SB Nation - Roydell Williams

Daily Slop: Training Camp Is Here

KevinE — Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:04:41 -0000

I'm not sure about you guys, but it feels like Christmas morning to me. Twitter world is blowing up that the Loudon County Parkway is already jammed with cars trying to filter into Redskins Park. Grills are burning...yes, officially football is back. I am tentatively planning to attend camp this coming Tuesday, August 4th.

- Joe Gibbs rated 17th best coach of all time...of ALL sports [WaTimes]
(For cleaning up Spurrier's mess he should be automatic top 5)

- Chris Cooley absolutely destroys Cowboys fans in latest blog [Cooley Zone]

- Haynesworth has yet to find a house after looking at 40 of them [Tennessean]

-Redskinettes Calendar Release Party tonight in D.C. [redskins.com]

- WaTimes writer Ryan O'Halloran makes his 53-man roster predictions [WaTimes]
(RB cuts: Anthony Alridge, Marcus Mason and Eddie Williams...Dorsey makes it as the 4th RB)
(Roydell Williams the 5th WR...Marko gets cut)

OK...prediction time...I'll post mine in the comments as to not influence yours.

1.) Who will be the surprise player to make the squad?

2.) Who will be the surprise cut?

3.) Who will be the first Redskin to sit out a full practice w/ a tweak/injury?

4.) Who (if any) of 3 will make the squad? Marcus Mason, Dominique Dorsey, Anthony Alridge

5.) Who will win the 5th WR Spot?

6.) Does Zorn say the word 'golly' in any of his interviews today?

Trent Shelton throws a 'Back 2 Training Camp' Party (Video)

KevinE — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 00:11:47 -0000

Trent Shelton threw a big bash for his "Back 2 Training Camp Party" in Fort Worth, TX. I think Keith Eloi's videos are more entertaining, but the dude that jumps in the camera shot at the 2:30 mark to brag about his 11-carat bracelet is pretty comical. For a team loaded with WRs and only one open spot, that 2 other WRs have the lead on (Roydell Williams and Marko Mitchell), a party seems rather comical. Does this mean there will be a followup 'Training Camp is Over' party in mid-August?

Poll

Will Trent Shelton make the 53-man squad?

Yes

14 votes

No

154 votes

168 votes | Poll has closed

Washington Redskins Fantasy Rankings

Ken Meringolo — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:45:08 -0000

You asked for fantasy football talk, you got it. Before we get into pre-season and start overloading on league-wide fantasy talk, let's rank the Redskins fantasy players. We'll assume that the defense and special teams are one unit (DST), and we'll assume individual players get credit for any return yards and touchdowns.

Draft Picks

via image.examiner.com

1. Clinton Portis, RB- The offense still revolves around the run here in D.C., and Clinton remains an elite athlete in the NFL, capable of dominating an opposing defense with 25-30 quality touches in a game. While he is not injury-prone, his fantasy owners have had their share of heartbreakers the last few seasons. What makes him the top fantasy player on this team is that you know he is going to get the ball, and you know he is going to be featured--i.e. there is no 'running back by committee' here. I continue to hope for more receptions out of the backfield for CP, but if he stays healthy for a full season, 1,500 rushing yards and 10 TDs are very likely.

2. Santana Moss, WR - Santana Clause is an ironic nickname we have for Moss. Ironic because he starts out the year like gangbusters but then opposing defenses shut him down before we get to Christmas. This is of course not his fault, and should the Redskins develop an alternate threat to Santana, other teams will be forced to play him a lot more honestly. Last year in my fantasy league, which holds an auction draft, I picked Moss up for $3. In fact, most would say I got stuck with him at $3, as I was really bidding value at that point. I was shocked when he went so cheap. I think this is the perception Moss is facing now based on the last few seasons of going missing in the winter. The Redskins passing offense has been rather anemic and he has paid the price. Rounding out his value though is the threat that the Redskins will incorporate him more into the return game. He has shown how dangerous he can be back there, and if your league gives you points for return yards and touchdowns, he is definitely a top-tier fantasy receiver.

