It's finally time to admit it. Sunday's game will make the Titans bi-annual meeting with the Texans a legitimate reason to get excited. Point to head-to-head records and current standings all you want, right now Houston has just as good of a chance to wrap this thing up as the Titans do. These two teams are playing for more than pride, they're playing a crucial game that will likely end up determining the winner of the division. 

As much as I love pretending the Texans will forever be the little franchise that couldn't, and as much as I want to count them out as the same old team in the JV jerseys with a weak following, I'd argue that they've got just as much of a right to be stoked about the future as we do. The balance of power in the division is slowly shifting. Whether it ends up in Houston or Tennessee will be determined by the way the two teams fare in Sunday's confrontation. 

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I don't think any of us saw this coming. Matt Hasselbeck, picked up off of the free agent wire, completely unwanted by the team he had helped resurrect, is a serious MVP candidate in a year chock full of good nominees. Hasselbeck, along with other surprise contenders Matt Stafford and Ryan Fitzpatrick, have taken their once forsaken franchises and brought them all unprecedented levels of success. The Bills are relevant. The Titans are relevant. The Lions are relevant. The success of these three quarterbacks, all in the midst of their first full seasons with their respective teams, (remember that Stafford has never played a full season, nor has Fitzpatrick) have elevated said teams to relevance and as luck would have it, all three are sitting either one game out of first place are actually there already. 

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Today managed to be the worst day of the season while simultaneously being the best. There was no Titans football played this week, but with a Houston loss, Tennessee now has sole possession of first place in the division. It's not an ideal way to snag a lead, but if you have a scenario in which the team reaches first place without playing a game, you take it. While I'm not ready to crown them, and I won't be for awhile, at least until they prove they can beat the Texans, the Titans are doing what good teams do: getting production out of everybody. 

That's a generalization, and I'll admit, a slightly misleading one, even some of the team's best players aren't producing right now like we'd like them to, but the underlying theme is that there are players who are stepping up in the absence of production. Take Nate Washington. He was playing well even before the Kenny Britt injury, something I just chalked up to teams game planning for #18 and ignoring Washington. Even though his production isn't anything to write home about, he's improved as a player from last year and has kept consistent all year. While this may sound a little off-base, I think that Matt Hasselbeck being instantly in-sync with the offense and Washington's mediocre production have something to do with each other.

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I don't care whose fault it is, just fix it now. The debate rages on. Chris Johnson? Run blocking? Ahmard Hall? Yes, all of them are the right answer to the unanswerable question of who broke the running game, and as unfair as it may seem to some of those who may be reading, I think the majority opinion believes that the blame should fall significantly on the 50 million dollar man, Chris Johnson.

It's not hard to see that running behind a sometimes clueless offensive line is taking its toll on CJ this year. His decisiveness is at an all time low, even when there are holes. I can see what he's trying to do; he's waiting for a crease to develop so that he can exploit it by accelerating through at about a million miles an hour. Problem is, he's waiting a lot longer than he should be and when he finally hits the hole, it's not with a lot of conviction. Sometimes it's his fault, sometimes it's not. Playing behind a group of players who are much better at going backwards than they are at going forwards is a big deal, and I think it may be affecting his ability to just take what the defense gives him because roughly seven times out of ten, the defense will give him nothing, but the blame will be shouldered because of the contract that he held out of camp for.

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There's just way too much to consider right now when talking about this team, but for now, let's try to gain some perspective. As it would happen, the Titans have a winning record. That's good, right? Of course it is! As of now, their only two losses have come to the defending AFC Champs and a divisional opponent on the road. The last one there was pretty much inexcusable, but hey, we all lay an egg every once in awhile. The important thing is that they bounced back nicely with the biggest win of the year. If anything, this is the defining moment of the season thus far. If the Titans lose the Ravens game like they're "supposed to", it's game over and we're staring 1-4 in the face going into a bye week. In a year of unfair twists and turns, things have had a way of balancing themselves out. 

