SB Nation User Blog: BeansCarter

Playoff positioning and guessing who we'll meet in the Divisional Playoffs

BeansCarter — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 02:23:14 -0000

After 10 wins and a 3-game lead over the rest of the AFC, I thought it made sense to take a look at the playoff picture.

Assuming there are no massive surprises over the next few weeks, I think we can get a decent idea of how things will shake out.

We probably need 3 more wins to lock up HFA throughout the playoffs. Although... the Jets and Steelers each have 7 wins (and we play them both), so if either of these teams win out we'll actually need 4 wins to guarantee HFA.

However... the chance of either of these teams winning their next 6 is low. It may very well be that no division winner other than us will have a record better than 11-5.

We have 3 easy games on our schedule... Lions, Texans, and Browns. Realistically speaking, HFA is ours.

Now, here is the seeding diagram for the playoffs...

As Division seed #1, we would host the lowest seeded winner of the first round. Assuming that current division leaders hold on to their divisions, and assuming one or both of the wild-card teams win in the first round of the playoffs, we'll end up facing one of the following 4 potential WC teams... Ravens, Patriots, Colts, Dolphins.

Who would you like to face most? Who gives us the greatest matchup advantage?

Poll

Who would you like to face first in the playoffs?

Is Kerry Collins playing well? Time for the mid-season report card

BeansCarter — Sun, 02 Nov 2008 22:52:01 -0000

Today felt like last year. We won ugly, but we won. Kerry Collins had a wild day, completing less than half of his passes and nearly getting intercepted twice.

Now, it is true that the Packers have an excellent secondary, and they pressured our line more succesfully than all of our previous opponents, but on some of the errant throws Kerry was just stinking it up.

This is the halfway point of our season. We've benched Young, and have asked Collins to take our Titans to the promised land. Can Kerry do it? Let's grade him at the halfway point of the season.

via cache.daylife.com

Mobility - B

This is the most pleasant surprise of all, the biggest worry for Titans fans was that Collins would be a statue standing there behind the O-line. But Collins, while obviously not the running threat that Young is, has moved the ball succcesfully with his feet when necessary, and has displayed the quickness necessary to avoid sacks.

Accuracy - D

Collins is 117 for 207, for a paltry pass completion percentage of 56.5. He's never been a very accurate quarterback throughout his career, but this number needs to be higher, especially considering weather conditions are about to deteriorate and the ball will become harder to throw.

Decision-Making - A

Collins has thrown only 3 touchdown passes, but at the same time only 3 interceptions. Kerry rarely tosses up the garbage pass freebie to the opponents in an area where no Titans are to be found. He also has the presence of mind to tuck the ball and run with it if he doesn't see an open receiver. His maturity and experience are are a definite asset.

Leadership and killer instinct - B

Collins seems to have won the locker room. He is calm under pressure, and he has rallied the team to victory (through the air, no less) against the Colts and the Ravens. He has the confidence you need to win in the NFL.

Superbowl-winning potential - C

When you look back at teams that were built like the Titans, the Bucs of 2002 and the Ravens of 2000 come to mind. Teams who were strong on D, liked to run the ball, control the clock, but almost never asked their quarterback to win the game for them. I wouldn't want to be down by a couple of scores with Collins and our crew of receivers. Though Collins has been able to mount a comeback drive to win a game, the criticism is legitimate. To be a team that can mount an explosive comeback you need the ability to strike quickly. Unfortunately, even though I cite Brad Johnson as an example of a team with a less-than-stellar QB that won the Superbowl, Johnson had considerably better stats than Kerry does this year. Even Trent Dilfer's stats from 2000 were a bit better than Kerry Collins' are this year. I just can't justify a score higher than a C here.

Overall Performance Grade - B

Poll

How do you grade Kerry Collins Performance so far this year?

