SB Nation - Rod Hood

Titans 20 Cardinals 17 Recap: Vince Young to Kenny Britt

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

(h/t) smash

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

And here is the final drive play by play:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Play 8- Incomplete intended for Nate Washington.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

How Good is the Tennessee Titans Secondary Now?

Jimmy — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 18:02:03 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

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We have spent a lot of time talking about how much better the Titans secondary is now than it was at the Boston Massacre. But my question is how much better are they? They looked good against Jacksonville, San Francisco, and Buffalo, but none of those teams have a passing attack that really strikes fear into anyone. Thus the real test comes Monday Night in Houston. The Texans have the 3rd ranked passing attack in the league, and feature one of the best receivers in the game in Andre Johnson. AJ can accurately be called a Titan Killer. In his last 2 games against the Titans he has 207 and 149 yards receiving respectively with 3 touchdowns.

The good news for this particular match-up is there is no way AJ will ever be lined up across from Nick Harper. Most of the big plays to Johnson have come with Harper "covering" him. I would love to see the Titans chance the philosophy a little bit and line Cortland Finnegan up across from Andre on every play, but even if they still refuse to do that at least he would be Rod Hood's assignment instead of Harper's.

This game is also arguably the biggest of Michael Griffin's career. August wrote a couple weeks ago about Griffin addressing his poor play (via Kuharsky). Griffin has played better, but stil got caught peeking in the backfield last weke against the Bills. Pretty much all of us here thought that after the season he put up last year Griffin was on track to become one of the best safeties in the league. He has regressed this year, and Monday night would be the perfect opportunity for him to re-assert himself in the upper echelon of safeties.

It seems that his biggest problem this year has been guessing run far to often and letting receivers get behind him. Gramsey offered me the perfect solution for this yesterday:

I wish MikeGriff would never ever, ever, ever, ever, evaevaevaeva, read run, eva

Sounds like a plan to me. Kuharsky made the point on the radio this morning that there is really no reason for him to worry about the run in the scheme the Titans play because most of the time he is 12-15 yards away from the ball when it is snapped and there are at least six other guys that have run responsibility before it gets to him.

I still have faith that Griffin is going to be a star in this league. No better time than Monday night on a national stage to prove that. His play will go a long way in determining if this secondary is ready to be the strength of the defensive unit as it was a year ago.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: Maybe The Crowd Was Just Chanting 'Freebird' Edition

August West — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 15:09:49 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Vince Young walks off the field with Tyler McNair, one of Steve's sons. No joke here because that's some damned fine stuff Vince is doing to step in and help give these kids the father figure they're missing now that Steve is gone. I think it's an amazing thing to do, and I can only hope I have friends who could step in like in the same situation.

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Der Commish was in the box with Bud Adams, and later on in the stands, at Sunday's game. I guess we're to assume that Goodell wasn't in the box when Bud let this double eagle salute fly. You can already hear the fun police coming down on Bud, but I personally thought it was pretty funny (as long as it stays an aberration). I'm sure he'll be fined, and I'm sure he'll never miss the money.

Vince Young's approach, mechanics and body language are a complete revelation this year and truly fun to watch. Combine that with the 3 game win streak, and Vince is garnering a lot of the respect he didn't get his first three seasons in the NFL.

Chris Johnson is the best running back in the NFL. Don't believe me? Still think it's Adrian Peterson and Chris Johnson has just had a few nice weeks this year? Check-out their career numbers through their first year and a half in the NFL:

Player	Attempts	Yards	YPA	TDs
Johnson	395	2,187	5.54	15
Peterson	414	2,164	5.23	18

Boom. Pan seared.

Follow us through the jump for my baseless speculation personal theory on why Bud Adams was giving birds for no charge on Sunday...

Mike Florio has a blah blah blah link on Bud's gesture, but I have a Florio-esque-'I have no evidence whatsoever and neither does anyone else so you can't just disprove the insinuation no matter how retarded or irresponsible it is, can ya?'-theory, but maybe Bud was talking to Goodell in that box about the CBA and the possibility of an uncapped year, and Bud didn't like what he heard? Maybe the double clutch wasn't meant for the Bills, but rather the Commish after he had left the box. Sure it's a stretch, but at least I'm admitting it upfront.

CJ extended his lead over the NFL in rushing yards to 174 yesterday. He's also still leading all non-QBs in total yards.

PFW says that Leroy Harris' versatility has boosted our O-line depth, and I couldn't agree more. Having a guy who has proven he can play four positions on the line and play them week gives the coaching staff more time to work with our young guys before throwing them to the wolves when someone goes down.

How awesome was that block VY threw Sunday when CJ reversed the field? Here's the video, with the block at the :37 mark.