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Time to admit it: everything about this team is absolutely legit right now. Traditional or advanced, it doesn't matter, almost every unit on the team is playing at an elite level right now. I will always have questions about the sustainability of this unexpected run of success. Until they wrap up a playoff spot down the stretch in December sometime, I'll be walking on eggshells when trying to rationalize what we're seeing here. 

It's been a remarkable first quarter to the season already. Hard to believe it almost didn't happen.

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"The Hump". You know the one I'm talking about. The one that, if conquered, makes this team un-collapsible. I don't even really know if such a hump exists, but if it does, are the Titans over it? What do we look for? Lots of things. Are there any indicators? Indeed, for both sides even. So what's the answer? Curious minds want to know. 

Read onward, there's intrigue to be had. 

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Ask and you shall receive, discuss the game and other various happenings here.

You know the rules, no streams. 

Discuss the game or whatever, we're up big heading into the third. No streams you guys. 

Apologies to smash if something pops up in the next few minutes, the old thread was getting laggy. 

Go Titans!

I love to say I told you so, the Titans did a really good job of drafting defensive players in last April's draft. In today's links, you probably saw the list from Pro Football Focus about the early race for Rookie of the Year and how this year was really strong for rookie defensive linemen. Well, the Titans had two players on the defensive line and one more at linebacker.  

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For the first time in a long time, the Titans can't run the football. Place the blame on whoever you want to, it doesn't make a difference because they still can't run the football regardless of who's screwing up. They're awful. A sham of a joke of a mockery. Someone needs to either be held accountable or Here's hoping that this is the week the CJ and the offensive line exploit a weak defense for big yardage. Moving on, we'll revisit this later in the post.

As you may have noticed, Matt Hasselbeck and co. have been awesome so far. We were promised wily veteran leadership and we got amazing quarterback play. It's easy to hop on the Hasselbeck train right now. Even though there have already been 33 300 yard passing games this year (as opposed to 21 through week three in 2010), Hasselbeck has really stood out in the accuracy department. He currently trails only Tom Brady and is basically tied with Aaron Rodgers in completion percentage on the year. That's not replacement-level-scrap-heap-QB-good, that's scary good. He's also attempted the ninth most passes per game this year with just over 37 per contest. Suffice it to say, these aren't your father's Titans. The question is: is that a good thing? This team has all but abandoned the Fisher-era's grind it out tactics. The answer: So far, this is a staggeringly good thing.  

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Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of your goal. What we have right now is a group of people who have taken their eyes off the goals of their favorite football team. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to reach the Super Bowl. I don't think any of us here on MCM are ready to crown the Titans yet, and that's a good thing, but there is just so much to be accomplished this year that this team absolutely cannot allow itself to be stopped because of one injury. 

Before I go any further, I'd like to point out that as I'm writing this, Britt's injury hasn't been officially announced, so I'm saying there's a chance, but that's literally all I'm saying. 

We've discussed at length the implications of a weakened division with the perennial powerhouse being lead by our old pal Kerry Collins  (WAIT NEVER MIND IT'S CURTIS PAINTER). Painter is surrounded by various inhabitants of the Island of Misfit Toys as part of his "supporting cast". The Jags are now in full on surrender mode as they have entered a new era of football by starting Blaine Gabbert. At this point, their season appears to be more a developmental year for some younger players at some key skill positions and, of course, for Gabbert. That leaves Houston. Given the Titans' track record against Houston and the Texans' propensity for choking, I wouldn't call it too much of a stretch to say that stealing a win from the boys in red is a real possibility. 

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Everyone and their grandmother should be aware of Denver's game plan heading into today's game, especially with Knowshon Moreno unlikely to play. The Broncos are going to air it out more than any team the Titans have played so far this year. Even though Kyle Orton only threw the ball 25 times in last week's game, Denver drew up 46 passing plays in their week one loss to the Raiders. Even a median of these two numbers ends up as a healthy 35 attempts, and I expect that we'll see even more than that.