A - Winning is the only thing that matters and Kerry has passed with flying colors

11 votes

B - We've seen some good things, but there is definitely room for improvement

30 votes

C - His stats are poor, and the rest of the team is basically carrying him.

13 votes

D - We benched Vince Young for this guy??

6 votes

F - I don't know anything about football and would like to prove it by clicking F

0 votes

60 votes | Poll has closed

Solid win! Taking it to the Colts and their fans.

BeansCarter — Tue, 28 Oct 2008 16:31:03 -0000

As some of you have likely noticed, the posts over at Stampede Blue have gotten quite adversarial as of late. In fact, somebody over there has been deleting some of my posts; I suppose the frustration of their season is starting to get to them, and as a result they have resorted to censorship. After the jump, you will find my post in response to http://www.stampedeblue.com/2008/10/23/641118/i-m-going-to-enjoy-watchin. I am also posting it here, so my fellow Titans fans can enjoy it. I assume that someone will delete it at Stampede Blue.

We go back and forth, we trash talk, we do many things on these blogs that, for the most part is nothing more than cheering on your team. Rivalries are fun; but they are not very fun when blog writers make ad hominem attacks on our players or our fans.

In fact, one of the administrators at StampedeBlue, BigBlueShoe, obviously takes great pleasure in ripping apart and verbally assaulting our players. Usually, the blog admins tend to rise above these low-grade tactics.

I invite you, fellow Titans fans, to not take this idly. Let us not revel only in being 7-0, let's defend our players and our team; as much as it feels great to win, it feels almost just as good to shut up these arrogant fans who had the audacity to disrespect our team and insult our players.

You all remember ole LenDale White, don't you?

Yup, I do.

The fat, sack of sh*t running back who is now all full of himself after he rushed for 149 yards against the friggin' Chiefs; yeah, that guy.

Well, calling someone a fat sack of sh*t is never a classy thing to do, but the bar is set pretty low around StampedeBlue, anyways. Ok, good, now we have positively established his identity. Thanks for clarifying which Lendale White you were referring to.

This is the same LenDale White who has, for the most part, been totally and completely stoned by the Colts defense the last few years.

Yup, for the most part he has. Though I must admit, his 2 touchdowns last night does compensate for his 1.3 YPC. What do you think?

Of course, the Colts are not going to need bulletin board material to beat the snot out of the Titans.

Correct - they would actually need a time machine and a better football team.

...the Colts are going to demolish them on Monday Night. This is not a game where the Colts are like Golly Gee, we really hope we can play with these guys. The Colts are coming into this game thinking that they will not only win, they will crush the Titans.

Sometimes it's not enough to just think you're going to crush your opponent. In reality, you often need to outplay them.

... LenDale White (who is still a fat, lazy prick who likes to run his mouth)

BBS, I am not sure if you are either fat or lazy, but are you sure you are not projecting here?

This is the year the Colts fade! (Anatomy of a forecast coming true edition)

BeansCarter — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:04:28 -0000

On August 12th, I wrote a Fanpost hypothesizing that this is the year that the Colts fade. The post is here http://www.musiccitymiracles.com/2008/8/12/592488/is-this-the-year-the-colts

After 2 weeks of football, I thought it would be an opportune time to revisit the post.

In my August post, I made a number of assertions worth taking a look at. Namely, I pointed out that:

Marvin Harrison is getting long in the tooth, being distracted by legal troubles, and his health is still questionable. Fanboy Colt disciples will claim that he has looked fantastic in training camp - we'll see once he starts getting hit properly how well he holds up.

Through 2 games, Marvin Harrison has only 9 receptions for 92 yards. For a guy with a career average of about 6 receptions per game, coupled with a per-reception average of over 13 yards per catch, these numbers are not very impressive...

But maybe someone else is to blame for Harrison's lack of productivity :

Manning had an infected bursa sac removed and isn't there to practice. How serious was the procedure? Hard to say, but when a team starts filling its roster with backup quarterbacks, you know it's a concern of the FO.

