NFL Preview: Tennessee Titans

by DCScrap, Our Book of Scrap

Somehow the Titans managed to finish at a very respectable .500 despite a horrific 2-6 start (including going 0-5) to the 2006 season. The big change came when Coach Jeff Fisher decided to go with the rookie Vince Young at quarterback. Young led the Titans to a remarkable 8-5 record in his rookie campaign with very little talent surrounding him. A lot of those wins in the second half were a result of Young’s heroics and ability to will his team to victory – a trait he also displayed in college. The big question heading into the 2007 season is whether the Titans made enough upgrades to maintain the momentum they built up to end the 2006 season.

How the Titans stacked up on offense in 2006:

Overall Offense - 27th (300.6)
Rushing Offense - 5th (138.4)
Passing Offense - 30th (162.3)

As you can see even the addition of Vince Young was not enough of a change to make the offense anything less than anemic. The answer to my earlier question of whether the Titans made upgrades is a resounding no on the offensive side of the ball. The Titans enter 2007 without their leading rusher (Travis Henry) and without their top two receivers (Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade) from 2006. The three of them combined for a total of over 2,400 yards of offense and are going to be tough to replace.

If Vince Young is to improve on his rather pedestrian 147 yards per game passing with a 66.7 QB rating, he is going to need a lot of help from wide receiver Brandon Jones and tight end Bo Scaife. Scaife and tight end Ben Troupe are going play an especially huge role as Young could face a lot of pressure depending on whether or not the Titans can reestablish their ground game the way they did in 2006.

As for said ground game, it is still up in the air as to which of three running backs is going to be able to step up and lay claim to the starting job. Right now Coach Fisher makes it sounds as if it will be a running back by committee with Chris Brown and LenDale White sharing the bulk of the carries. The Titans also drafted running back Chris Henry out of Arizona in the second round of the draft and if White and Brown don’t appear ready to shoulder the load, Henry could see the field a lot more than anticipated. The fact that Henry wasn’t even the starter at Arizona makes one wonder if he has what it takes to be a featured back however.

Something else that shouldn’t go unnoticed is that despite the fact that the Titans ranked fifth in rushing, that included the 552 yards that Young gained on the ground by himself. Something that if it continues in 2007 will make him more susceptible to being injured. If that happens Kerry Collins and Tim Rattay are your Titans backups and a low first round pick will be all that you’ll have to look forward to in 2008.

The good news is that wideout David Givens will get a chance to play for the Titans again after being limited to just five games in 2006 due to injury. The team also added a veteran presence to their receiving corps by signing Eric Moulds to a free agent contract. The question there is whether Moulds, who is entering his 12th NFL season, has any gas left in the tank. The Titans also signed castoff Justin Gage, but if he becomes a focal point of the offense, the team is in serious trouble.

Forget the Madden Curse … if Young fails, it’ll be because all his weapons from 2006 are gone and the replacements didn’t get the job done.

How the Titans stacked up on defense in 2006:

Overall Defense - 32nd (369.7)
Rushing Defense - 30th (144.6)
Passing Defense - 27th (225.1)

When you take these numbers and combine them with the numbers on offense it really is a miracle that the Titans finished 8-8.

The most obvious and hardest loss for the Titans’ defense during the off-season was the suspension of cornerback Pacman Jones. Not only are the Titans going to miss his athleticism covering receivers (4 Int., 130 Yds., 1 TD, 12 P.Def.), they will also feel a major blow on their return teams where Jones averaged 26.1 yards on kickoffs and 12.9 yards on punts.

Not to be overlooked though is the loss of defensive lineman Robaire Smith to free agency. The Titans’ D-line was already weak and this loss will not ease the burden on the now depleted secondary.

The good news is that the Titans signed veteran corner Nick Harper. Whether the team knew that Pacman’s days were numbered may have played into the decision to sign Harper seems likely. He will help ease the loss of Jones, but had Jones not been suspended we would have had high hopes for the Titans’ pass defense. As it stands now, it is at best a wash in comparison to 2006. Cornerback Kelly Herndon and rookie safety Michael Griffin out of Texas were also added in an effort to improve the leagues 27th ranked pass defense.

The Titans real problem on defense in 2006 was the inability to get to the quarterback. The team tallied just 26 sacks, putting tremendous pressure on the secondary to be the stoppers. Unfortunately the Titans brass did not add a single player of import to their defensive line in the off-season despite the loss of Smith.

Overall Outlook

Despite being just 27th in total offense in 2006, the Titans somehow managed to be 9th in the AFC in scoring offense. A feat that they are unlikely to repeat given the talent surrounding their young, superstar QB.

If the Titans are lucky and Young has a few more game-winning scrambles in him, the Titans might be able to get back to 8-8, but a 6-10 record would not be all that surprising.

Cheerleaders

No team preview is complete without a look at the ladies on the sidelines. Overall I'd give the Titans squad a 7 out of 10. There are a few stunners, but the fugs drag down the overall score. Too bad since I generally thought Southern girls had it goin' on.

Here are a couple of my faves ... meet Brooke and Shannon:

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