SB Nation - Kyle Vanden Bosch

One In The Win Column - Photos from the Titans Jaguars Game

Titanfan — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 21:42:35 -0000

Long wait but the Titans finally won a game. A lot of things to be happy about and a few concerns still are evident. One thing for sure is I'm glad the rest of the home games are at noon on Sunday. I know the players and the team like prime time and under the lights, but I'll take noon starts over anything else. That's when football is meant to be played. There's a Christmas game late start but I don't think I'll be there for that one.

So here's Power to the Noon Starts:

More pics after the jump.

LenDale White looking happy to be there:

Kyle Vanden Bosch had his red contacts in so I knew to expect big things from him:

Even though the Titans didn't recover this fumble it was good to see David Thornton and the "D" were creating opportunities:

I mentioned concerns and this is one/many of them. Poor tackling. But that Maurice Jones-Drew is hard to bring down:

Those red contacts paid off. KVB gets his first sack:

Damn...there he goes again:

Funny who his lead blocker is on these long runs.

This was awesome to see. I wish I could have photographed the catch. This is when Vince Young stepped back and avoided the rush and found Kenny Britt along the sidelines. VY threw that ball with authority:

Another positive about the game was seeing Michael Griffin back to being a ball hawk:

I think about this moment Jones-Drew was wanting a piece of Finnegan more than blocking him:

History in the making. Chris Johnson turned in the best rushing performance by an Oiler/Titan in franchise history:

That was so good it was worth another look. He was out of gas by this time:

Let the dancing begin:

Have the Titans returned to '08 form? Is this the team we expected to open the season? I sure hope so. The defense put in a pretty good performance and Chris Johnson was awesome. Vince Young was impressive and hopefully will only get better from here. Next up is away at San Francisco. I'm hoping they come back on a win streak.

Game Preview: Week 8: Tennessee Titans Defense vs Jacksonville Jaguars Offense

FSBlueApocalypse — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 01:03:31 -0000

Tennessee Titans (0-6)	Week #8	Jacksonville Jaguars (3-3)
	VS.

Date:	November 1st, 2009	Location:	Nashville, TN
Time:	4:05 PM EST	Stadium:	LP Field
TV:	CBS	Favorite:	Titans -3
Radio:	Click Here	Over/Under:	44
Weather:	Mid 50's, no chance of rain	Injury Report:	Click Here
SBN Coverage:	Music City Miracles	Coverage Map	Click Here

This week, and perhaps for the rest of the season, the Game preview feature is going to be handled a bit differently. Rather than a brief synopsis of the upcoming game, it is going to be broken down into three separate articles. This article is dealing with the Jaguars offense against the Titans defense, tomorrow's will deal with the Jaguars defense against the Titans offense, and Thursday's will with Special Teams and intangibles.

The Jaguars head out to Nashville Sunday to play the winless Tennessee Titans. Who would have thought I would've made that statement back in August? Between Jerseygate, the debate between Kerry Collins and Vince Young, and everything else, the Titans have come to define the term "What can go wrong, will go wrong." However, are the Titans as bad as their record indicates or is this just a team that has had too many balls bounce the wrong way?

Jaguars Offense Four Game Summary

	Week 3 vs Houston	Week 4 vs Tennessee	Week 5 vs Seattle	Week 6 vs St.Louis
Plays	61	69	52	84
Yards	398	442	199	492
Yards Per Play	6.5	6.4	3.8	5.9
Passing Yards	214	305	161	326
P-Plays	30	39	37	46
Pass YPP	7.1	7.8	4.4	7.1
Rush play	31	30	15	38
Rush yard	184	137	38	166
Rush YPP	5.9	4.6	2.5	4.4
Points	31	37	0	23
Turnovers	1	1	2	3
TOP	30:52	34:07	25:16	42:12

At a glance, outside of a major dip against the Seahawks, the offense has been ticking along very well in the last four games. The Jaguars have averaged 283 yards passing and 163 yards rushing in their three wins. Those are excellent numbers, no matter which way you want to cut it.

In addition, the overall yards per play in the three wins is exactly what you want from your offense. The Jaguars have been getting approximately six yards a play in their three wins, which translates into easy second or third down situations.