Sure, Manning still has reliable targets in Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and Anthony Gonzalez, but if something happens to any one of them, or if Peyton struggles with his injury recovery, this situation could quickly deteriorate.

Well, I think everyone can see that Manning is rusty; not as mobile as usual, not as sharp with his throws, and still needs to build up his strength. Is he too far behind to ever catch up this season? Through two games, he has 2 TDs and 2 picks. QB rating - 77.5. Completion %? Just over 60%. Not very impressive production from Peyton.

Ben Utecht is gone.

Yup, and Dalls Clark has missed a game with a knee injury, and has only 1 reception so far this year. He might be back this weekend; will he be 100%?

Freeney, the highly paid superstar DE, basically has not played football in about 10 months. His Lisfranc injury is serious, and could linger for years to come. To expect him to ever return to top form is wishful thinking; it could happen, but the odds are against him.

5 tackles, 2 sacks, and 1 forced fumble through 2 games. Apparently, Freeney's ok. With productivity like that, I'll give him props. Mea culpa.

A solid secondary and a decent linebacking corps does put the Colts in a good spot to play good defense again. But you slow down that offense, and put the Colts D on the field more, and you can expect them to fall off in effectiveness.

The Colts are 25th in the league in points allowed. The jury is still out on their secondary, who ranks 6th in the league in passing yards allowed, however, when the opposing Quarterbacks are named Tarvaris Jackson and Kyle Orton, it can hardly be declared as an achievement. Rushing Defense? how about last in the league - 31 teams in the NFL have been more effective than the Colts at stopping the run. The team has indeed failed to control the clock on offense. Time of possession by the Colts this year averages under 28 minutes per game.

Bob Sanders is injury prone, yet somehow managed to get through 2007 basically unscathed. Could he repeat this feat? Not so sure he can.

This might have been the easiest prediction of all... Sanders plays football in a way that leads to inuries, and once again, it did.

It is my sense that we will see the beginning of the great unravelling this year. My prediction, the Colts win 10 games and finish 3rd in the AFC South.

I might have been too generous in giving them 10 games.

It will be so much fun for the Titans to maul this team this year.

It really will be fun. I can't wait.

Poll

How many games will the Colts win this season?

11 games or more

6 votes

10 games

12 votes

9 games or less

11 votes

29 votes | Poll has closed

Is this the Year the Colts fade?

BeansCarter — Wed, 13 Aug 2008 02:09:21 -0000

Ok I admit, the Colts have been an impressive team in recent years. Winning the division in each of the last 5 years is an accomplishment any team could be proud of. Though some might argue (quite convincingly) that Rex Grossman single-handedly lost that Superbowl for the Bears, I'll take the high road and give Manning credit for leading his team to victory.

A great team indeed.

But things are changing... Marvin Harrison is getting long in the tooth, being distracted by legal troubles, and his health is still questionable. Fanboy Colt disciples will claim that he has looked fantastic in training camp - we'll see once he starts getting hit properly how well he holds up. Ben Utecht is gone. Manning had an infected bursa sac removed and isn't there to practice. How serious was the procedure? Hard to say, but when a team starts filling its roster with backup quarterbacks, you know it's a concern of the FO. Bob Sanders is injury prone, yet somehow managed to get through 2007 basically unscathed. Could he repeat this feat? Not so sure he can.

Sure, Manning still has reliable targets in Dallas Clark, Reggie Wayne, and Anthony Gonzalez, but if something happens to any one of them, or if Peyton struggles with his injury recovery, this situation could quickly deteriorate.

Freeney, the highly paid superstar DE, basically has not played football in about 10 months. His Lisfranc injury is serious, and could linger for years to come. To expect him to ever return to top form is wishful thinking; it could happen, but the odds are against him.

A solid secondary and a decent linebacking corps does put the Colts in a good spot to play good defense again. But you slow down that offense, and put the Colts D on the field more, and you can expect them to fall off in effectiveness.

