I'd head to the Houston Texans next year.

I mean, why not? It's obvious this owner doesn't want him, and what other team could he go to? Dallas? Garrett is gonna lock that up. Carolina? Not a contender. Oakland? That would be more of the same.

Houston? Their coach has to be on thin ice, and Fisher could take what they have and make it work, as long as he had Washburn and 'Dinger along for the ride. Cecil? Jury's still out on that.

Anyway, what a huge poke in the eye it would be to Bud Adams for Fisher to jump ship and take the Texans to a Championship. It could happen. I wouldn't blame him if he did.

What a difference a bye week makes. I didn't write last week because:

a: I was in shock

and

2. I wanted to see if we got things straightened out this week.


Well, one thing got straightened out this week: Vince Young's future, meaning it ain't with the Titans:

Vince Young out as Titans starter

You can go read that, but really, Jimmy says it best: (emphasis mine)

He does not have the mental make-up to be an NFL quarterback right now.  Will he ever?  It is really hard to think that he will considering he has now been in the league 5 years and still has the problems that he did in his first couple of years.  Franchise quarterbacks don't mock the crowd when they are getting booed, and they don't throw their stuff into the stands because their feelings are hurt. 

While I agree with everything above, I do not agree with Jimmy's assertion that Coach Fisher needs to go. I'd bet good money if everything were to be brought out into the open, Fisher would be considered a (Music city) miracle worker for keeping this team together like he has. The thing is, we most likely will never know.

As for the team going forward, it's anybody's guess how things will shake out now. We're heading into the meat grinder of 5 divisional games in six weeks, our starting QB is gone, our backup is hurt, and the only one we have left is a 6th round rookie from that football powerhouse, Florida Atlantic.

Good money would have us going 3-3 down this stretch, and while I wouldn't put any REAL money on anything better, I'm still going to hold out hope. Now that the apparent locker room distraction is gone, we will see what this team is really made of.

Rusty Smith, we look to you! No pressure!

 

... there's a new round of debate on VY.

Why? Simple. PK, and most sports writers have decided VY isn't going to make it in the NFL.

Why do I say that? Well, there's the double standard that August West pointed out a few weeks back. Why isn't anyone calling Roethlisberger for thinking about quitting football? Beats me.

But, what really gets me is this from a while back (you'll have to scroll down a bit), where PK answers a mailbag question defending VY after the Steelers loss (after the jump):

Continue reading this post »

Slowly getting to this because I missed the game last week. Too much going on to stop and watch it. Glad I didn't, actually. Dang Chargers have our number. However, the big news is breaking - Randy Moss is now a Titan. This is big, folks, and more than a little unexpected.

The front office obviously thinks we need the deep threat now*. They must also think we're in a position to go deep into the playoffs**. They wouldn't have made the move otherwise.

Add to that we have two weeks to get Randy into our game plan before anyone sees him in a Titans uniform, and it spells trouble for the AFC South in December, when we do most of our divisional games.

Interesting, indeed.

Continue reading this post »

My Beloved Titans are now 5-2 after toying with floundering for three quarters and then coming alive and spanking the Eagles 37-19. Before I get started, a few observations, linkage and assorted stuff:

Brett Favre is very likely done with football. If he were anybody else, he'd have been done once some gal accused him of sending her pics of his schmeckel over the phone. I haven't commented on that because, as much as I despise Favre, I won't pile on this kind of story until it's proven. It's too easy to target famous people these days. If it is true, I'll have to put my comments below the fold, because they most definitely will not be safe for work.

Tony Romo and the Cowboys are done for the season. Romo and company were about the only team picked to beat us so far this year, mainly because they are, and have been, one of the most overrated teams this decade. I used to like the 'Boys, but Jerry Jones has passed Al Davis as the biggest owner/hindrance to his team. He's almost another Dan Snyder.

Now, the Titans blog post title of the week: From Spunky Underdogs to Title Contenders (CJ Smiles

That says in a nutshell, why I can't wait to see the Power Rankings this week. Sure, it's all BS, and more of a gauge on how the sportswriters respect us than anything else, but still, I want to see what they say.

As for last Sunday's game, I have to say, right off the bat, I didn't think we were going to win that one. The offense was flat, the run game wasn't working, and Collins was taking too much time to throw the ball, and wasn't getting the protection he needed.