Titans Defense Four Game Summary

	Week 3 vs NY Jets	Week 4 vs Jacksonville	Week 5 vs Indianapolis	Week 6 vs New England
Plays	64	69	67	77
Yards Allowed	229	442	367	619
YPP Allowed	3.6	6.4	5.5	8
Pass Plays	33	37	39	47
Pass Yards	146	305	404	426
PYPP Alllowed	4.4	8.2	7	9
Rush yards allowed	83	137	58	193
Rush plays	31	30	23	30
Rush YPP Allowed	2.7	4.6	2.5	6.4
Points Allowed	24	37	31	59
Turnovers	2	1	2	0
TOP Allowed	32:38	34:07	33:38	39

In the beginning of the season, the Titans still had a stout defense to hang their hats on and have hope they could turn things around. Starting against the Jaguars, the bottom fell out. The Titans have given up over thirty points and 300 yards passing in route to three straight embarrassing losses.

Of particular concern has to be the pass defense. Twice in the last three games the secondary has allowed a over eight yards per pass play, part of the reason why the Titans have managed to "overtake" the Jaguars at the bottom of the NFL's defensive rankings.

Jaguars Pass Offense vs Titans Pass Defense

If we've learned one thing by looking at those stats, it is that Mike Sims-Walker has been the spark to make the passing attack go. His suspension was the only major difference in the line up over those four games and we can see the results. The Jaguars went from gaining over seven yards every time they threw the ball down to what they should've been averaging running the football.

Nothing that I've seen from Tennessee the last two weeks leads me to believe that the result in Nashville won't be similar to what happened a few weeks ago in Jacksonville. Tennessee has been giving up between 7 and 9 yards a pass play over the last three weeks, ranking dead last in the league in that category.

Perhaps more concerning for the Titans has been the disappearing act DE Kyle Vanden Bosch has put on this season. One of the best pass rushing threats in the league over the last few years, Vanden Bosch has recorded no sacks and only one tackle for loss so far this year.

David Garrard enjoyed a career game against the Titans a few weeks ago, and he returns to the site of perhaps the lowest point in his career. The 2006 trip to Tennessee is most often remembered as the start of the infamous three game losing streak to close out the season and Pac-Man Jones returning a Garrard interception for a touchdown to seal the game.

Jaguars Rush Offense vs Titans Rush Defense

The Titans have still managed to field a respectable rush defense, though it may only be because teams have been electing to throw the ball more against them. The Titans rank 9th in the NFL only allowing 95 yards a game, though the Jaguars were one of the two teams that have run for over 100 yards against Tennessee.

Maurice Jones-Drew was a non-factor against the Titans, though it was for a good reason. Tennessee was selling out with eight and nine players in the box, which allowed the passing offense to catch fire early. By the time the Titans backed off, it was 30-3 and MJD got to sit down for the rest of the game. I would expect to see him get more action this week with a hostile Tennessee crowd.

Misc.

The absense of Albert Haynesworth has obviously had a negative effect on the Titans defense. Haynesworth was the most dominant defensive linemen in the league for two years. A stout run stopper and pocket collapser, his presence has been missed. In addition, 2nd round pick Sen'Derrick Marks has yet to even crack the active roster. Marks was expected to help fill the void Haynesworth left, but has been a major dud for the team so far.

Conclusion

As I said previously, I see no reason why this offense shouldn't score 28+ points on Sunday. This is an offense that has begun to find itself going against a defense that has been flat out bad the last few weeks. Barring another case of turnovers or a surprise suspension, this should be one of the Jaguars best offensive outputs of the season.

-Jonathan Loesche

Kyle Vanden Bosch fined for "Brady Rule" hit on Peyton Manning last week

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:47:47 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Tennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

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Early on in a very key second quarter drive, which would eventually lead to a TD from Peyton Manning to Austin Collie, Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch spun out of a Tony Ugoh block and landed at the legs of Manning after Manning had released the football. Vanden Bosch hit Manning's knee, which underwent surgery last year that forced him to miss all of the 2008 pre-season.

Flag. 15 yard penalty. First down Colts.

The Colts TD drive ended the first half of the game with the score 21-9, and it seemed to break the will of the Tennessee Titans. Yesterday, Vanden Bosch received word that he would be fined $5000 for the hit on Manning, and Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who is on the NFL Competition Committee which helped to create and craft "The Brady Rule," does not seem happy about that.

