SB Nation - Kevin Mawae

Jets Flight Connections 122309

dvdvil — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 15:51:53 -0000

Mark Cannizzaro doubts the effectiveness of mixing QB Mark Sanchez with the Jets vets.

HC Rex Ryan disagrees that the offense is bad.

Rich Cimini tries to stir trouble between Rex and OC Brian Schottenheimer.

Roderick Boone says the Jets want to play the Colts starters.

Eric Allen converses with former Colts HC Tony Dungy.

Not surprisingly, the Colts are favored over the Jets.

Overstating the obvious: the Jets need help.

ESPN.com says CB Darrelle Revis has 4-1 odds of becoming the Defensive Player of the Year.

Sporting News says Revis is the best CB in the NFL.

USA Today also writes about Revis Island.

More connections after the jump.

Jet Nation looks into the team's offense, defense and coaching.

Judy Battista talks to Mike Westhoff and other ST Coordinators about NFL kickers.

Former Jet P Ben Graham won Player of the Week.

The Jets Blog has some funny Jets graphs.

Was Joe Namath's UPS Driver a Dolphin fan?

The Jets tried out former 1st-rounder RB Chris Perry (a couple of weeks before playing his former team, the Bengals).

The Ravens signed a couple of players from the Jets practice squad.

G Alan Faneca and former Jet C Kevin Mawae are on this site's team of the decade.

Lastly, here is LB Bart Scott on "Barking with Bart". (Sorry I couldn't embed it.)

Dolphins/Titans Friday Injury Report

Matty I — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 21:10:16 -0000

Both sides have key players listed on report. So let's get to it:

MIAMI DOLPHINS

Probable
Davone Bess, WR (ankle)
Vernon Carey, RT (back)
Joey Porter, LB (knee)
Reggie Torbor, LB (hamstring)
Yeremiah Bell, SS (back)

Questionable
Jake Grove, C (ankle)

Notes
-Grove was limited in practice on Friday after going full the two previous days.
-All the players listed as "probable" practiced in full on Friday except for Porter, who was limited.

TENNESSEE TITANS

Probable
Kevin Mawae, C (back)

Questionable
Vince Young, QB (hamstring)
Nate Washington, WR (ankle)
Eric Bakhtiara, DE (concussion)
Tony Brown, DT (knee)

Doubtful
Craig Stevenson, TE (concussion)
David Thornton, LB (shoulder)

Notes
-Mawae practiced in full on Friday.
-Young practiced in full on Friday and will most likely start.
-Brown did not practice on Friday, nor did Thornton.
-Washington was limited on Friday.

MCM's Tennessee Titans Team of the Decade

Jimmy — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 17:06:16 -0000

More photos » by Dave Einsel - AP

I made the team!! (AP Photo/Dave Einsel)

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We are continuing our "of the decade" series today with the Titans team of the decade. This list was compiled by August, Hal, Gramsey, and me. It was a fun exercise. Some of the selections were no brainers that were easily agreed on by all parties, but there were a few that were hotly debated.

The team and some comments on it after the jump.

OFFENSE

QB- Steve McNair
RB- Chris Johnson
FB- Lorenzo Neal
WR- Derrick Mason
WR- Drew Bennett
TE- Frank Wycheck
OT- Brad Hopkins
OT- Michael Roos
OG- Bruce Matthews
OG- Zach Piller
C- Kevin Mawae

DEFENSE

DE- Jevon Kearse
DE- Kyle Vanden Bosch
DT- Kevin Carter
DT- Albert Haynesworth
LB- Keith Bulluck
LB- David Thornton
LB- Randall Godfrey
CB- Samari Rolle
CB- Cortland Finnegan
S- Chris Hope
S- Michael Griffin

SPECIAL TEAMS

K- Rob Bironas
P- Craig Hentrich
RS- Derrick Mason
LS- Ken Amato

A few thoughts:

The first debate we really had was between CJ and Eddie George. It seems somewhat blasphemous to keep Eddie off the team, but you can't include 1999 and without that CJ's numbers in 2 years are more impressive.
We all wanted to come up with a way not to put Drew Bennett on the team because all any of us can think of when we think of Drew is the drop in New England, but when you look at the numbers he had to be there.
Gramsey wants Sarge over Lorenzo, but the thing that gave Lorenzo the nod for the rest of us was the decline in Eddie's career when he left.
Everything else offensively is pretty much a no-brainer.
We cheated a little bit on the defensive line putting Carter in there at tackle. He did play some tackle in his time here, but it really came down to the fact that those four guys are the four that it had to be. Who else would you put at tackle? Tony Brown was close, but Carter's numbers were so good that it was justifiable.
Linebacker was a little bit of a debate between Randall Godfrey and Peter Sirmon, but Godfrey was more dominating so he got the nod.
The safety positions might have taken us the longest. Blaine Bishop was the first thought in everyone's head, but when you look at the numbers from this decade his aren't that good. Griff would have made it a lot easier on us had he not gone in the tank this year, but his season last year was better than any season posted by a safety in the last 10 years- ergo he makes the list.
The returner debate is still going on between the four of us as I am writing this post. The numbers are close enough that I can put Mason on the list and not feel bad about it. Gramsey and Hal are all about he who shall not be named. He was electric, but he only did it for 2 seasons. That is how I am justifying leaving him off. Gramsey says I will close the comments so no one can prove me wrong. He doesn't have that "Hater" title for nothing. Have at it..