 Even with Eddie Royal and Demaryius Thomas missing the game, Kyle Orton is going to probably get at least 35 chances to chuck it up to Brandon Lloyd this afternoon. How the young cornerbacks and inconsistent safeties respond is key to avoiding what I would consider an upset.

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Forgive me if I'm the only one, but I think it's safe to say that the loss of Jim Washburn might have been wildly overblown in the offseason. I'm not trying to imply that without one of the more recognizable assistants in the NFL today that the Titans are significantly better off, but perhaps we all freaked out a little too much about losing a position coach, especially one with a big hole in his philosophy.  

All I'm saying is that through the first couple of games, I haven't noticed his absence one bit. 

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I've never been more proud to be a fan of this team after a game. I mean, wow, talk about exceeding expectations. Maybe some of you remember that last week, the Titans were actually ranked pretty high in the DVOA rankings. If they're not the number one team this week, I'll eat my hat. Right before the game, Jimmy posted three keys to victory. Make big plays, win the turnover battle, and pressure Joe Flacco. Check, check, and check. Kenny Britt and Matt Hasselbeck are obviously very in sync right now. There haven't been many QB/WR combos in the first two weeks better than them. I can't overstate how huge that is for this team going forward. Big plays are practically raining from the sky at this point. This is a division with a few very weak secondary units. Time to get to work on some of them.Even teams with bad running backs can have good running games if they have an elite passing offense. For once in his career, Chris Johnson might not have to run with eight men in the box. You thought he was good before, just wait for him to get back to his old self, especially if the offensive line blocks like it did on Sunday. 

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What do we know about Kenny Britt? Well, outside of Andre Johnson, I'd say that he's probably either the best or second best receiver in the division right now with apologies to the Manning-less Reggie Wayne. Also; he is absolutely vital when it comes to making this offense go. Without him, I don't know if I could have stomached last weeks loss to Jacksonville. It's been said over and over again, but Britt really was the silver lining on a dark storm cloud. For those who have listened to the latest edition of MCM Radio, I'm sure that you were extremely excited to hear Jimmy and August talking about how Hasselbeck was approaching the point where he was growing comfortable just throwing the ball up to Kenny and letting him go get it. When you have a receiver with ball skills like Britt, is there really a better option?

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Ladies and gentlemen, your 2011 Tennessee Titans. Last weekend was an eye opener, that's for sure. Just for kicks, I checked out Football Outsiders for this week's DVOA (Defense-adjusted Value Over Average for those who may be unfamiliar, for a full explanation, go here and read the last paragraph right above the tables. ) rankings. Surely, the Titans would rank nearly dead last in everything. I mean, come on, they screwed up nearly everything. But then again, wouldn't it be fitting if the Titans had actually played a decent game, at least according to DVOA, and still lost to a crappy team? 

Well, sure enough, the numbers tell a puzzling story. 

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Ugly loss. Among other underwhelming players was Chris Johnson. Long story short, he was totally shut down, even if he was on a schedule that was designed to ease him into the year with fewer touches. Even with a lengthy absence, this isn't something I saw coming. I had penciled him in for a big game, win or lose. We can speculate all we want about what his problem was today, but I like to think it's a combination of things. 

First off, all of the progress we saw on the interior line this preseason is out the window. They looked atrocious today. Johnson's problem wasn't dancing around in the backfield too much and missing the hole, he just wasn't getting any push up front to work with. In short, there were no holes. The Jags have a strong front seven. It's not great, it's not unbeatable, but it's strong. Even so, they're small potatoes compared to some of the teams that the linemen will have to face this year. Haloti Ngata and Terrence Cody are going to eat these guys alive next week and end CJ's career if something doesn't change fast. I don't think it will. It seems like they're just not physically strong enough to handle arguably the strongest tandem of inside linemen in the NFL. David Stewart also didn't play like he's supposed to. Cory Redding isn't going to physically beat on him, but Big Country just didn't have it today. He's gonna need every bit of it next week. So basically everybody up front needs to get their stuff together or this team ain't going anywhere. CJ's can't shoulder all of the blame for his bad day. 