Coach Jeff Fisher, co-chairman of the competition committee, said earlier this week that the rule states roughing the passer should not be called if a player is blocked into a quarterback.

Well, from what I saw, Vanden Bosch was not blocked into Manning. He spun out of a block, fell, and landed at Manning's feet with "sufficient force", hitting Manning's knee. The hit caused some concern after the game as Manning needed treatment on the knee for soreness. Jim Caldwell said the knee was fine this past Monday.

Last year, Vanden Bosch's hit would not have been a penalty. But thanks to Fisher, Bill Polian, and the other members of the Competition Committee, it is now not only a flag, it's a fine as well. And while Fisher may think Vanden Bosch was blocked into Manning, clearly the big boys at NFL HQ saw it differently. Thus, the fine.

Again, the Vanden Bosch hit was text book "Brady Rule," which is a very poorly worded penalty that will always favor QBs. Refs will always ere on the side of caution, no matter the circumstance or situation. It simply provides way too much subjective interpretation which penalizes defensive players and protects QBs.

Sorry, but if Fisher did not know that these kinds of penalties would happen as a result of this new rule, which he helped create, then Fisher is clueless.

Tip to peytonsthebest

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: This Ivory Leg Is What Propels Me Edition

August West — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 14:05:35 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

No matter who we play, it's scenes like this one that are killing us.

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LenDale White gave a ringing endorsement of Jeff Fisher yesterday:

"[Fisher] knows how to win in this league," said White, a fourth-year pro. "Everything that we’re doing is the right way. He’s a good person when he needs to get you to do what he needs. He expects you to be a man about your situation. He puts you in position to make a play and he wants you to make a play. If he puts you in a bad position, he’s going to take responsibility. But he expects you to do the same."

Now that's all well and true, but the real news here to me is that the players are hearing enough of the chatter calling for Fisher's head that they feel the need to respond in defense. That's certainly not a good sign for coach Fish.

There's been lots of talk around here about how LenDale is getting shafted this year and we're suffering because of it, but I think maybe the problem is that the 'Smash and Dash' moniker isn't intimidating enough. What's a better solution? Blood and Thunder... by the reigning gods of metal, Atlanta's own Mastodon! See, Johnson could be blood because he's such a slasher, and White would be Thunder for obvious reasons. (Side note: this is easily the best song ever written about Moby Dick. Just throwing that out there.)

ESPN Stats & Information continues to deliver the goods, as this time they focus on red zone and third down efficiency for WRs. Turns out Justin Gage is as bad as they come on third down (4 catches on 17 attempts), and Nate Washington is one of the league's best in the redzone (6 catches on 7 attempts with 3 TDs).

Follow us through the jump for more in-depth info on the Titans passing game...

Overall, Jim Wyatt thinks the passing game is moving along slowly, but when you look at it Justin Gage is the only WR under-perorming in my book. You can't ask for much more from Britt, and Washington (despite a few costly drops) as been pretty consistent and a great red zone addition. The passing game numbers were also hurt when Scaife went down with his knee injury, since Jared Cook hasn't been healthy or read enough to produce like we all hoped he would. Oh yeah, and Kerry's been pretty terrible for at least half of our games.

Also related to the passing game, Gary Estwick copy and pasted some numbers. Here's the most interesting tidbit to me:

Receiver Kenny Britt ranks second among NFL rookies in catches (19) and first in receiving yardage (289). Britt has also caught 16 of his passes for first downs, a team high.

Jevon Kearse is likely out with a foot injury he sustained yesterday in practice... I wonder if this is in the same vein as Allen Iverson's convenient 'back problems' that ended his season early last year. Word is Kearse went in for an MRI, but the doctor just drove off before the results were ready.

Boom King got fined for his low hit on touching Peyton Manning.

Bill Belichick isn't sleeping on the Titans, and he's giving us the Lou Holtz 'they put their pants on one leg at a time just like we do' treatment.

Tony Dungy will be in town to speak alongside coach Fisher and several others at the Rally for Rocketown next Tuesday. Odd connection: I saw Mastodon at Rocketown a few years back, and they wouldn't let you bring in smokes... I mean not at all. We had to stash them behind a bush around the corner because the car was too far away.