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: We All Knew It Should Have Been Ganther > Henry Edition

August West — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:00:12 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

How has Kevin Mawae's career lasted so long? He trains with CJ's dreads!

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Justin Gage is expected to play Sunday, though I seriously doubt you'll see him getting his normal amount of reps. He should begin to ease himself back in the line-up though, forcing the staff to make a decision soon on who will be starting opposite Kenny Britt.

The game against the Rams will pit two of the best running backs in the NFL against each other, with neither looking likely to make it to the post season by most accounts.

Kevin Mawae says he is dead-set on playing next year, even if it's not with the Titans (Mawae's contract expires at the end of the season). He says he'd love to stay, but it'll be interesting to see which way the front office goes since Leroy Harris has been the replacement in waiting for two years now.

Follow us through the jump for updates on free agency and what a former Titan is up to...

Beyond Mawae, there are several key veterans who have contracts coming up this off-season. It's impossible to predict what's going to happen since the salary cap and CBA are up in the air, but many of them are almost certainly playing their last few games in the two-toned blue.

If Chris Johnson is going to chase greatness this year, he really needs to feast on the Rams' defense this week, and as likely as that looks to happen, CJ's still not taking anything with this squad for granted.

H/T to T Coleman who made a fan shot of this link to a Sports Illustrated article on CJ, and how he defies the stereotypes surrounding small, speedy running backs.

As the Rams take the field Sunday, they'll do so without their second leading tackler, safety Oshiomogho Atogwe, who will miss the rest of the season with a shoulder injury. Also in doubt is first round tackle Jason Smith, who has been struggling with the lingering effects of a concussion for three weeks.

Congratulations to former Titan and current Redskin's RB Quinton Ganther for taking over the starting position in Washington. The RB position has been in flux there since Portis and Betts went on IR, and Ganther's good play has unseated Rock Cartwright.

Have love, need links: mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!

Who Would You Take From The Tennessee Titans?

Andrew602 — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 19:00:13 -0000

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Although it's a holiday, we never stop discussing Cardinal-football and that's what lead me to the next question - who would you take from the Tennessee Titans? It's a question we've been asking every week when the Cardinals play, and this week is no different - so make your selection. It can be a young or older player, a starter or a back up, etc. You can also take their current contract status into consideration, as if we were actually signing the player. Also look at who may be leaving our team after this season. Don't let the 0-6 start fool you, this team has talent, starting at offensive tackle.

Michael Roos, T: An offensive lineman I would love to see in Cardinal red is Roos. He's only 27 years old and would be a dominant force on the outside of the offensive line. He's also a very good pass protector but he can obviously run-block like the best of them - just look at Chris Johnson's production. With Mike Gandy uncertain to return next year and the lack of production by Levi Brown, the Cardinals would be grateful to pick up Roos.

Chris Johnson, RB: Even with the emergence of the Cardinals rushing attack, who in their right mind would pass up on Chris Johnson? As he stated, he's every coach's dream, and I'll add that he's every fan's dream. Johnson is already on pace to break the single season rushing record set by Eric Dickerson, and started doing it on an 0-6 team. He's got explosive speed and is a threat break a long run no matter what defense he's lining up against. He's also a capable receiver and can be an every-down back.

Kevin Mawae, C: Kevin may be 38 years old but he's still one of the best centers in the league. The leadership he brings to the offensive line is unmatched and if he had one good season left in him he'd be a great addition to the Cardinals offensive line.

Bo Scaife, TE: Scaife is one of the more underrated tight ends in the league and has had a down year for obvious reasons, but don't let that fool you, he's a gamer. In the previous two years he had a combined 104 catches for 982 yards and 3 touchdowns. If he was to play for a pass-happy team like the Cardinals, his production would fly.

If the Cardinals could make these picks happen, they would feature one of the more elite teams in the league. What picks would you make from the Titans?

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 Morning Links: Dirtiest Links In The League Edition

August West — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 14:25:50 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Vince continues to say and do all the right things, not the least of which is win.