Kenny Britt played a nice game overall on Sunday, while Finnegan, Vanden Bosch and Fuller took issue with a surprisingly mouthy Buffalo offense.

Despite all of the good atlk surrounding Young, the man still brings out the haters no matter what, like Ed Thompson of scout.com:

Though some are blinded by the euphoria that winning brings after a six-game losing skid, here are some facts from Young's performance over the past two weeks. He has completed 73 percent of his throws, but has moved the ball through the air an average of only 149 yards per game and thrown one touchdown pass. He has run the ball 17 times for an average of 2.6 yards per rush, scoring once.

Pretty mediocre stuff, to put it nicely.

The Titans defense continues to keep coming up with turnovers, specifically INTs, that simply weren't there in the first six games. Rod Hood also continues to prove why he should be the starter even when Harper returns at 100%.

Every time you read a great Titans-related story on the web and don't share it with the MCM community through the fanposts, fanshots or by emailing me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com a Ravens (or Steelers) fan smiles. Is that what you want?!!!!?!?!

Titans 41 Bills 17: Quick Recap

Jimmy — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:13:58 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

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Final - 11.15.2009	1	2	3	4	Total
Buffalo Bills	7	7	3	0	17
Tennessee Titans	14	3	0	24	41

Complete Coverage >

Watching a win just makes the day so much better. We saw some of the things that haunted us earlier in the season in this game but were able to come up with the offense to make sure it did not matter. Chris Johnson had another unbelievable day with yards rushing and another yards receiving. I know we were all hoping for a bigger day rushing, but he needed 130 yards to stay on pace for 2,000, and he got it with 132.

Vince Young played another solid game going 17-25 for 210 yards and 1 touchdown and 1 interception. He also had a couple of nice plays with his legs to keep drives alive. He will face his biggest test of the year next week in Houston, but I predicted when we drafted him that he would never lose to the Texans. He hasn't, and I don't expect that to change this year.

The defense regressed a little bit giving up some big plays, but they were able to step up and score a couple of TDs late to put the game out of reach. How about Rod Hood?

Three in a row feels good. The toughest stretch of the remaining season is ahead, but for now let's enjoy another win!

Join August and I for MCM Radio tonight at 9 central. Listen live here.

GO TITANS!!

Titans 34 49ers 27: Winning is More Fun

Jimmy — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 20:00:24 -0000

More photos » by Ben Margot - AP

Back to form. (AP Photo/Ben Margot)

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To say I am shocked by the turn around this team has made would be an understatement. After the debacle that was the Patriots game, I really thought 2 wins was best case scenario for this team. I didn't think we would see them play inspired football again until 2010. I knew a switch to Vince Young was imminent, but I really didn't think it would make a difference. Being wrong has never felt so good.

Yesterday's win was a good one. The 49ers are a solid team, and that west coast trip has been a nightmare for even the best Titan teams. The best thing about these past two games has been the return to the type of football that this team was designed to play, and a lot of that has been due to the play of Vince Young. VY has been everything Kerry Collins was supposed to be and more. He has been efficient, 12 of 19 yesterday, has taken care of the ball, 0 interceptions and fumbles in his 2 starts, and has made plays with his legs to help the team. Just look at yesterday's 7-yard touchdown run. That dimension gives teams one more thing to guard against in the red zone.

And, of course, there is Chris Johnson. This guy is having a special season and has a legitimate shot at 2,000 rushing yards. T-Rac's Posse doesn't think it will happen, and while I will give him that it is a long shot, the Titans have three games left against team with rush defenses ranked 27^th or worse.

You can make the argument that he single-handedly won the game yesterday when he scored on that option play on 4^th and inches. Pretty funny that Peter King gives Mike Heimerdinger coach of the week because if CJ doesn't get in there the Titans probably lose the game and all the talk here would be about Dinger's terrible play calling (and it was a TERRIBLE call).

How about the return of 12 Gage?!? Justin Gage has to be the most frustrating wide receiver in the league. It seems like in his 3 years here he has been everything from a legitimate #1 receiver to the one of the worst receivers in the league every single season. When he is playing well, like he is right now, he gives this team a solid possession guy and a deep threat that makes plays like this:

The biggest turnaround has come from the defense and it is my opinion that most of that is because the secondary has gotten healthy. The only time a receiver was downfield all by himself yesterday was the touchdown right before the half, and that looked to me to be because Cortland Finnegan left his assignment because Alex Smith looked like he was going to run. While those types of things still really need to be fixed, I will take one a game over the 42 we saw each game earlier in the season.