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

Peyton Manning takes a shot at Tom Brady

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:28:29 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning directs his teammates as he calls a play in the third quarter of an NFL football game against the Tennessee Titans in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/John Russell)

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Peyton and Tom are pretty good friends. Though this likely annoys the piss out of New England Patriots fans, who likely still think Peyton "got lucky" facing the then-Rex Grossman-led Bears in the Super Bowl, resulting in his "only one" Super Bowl win, both players have mutual respect and admiration for one another. They text each other after games, check up with each other during the off-season, and have worked together in the past to ensure that the QBs in this league are well taken care of.

But last night, dare I say, I do believe Peyton Manning took a shot at Tom Brady, who has noticeably been acting like a whiny bitch during games when it comes to lobbying for roughing the passer calls.

Before we get into what Manning said, flash back two weeks ago. On a key drive by the Patriots offense against the Baltimore Ravens, Terrell Suggs attempted to sack Tom Brady. After Brady let his pass fly, Suggs lounged at Brady and brushed up against his knees. Before Suggs seemingly hit the ground, Brady turned to official Ron Winter and started pleading for a flag. Replays show Winters seemed swayed by Brady's pleas and tossed yellow at his feet.

15 yard penalty. Pats first down. The drive would later end with a touchdown.

Contrast this with last night. In his own endzone, late in the second quarter, Peyton Manning lets a pass fly. He is then hit immediately, below the knees, by Kyle Vanden Bosch. The official sees the hit and throws yellow. Vanden Bosch can't believe it, but that is "The Brady Rule" defined. Vanden Bosch spun out of a block, fell, and hit Manning's knee with sufficient force to knock Manning down. By rule, that's a penalty, like it or not.

The 15 yards gives Indy a fresh set of downs, which they use to march 93 yards (aided by two more roughing the passer penalties as the Titans seemed to come unglued prior to halftime) for a TD to close the half.

Now, when Manning was hit by Vanden Bosch, many noticed that he did not turn and plead with the official for a flag, in stark contrast to Brady against the Ravens. And immediately after the flag was thrown, you did not see Manning applaud or pump his fist for the call, also in stark contrast to Brady against the Patriots.

Indeed, following the game, Manning seemed to make it a point that he does not do that kind of stuff:

Manning wanted to differentiate himself from how New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady reacted in light of a similar, but softer, call in a Week 4 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
"I’ve never asked for a call, I’ve never clapped when they’ve made a call," he said. "I clap when we get the yards because of execution. The first one, I’ve had that hit before to the knee. I don’t know if I have to validate it or not, but I’ve got to see the doctor after this and get treatment. Obviously when you plant that left knee it’s in a vulnerable position, I wear that brace for that reason alone, hopefully it protects me there."

Make no mistake about it folks, that is indeed a shot a Tom Brady. Those calls against the Ravens (which, by rule, were correct I might add) are still fresh in everyone's mind. And when we see Peyton get a call due in part to "The Brady Rule," they become even more fresh. So, when Peyton says "I’ve never asked for a call, I’ve never clapped when they’ve made a call... I clap when we get the yards because of execution," he's thinking about Tom Brady. Peyton never says anything unless he's thought it through.

Like Peyton, I personally like and respect Brady. I was sickened to see him go down in a heap last year and I agree that rules protecting that which we shell out good money to see (quarterbacks) are a good thing.

However, part of people's frustration with "The Brady Rule" is how players, like the rule's namesake, have been seemingly crying for calls because of it. It seems like Manning is also aware this frustration, and is trying to let people know not all QBs cry for yellow, or applaud and fist pump afterward when they get it.

Recap Week Five: Colts 31-Titans 9

BigBlueShoe — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:52:13 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

about 1 month ago: Indianapolis Colts safety Tim Jennings (23) celebrates after intercepting a pass intended for Tennessee Titans wide receiver Nate Washington in the third quarter of an NFL football game in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Oct. 11, 2009. (AP Photo/Wade Payne)

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While blocking his man in the first quarter on a punt return, much maligned Colts cornerback Tim Jennings was doing everything he could to contain the Titans gunner he was assigned to block. Jennings entered the game on thin ice already, it seemed. Having been the primary back-up to Kelvin Hayden and starting in three games at cornerback already this season, Jennings was benched to start the game in favor of a rookie free agent, Jacob Lacey. For the past few weeks, opposing QBs had been picking on Jennings, known for playing too soft in coverage by providing WRs with too much cushion off the line of scrimmage.