Don't get me wrong, Kerry was the best option for that game, as Vince was still hobbled and wouldn't have been able to elude the rush the Eagles were throwing at us. They were blitzing constantly, not respecting the passing game whatsoever.

That worked fine for the half, but something happened in the second - Kenny Britt happened. Make no mistake, it was all Britt, all the time. Collins just had to get it close and Britt would haul it in. The Eagles, a franchise around since the 1930's, had never given up as many yards to a receiver as Kenny got that day.

So, what does that mean for our future opponents? It means they'll have to add Britt to their growing list of players to be concerned about. Not only will this open up the running game, but it will also open up other receivers. They can't spy Vince, CJ and double team Britt all at the same time. If they do, it leaves either Nate Washington of Bo Scaife wide open.

Sounds good to me.

One more thing, that bodes well for us going forward: We haven't even put a complete game together. The secret to going to the Super Bowl is peaking at the right time. The Steelers proved that a couple years ago by winning the Super Bowl from the Wild Card Slot. Granted, doing that is not as unusual as it used to be, but it shows that hitting your peak at the right time is paramount. The flipside of that coin would have to be the Patriots, who lost the Super Bowl after going undefeated the entire season. Peaked just a tad too early.

One the defensive side, it was nice to seen Marks back in the rotation, and it was doubly nice to see Finnegan get his first INT of the year and return it for 6. It's also nice to see that Alterraun Verner keeps making plays. Even better, ATV making plays results in Dave Ball making statements:

“He (Verner) is like a little ferret,” DE Dave Ball said. “There’s a hole he dug into and came up on the other side and he was able to grab it.”

From the same post, this:

“They’ve got a really good scheme to protect the quarterback. Some plays it’s like running through a hedge maze. You’ve got a clown popping out on the right side, a BMW on the left side. Then you have to run over the sprinklers. It’s hard trying to get there.”

Nutty-quote go-to guy, indeed. Although, in my experience, clowns and BMW's do show up together from time to time.

Not much to say about special teams this week, as both kickers were booting into and through the endzone all game long. Mariani did fine on punt returns, and did break off one long one. He's a stud returner.

Off to San Diego next Sunday. Those guys usually give us a hard time, we'd best not take them lightly.

Cross posted at Rustmeister's Alehouse.

 

It was a game only a Titan fan could love, I guess. Not much to say about Defense or Special teams that hasn't been said before - really, really good. Again.

I imagine the only chatter this week is what to do about Vince Young's injury. We still don't know how bad it is, although Vince didn't need crutches last night, which is a good sign*.

What we do know is we have the best back up QB in football** in Kerry Collins.

We also know we don't have another Division game till after the bye week.

We also know we have five Division games in six weeks to close out the season (whose bright idea was that, anyway?)

So, knowing all this, should Vince Young play before the bye week if he's anything less than 100% ?

Continue reading this post »

Bullet format this time!

• 3-2 baybee!
• Thank goodness Jeff Fisher has overcome his tendency to sit rookies, regardless of their talent level. Mariani, Verner and D. Williams made huge contributions to our win yesterday.
• Watching Mariani return kicks makes me think "Pacman who?"
• Two weeks in a row we've come out flat in the second half. Gotta fix that.
• Last week we couldn't rebound, this time we did, against a better opponent. Losing to Denver sucks even more now.
• Our Defense rocks, no doubt about it. Six sacks, three INT's. Awesome.
• The O line played much, much better than they have been, but played flat in the beginning of the second half. Gotta fix that.
• Both of our centers were hurt yesterday. I seem to remember a veteran center out there who is familiar with our team. Maybe we should look him up?
• Same on the D line. We've been getting hurt. I wonder if there are any disgruntled former Titan linemen out there that might want to come back?
• Nice to see CJ break a few decent runs again. Line play was the key.
• Speaking of CJ, he has a pretty good vertical leap. =)
• Congrats to Alterraun Verner for getting his first INT. Damn near made it a pick 6. Next time, ATV, next time.
• Next up, Jacksonville on Monday night, in Jacksonville. Not a guaranteed win by any means. One thing to note, this is the first of our division games. I'm kinda glad we had these few weeks to iron out some kinks in our gameplan. Now let's hope we can stay healthy till bye week.

Cross posted at Rustmeister's Alehouse.

Watching ESPN's Chris Berman this morning, I heard him say "As we predicted" with reference to the Tennessee Titans making the playoffs.