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Former Titan Albert Haynesworth and current Titan Kevin Mawae were voted among the dirtiest players in the league by their peers according to an anonymous survey. Mawae's name has been on that list going way back to his career with the Jets, but you have to know you're dirty if you get voted there while you're the President of the NFLPA. Albert, on the other hand, has a life-time pass onto the list after his stomping travesty.

David Climer looks at a possible fracture in the relationship between Bud Adams and Jeff Fisher over the QB position, and wonders if it might be the final straw between the owner and coach:

For years, Jeff Fisher has nurtured his relationship with Bud Adams.

It paid off with uncommon job security and unchallenged authority on everything from hiring and firing assistant coaches to having the final word on personnel decisions.

But the events of the past two weeks have created a disconnect between the owner and the coach...

Publicly, Fisher says the decision to bench Collins and start Young was made "collectively." Don't buy it. The owner had the only vote that really mattered.

Vince Young surprised the players and coaches of the Brentwood Blaze, a near by pee-wee football team, as they practiced yestreday. Vince gave the youngsters a pep talk and told them about his younger playing days. These are the kinds of things I've been saying Vince should be doing for the past year to get the community back on his side, and it's nice to see him get some credit for it. Being a quarterback in the NFL requires a lot more work than happens in the locker room or on the field.

Follow us through the jump to find-out which announcer apologized for comments aimed at a Titan...

Nice to see Gus Johnson apologize for his classless, but not outright terrible, 'running from the cops' comment... Mark Howard and Frank Wycheck were screaming that the joke was political correctness run amok on the radio this morning, but they also thought the comment was hilarious. I mean, nobody was calling for Johnson's job or a suspension, but a 2-second apology was definitely in order.

In other player service and charity news, Keith Bulluck and his charity teamed up with Soles4Souls to provide local kids with much-needed athletic shoes. Check the link to see some pictures of the event.

Make sure you check-out numbertenox's fanpost for some interesting views on the running game, featuring quotes by my boy Chuck Klosterman and Gregg Easterbrook links.

The Titans' improvement on the field was mirrored in their DVOA ratings for this week, and our boys have started a hopefully consistent campaign to get out of the gutter in all 3 categories.

PFW takes a look at Vince's performance and the coaching/ownership issues surrounding the team these days.

As was reported yesterday, former 4th round pick by the Titans Chris Davis was re-signed to compete with Alvin Pearman in the return game. It'll be interesting to see if the Titans re-sign Cary Williams to the practice squad as they did after cutting him back on September 23rd.

Mike Florio: still an all-around douchecanoe.

If you see anything good or Titans related on your travels around the internets, be sure to send it to mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!

New York Jets Run Defense vs. Tennessee Titans Run Offense

John B — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 15:05:13 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

3 months ago: FILE -- This is a Sept. 20, 2009, file photo showing Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson (28) in action against the Houston Texans in the first quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn. Don't expect the New York Jets to make the same mistake as Houston by not guarding Chris Johnson if he lines up wide. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

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Chris Johnson ran a 4.2 40 at the NFL Combine in 2008. He ran for 197 yards and 2 touchdowns on 16 carries last week. He's as much of a gamebreaker as Andre Johnson and Randy Moss. The Jets don't have to scheme around gamebreaking receivers. They can just tell Darrelle Revis to cover them. Running backs are a different story.

For starters, the tackling needs to be sure. When you blitz as much as the Jets do, there's nobody deep. That makes it dangerous against deep throws. It also makes it dangerous against backs with breakaway speed. If a guy like Johnson gets into the secondary, he's impossible to catch from behind.

One thing that makes me feel good is the matchup in the middle of the line, Kris Jenkins against longtime Jets standout Kevin Mawae. Jenkins won this battle a year ago. We all know how great Mawae is, but the now 38 year old struggled against Jenkins' power attack. It's important to get a push up the middle. You want Johnson using his speed to go East to West, not North to South. Sometimes he'll hit the corner but not always.

As we discussed yesterday, one possibility is sending blitzes at Johnson instead of Kerry Collins. At the end of the day, though, the best defense will be the offense getting off to a quick start. Last year, the Jets jumped all over the Titans and forced them to abandon the run game, holding Johnson to 10 carries on which he had 46 yards. That and hit him hard. Johnson's a small back. Rex Ryan's Ravens knocked him out of their Divisional Playoff game last year.

LenDale White is Tennessee's second back. He's more of a power runner and should be easier to contain as long as the front seven holds its own.