While engaged with the gunner on the punt, Jennings (who did not know where the ball was) heard the call for "short punt." This meant the ball was kicked shorter than everyone anticipated, and that it was likely the ball was in his vicinity. But the call was too late for Jennings to disengage from his blocker and get out of the way. Instead, Jennings bumped into Colts return man T.J. Rushing, causing him to muff the punt, which was recovered by the Titans on the Colts 34 yard line.

The Titans faithful cheered wildly. Colts fans went ballistic. Tim Jennings walked off the field, seemingly disgusted with himself.

Despite the Colts building an early 7-0 lead off an Alge Crumpler fumble that was converted into a Peyton Manning to Reggie Wayne touchdown, early miscues and mistakes, like Jennings bumping into Rushing on the early punt return, kept the Titans in the game. While the continued stellar play of Peyton Manning (81% completion, 309 yards, 3 TDs) will likely generate all the headlines around Yahoo, CBS Sports, ESPN, and likely Peter King's Monday morning opus, it was really the play of the Colts defense that mainly helped Indy win its fourteenth straight regular season game, dating back to October of last year.

Despite the early miscues with turnovers, penalties, and sloppy play on offense and special teams, it was the defense that played hard, tough, inspired football. They harassed Titans quarterback Kerry Collins all night, and completely and utterly stoned dynamic running back Chris Johnson (9 carries, 34 yards).

And, at the end of the night, as the Colts walked off the field with a three game lead in their division as they head into a bye week, one of the big heroes of that defensive effort was none other than Tim Jennings. More after the jump...

Again, most of the "morning after" press will praise Peyton, claiming his efforts alone were the reason this team blew out the Titans for the second time in as many meetings. Yes, Manning was Manning, which is to say he continues to re-write the definition of greatness as a quarterback and continues to make bumbling buffoons like NBC announcer Chris Collinsworth sound like nothing more than blathering ear noise.

During the fourth quarter, Collinsworth made the claim that before anyone can start calling Peyton Manning as good or better than Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, or Sammy Baugh, Peyton had to win "multiple championships." Considering that Manning's statistics absolutely shatter all four of those men save Marino (who never played on a Super Bowl championship team), it pretty much shows you that NBC went from one idiot blabbermouth (John Madden) to another this year when John Madden returned and was replaced by the fumble prone choker at wide receiver who likes his girls young and extremely stupid.

Peyton Manning is better than all those players right now. It's obvious, and most people agree. Those that don't simply don't know anything about football, and are likely the same sad idiots who once claimed Peyton "couldn't win the big one." I now understand why Peyton watches football games on mute. After another Sunday listening to idiots like Gus Johnson, Joe Buck, and Chris Collinsworth try everything they can to focus attention away from the action on the field and onto them, it is becoming near impossible to watch games and listen to these self-important morons in the booth.

The best, period. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

Back to the game, Manning's 309 yards and amazing accuracy in the face of a very aggressive Titans pass rush were big reasons why the Colts essentially ended the Titans season, but it was not the reason. For the third week in a row, the Colts defense dominated an opponent's offense, and they are doing so by completely shutting down the opponent's run game. The Titans ran for 90 yards on 21 carries, but even that stat is skewed. 20 of those yards came in garbage time, with 6 minutes left in the game and the score 31-9. Prior to that, Tennessee had 62 yards on 17 carries.

For three weeks, the Colts have held an opponent under 100 yards rushing. This time, it was (arguably) the best back in football that was held in check: Chris Johnson. Johnson entered the game averaging 6 yards a carry and leading the league with over 400 yards rushing. Last night, a relentless Colts defense limited him to 3.8 a carry, preventing him from getting outside the tackles and into open space, where Johnson is so very good at making defenders miss.

