Titans Report

A very weird first week for the Titans that includes a big, dominant win as well as a confused quarterback.

• Big Win, Big Defense >> The Tennessee defense was absolutely superb on Sunday. 7 sacks, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble, all against a good team at avoiding turnovers, the Jaguars. The divisional win, combined with the other two teams in the division (Colts & Texans) both losing, created a near picture perfect first week for the Titans. The defensive line looked unbelievable - as nearly all of that pressure came by the line alone, rarely needing blitzes to get to David Garrard. Another incredible stat from the game was the total rushing yardage - 36 yards - that the Jaguars got on 24 carries. WoW. If healthy, this defense is better than last year's team, which finished ranked #5 in the league. Scary.
• Vince Young's play, not mental state >> Vince Young looked pretty bad against the Jaguars, a very good defensive team that has always given him trouble. The whole issue this week with Vince's leadership and mental health (commented on below) is not a factor in my analysis here - but I think that Vince is never going to be the quarterback that many expect. He will never be a great pocket passer. What he can be is an amazing leader, and someone who's improvisation and speed abilities should be a stable that every defense must prepare for. Vince Young needs more called running plays and rollouts, plays which always seem more natural and easy for him. These plays will establish rhythm, and that's when he will make his big passes, after he has a feel for the game. 5 step drops and standing still will not work for Vince. He is currently injured with a sprained MCL. I say leave him out for as long as he needs to get healthy, then bring him back slowly. Vince is a leader but not someone that the Titans utterly depend on to win (ie, Tom Brady).
• Chris Johnson out of the backfield, WOW >> A fantastic debut for the rookie speedster out of East Carolina. Johnson ran a sub 4.3 40yrd dash and was a surprise 1st round pick of the Titans. Most thought he would be a change of pace back, with the bulk of the carries going to Lendale White. Wrong. Johnson got 19 carries, started the game, and easily was the best thing the Titans had going on offense. The offense really appears to be utilizing and valuing Johnson's potential, and defenses are going to have to adjust. He will either have continued success, or defenses will have to leave something else open for our offense. I expect the Tight Ends to benefit the most by less linebacker attention. And he is on my fantasy team, which rewards heavily for receptions out of the backfield, a CJ specialty. He'll be fun to watch.
• Vince Young Mental Advice >> I love Vince, and think he is a winner. Right now he is just having a hard time not having the immense success he enjoyed at Texas. I fully expect him to come out of his funk, get healthy, and lead this team. I think the Titans have a responsibility to be patient with Vince, as well as give him more chances to make plays. He is not yet and likely will never be a pure pocket passer, so we must get him going early with called run plays and more rollouts. Then Vince's natural instincts will begin flowing, giving him tempo and rhythm to make the passing plays we need. Hang in there Vince, you have a fan here at the Vatican.

Titans at the Bengals this weekend, who played poorly against the Ravens in week 1. Bengals are favored by 1, but we all remember the butt whooping the Bengals put on the Titans last season in Cincinnati in mid season. Certainly it could happen again, but I find it tough to believe the Bengals will score more than the low 20s against our defense. Kerry Collins will have a big day, my prediction:

Titans 31 Bengals 20

Passing Optimism

In yesterday's post about Jeff Fisher's offenses during his Titans tenure, I concluded that Jeff Fisher teams do not need to be anything but average in the passing game to succeed. After finishing 27th in the league in passing offense, many expected the Titans to make a big splash and sign a free agent or draft a WR with a high pick in the draft. The Titans did neither, but definitely have made some changes that will affect the passing game.