3. Chris Cooley, TE- If fumbles kill you in your league, then Cooley hurt you last season. But I would be hard-pressed to think a player like Cooley will let that kind of thing happen two years in a row. He continues to be one of the top tight ends in the whole league (83 catches last year), and Jason Campbell continues to rely on him heavily when we need to get a first down (averaged over 10 yards a catch). Because we don't feature two or even three first-tier wide receivers, Cooley's status in our passing game remains high. He is a big target and he understands how to find the pocket in the middle of the field. The big question for Cooley--and the Redskins--is how can the team do a better job of finding him in the red zone. He only hauled in 1 TD last season (which is a problem) but he averaged 7 TD's the first four seasons, so you have to hope this is an aberration, and still consider him on the same level as Jason Witten, Dustin Keller, Greg Olsen, etc.

T4. Washington DST - A lot of fantasy leagues really let a good defensive unit pile on points. In the league I play in though, defenses can either be the top scorer of the week, or can go negative enough to completely erase your top scorer of the week. All of this makes the top DST units in the league that much more valuable. The Redskins added Albert Haynesworth, Brian Orakpo, Philip Daniels, Renaldo Wynn, and Jeremy Jarmon to their pass rush/defensive line. We lost Shawn Springs, but have a pretty good secondary with Horton, Landry, Hall, Rogers and Smoot. There is plenty to suggest this defense can build on what they accomplished last season, which saw them finish as the 4th-ranked unit in the NFL. From a fantasy perspective, the improvement would have to come in the way of increased sacks and turnovers. If that happens, this DST will be the difference-maker come playoff time, in fantasy and in reality.

via 4.bp.blogspot.com

T4. Jason Campbell, QB- Typically, QB's are the money makers on fantasy teams. Assuming most leagues run about 12 teams deep, it would be fair to say that you would hit 12 other QB's that are more likely to fill up a stat sheet before you came to JC. To me, this makes him a great value draft pick. You can pick up a few other players you need in the initial rounds and pick him up as a backup to your starter late in the draft. His yards and TDs are low, I'll grant you. The upside on him this year is tough to argue though. He is in a contract year, in the second season under Jim Zorn, and by all accounts in a better comfort zone in the current offensive scheme. This offense is definitely more naturally pass-happy than we showed it to be last year. For us to get the points on the board that we need to win games--roughly 24 points per game--JC will need to do things that will make fantasy owners very happy. He is a top-tier second string fantasy QB in my opinion--a starter who will be asked to throw the ball relatively often, supported by a strong running game.

6. Ladell Betts, RB- Fantasy owners have gotten to know Betts over the last few years. When he took over for Clinton a few years back down the stretch, he put up 1,000 yards on the ground in 9 weeks. He is a fresh back, with little wear and tear on the tires. But because of the carries that Portis gets, Betts' value is very low in the beginning of the season. If you draft Portis, you pretty much HAVE to get Betts since if anything happened to Portis, you know they would look to Ladell to carry the ball 25 times a game.

Waiver Wire Additions

7. Devin Thomas, WR- I continue to bet heavily on Devin. He is the kind of athlete that when he has the ball in his hands, anything can happen. But in fantasy terms, from here on out on this list we are talking about depth and backups. Based on his improvement at the end of last season, it is not inconceivable that he could make a move in training camp this summer and give Randle-El a run for his money at the #2 spot.

8. Fred Davis, TE - Again, most fantasy teams don't have 2 tight ends stashed away, and 2nd-stringers are even farther from the average fantasy owner's mind. But Fred Davis is an interesting thought...there probably isn't anyone on this list with more upside than Sleepy. He will not be inactive on many Sundays this season. Zorn likes using two tight ends, and if Davis is on the field, defenses are going to have to make some choices regarding who they want to defend. My guess is that Fred Davis won't get drafted by many owners, but could be one of those guys that is the "Most Added Free Agent" in Week 6 when he blows up against the Chiefs.

via masnsports.com

9. Malcolm Kelly, WR- He continues to be the player that gets the most positive praise from other players when we ask, "Who do you think is in line for a big year?" He has an "ooooh" factor that makes him a quality sleeper in fantasy leagues. But with next to nothing to show for his rookie campaign, and a knee that is unproven in the pros, he is in a deep, deep sleep indeed. We'll call him our "Ambien snoozer" for the upcoming season.

10. Antwaan Randle-El, WR - You hate to list a #2 receiver this low, but on this team, the writing on the wall says that the youngsters are going to get every opportunity to supplant ARE in the starting lineup. Things could change of course as we get closer to September. But as of right now, his fantasy value is at its lowest. Our passing offense is pretty much Moss and Cooley right now, with the best chances for adding onto those two guys resting on the potential of the second-year guys.