With Johnson neutralized, the unfair burden fell on veteran quarterback Kerry Collins to dig the Titans out of an early hole. However, despite early Colts miscues (like Jennings' mistake on special teams) giving the ball to the Titans in Colts territory, Collins was unable to get his offense into the red zone. It's fair to say that the fault was not Collins', though already many Titans fans are screaming for Vince Young to regain his starting job. Collins had to contend with a fierce Colts pass rush, turnovers by his receivers (Crumpler), and some outstanding coverage by the Colts secondary.

The conventional feeling is that the game essentially "ended" when, about one minute prior to halftime, Peyton Manning drove the Colts offense 93 yards in 57 seconds, capping the drive with a 39 yard TD pass to rookie wide receiver Austin Collie, who continues to remind so many of us of a young Brandon Stokley. The TD was made with 17 seconds left in the half, giving the Colts a 21-9 lead and seemingly breaking the will of the Titans. During the drive, the Titans were called for three roughing the passer penalties, one of which involved Kyle Vanden Bosch violating "The Brady Rule" and attempting to tackle Manning's knees. The play gave Indy a first down after starting on their own seven yard line.

NASHVILLE, TN - OCTOBER 11: Keyunta Dawson #96 of the Indianapolis Colts runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at LP Field on October 11, 2009 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)

But while the TD before the half was indeed a crucial play, it was not the play that, essentially, called it a night for the Titans. That play belonging to none other than Tim Jennings.

The Titans got the ball to start the half, and it almost goes without saying that if they had scored on the opening drive of the second half, this game would have gone much differently. However, on a third and 6 on the Titans 24 yard line, Collins slung a quick out to wide receiver Nate Washington. Covering Washington at the time was Tim Jennings. This play was the sort of typical pattern that receivers had been killing Jennings with for weeks now. Jennings would provide too much cushion, the receiver would come back to the football, and the result was usually a first down.

Last night, ole Tim would have none of it.

When the ball hit near Washington, Jennings was right there with him, and fought for the football as if he were a hungry man and the ball was the last loaf of bread on Earth. When both players hit the ground, Jennings had firm control of the pigskin, and the Colts had created yet another Titans turnover in their territory. The Colts offense took over, and Manning hit Collie again for a touchdown, this one from 6 yards out.

Colts 28-Titans 9. Ballgame.

Later in the contest, the Colts would tack on an Adam Vinatieri chip shot to pad the lead, but for all intents and purposes, this game ended with Tim Jennings' magnificent interception. For you "old timers" out there, it reminded me of one-time Colts (and current Titans) corner Nick Harper fighting the football away from Derrick Mason in the endzone back in 2004.

Jennings' INT capped off one of his better games as a Colt. Despite the early game miscue, Jennings seemed all over the field on special teams, making tackles left and right and preventing the Titans from mounting any kind of comeback. It was actually quite inspiring to see Jennings rise up and play this way. The key for him moving forward is to play this way consistently, but for one night, Jennings was brilliant.

We have the rest of the day to talk about the bad elements of this game (aka, Tony Ugoh), but for this recap, I think we should focus on the many positives. This team is 5-0 heading into the bye week. They have managed to do this without Bob Sanders, Anthony Gonzalez, and Kelvin Hayden for much of the season. All those players are expected back after the bye. We've seen young players like Austin Collie mature quickly and we've seen maligned veterans like Tim Jennings rise up and play the way we all know they can play.

This is a talented, tough, no-quit team that seems to reflect the convictions of their head coach, Jim Caldwell. I cannot say enough good things about how well Caldwell managed this game. From the decision to go for it early on fourth and goal to starting Jacob Lacey at corner, Caldwell outcoached Jeff Fisher. That is no small feat.

As always, thanks to Jimmy and the Music City Miracles crew for some excellent blogging leading up to the game. You can read their game recap here.

For two weeks, we get to enjoy being undefeated. Take it in and soak it up, because last year this time, our guys were 3-4 and looking like a bunch of bums. Fourteen straight regular season wins later, these guys look like something special.

Go Colts!

Colts vs Titans coverage

Poll

Week Five game balls?