This pegged my BS meter, seeing as virtually everyone had us not only not making the playoffs, but not even having a winning season.

So, I did a little digging and present to you ESPNs NFL Power Rankings  prior to the 2007-2008 season. I'm pretty sure ranking a team 21st would exclude them from the playoffs, unless it's some sort of new math going on.

So, no Chris, you all did not predict the Titans in the playoffs. You were off by nine places.

I love the internet.

Reading comments in other diaries, here's what I have to say about the Young/Collins situation.

Full disclosure, I'm one of the guys who think we'd have won the Super Bowl if O'Donnell had been QB'ing that final drive. [ducks]

First, Kerry Collins has been in the NFL for over a decade. You don't do that without talent and skill. That being said, Young is in no danger of losing his starting job.

All you have to do is look at the red zone offense. Collins is a better pure passer, at this time, than Young. He's tons more accurate with the long ball and effectively processes his reads. What he can't do is get it in the end zone. He's one-dimensional. Absolutely NO threat to run. It's hard to pass with a shortened field.

Say what you want (Kat) about Vince's passing, the bottom line is Vince CAN pass. He can also run. Fast. Collins' final drive was a thing of beauty, but we didn't get into the end zone. Again.

I'm willing to bet that drive wouldn't have been necessary if Young had been QB. If we'd been able to score touchdowns three of those eight times we kicked FG's, the game would have been out of reach regardless of what the defense did or didn't do. VY would have scored three times. Easy.

Now, onto the defense.

Continue reading this post »

After much wailing and gnashing of teeth, I've managed to get my head around our situation.

Here's what I think:

We played a bit better this time than we did against Atlanta, but something's off-kilter in the offense and I can't put my finger on it.

We've only given up three points in the fourth quarter so far this year. Let's hope we continue on that path.

Kerry Collins looked better this year than last. Good thing we have an O-Line that can keep him upright.

In exactly one month, I'll be able to determine whether LDW is a bust or not. He still shows desire, but not consistently.

Griffin! We need more Griffin! I'd like to see him in a blitz package, he'd do good there.

Vince is trying too hard to be a pocket passer. If he were to play to his strengths, he'd be more consistent and would grow into a pocket passer much like Steve McNair did. Use your legs while you still got 'em, Vince.

Watching Devin Hester play makes me think getting Adam back won't be a bad thing. Sometimes.

Watching the Patriots (spit) play reminds me of the 49'ers back in the '80's. They look that good. However, I think a team that can get into Brady's face enough could throw them off and get a win.

We don't blitz enough.

Wow, what to say that hasn't been said already?

I think the offense owes the defense a big steak dinner.

Did they get all 13 points off us? Not sure 'cause I was pounding beers WAY too fast. (think Lloyd Bridges in Airplane! - "looks like I picked a bad day to quit....")

Ok, not really. Drinking beer during the first game on Sunday is bad form. Unless you're there, of course.

That fake punt caught everyone by surprise. Glad it wasn't a game breaker.

This should serve as a teaching point for the rest of the season.

Once again, we've overcome a bad situation to come out on top.

Griffin! We need more Griffin!

I'm afraid to look up "winning ugly" in the dictionary for fear there's a big Titans symbol there.

If there is, that's ok. The key word in that phrase is "winning" anyway.

Great game, eh? Sorry I couldn't join in on the open thread, but my computer is way too far from my TV for me to do that. Sounds like I need another TV....

Anyway, here's what I think, in no order whatsoever:

Big props to Bulluck for his three ints. Extra credit for him "taking a knee" after the last one.

Looks like Brandon's making up for last week. Good for him.

This team has heart. It would have been easy to lose confidence after faltering on our first drive, and again after giving up the lead, especially in a place like the Superdome. We didn't.

For the most part, I liked how the announcers called the game. I didn't detect any favoritism for or against us. Unlike SOME people.

I think a good nickname for LDW could be "King Kong". Some folks might not agree. At any rate, if he stays healthy, he's gonna be beating his chest a lot this year and beyond.

Griffin! We need more Griffin!

Looks like we started out using the pass to open up the run this time. Way to go, Coach! Keep 'em guessing.

Drew Brees and Philip Rivers have similar expressions this year. I think the Saints can turn it around, Norv's team? Not so sure.

I wouldn't want to be Atlanta two weeks from now.

Yesterday's game was as good as it gets (except for the final score). I had a few thoughts during the game, I'd like to share them with you now.