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It's almost time. Time for real-life NFL football. Time for action. This game features two down-on-their-luck AFC South franchises with a lot to prove and a great opportunity to do it. I was under the impression that historically, the Titans have always seemed to be a thorn in Jacksonville's side. While they do have an all-time series lead of 18-14, that's hardly the domination I was expecting. 

Despite this, I expect a big win on Sunday. 

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Suddenly, a challenger appears. The Jaguars were never a team that I considered a threat. Their D-line is stout with the always disruptive Tyson Alualu, the laughingstock of the first round a couple of years ago, and Terrence Knighton leading the way, but everything else on the defensive side is iffy at best. The offense that had been receiving bumps in the right direction from time to time from David Garrard seems like it might actually be close to what it was last year. That is to say, a great running game and terrible passing game, similar to what we might see a bit of this year. 

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Can't say I'm surprised, but Stafon Johnson's career as a Titan is over. I'm not mad either. I can't feel too sorry for him. I know he'll find a niche somewhere. All I'm feeling right now is regret that this young man didn't have a chance to shine here in Tennessee. 

There's not a doubt in my mind that Stafon was given a fair shot to make the team. Anything implying the contrary would be egregious. The fact of the matter is just that Tennessee's backfield is incredibly deep with Chris Johnson, Javon Ringer, and Jamie Harper. The final spot on the practice squad obviously came down to Herb Donaldson and Johnson. Donaldson showed more in the abbreviated preseason and thus was awarded a spot on the team. It's easy to sit here and criticize the team for going with Donaldson here. After all, Johnson's story of rehabilitation and second chances is one of the best stories of the year. That's more of what I want to focus on today. The courage and the perseverance that a very special player showed after a horrific incident that left him fighting for his life. 

Most of us are familiar with how Johnson found his way into the prayers of many. On one fateful day in the September of 2009, Johnson's life was changed forever. He dropped a 275 pound barbell on his neck. He was rushed to the hospital while bleeding profusely from his mouth and nose. Despite torn muscles and crushed vocal cords, Johnson survived. Doctors attributed this miracle to Johnson's incredible fitness and incredibly developed neck muscles that allowed him to keep breathing despite having his main breathing passage horribly mangled by the accident. Somehow, Johnson made it back onto the field before the end of the year. He was present at the Senior Bowl and gave a strong enough showing to be signed by our favorite team. He beat the odds again by sticking with the team despite a severely dislocated ankle that left him unable to play for nearly the entire year. After all of this, one of the most courageous players I've ever had the pleasure of cheering for was released. 

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Inaccurate. Raw. Inconsistent footwork. All of these buzzwords or phrases accompanied Jake Locker into the 2011 draft. Such criticism wasn't unjustified, and despite a few good preseason games and one outstanding one, it still isn't. However, when Locker was picked last April, I was expecting something wildly different from the product we see on the field today. It's not so much that he's not looking like an unpolished rookie, there are certainly times where he is, it's more that he's just so far ahead of what I had in my mind that I'm honestly a little bit thrown off.

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To be frank? Jared Cook can be absolutely lethal. Cook was drafted on raw physical ability an upside. We got a glimpse of the upside last year in the closing weeks of last season and ever since the beginning of training camp, all I'm hearing is how Cook keeps making one unbelievable play after another. We've seen evidence that this wasn't just a case of a training camp hero in two preseason games this year as Cook has impressed audiences with amazing catches and physical tools that rival the best tight ends in the game. Quite simply, I expect him to light it up this year. There are no excuses at this point. He's been blessed with a massive frame, blazing speed, highlight-reel hands, and a vertical leap of nearly 45 inches. Nothing should stand in his way of dominating over the middle, but in a league that's populated only by freakish athletes, what can he do to set himself apart?