CB Tim Jennings: 5 tackles, 2 passes defended, 1 INT

48 votes

QB Peyton Manning: 82% completion, 309 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT

219 votes

WR Austin Collie: 8 catches 97 yards, 2 TDs

416 votes

FS Antoine Bethea: 8 tackles, 1 forced fumble

52 votes

DE Dwight Freeney: 1 sack, numerous pressures

4 votes

739 votes | Poll has closed

Colts vs. Titans: 5 Keys to Victory

smashville — Sat, 10 Oct 2009 13:00:40 -0000

This is what we should see from Boom King.

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Pressure Peyton. Peyton Manning's season has been unbelievable so far, and it does not look like he will look any different on Sunday. The Titans have just nine sacks in four games, and Kyle Vanden Bosch doesn't have any. Only one team has given up less passing yards than the Titans. If Peyton Manning has time in the pocket, he can be the most dangerous player in the league.Given the major holes in the secondary, we will have to try to blitz Manning, a tough feat considering he has only been sacked twice in four games.
Convert Third Downs. The Colts have the league's second worst third down defense, allowing 48% of third downs to be converted, but the Titans have only converted a measly 39% of the time. On third and short, put Lendale White in the backfield instead of Chris Johnson, since he is best utilized in short yardage situations? The Colts defensive line seems to be more quick and agile than strong and powerful, which is a recipe of success for Lendale.
Play Physical. Last year the Titans were known as a physical, smash mouth team. That is no where to be seen in the team this year. If a quarterback like David Garrard throws for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns, imagine what Peyton Manning, arguably the league's best quarterback, will accomplish. The corners need to confuse the receivers and knock them off their routes by being physical. Be the Tennessee Spoilers, as Michael Griffin likes to say. The Titans need to exploit the 14th worst run defense in the league by running the ball down their throats and tiring the Colts defense.
Protect the Ball. The Titans have already given the ball away 11 times this season, just 6 times less than all of last year. If we protect the ball, we have a chance. Keep the ball away from the Colts and we are good to go. Running the ball will help the Titans own the game clock and keep the football away from Peyton Manning.
Get The Crowd Involved. As long as the Titans get off to a quick start, the crowd will be a factor. A prime time game against a divisional rival always has lots of hype. After trailing 14-0 after the first quarter two weeks ago, and trailing 27-3 at half time last week, a quick start is essential to excite the fans and keep them rowdy.

Rivals Week: A conversation with "Music City Miracles" blogger Jimmy

BigBlueShoe — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 16:00:57 -0000

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The Tennessee Titans have been a rival of the Indianapolis Colts for going on ten years. While it might not have the rich legacy of, say, the Oakland Raiders v. the Kansas City Chiefs, it's pretty safe to say that the games featuring Tennessee and Indy have been a helluva lot more watchable than anything Oakland and KC have mustered up of late.

And as with all rivalries, there comes the inevitable hating, name-calling, and derogatory comments about a person's mother; all often aimed at the fanbase of the rival. This is a right of passage. This is the cranberry relish to go with your turkey. The sprinkles to your donut.

This is RIVALRY WEEK!

For this first installment of rivalry week, we're very happy to bring in the best Tennessee Titans blogger on the Internets: Jimmy from Music City Miracles. I'm not sure, but I do believe I had the honor of giving Jimmy his very first interview as a Titans blogger waaaaaaaaaaay back in 2006. We both had just started blogging back then, and one of the bigger topics of discussion was how the then 0-4 Titans were going to respond if or when Kerry Collins was to get benched for then-rookie Vince Young.

Three years later, nearly that exact same scenario seems to be upon us once again.

BBS: Before we get to talking about all the negative stuff surrounding your team's 0-4 stuff, let's focus on a positive, Chris Johnson. Bill Polian is fond of saying a player makes his biggest leap from year one to year two. Currently, Johnson is the best runner (statistically) in the league right now. How has Johnson improved in other areas of his game, such a pass blocking, running routes as a WR, cut-back running, etc.?

Jimmy: I would love to be able to answer your question about running routes as a WR, but it seems that Mike Heimerdinger is morally opposed to splitting him out wide. He has done it once this season. The Texans forgot to cover him, and he went 69 yards for a touchdown. I can understand not wanting to get the ball in the hands of one of (if not the) most explosive players in the league though..

He is solid in pass protection and has really good vision. He had a beautiful cut-back run in the opener against the Steelers, but those skills were there even last year.