The defense has also done something else that was a foreign concept earlier in the season, force turnovers. Yesterday they picked Smith off three times and forced three fumbles. From the why did it take them 5 weeks to sign this guy file, Rod Hood had his second interception in as many games. Frank Wycheck said on the radio this morning that Nick Harper will get his spot back when he is healthy. I think the next MCM petition might need to be one that demands Harper remain on the sideline.

Things are starting to look better around these parts. The Titans have a game they should win this weekend when Buffalo comes to town before running the @ Houston, Arizona, @ Indy gauntlet.

Food for thought/discussion; these two wins have come in large part due to a couple of things/people that make Jeff Fisher look bad in the form of VY and Hood, so while it obviously benefits Fisher's job security to get these wins does it hurt him at the same time because he didn't make these moves earlier?

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: It's Just The Tale Of A Heart Attack Edition

August West — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:59:48 -0000

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Jeff Fisher has a lot to do to earn that smirk...

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The Titans are preparing for the always dangerous workhorse Frank Gore this Sunday. If they had trouble tackling MJD on a few plays, they'll need to focus twice as hard on the much stronger Gore. Wyatt also discuss the new questions surrounding the return game as no one knows if Chris Davis or Alvin Pearman will be returning kicks and/or punts.

Maybe after all those snaps the defense just Need(s) Some Air... by the Black Rebel Motorcycle Club!

The Sporting News breaks-down Vince Young on the cover, then pairs off the keys for the game as we prepare for San Francisco. the third one id no breakdowns in the secondary, and given how bad our breakdowns have been (more like meltdowns), I'd bump that puppy right up to number one.

Follow us through the jump for links on disappointments, injuries and a match made in football heaven...

The Titans are using a large defensive line rotation as expected, but the results from some guys just haven't been there. Off-season pick-up Jovan Haye has really been a letdown so far. He's been great against the run, but that isn't what we need right now, so he and his 4-year $16 million deal were inactive Sunday while second round pick Sen'Derrick Marks got his first meaningful playing time.

PFW takes a more in-depth look at Haye's struggles.

The match between the Titans and Rod Hood is going about as well as can be expected so far for a mid-season signing of a street free agent at a starting position on defense. Hood sounds absolutely euphoric about getting this shot and the early returns.

David Stewart injured his hammy at practice, but the injury doesn't appear to be much of a concern at this point. It's a little easier for an O-lineman to play through that than a WR or CB. the only thing that gets dicey about that is our only experienced depth there, OT Mike Otto, hasn't practiced in about two weeks. I've never seen then swing LeRoy Harris out there, so I'm guessing that would make Troy Kropog, who was active for his first game last week, the next in line should Stewart be a scratch on Sunday.

Paul Kuharsky takes a look at the strength of schedule for AFC South teams through the first half and second half of the year. We had the 3rd hardest schedule in the NFL through week 8, and like the other top 4 teams in that count we have a crap record to show for it.

Vince Young still has many tests yet to come this season, says David Climer.

The match-up between MLB Stephen Tulloch and Frank Gore on Sunday is a key one for the Titans, and it's a quite interesting one since the two men have been competing against each other since the earliest days of pee wee football. Think they haven't seen each other since? Wrong: they played at rival high schools, then both played in the ACC (though Gore's years at Miami were marred by two ACL injuries that limited his playing time).

Here, Stephen Tulloch blogs about the first win, and gives some heads-up about the charity work he'll be doing with Backfield in Motion to help feed the needy on Thanksgiving Day.

Tennessee Titans Morning Links: The Rebirth Of Joy Edition

August West — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:56:20 -0000

More photos » by John Russell - AP

Vince Young stepped-in for a struggling franchise, and played like a boss.

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How good was Chris Johnson? Nobody has racked-up more rushing yards in a game over the past two NFL seasons. Neither Earl Campbell nor Eddie George ever got that many yards as an Oiler/Titan. With performances like this and what we were witness to in the Texans game earlier in the year, we're damned lucky to be watching a running back with so much talent and ability because they don't come around very often.

Vince Young made a triumphant return to the starting spot yesterday, and his performance injected the rest of this season with a lot of hope where there had been nothing but darkness. The playoffs are still a pipe-dream too far off to talk about seriously, but now so is the first overall pick in the draft...

Nationally there was a lot of scuttle-butt surrounding the future of Fisher with the Titans. Peter King, Jay Glazer, Chris Mortensen, Adam Scheffter and others all weighed in on the general theme that Adams may be ready to make a move... of course, all of those reports came before yesterday's divisional beat-down. After the game Adams assured the mediathat Fisher had too many years left on his contract to consider releasing. Of course, if you read Florio's baseless drivel in that first link there's always the option of offering-up Fisher like Al Davis did with Gruden... a move that has really worked-out well for the Raiders...