1. Mike Heimerdinger - new offensive coordinator. After being the offensive coordinator for the Titans from 2000-2004, Mike left to take the same role with the New York Jets in 2005, joining a sinking ship in Herman Edwards last season. For 2006-2007, he was offensive coordinator in Denver with his college roommate Mike Shanahan. When the Titans fired Norm Chow after last season, Heimerdinger was the only candidate they discussed, hiring him within 3 days of Chow's departure. During his first stint as Titans O'Coordinator, the Titans offense never finished below 15th in the league in total points. During this time, Steve McNair went from good to great, eventually claiming MVP of the NFL in 2003. The Titans made the playoffs 3 of the 5 years he was the offensive coordinator in Tennessee. Look for Heimerdinger to use Vince Young's legs more, to use more shotgun sets (all VY did at Texas was shotgun),



2. Wide Receiver personnel moves. Yes, there were a few. The Titans signed former Titan Justin McCareins, who played the last 4 seasons for the New York Jets. His best year with the Titans was 2003, when he snagged 47 receptions for 800 yards and 7 TDs in McNair's MVP year. He had a similar year in 2004 with the Jets, but then diminished each of the next 3 seasons before being cut. The Titans signed him to a 1 year deal, and are hoping his experience, particularly as a slot WR, will help VY and the other WRs improve. Additionally, the Titans re-signed their leading wideout from 2007, Justin Gage (pictured). The 6 foot 4 Gage had a big year with 55 catches in 2007, very impressive considering the Titans passing offense was 27th in the league. Gage is a tall guy with very good hands and route running skills, certainly entering his prime. If McCareins can be a steadying go to guy in the slot, allowing Gage to go deep a bit more, the Titans will definitely be tougher to contend with from the WR spot. Here is how the WR depth chart looks right now, best guess:
   












Definitely some optimism right now in Titans mini-camps, as well as on former top 10 pick Mike Williams from USC. Mike Williams has been criticized for a lack of work ethic, as well as being overweight. Supposedly he is "recommitted" and has lost weight - we'll see (he went to USC). If Williams can contribute while the other young WRs keep maturing, we could definitely see a big jump in production even though our WR core is unchanged. Granted, some websites only think the Titans have 1 WR in the top 50 in the NFL (Roydell Williams at #47).









3. Expanded backfield - The Titans now have a stable of Running Backs, each with different skill sets. On first glance, we have the "track stars", rookie Chris Johnson (in 2008 combine ran a 4.24 40 yard dash) and 2nd year player Chris Henry (ran a 4.33 40 yard dash at 2007 combine). Then there's the proverbial "thunder" of Titans leading rusher Lendale White. As a rookie, Chris Henry only played in 7 games, due in part to a 4 game drug suspension for marijuana use. Hopefully reefer boy sees the competition around him and will respond. He has size (6 foot 2, 230 pounds) and speed, and has the ability to catch the ball out of the backfield (6 catches in minimal action last year). Expect improvement for the 2nd year player out of Arizona. As for Chris Johnson, first thing you see is speed. Undersized at 5 foot 11, 200 pounds, this cat had quite the productive career at East Carolina. He averaged 37 receptions a year in college, as well as a stout 4.5 yards per carry. He was great in the return game also, versatility that will make him immediately helpful to the Titans. Lendale White had a solid year in 2007, leading the team in carries (304) and yards (1110). ESPN did a top 20 RB ranking for the NFL, and the 23 year old Lendale didn't crack it, despite finishing 12th in the league in rushing in 2007. An improving running game should open up the passing game for Vince and the Titans. Look for Heimerdinger to use more dual back sets, more shotgun looks for Vince, and more short passing plays specifically for running backs.

Of course, the single biggest factor to offensive improvement is Vince Young. Production fell way off for Vince in '07, after a Pro Bowl (alternate) year and NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year honors in 2006. Many say this decline was simply defenses catching up to Vince's game. Certainly that had a part to do with it. Norm Chow, the former offensive coordinator, is known for running his west coast offense without regard to a skilled, mobile QB like Vince. Word is their relationship was not the best, as it was well known that Chow wanted the Titans to draft Matt Leinart instead of Vince Young at #3 in the 2006 NFL draft.

Hopefully the guidance of the experienced and fresh offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger, as well as general maturation of Vince Young and the Titans WR/RB core, will all combine to improve the Titans offense. Look for a very solid season by Vince Young and the Titans, particulary in the passing game.