BBS: LenDale White made a lot of noise by slimming down this off-season. Has it helped him any as a runner?

Jimmy: I knew you would ask a question about your boy LenDale.

Honestly, only the Lord in Heaven knows if it has helped him as a runner (and I mean that literally). LenDale has 23 carries in 4 games. For some reason they seem to be opposed to using him much this season ever in short yardage situations.

LenDale has a good running back skill set so you would have to assume with all the weight off, but who really knows? I know he looked really good here.

BBS: The Titans have the second to worst pass defense in football, and I believe their front four has generated only two sacks this season so far. What is wrong with this area? Is it the new coordinator? Is Kyle Vanden Bosch still hurt? Do they miss Albert Haynesworth?

Jimmy: Yes. Either that or he is done. Yes.

Chuck Cecil, the new coordinator, was in the Jim Schwartz/Jeff Fisher system for a long time, but things are still a lot different when you are the one calling the shots. It is to early to say he won't be a good coordinator, but he has had some growing pains early.

KVB has been a non-factor so far this season. He says he is completely healthy so I don't really know the answer to that one.

They tried to tell us all offseason they weren't going to miss Haynesworth, but that was a little silly. When Fat Albert wants to be, he is one of the most dominating defensive players in the league. Of course you are going to miss that guy.

The biggest issue thus far has been the secondary not playing their assignments/Nick Harper being the worst corner in the league.

BBS: 0-4 does not mean the season is officially over, but it does not look good. If this team does not make the playoffs this year (and right now it is still an if) do you see Jeff Fisher being removed as head coach of the Titans? Should he be fired?

Jimmy: I don't think Fisher will be fired, but who know what happens if this team ends up winning 3-5 games which I think is a very real possibility right now.

I wouldn't fire him if it were up to me. Who are you going to get to replace him is the first thing I would ask. I can't come up with a name that makes me want Fisher gone. He has made some boneheaded decisions this year, but to me that doesn't mean he should be canned.

BBS: After watching the Dolphins have such success running the "Wild Cat offense" on Indy in Week Two, do you think the Titans will use some "Wild Cat" packages with Vince Young?

Jimmy: No. I think we would have seen it by now if they were going to bust it out. Now at 0-4 all bets are out the door, but I don't think that is something they are interested in doing.

Also, at MCM we just call that playing your back-up QB, not Wild Cat.

As always, Jimmy at Music City Miracles keeps it real. Many thanks to Jimmy for the time and for his insightful answers. And yes, we at Stampede Blue agree: It is playing your back-up QB, not Wild Cat.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: It Really Is Your Fault Edition

August West — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 13:43:51 -0000

More photos » by Bill Kostroun - AP

Something tells me this was not what Chuck Cecil drew out on the white board.

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I get the feeling that before the Titans cut Chris Henry yesterday Fisher and Reinfeldt stood in front of each other, repeating the phrase 'It's not your fault'. Question is, who started crying first?

What SI.com's John P. Lopez doesn't know, is that we've got the rest of the NFL right where we want them:

Don't bet on a return to the playoffs. The road is too tough and the odds stacked against them.

Our guys love the underdog card... you hear that groaning sound? That's me reaching a long way for that one.

I didn't post this yesterday because it hurts me, but Boom King really has been the biggest disappointment out of the front seven so far this year. If you focus in on him, he just isn't beating tackles and ends up on the ground way more than I've ever seen him do as a Titan. I'm not sure what the fix is, but he needs to find it because he's our best chance to demand consistent double teams.

Follow us though the jump to see who is filing a restraining order against Albert Haynesworth...

The most surprising thing about this week's DVOA rankings from Football Outsiders: the Titans actually rank 11th on defense... of course we're 23rd on offense and 32nd on special teams. That last one may yet be a little generous.

Albert Haynesworth's divorce case is starting to get ugly, as his wife is filing a restraining order and alleging a laundry list of charges mostly relating to money.

Hey, at least we have the second most prolific RB in the league.

Pretty good team recap from Fox Sports.

In local news, MBA alum and former Titan practice squad player Ingle Martin has signed with the UFL's New York Sentinels.

New York Jets Run Offense vs. Tennessee Titans Run Defense

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

More photos » by Tim Larsen - AP

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

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

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

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

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