Was I the only one who missed very annoying announcer Gus Johnson's classless comments during one of CJ's big plays? Not that I'm killing the guy over it, but I just don't get why you'd say something like this:

1. Gus Johnson saying Chris Johnson ran “like he was being chased by the cops” after his 52-yard TD scamper against the Jags in the 3rd quarter.

Follow us through the jump for more on Fisher and the re-born Titans....

Here's what a difference a win makes: Peter King hinted that Fisher might be dead man walking in Nashville on Saturday, and this morning he doesn't even mention it in his MMQB column.

Judy Battista of the New York Times says Vince Young's performance was an indictment of Fisher because he waited too long to sit Kerry Collins. That's a bit of a lazy leap, IMO, and I'm saying that as someone who wanted to see VY start the previous two games. Waiting until the bye week was probably a very good thing for Vince since he got more time to work with the coaches and practice with that mind-set. The only way I'd agree is if Fisher really did spend the last two weeks lobbying for Bud Adams not to force this change.

MJD picked VY as one of his five most valuable players yesterday over at Shutdown Corner.

It was so nice to see Vinny and Cortland out there at full-speed, and I think any Titans fan with discriminating taste realizes that Rod Hood >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> NIck Harper.

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

5 Questions with Music City Miracles

MaPatsFan — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 16:21:26 -0000

Leading up to the Titans matchup, Music City Miracles blogger Jimmy and I decided to do the "5 Questions with..." thing. After the jump, find out from a true fan if the issue really IS Kerry Collins.

1. The Titans were on fire last year. How did they move from that to an 0-5 2009 start?

It is impossible to pinpoint any one thing. They are playing worse in all 3 phases of the game right now than they did last season. Now they have a lot of injuries on defense, especially in the secondary, so they just can't stop anyone through the air.

2. CB Rod Hood was just signed to the Titans' roster. Do you see him starting or is he there for depth?

I think he has a realistic chance to start. The Titans started the season with Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper as their corners and Vincent Fuller as their nickel back. Finnegan has been out with a hamstring for a couple of weeks, and I bet he doesn't play Sunday. Harper broke his forearm Sunday against the Colts so he is out 4-6 weeks, and Fuller also broke his forearm a couple of weeks ago and is out at least until after the bye (which is next week).

Before signing Hood they had 3 corners on the roster. Two rookies, Ryan Mouton and Jason McCourty who were drafted in the 3rd and 6th round respectively, and Cary Williams who was a 7th round pick a few years back and was cut in the preseason.

You can see how Hood has a legit shot..

3. Coach Fisher says the problem isn't Kerry Collins and he's not ready to make a QB switch just yet. Do you agree?

Kerry Collins isn't THE problem, but he has certainly been a problem. Last year he was so good for this team because he took care of the football and actually won a couple of games with his arm. This year he is consistently off target and has been a turnover machine.

That being said, I don't think Vince Young would do any better, but it is time to give him a shot. This team isn't going anywhere this season, and they need to know what they have in Vince because his 2010 cap number is huge. They are going to have to decide if they are going to cut him or restructure his deal.

4. Chris Johnson has been having a heck of a season, but the Pats' D has been fairly successful stopping the run, coming in at 11th in the league. What are your predictions for Chris' day in Foxborough, MA?

Making predictions about CJ is tough because he can be bottled up for 90% of the game, but he can have 2 or 3 plays that he breaks to make his numbers look really good. I think he will have a good game because the Titans should give him a lot of chances. Hopefully he will get back to running north and south instead of all the side to side that he did last week against the Colts.

5. What's your prediction for the game and why?

I think the Patriots win pretty easily for the simple fact that the Titans will not be able to stop them through the air. That will force the Titans to start putting the ball in the air and nothing good can come from that. I know there have been some concerns about the passing attack up there, but even a hobbled Tom Brady and Wes Welker and an older Randy Moss should put up some good numbers against the Titans secondary.

A big shoutout to Jimmy from Music City Miracles for his answers and all the interaction leading up to this Sunday's matchup.

Tennessee Titans Sign Mark Jones and Kevin Kaesviharn

Jimmy — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 21:20:00 -0000

More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

I'm back baby! (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File)

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The Titans agreed to terms today with returner Mark Jones and ~~cornerback Rod Hood~~ safety Kevin Kaesviharn. Both guys have experience in the return game and Hood can step in and help at corner.

To make room on the roster the Titans released running back Chris Henry and placed punter Craig Hentrich on IR, probably ending his career. Still no word on what practice squad move has been made to make room for Cary Williams.

It is good to have a couple of issues addressed with these moves, but it really makes me angry thinking about what would be different had they never cut Jones in the first place.

[UPDATE]- The Hood signing isn't confirmed yet. Sorry for the error.

[UPDATE #2]- Apparently there is no Hood signing. My bad guys.