New York Jets Pass Defense vs. Tennessee Titans Pass Offense

John B — Sat, 26 Sep 2009 14:30:52 -0000

More photos » by Gene J. Puskar - AP

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This is going to be the best offensive line the Jets have faced all season. From left to right respectively, Michael Roos, Eugene Amato, old friend Kevin Mawae, former Colt Jake Scott, and David Stewart are an elite front. Kerry Collins is one of the least mobile quarterbacks in football, but he was only sacked 8 times a season ago. He's gone down twice in 2 games this year. Rex Ryan's Ravens only sacked him once in 2 games in the 2008 season.

The injuries to Lito Sheppard and Donald Strickland are some cause for concern. Tennessee does not have a vaunted passing attack, but they do have a pair of deep threats at the position, Nate Washington and Justin Gage. Darrelle Revis can take one of them away. If Sheppard and Strickland are out, there will be Cover 1 tilted to the side of the other side of the field. Rookie Kenny Britt from Rutgers had a big game against the Steelers in the opener. He's a more refined route runner than you would usually see as a rookie. I can see him taking Drew Coleman to class if they're in a one on one matchup.

The Titans have a trio of good receiving tight ends. Bo Scaife may sit this game out due to an injury, but Alge Crumpler had 4 catches in his place last week against the Texans. Jared Cook is a rookie from South Carolina. He was injured in Week 1 and did not make much of an impact in Week 2, but he does concern me. He might be faster and more athletic than Dustin Keller. The Jets might have to use Kerry Rhodes on him to contain him.

I'll finish where I started. It all comes down to getting heat on Kerry Collins. Collins is one of the most underrated quarterbacks in the game in my book. You never hear anything about him other than him being the weak link of the offense. He was a top 10 pick. He took a team to the Super Bowl. He took another to a Conference Championship Game, and the Titans to the top seed in the AFC last year. He makes good decisions. He has a solid set of receivers even if there is no Randy Moss or Andre Johnson. Against a potentially depleted secondary, one of them will eventually get open if he has time. Tackling will also be key as Collins can check down to Chris Johnson, a speedy back who had the game of his life last week.

Cleveland Browns 23 Tennessee Titans 17 Recap

Jimmy — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 02:59:16 -0000

The Titans didn't win this game, but I feel better coming away from this game than I have any of the others. The first team offense was crisp tonight. I am not sure how much of that you can attribute to Kevin Mawae being back, but the ground game looked much better tonight than it has in the three games he did not play. It was good to see Chris Johnson get 27 yards on 7 carries and LenDale White get 20 on 4. Watching LenDale run makes me wish that Chris Henry could have LenDale's vision and instincts.

Kerry Collins looked sharp in his time on the field going 11 of 14 for 104 yards and touchdown pass to Justin Gage who made an incredible catch on the play. Gage looked good with the exception of one pass that he dropped, Kenny Britt had one catch for 19 yards and Jared Cook was impressive once again with 5 catches for 39 yards. Cook left the game with a shin injury, so let's collectively pray that it is just a minor ding when we lay our heads on our pillows tonight.

The first team defense was solid again. I still have some concerns about the pass rush of the front four, but I will take our back seven against anyone's in the league.

Vince Young got a ton of playing time tonight and played pretty well overall. He made two big mistakes on the night. The first came right at the end of the first half when he took off to run on 1st and goal from the 4 with no time on the clock and no timeouts. He got to the goal line and froze instead of just putting his head down and diving. If he dives he scores, but instead he tried to juke, got stood up and fumbled the ball away to pretty much end the half.

The second mistake came in the third quarter when he made a bad throw backed up against his own goal line that was picked off and returned for a touchdown. It was a throw from his back foot when he was facing pressure where he should have just thrown it away out of bounds.

The great news is that he came right back after that and led the team down the field for a touchdown. That throw was the reason in a nutshell that he is not the starting quarterback and Collins is, but he showed me a lot tonight by coming back right after that and leading a good drive. He had the biggest play of that drive when he scrambled for 23 yards with another 15 yards tacked on because his face mask was grabbed in the backfield. This is the type of performance he can build on. He ended the game 17 of 24 for 174 yards with 1 TD and 1 interception.

A few other thoughts:

Mark Jones is as good as cut.
Ditto for Chris Henry.
Quinton Ganther had a good game tonight. He had a nice catch and run. It is going to be tough for the coaches to cut him, especially when you consider he does just about everything on special teams.
It was good to see Jacob Ford back on the field. Hopefully Jason Jones can get some work in next week against the Packers.
Dominique Edison will make this team. Mike Keith said on the radio tonight that he has dropped less passes than anyone else in camp. Right now the receiver depth chart is probably Gage, Britt, Edison.
Paul Williams will not make this team (in case you had any questions about that).
The Browns still had their starting offense in the game in the 4th quarter. That is silly.