Keeper League Potential

11. Colt Brennan, QB- There is always a guy in your league that is not afraid to stash a 2nd or 3rd string QB on his bench. The truth is that every year, at the end of the season, you find an NFL team or two is trotting out a young gun to get some minutes. And that is prime time fantasy playoffs action. Some of you out there must have a story of how some random quarterback either saved or ruined your season. Colt Brennan won't be drafted in many leagues on draft night. But if JC goes down--God forbid--the temptation to play Colt will be great. And you can bet if he is playing on Sunday, there will be a fantasy team or two out there starting him with the thought that he could be blow up for a huge and random fantasy performance.Given all the uncertainty at the QB position in D.C. lately, owning the young gun doesn't seem like that crazy of an idea.

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

There are a few more guys we could throw on this list: Mike Sellers, Roydell Williams, Todd Collins, Todd Yoder--actually, not Todd Yoder. Sorry Todd. What would you change about this list and what do you hope for from the Redskins players on your fantasy teams?

NightLink: Will We Still Need WR Help Next Year?

Dane Noble — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 22:30:13 -0000

Let's do some assuming right now. Let's assume that the Chicago Bears do not add another wide receiver to the roster this year. Let's assume that Jay Cutler can indeed make the most out of our current crop of WRs, but it just isn't good enough to light up the scoreboard. And let's assume that we use our first pick in next year's NFL Draft (2nd round of course) on a WR.

According to this article, these are the top (senior) prospects:

1. Brandon LaFell

College: LSU
Height/Weight: 6-2 ½, 207

LaFell is a tall, athletic player, who was an oustanding high school basketball player in the Houston area. He enters his third year as a starter in 2009 and caught 63 passes with eight touchdowns in 2008. He is projected to be a late first-round pick.

2. Mardy Gilyard

College: Cincinnati
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 182 pounds

Gilyard is a fifth-year player who missed the entire 2006 season due to academics. He returned two kickoffs for touchdowns in 2008 and also caught 81 passes for 1,276 yards and 11 touchdowns. He was selectd a first-team All-Big East performer and special teams player of the year. He has very good hands and runs a low 4.5 40-yard dash. He is a possible first-round pick.

3. Eric Decker

College: Minnesota
Height/Weight: 6-3, 207

Decker was a two-sport star at Minnesota who was drafted in baseball after the 2007 season. He has caught 151 passes the past two seasons. He has great hands and is an outstanding route runner. He will block, but he's not especially fast.

4. Jordan Shipley

College: Texas
Height/Weight: 5-11 ½, 190

All-time leading high school receiver (264 catches, 5,424 yards and 73 touchdowns) in Texas history. These totals rank second all-time nationally. He has great hands and is an outstanding route runner with quickness. He also returns kicks. He plays a lot like the Patriots' Welker.

5. Chris McGaha

College: Arizona State
Height/Weight: 6-1, 199

McGaha is an outstanding athlete, who won the slam dunk championship in high school and anchored the 4x100 meter relay team. As a redshirt freshman he started five games and has caught 96 passes the past two seasons. He has very good hands.

6. Jeremy Williams

College: Tulane
Height/Weight: 6-0 ½, 205

Williams is a fifth-year player who has caught over 100 passes and 12 touchdowns over the past two years. He is a good athlete and looks a lot like Roydell Williams who plays for the Redskins after having spent his first three years with the Titans.

7. Jacoby Ford

College: Clemson
Height/Weight: 5-8 ½, 185

Ford is a fast and explosive receiver. In 2006, he averaged 32.8 yards per kickoff return. He returned a kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown and a punt 92 yards for a touchdown. He was the Florida state champion in the 100 and 200-meter races. He has quickness to go along with his speed.

8. Shay Hodge

College: Mississippi
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 205

Hodge tied for the most touchdown catches in the SEC in 2008 with eight. He had 44 catches for 725 yards last season. He was a high school quarterback, who averaged 25 points per game as a high school point guard. He has very good hands and explosion. He may not catch 50 passes this year, though, because the team has so many good receivers.

9. Dexter McCluster

College: Mississippi
Height/Weight: 5-7 ¼, 163

McCluster was the Runnin' Rebels' leading running back with 109 carries for 655 yards and tied for the most catches on the team with 44 last year. He plays in a formation as a tailback where he receives the direct snap and he also plays wide receiver. He's very strong for his size and has great quickness. If you want a treat, watch his 40-yard touchdown run vs. Florida last year.