Besides, is Tony Dungy's heart still in it? I have a feeling he'd rather deploy his "quiet strength" and preach to prison inmates than coach football.

It is my sense that we will see the beginning of the great unravelling this year. My prediction, the Colts win 10 games and finish 3rd in the AFC South.

It will be so much fun for the Titans to maul this team this year.

Poll

Is this the year the Colts lose their grip on the AFC South?

Yes

27 votes

No

28 votes

They already have, just sit back and enjoy the show

19 votes

74 votes | Poll has closed

The lack of news is killing me...

BeansCarter — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 13:52:08 -0000

Nothing - not a single thing is happening. Other than the occasional arrest and boring reminder of Spygate. Even Peter King has ran out of stuff to say.

It's killing me - Why can't the beat writers in Nashville come up with something interesting to say about our players? Seriously, a story about Amano competing for Left Guard??? 'Dinger barely knows who he is!

Another Pacman story? Yawn... we should try to forget Pacman, because the more we are reminded of him the more it will hurt if he has a great season.

I need some football. There is only so much golfing and drinking I can do in any given week.

Is Fisher really leaving the door open?

BeansCarter — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 00:48:03 -0000

These are interesting comments by Fisher - perhaps it is just a negotiation ruse... But with Pac handing out food to the poor and Goodell saying he is encouraged by his attitude, could it be that the Titans are changing their perspective a bit? Can they get more value for Pacman if they get him on the field a bit this year and hold off until the trade deadline?

Are they actually considering all these options seriously?

http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080401/SPORTS01/80401167&referrer=FRONTPA GECAROUSEL

Thoughts?

Poll

Is there a chance Pacman suits up as a Titan this year?

Yes, there is a reasonable chance

10 votes

Not a chance, it's just a negotiation tactic

10 votes

Only a slight chance... if they can't get anything decent for him

15 votes

35 votes | Poll has closed

DJ Hackett signed to the Carolina Panthers

BeansCarter — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 17:13:38 -0000

Well... Looks like the last remaining free agent who is better than our receivers has been snapped up.

http://beta.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

I think unless we get a miracle trade we're likely to end up in the bottom quartile, receiving-wise. I just don't see how else it would work out. Williams and Gage have improving chemistry with VY, so that will make us better but I don't imagine that they are ever going to become stars (hope I'm wrong). Crumpler is a question mark.

If everyone recalls, the primary objective this offseason was to get weapons for Vince. I think we can agree that Reinfeldt has failed in this effort so far, no?

Am I the only one who is disappointed in the shortcomings of this front office?

Poll

Do you feel that Mike Reinfeldt succeeded in "finding weapons for Vince"?

Yes, he succeeded

9 votes

No, he let us down

8 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

49ers sign Bryant Johnson

BeansCarter — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 17:23:06 -0000

http://beta.profootballtalk.com/2008/03/14/49ers-sign-bryant-johnson/

well well... what a disappointment this is. That pretty much wraps up the desireable free agents - who's left, Hackett?

Looks like the two Justins are our studs this year...

Does anybody have any theories on why this fell apart? This is extremely disappointing. Titans Front Office has let another one slip away.

Anyone looking for cheap tickets to Sunday's game?

BeansCarter — Thu, 06 Dec 2007 19:23:36 -0000

Coming into Nashville this weekend from Montreal to see the Titans game. I somehow ended up with an extra pair of tickets (Sec 316, row JJ). I bought these initially on Ticketmaster and later found better seats on Stubhub.

I've had no luck selling them on either Craigslist, or StubHub or eBay.

At this point I'd hate to see them be wasted. If anybody wants them, I'll sell them for $35 each, and I can meet up to hand-deliver in Nashville this weekend.

Also wondering if pre-game breakfast is better at the Wildhorse Saloon or Coyote Ugly? Any opinions on this?

Thanks!