running up the score? stay classy Bill). My how things have changed. There are some parallels in the stories of the Rams and Titans this season, maybe a lesson or two even.

The Centerpiece

Like the Rams, Tennessee has a running back at the center of their offense. Chris Johnson has been collecting ridiculous amounts of yardage. The last time he had fewer than 100 yards on the ground was week five against the Colts, when he had just 34 yards on 9 carries. Steven Jackson, the centerpiece of the Rams offense, has been trying his best to carry the team, but has only been able to do so much for a team unable to make much else happen around him.

Quarterback

The Titans started the season with Kerry Collins at QB. Collins, after all, was at the helm last season when the Titans had a 13-3 season. One more season was more than the 36-year old Collins had left. Through six games he completed just 54.8 percent of his passes and a 5/8 TD to INT ratio. A 2-for-12 performance against the Patriots sealed his fate, and Vince Young replaced him on the last three drives of that game. The Rams started the season with an older QB carrying the signs of abuse much more prominently than many of us had expected. Eventually, a younger backup QB took over, but the similarities end there.

Going Young

The Rams had Kyle Boller, the Titans had Vince Young ready to take over QB duties. Boller has entered the backup QB stage of his career and has quickly reminded everyone why after a few games. Young still had some potential after struggling in his first two seasons and holding the clipboard for Collins last year. One thing the Titans have done to help Young, besides feed Chris Johnson the ball, has been their re-writing of the offensive script.

The Playbook

Rams fans are continually frsutrated by the logic-defying playcalling coming from the sidelines. It's not the Rams offense has been pass averse, rather the offense has done little more than dink and dump passes that ultimately go nowhere and make things easier for opposing defenses. Just a few more play actions, is that too much to ask? In Tennessee things have been different. The coaching staff there has smartly written a game plan around Chris Johnson and taking advantage of Young's strengths as a QB making lots of option calls and keeping defenses confused. The Rams have done nothing similar to take advantage of Steven Jackson's considerable gifts and their quarterback's lack fo gifts. Of course part of the problem has to do with the receiving options on each team.

Talent

Kenny Britt, the Titans first round pick out of Rutgers, has proven to be good get for the Titans. He runs routes well and overcame the pre-draft questions about his concentration, etc and works the middle. Behind him they have Nate Washington, who's been servicable as a role player. They've also used TEs Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler with some effectiveness. The Rams just don't have much going for them at WR. Laurent Robinson was establishing himself as a solid possession guy before he got hurt. Keenan Burton was improving in a similar role when he got hurt. Brandon Gibson looked like he might be that guy, but he's fallen off considerably after his impressive debut against the Saints. Add to that the situation at QB for the Rams.

Join us tonight for some Turf Show Radio, 7:30 p.m. Central.

They Call Him "BRUCE"!!! Bruce Gradkowski Delivers In A Very Rich Gannon-Esque Way

saint — Sun, 06 Dec 2009 23:09:27 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

Oakland Raiders quarterback Bruce Gradowski (5) becomes the first Raider Quarterback to throw for 300 Yards in a Victory in 5 Seasons. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Browse more photos »

On December 6th 2009, against the Pittsburgh Steelers, on the road, Bruce Gradkowski became the leader of the Silver and Black. At only 25 years old, it is safe to say that his best years are ahead of him.

Against a VERY stout Pittsburgh Steeler defense he became the first Raider QB to throw for 300 yards in a Raider Victory since Kerry Collins, who'd replaced the injured Rich Gannon earlier in the year, pulled off the feet in a 25-24 victory over the Denver Broncos on November 28th 2004.

That is a full 5 seasons of football since the team that is built on speed and the deep ball has had a quarterback throw for 300 yards and win!

In our most recent glory years, 2000-2002, it was common for the Raiders to go for 300 or more yards through the air and delight the denizens of the Silver and Black Nation with countless victories, even producing an NFL MVP in Rich Gannon.

For the first time since Rich Gannon retired the entire Nation witnessed a QB make every proper read, take what the defense gave him and then pick apart the defense like a wild surgeon through the air when it mattered most.

In fact, Bruce may have done something that I have never seen a Raider QB do, this goes back to about 1980 when I can actually recall the games that I've seen. He led three lead taking scores, on the road in the 4th Quarter. And you know what Raider Nation, I think this is more the rule than the exception for this kid.

To a man, this team believes in him. His teammates say things like, "He works hard", "He comes in early", "He stays late" and "He watches tons of film". What a refreshing break from someone who had everything handed to him, JaMarcus Russell, and refused to do the work that is required from an NFL quarterback.

Gradkowski was discovered by, none other than, John Gruden in the 6th Round of NFL Draft and he worked his way into the starting position in his rookie season, only to be too green and end up on the bench. (Gruden also brough Gannon to Oakland)

"BRUCE" is everything Oakland and he is EVERYTHING Raider. He comes from a blue collar family in Pittsburgh and he has been bounced around the League in his short career and has found his stride, like so many before him, in the Silver and Black.

It will take another great performance to beat the Redskins next week, but, with "Bruce Almighty" at the helm, things are looking up in Oakland!!! I wonder how many fans still want to NOT show-up and miss watching these youngsters grow?

Arizona Cardinals at Tennessee Titans: Know Thy Enemy Edition

Pyromnc — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:00:13 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

about 1 month ago: Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) is congratulated by quarterback Vince Young (10) after Johnson ran for an 89-yard touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the fourth quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Nov. 1, 2009. The Titans won 30-13 for their first win of the season. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

Browse more photos »

After a season in which the Tennessee Titans started 10-0, they weren't able to duplicate that start for the 2009 season. They started this season off by going 0-6 and have not played well in any of those contests. Since that awful start, they made a change at quarterback by starting Vince Young instead of Kerry Collins. Ever since that move they have won four straight to make their record 4-6. Even though Young has played pretty decent since becoming the starter, he has not been the player that has carried this team, as that player would be running back Chris Johnson.

Johnson was a first round draft pick last season and was brought in to compete with LenDale White for the starting job. These two backs would not only compete with each other but become quite possibly the best running back duo in the NFL last season. Both runningbacks would combine for a total of 2277 yards and 25 touchdowns. Those are big numbers for a pair of runningbacks but this season has been different. Johnson has had an amazing season leading the league in rushing yards with 1242 over 10 games (124.2 yards per game) and 262 receiving yards. He has also has eight rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown. White has seen his playing time dwindle to almost nothing compared to last season getting just 63 touches that have gone for 220 total yards and two touchdowns. Johnson is clearly the back to worry about in this game.

For Johnson, he has never faced the Arizona Cardinals but that does not mean he will not play well against them. All he has to do is look at a similar running back in DeAngello Williams, who has had some solid games against the Cardinals. In Williams career he has played four games against the Cardinals. In those four games he has had 445 rushing yards on 62 carries (7.2 yards per carry average) and two touchdowns. Johnson will want to study some of those games to see how Williams ran all over the Cards and try to duplicate or better those numbers.

As for the Cardinals, their defense will have to play some of the best run defense they have had to play. They will be counting on safety Adrian Wilson, inside-linebacker Gerald Hayes, and inside-linebacker Karlos Dansby to stop Johnson. They will not have to necessarily stop him from getting over 100 yards rushing but they will need to make sure he does not break a long run, which he has done a lot of this season, or get any touchdowns. If they can do that than the Cards should have a good chance at winning this game. Can the Cardinals stop Chris Johnson from running all over them?

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.

Browse more photos »

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!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!