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First off: what a weird day to be a part of MCM. That's about all I've got to say on the matter. In any case, on to your regularly scheduled post. So far, the Titans' injury prevention has been fantastic. Consider this: other than Ryan Mouton whose season came to an incredibly early end, there don't appear to be any very serious injuries plaguing the team right now. Right now on CBS, there are four players on the injury report: Kenny Britt (hamstring), Jason Jones (knee), Sen'Derrick Marks (shoulder), and Javon Ringer (hip). Even though Jones' injury will keep him out for the entire preseason, all of these players should be good to go before the first regular season game. 

Consider the bad luck of some other teams.

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The 2009 NFL Draft looked like it was going to really be something special. Upon running down the list of names, I see Aaron Curry. Also known as one of the safest picks at linebacker in recent memory. Back then, I wasn't even a huge fan of the draft. I would watch some stuff leading up to it to familiarize myself, but basically I'd only watch the first couple of rounds, if that. However, even I was aware of the fact that Aaron Curry was an absolute beast. Huge hitter, four year starter at Wake, leadership skills, awesome closing speed, and reliable on tackles. Basically a Patrick Willis clone. He was going to anchor the Seahawks defense for years and go down as an all-time great. 

Unfortunately for Curry and the Seahawks, something went wrong. I don't really know what the issue is here with him because he seemed like a perfect linebacker prospect. Reports that he struggles with fatigue have been floating around. It suffices to say that the 'Hawks are less than impressed. They've been so underwhelmed in fact that they've decided to restructure Curry's rookie deal and cut two years off of the contract. Talk about a slap in the face. Actually, when I look at what the class of 09 has collectively accomplished, Kenny Britt's injury problems and run ins with the law seem like no big deal. 

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With all of the good that's come from the 2011 preseason, there's something that's been weighing on my mind. Damian Williams and  Lavelle Hawkins are showing no signs of pushing Justin Gage or Nate Washington out of a job. Now, Hawkins has always been known as the preseason superstar, but he hasn't even been that this year. I don't think we can blame his lack of playing time this season on some shady veteran loyalty by the coaching staff. He's failed to make plays and stretch the field like we need him to and because of that, I'm really starting to lose faith. I never expected Hawkins to blossom into a game changer or anything, but I guess I just figured that he'd have made a push for a starting spot by this point in his career. He seems to be the only "key" (if you could even call him key) receiver who's suffering from a lack of actually making plays in his opportunities in the preseason this year. 

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I've got an idea, let's talk about Chris Johnson some more! I've been doing some pondering about what a massive contract would mean for not just the Titans, but the NFL. Would CJ's new deal set the precedent for which all future contracts to superstar running backs (or play makers, whatever) are structured upon? Tough to say right off the bat. Ultimately though, I don't think it should.

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Dan Marino once said "Sure, the home field is an advantage - but so is having a lot of talent." Indeed, usually, if a team is very talented at several positions, they have a good chance to win against a team with not as much talent at not as many positions. That's the idea anyway. As always, there are exceptions to the rule. A team with not as much talent that is well manipulated by a coaches game plan can beat a more talented squad. Sometimes, the underdogs just get lucky. Stuff happens. It's a part of life. Ultimately however, talented teams win games. But what happens when a team with a lot of talent doesn't use it? This is what I like to call pulling a Fisher.

For all of the good things that Jeff Fisher did for this franchise, I will always remember him for one thing: his unwillingness to change and how it ultimately cost him his job. "Smart but stubborn" seems like the perfect way to sum up Jeff Fisher and his mannerisms over these past few years. We all know that he's got a system that he loves to run and that he's got a way that he likes to implement it. When he had the personnel to do this way back in the late 90's and early 00's, he looked like a genius because it worked. His veteran loyalty was justified and his teams won games. As time wore on, the game changed, but Fisher didn't and by the time he was removed from office this year he looked absolutely exhausted. He was stuck in a system that wasn't going to work. Classic square-peg-round-hole stuff. 

So now, what happens when you insert a long time Fish-protege into the lead role? A cultural revolution, that's what.

Wait...

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