10. Greg Mathews

College: Michigan
Height/Weight: 6-2 ½, 210

Mathews played as a true freshman at Michigan in 2006. He had 35 catches in 2008, despite the top two quarterbacks in Ann Arbor not completing 50 percent of their passes (165 of 337). He also returns punts. His cousin, Ted Ginn Jr., plays for the Dolphins.

11. Andre Roberts

College: Citadel
Height/Weight: 5-10 ½, 185

A two-time first-team All-Southern Conference player, Roberts holds the school record for most catches in one season. He ran anchor leg on the school's 400x100 relay team that won a Penn Relays title in 2007. He also returns punts and has very good hands for the position.

12. Alric Arnett

College: West Virginia
Height/Weight: 6-1 ½, 190

Arnett was a first-year starter in 2008. He had 35 catches and six touchdowns on a team that passed just 304 times in 13 games. He was injured in 2007 and missed the entire season after playing two years of junior college football. He was a sprinter who has lots of upside for the position. Be sure to check out his one-handed touchdown catch vs. North Carolina in the Meineke Car Care Bowl.

13. Riley Cooper

College: Florida
Height/Weight: 6-2, 212

Cooper played in 2006 as a true freshman at Florida, starting against Auburn and Tennessee. He is a big target as a receiver and had 18 catches and three touchdowns in 2008. He played as a gunner on special teams and was drafted in the 2006 Major League Baseball draft. He is a very good athlete.

14. Naaman Roosevelt

College: Buffalo
Height/Weight: 6-foot, 180

Roosevelt had 104 catches and 14 touchdowns in 2008. He caught the Hail Mary pass last yer against Temple that was featured on highlight shows across the nation. He is more quick than fast. He was a high school quarterback.

15. Kerry Meier

College: Kansas
Height/Weight: 6-2, 217

Meier started eight games at quarterback for Kansas in 2006. Last year was his first full season at wide receiver and he finished with 97 catches and eight touchdowns. He plays a lot like Jordy Nelson, a 2007 second-round pick of the Green Bay Packers.

16. Armanti Edwards

College: Appalachian State
Height/Weight: 5-11, 180

Edwards plays quarterback, but his best position might be wide receiver. He's an Antwaan Randle El look-alike.

Youngstown's Donald Jones (6-0 ½, 210 pounds), Montana's Marc Mariani (6-0 ½, 180 pounds) and North Alabama's Preston Parker (5-11, 195 pounds) are three non-Bowl subdivision (formerly Division-IA) players to watch.

I wonder which of these players the Bears will be keeping an eye on this season...

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Ghad Help Us All If Brett Favre Ever Discovers 'Twitter' Edition

August West — Tue, 05 May 2009 13:28:32 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

Kenny Britt and quarterbacks coach Craig Johnson, possibly debating which white boy will be praised for his 'heart', 'motor' and 'blue collar style' the most this year. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey)

Browse more photos »

The Sporting News put together a list of the rookies who made the best impression across the league over the weekend, and who leads the list? Jared Cook. Apparently 6'5, 245 guys who run a 4.5 40 and make circus catches are kind of a big deal. Gotta dig that.

Plenty of signs are pointing towards Britt being one of our top 3 receivers right off the bat, but I'm still hoping they make the kid reasonably earn it... given this group that shouldn't be too hard.

Ebullient commenter joshuaboone keeps up his recent roll on tracking down ex-Titans by directing us to PFT, where we find Roydell Williams joining Big Albert in Washington D.C.

More glowing reports on Mitch King here and here... as much love as he's getting you really have to wonder how in the world this kid didn't get drafted?

Paul K checks in on a series of Titans-related ESPN SportsNation polls. The most interesting result? 53% of those participating think VY is still the Titans' QB of the future.

Gary Estwick has a bet for ya: Kerry throwing 7 or fewer INTs again in 2009, or the O-Line giving up 5 or fewer sacks again in '09. Who ya got?

Favre texted ESPN gasbag Trent Dilfer to say he definitely is not returning to the field. I'm sure that will be the final, and authoritative word on the subject...

Albert Haynesworth is the subject of a civil lawsuit seeking $7.5 million for the young man he injured in that crash last December.

Now that the slower period of the off-season is upon us your help in finding out of the way Titans stories is more important than ever. If you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com! (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you glowing, semi-anonymous credit.)

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Neglecting Bel Biv DeVoe Edition

August West — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 13:38:52 -0000

The Tennessean comes through with a buzzkilling 5 things to remember... you put a Kerry Collins uniform on that last picture anytime soon and we'd be in deep trouble.