Vince Young's AARP Membership

. . . is not valid quite yet. This story blew up over the last few days, as Vince Young was quoted as saying that he had "thought about retiring" after his 2006 season (his rookie year). Those quotes combined with this picture of Vince Young surfacing a few weeks back, and he's had a little bit more attention than he'd like for an offseason.

The Pope hesitates to post on topics that don't need commenting, as wasting readers time is not the Pope's favorite thing to do. To keep it short and sweet, here are the Pope's thoughts:

• Vince Young is 25 years old. In that party picture linked to above, he was drinking out of a bottle with his shirt off. Luckily the Pope is not running for reelection anytime soon, because my shirtless/bottle toting pictures are about a dime a dozen. Media and bloggers are happy to show the picture, but not to mention that the picture was taken in Austin, TX, as Vince Young is back at school this offseason finishing his degree. Signed to a deal worth around $55 Mill ($26M guaranteed), obviously he needs his degree right?


• Vince Young, just like any other kid that leaves the perfect world of college, was a bit shocked as he entered the real world in 2006. Being an NFL quarterback is much more mentally, physically, and emotionally difficult than most every job (and they are paid for it). I'm sure he was a little depressed when he had "thoughts of retiring", but I don't believe him. His doubt was unlike anyone else who is adjusting to the real world out of college.


• Vince Young still is and will be a good NFL quarterback. I think he can be great, but he definitely needs to improve. New offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger is ready to bring Vince back to his 2006 Pro Bowl form.
  

One interesting thing that Vince said recently was that he wanted to be a "Hall of Fame Quarterback", not a "Pocket Quarterback" or a "Pro Style Quarterback". Vince didn't run the ball much last year, and many pointed to NFL defenses adjusting to his style of play as the reason for 2007 not being as successful as 2006 was for Vince. In reality Norm Chow had Vince running his offense, without enough regard to Vince's unique talents. Great article here at the Sporting News about how Vince Young and the Titans could be much improved on offense even without having added a top WR.

In addition to Heimerdinger at the helm of the offense, the Titans have added veteran tight end Alge Crumpler, resigned former Titans WRs Justin Gage and Justin McCareins, and drafted a "speed back" in East Carolina's Chris Johnson, who by early indications is working out well. The plan is that Heimerdinger will be molding the offense around Vince, so hopefully we'll see some more of the Rose Bowl Vince in 2008. Heimerdinger was the O-coordinator for Steve McNair during his prime, and seems to have a good feel for mobile QBs.

Vince's performance in the 2006 Rose Bowl, shown here, is still one of the most impressive individual sporting performances I have ever seen in my life, always worth revisiting:

Help Wanted: Titans Playoffs

The Titans beat the Chiefs yesterday to get to 8-6, matching last season's win total. 9 wins and some luck made the playoffs in the AFC last season. This year, its going to take 10 wins and some luck, by my estimation. Here is the simple breakdown:

• There are 3 teams in the hunt for 2 playoff spots. The Jaguars (10-4), the Browns (9-5), and the Titans (8-6). The Jaguars are in with one more win or a loss by either of the other teams. The Browns win their final two and they are in.


• The Titans must have the Browns lose to the Bengals this weekend, or 2 losses by the Jaguars, combined with winning the final two games against the Jets and Colts.


• Most likely playoff scenario is the Browns losing to the Bengals and beating the 49ers in their final game, while the Titans win the final two games. Jaguars finish 1-1 or 2-0, and are in the playoffs most likely. The Browns and Titans would be in a tiebreaker situation, as there would be no head to head matchup to use.


• As posted below, the tiebreaker between the Browns and Titans would be AFC Conference record. The Titans are at 5-5 with 2 AFC games remaining, while the Browns are at 7-5 with 1 AFC game remaining (the other being the 49ers)


• If the Browns beat the Bengals, they would be finished with their AFC slate at 8-4. They would clinch a tiebreaker over the Titans if both finished with a 10-6 record, since that would mean the Titans went 7-7 in AFC play.