Nick Harper's for real. The Colts either stayed away from him on purpose or he simply had Harrison covered. Either way, he's the genuine article.

Where's Griffin? We need more Griffin!

One big aspect of VY's coaching during the offseason has been to resist the urge to run. While it's true, he'll never be "great" unless he can sit in the pocket and check down, once again yesterday he didn't run when I thought he should have. He could have gotten us into FG range on that last drive if he'd trusted his instincts.

Looks like Roydell might be stepping up. I like Davis, too.

Whoever called that little swing pass should be beaten with a dead farm animal. Colts are too fast for that!

If the Saints really are as bad as they seem to be, we'll be 2-1 going into our bye week.

Looks like the Colts are legit. They could repeat. Better them than the Pats. I'm really beginning to dislike the Pats.

That being said, it's a long season. Might be the Texans and Lions in the big game, for all we know.

... for some reason Jeff Fisher doesn't come back next season.

Who would be a suitable replacement?

Poll

Best Replacement for Jeff

44%

Bill Cowher

8 votes

5%

Jerry Glanville

1 votes

38%

Other

7 votes

5%

Marty Schottenheimer

1 votes

5%

Mike Ditka

1 votes

18 votes | Poll has closed

Continue reading this post »

I think it's a great thing that the NFL is addressing the issue of concussions. There is more and more proof that multiple concussions can lead to brain damage and death. They need to be curtailed. I have the answer.

Take off the pads. Players today are so armored up they turn into human projectiles on the field. Take away the pads, you take away the incentive to launch yourself into another player at full force.

I know I spoke heresy, grab your torch and pitchforks and have a go.

According to ESPN:

 "Starting left guard Jacob Bell... will officially sign his one-year qualifying offer with the Tennessee Titans on Wednesday, but then will continue to pursue a long-term deal with the team."

Looks like he'll be a Titan for the forseeable future. You don't make him that kind of deal just to turn him loose next year.

Think Mike Vick will get a big suspension over all the stuff he's been going through this year?

Investigations on him concerning cock fighting and dog fighting.

Drug charges and a dog fighting mill in Virginia.

The "secret compartment" watter bottle that smelled like dope.

Eight games? The whole season?

If he doesn't, is there a double standard?

One big thing I hear is how we didn't address our needs in the draft. We HAD to replace Bennett, Wade and Henry! ALL with first rounders! :-)

Here's what we had to replace:
(all stats from the Titans website)

Travis Henry - 7 TD's last year. Tied with Vince Young for team rushing TDs. Yes, he was over 1200 yards, for the first time in years.

Drew Bennett - 3 TDs (same number as Bo Scaife had in total), 737 yards

Bobby Wade - 2 TDs (two less than Brandon Jones), 461 yards

That's not hard to replace, no matter how you slice it.

So, what did we do? We drafted a player in the first round who can

1. Cover for Pacman while he serves his suspension and
2. Then move into a Safety slot and make our secondary one of the best in the league, as well as
3. Give us more help on special teams

Having a secondry that actually covers receivers will provide us with more options in the pass rush. If the opposing team can't count on a open receiver, they have worry about who we may be sending in on the blitz. Before, they could afford to keep a running back or TE in to block. Now, they can't.

In the second round we draft a Running Back who will push LDW for the starting spot. I'd bet this is all LenDale needs to rise to the occasion. A coach has to know how to motivate his players, and Jeff Fisher has proven time after time he's one of the best.

In any case, the draft is a crap shoot. We won't know anything till after our bye week, at the earliest.

Sit back, relax, and get ready. Pre-season is only three months away. :-)

Taking a page from Jimmy, here's what I think:

I think the Madden curse didn't work on Eddie George, so it won't work on VY. It's a Titan thing....

Speaking of VY, he'll be in the Pro Bowl again this season.

I think LenDale will produce at RB. 1000+ yards.

I think Ahmard Hall will continue to impress and improve. Oooh-rah.

I think David Givens will play, probably after the bye week. He and Justin Gage will make us forget about Drew and Bobby.

I think we will draft mostly Linemen this year. Offensive as well as defensive.

I think you all think I'm crazy, but that's OK. :-)

Finally, I thought PacMan would appeal his suspension and be back by week 8. Now that Georgia has pushed back the trial date, I'm not so sure. I'm sure he'll appeal, but might not catch a break.