The Titans are winning by an average of 14.3 points, which qualifies as running up the score in Fisher-ball. I'm guessing purchases of Rolaids and Tums have plummeted in the Mid-South area so far this season.

The Titans' Super Bowl odds, according to Vegas, have climbed from 45 to 1 all the way to 16 to 1, which is the same odds as New England has with Matt Cassel at the helm and the other team's signals in their back pocket.

Roydell Williams officially filed an injury grievance. The Titans may be in trouble since they spent all of camp complaining about Roydell being too gimpy to make it on the field.

From bizzaro world, Fox News reports that Chattanooga native Usher is aTennessee Titans fan. When reached for comment, Bud Adams said he doesn't care as long as they get folks to their seats (you're encouraged to come up with a better punchline in the comments section!).

The Titans jumped from 9th to 4th in the ESPN Power Rankings, because at least some writers remember the importance of defense in this league.

Sport Illustrated's Dr. Z picks the Titans to win against the Vikings in a low scoring affair.

Paul Kuharsky revisits the AFC South vs. NFC East argument a bit too early, but meh.

Awesome youtube video of Cortland Finnegan highlights...

... and here's an even better one of Finnegan singing Let's Get it On by Marvin Gay...

... and Boom King butchering Summer Lovin' from Grease (with who I'm assuming is the lovely Boom Queen)...

... and an even better one of the Titans defense singing End of the Road by Boys to Men.

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

Roydell Williams Could Pursue Injury Grievance Against the Tennessee Titans

Jimmy — Tue, 02 Sep 2008 15:12:51 -0000

One of the agents for Roydell Williams has said they are thinking about filing an injury grievance against the Titans because his ankle is not 100%:

“We’re going to get Roydell a second opinion on his ankle this week,” agent Rick Roberts said. “Common sense tells you he was hurt and he that wasn’t ready to play. You guys [media] saw that, and we saw that.

“He was getting shots in his ankle and pushed back onto the playing field and at the end of it, they just gave him a high five, said he did his best, but just couldn’t do it. Luckily for us, that’s not the way the NFL works.”

It appears the issue here is whether or not his ankle was 100% when they took him off the PUP list earlier in camp. Roydell's camp claims that it was not.

Every player is supposed to get a physical at the time of their release. If they are healthy they sign off on it, if they aren't then they don't sign it and they can get a second opinion from a neutral doctor. If said neutral doctor determines that Roydell should not have been activated, then a grievence will be filed and all of his money will count against the Titans cap for this season. Terry McCormick reports that Roydell's base salary this season was $520,000 and with bonuses included it would be about a $1 million cap hit.

WR cuts around the league - Any potential 49ers?

Fooch — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 17:55:57 -0000

In yesterday's 49ers cuts post, sam23 made a good suggestion of coming up with players released around the league. Mike Nolan has indicated the 49ers might sign a 6th receiver off waivers if the right guy came along. I would prefer giving Dominique Zeigler a shot, but again, no vote for me.

I'm going through the various cuts to see what I can find but I'm sure I'll overlook some guys. Feel free to include anybody I miss. I'm not looking at other positions as I don't see the 49ers really loading up at any other position off waivers. For once, the team is well settled at most positions in terms of depth.

Roydell Williams - The former Titan finished with career highs of 55 receptions, 719 yards and 4 touchdowns in his third year in the league. Unfortunately a nagging ankle injury kept him out of most of the preseason. According to his scouting report, "He has just adequate deep speed, but is good on the underneath routes where he can use his quickness, agility and body control. He is a good route runner and does a good job of setting up defenders with little head and shoulder fakes." It might be a bit of a reach, but the report sounds a little like that of this guy or this guy.

Samie Parker - "Parker has legitimate downfield speed and is a threat with the ball is in his hands. But in five years as a pro, he never has learned the subtleties of route running." Does that scouting report sound a little like Ashley Lelie? Parker has been more of a return guy but I wonder if a detail-oriented guy like Martz could improve his route running abilities? Parker is only entering his fifth season in the league so there is certainly still time.

Travis Taylor - Taylor was once a first round pick of the Baltimore Ravens. His best season came in 2002 with 61 receptions, 869 yards and 6 TDs. After a decent 2006 with 57 receptions, Taylor was released by the Vikings, and then signed and released by the Raiders and Rams. Rotoworld suggest maybe he should call it a career at 30. I don't know if he'd see enough action but is he worth a look?