• Plain and simple, if the Browns beat the Bengals this weekend and the Jaguars win 1 of their final 2 games, the Titans are out of the playoffs. Both are likely to happen.

There is hope for Titans fans, as the Bengals host the Browns in Cleveland this weekend. Also, this is Cleveland, a town that has a history of big time choke jobs and losses. Tennessee has had a lot of good things happening the past two seasons, but making the playoffs would top that list.

The Titans should have no trouble with the Jets this weekend, setting up a New Years Eve must win with the Colts. Sounds tough right? But here is the good part. Indianapolis with a win this weekend against the Texans, will have nothing to play for against the Titans. They will have a first round bye with either a win or a Jacksonville loss. And the Patriots have already sealed up home field advantage and the #1 seed. The Colts will be etched with the #2 seed and will have no need to win, which possibly will give the Titans the edge they need to get into the playoffs.

I have a feeling that we won't be in the playoffs. But if we do make it, we will make some noise, I can guarantee that. By "noise" I mean a win, an upset. Something like going into Pittsburgh or San Diego and winning, then giving the Patriots the game of their lives. Might be wishful thinking. But, its good to know that our QB is a big game player and has been there before in big games.

Throwback Football

The Titans are 6-2 and off to a great start for the season. So far this season my boy at ESPN, Merrill Hodge, who is known as a Vince Young hater, has been in some ways correct in his assessment of the Titans QB. He predicted that Vince Young would continue to have passing trouble that would stall the Titans offense. Vince Young has had a few good games, but overall, his passing stats are not great, with a passer rating of 61.5. While he has run for a few TDs and has completed 62% of his passes, he hasn't been consistent. Merrill said that Vince Young would have a bad year, and that the Titans would be lucky to win 5 or 6 games. This is entertaining:



While Vince Young has had trouble passing as Merrill predicted, the Titans overall offense and team play have not. Merrill looks a bit dumb right now, as there have been a few surprises for the Titans at the season's midway point. Tennessee's ranks in team for the entire NFL (AFC)categories are as follows:

Rushing Yards (Offense) - 3rd (2nd)
Rushing Yards (Defense) - 1st (1st)
Defensive Yards Total - 2nd (2nd)
Defensive Points Allowed - 2nd (2nd)

You can see the updated rankings through this week by clicking here. Quite simply, the Titans are running the ball and stopping the run, which is the definition of throwback football.

Today's game is very different in that you typically must have a passing attack to go along with this formula to consistently win. Many would argue that our weakness in the passing game will be this team's fatal flaw. While we do rank last in the AFC and second to last in the NFL in passing yards (to the 49ers), I think that our playcalling and gameplanning has really taken the pass out of the arsenal in favor of running the ball with a few short, safe passes for VY.

The Titans "passing game" should be measured not by passing TDs and yards in the air, but rather a combination of VY's passing and rushing yards, as well as passing and rushing TDs. This is the most objective and comparable estimate to a traditional QB, as most of VY's rush yardage are on plays where he is not designed to run. Here is a stat line for VY, that I would say would be a fantastic game:

175 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, 1 pass td, 1 rush td

Adding his rushing and passing yards together is a much better measure of his ability as a QB. The above stat line would give him 250 yards and 2 td, although some of them were with his legs and not his arm. While everyone claims that you cannot have a running QB in the NFL, I question what their definition of a running QB is. VY is a dual threat QB that makes plays in the passing game - both with his arm and his legs. Many NFL analysts will cringe at this, but a yard is a yard. Certainly VY's health could be an issue long term, but for the present, he needs to play his way to be most effective.

Vince Young should have very very few plays designed for him to run as the first option - but short passing plays where he checks one read and then either passes or runs for 5 yards are the bread and butter plays for Vince Young. If the defense doesn't leave a spy, then you run. If the defense does leave a spy, find the open WR. An offense designed around simple passing reads will work best for VY, and that appears to be what Norm Chow is doing.

Kudos to the Titans so far this year. The defense has been spectacular, as has been the running game. IF VY joins their level of production, this team can win a few playoff games.