Chad Jackson - Jackson appears to be joining the long list of WR busts to come out of the University of Florida. They all seem so talented and yet they never work out (see Taylor Jacobs, Jabar Gaffney, Travis Taylor, etc...). I definitely don't see Jackson ending up with the 49ers as they'd be better of going with Zeigler or Colvin (at least as far as I'm concerned).

My source for cuts was over at the ESPN blogosphere thing (or whatever they're calling it). They had a tag for roster cuts which included cuts and analysis of each team's cuts. From my initial scan there really weren't a lot of wide receivers released that would fit the 49ers. While there were some interesting first or second year receivers released, I would fully expect Dominique Zeigler (assuming he clears waivers) to be given a shot before any of them.

If you come across anybody that interests you on the waiver wire, definitely post it in the comments. I'll update this with anybody else I come across.

Tennessee Titans Cut Roydell Williams, Biren Ealy

Jimmy — Sat, 30 Aug 2008 19:19:23 -0000

The Titans have started the process of trimming their roster down to 53 players. While not cuts are official yet, some of them have leaked out. The players that have been cut so far are Biren Ealy, Jamie Petrowski, Ingle Martin, John Vaughn, Cary Williams, Edward Williams, Tony Joiner, Omar Cuff, Marquice Cole, Tuff Harris, Jerrell Freeman, Isaac Snell, Jason Murphy, Enoka Lucas, and Fernando Velasco.

Ealy was a guy a lot of us rooted for last seaosn, but he didn't seem to improve any from when he first got here until now.

The fact that they cut Vaughn is a good sign that Rob Bironas is healthy enough to kick next weekend.

The Titans still have several moves that have to be made before the 3 p.m. deadline. Stay tuned..

[UPDATE]- DT Antonio Mookie Johnson has also been released. Good thing I had him down as a lock yesterday. Johnson was a 5th round pick last season, but missed the whole year after tearing his ACL in the preseason. He is a good candidate for the practice squad.

[UPDATE 2]- FB Casey Cramer, DE Sean Conover, DE Eric Taylor and FB Jeremy Cain have also been released.

[UPDATE 3]- Well, another of my locks, S Calvin Lowry, bites the dust.

[UPDATE 4]- WR Roydell Williams is the final cut to bring the roster to 53. This comes a year after he tied for the team lead in receptions. Jeff Fisher had said before last week that Roydell needed a big week to stay, but most of us here agreed that Fisher was just trying to light a fire under Roydell. Apparently he wasn't kidding.

Tennessee Titans @ Green Bay Packers What 2 Watch 4

Jimmy — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 15:44:11 -0000

This addition of What 2 Watch 4 is all about the offense. The defense has played well this preseason, even when missing some key parts, and will probably only see a series or two against the Packers first team.

There is never a must anything preseason game, but if there were, this would be it for the Titans' offense. Since the Packers will likely only play their #1 defense for the first quarter, it is very important that the Titans get in the end zone tonight. I don't care how vanilla the offense is that they are running, there is absolutely no excuse for not moving the ball up and down the field against another teams #2's.

This game is also important for the overall confidence of the offense. Mark Howard and Paul Kuharsky were saying that the body language of the offense has not been good in practice the last couple of weeks. Confidence is one of the most importance aspects of sports. A confident team can often play well above their ability level (i.e. the Colorado Rockies last season). If it takes making plays against some subs for the offense to get their confidence back, so be it.

Vince Young needs to have a successful night. His numbers would not have been terrible last week if not for the drops. He did make one really bad throw, but I think we will all be ok if he only makes one really bad throw a game (assuming that not all 16 of those end up as INTs).

We are still sitting here waiting for a receiver to step up. At this point I am not sure that is going to happen. There was some noise earlier in the week that Roydell Williams could be playing for his job this week. It would be nice to see him step up and make some plays tonight. Lavelle Hawkins probably won't play, which is disappointing because I would love to see him get the chance to develop some chemistry with VY. I think at this point the only receivers who are safe are Justin Gage, Justin McCareins, Lavelle Hawkins, and probably Brandon Jones. Keep an eye on Roydell, Paul Williams, Chris Davis and Biren Ealy tonight. They all need to do something tonight to earn a spot.

The offensive line needs to have a good game tonight as well. The Titans haven't had any problem moving the ball on the ground, but they have had some issues with the pass rush. It would be nice to see them have the dominating performance that they are capable of.