Professor

State of the Team – Tennessee Titans

After ending the 2006 campaign reeling off the wins, fans had high hopes for Vinsanity to explode last season. That didn’t happen. People seem to forget that playing QB in the NFL is not easy, even for the most talented players. Opposing NFL coaches and players are smart and it was inevitable for Vince to have some growing pains. The Madden Curse had nothing to do with it. How could you not see it coming? What did they expect when after last season; they got rid of his #1 WR and #1 RB and then expected him to get better. It doesn’t happen like that in the NFL.


Coaching Changes

The Titans grew impatient with Norm Chow and his offenses progression (or lack thereof) over the last 3 seasons and fired him over the telephone. Obviously, Mr. Fisher felt that Norm couldn’t handle the responsibility of taking Vince to the next level and couldn’t say it to his face. In steps the man that helped shape the game of Steve McNair in his first stint with the Titans, Mike Heimerdinger. This is a perfect fit for Young as ‘dinger will have the patience to deal with Vince’s mistakes and help him learn from them rather than regress further then he did last season under Chow.

2008 Team Needs

WR – Everyone knows the lack of talent at the WR position. Gage would show some flashes, making some crazy catches, then drop one in his breadbasket. Vince Young is still in the early part of his career and landing a franchise WR would do wonders for his development.

CB – Tennessee did not address the Cornerback a season ago as there was still hope they would welcome back Pacman this year. Now that it’s not going to happen, they have a big void to fill. No matter who they attempt to fill Pacman’s shoes with, they still need a pass rush to take pressure off of the secondary, see my next team need. A cornerback with speed that can return kicks as well would be ideal.

DE - The Titans hoped to re-sign either Travis LaBoy or Antwan Odom, but they lost both. As I stated above, a good secondary can be helped by a solid pass rush and with a couple of geriatric ends leading the way, no one fears the Titans in this department at all. They are going to have to find another player that will help in making up for the 14 sacks that LaBoy and Odom took with them when they left.

OL/C – Benji Olsen retired. Mawae is 36. Jake Scott will help, but he is only one guy and depth is certainly a need for the near future if this team, especially if there is an injury along the interior line. Jacob Bell was extremely overpaid by St Louis to leave Tennessee, but Scott is cheaper and an upgrade over him anyhow.

Possible Free Agent Solutions

The Titans were able to fill a need at the Tight End position via Free Agency. They first signed Veteran TE Alge Crumpler to a two year deal and then grabbed a blocking TE from Atlanta, Dwayne Blakley. These two should more than make up for the loss of Ben Troupe who will try to prove that he is more than a blocker in Tampa Bay. Another great signing was Offensive Guard Jake Scott. Scott has been a solid player for the Colts since he was drafted in the 5th round of the 2004 draft. Just as he is starting to come into his prime the Titans steal him to help solidify a line that has lost Titan staple and now retired Benji Olsen. The signing of McCareins can only be explained by the fact that Heimerdinger has a hard on for him and has since he coached him when he was the Titans OC during his first stint. I just don’t see it. Where Mike goes, Justin is soon to follow.

Possible Draft Solutions:

The Titans currently hold the Following picks…

24th (1st round)
54th (2nd round)
85th (3rd round)

In addition they have a 4th (120), 5th (149), & a 7th (211)

In the 1st round, the Titans are going WR. The only question is who? Limas Sweed is the pick. First off he played with Vince at Texas and you know Young would love to have the big man roaming the field for him again. He can even play TE in max protect formations. Justin McCareins is not a #1 WR, Sweed is. If Sweed is gone, look for the Titans to nab Devin Thomas who I think will be a better pro than Sweed anyway.

In the 2nd round, the Titans find Pacman’s replacement in the form of Justin King. They were targeting Tracy Porter, but the Steelers nabbed him just one pick before. King is a shutdown corner. King led the Big Ten this season with 17 passes defended despite most teams throwing away from him. King has defended top receivers all season, facing Dorien Bryant, James Hardy, Mario Manningham, Arrelious Benn, and Brian Robiskie with good results. He is blazing fast, can return kicks, even play some offense. He has had a relatively small amount of experience playing corner, so as well as he plays, he can only get better with NFL level coaching.

With the 3rd round selection, Tennessee selects Georgia Tech Defensive End Darrell Robertson. After losing both Odom and LaBoy to Free Agency, the Titans went out and signed has been Jevon Kearse. Both Kearse and Vanden Bosch are on the decline of their careers and Robertson is a pure pass rusher and will be a great player to groom to be a starter in this league. He racked up 6.5 sacks and 16 tackles for loss as a senior. A year earlier, he tallied 3 sacks and 7 tackles for loss. They will get him in the third because he needs to bulk up in order to not be blown off the ball. His nice first step won’t mean much if he is getting mauled by NFL level Tackles. If he can bulk up without losing any speed, he will be a force to be reckoned with in just 2 years time.

Conclusion:

The Titans have tried to fill some holes, but have only helped themselves minimally thus far. Heimerdinger should help the offense, but he needs playmakers and a Running Back to step out and take control of the position. The offense needs to establish an identity that is not drop back, nothing open and Vince make a play with his legs. The draft is real big for them this year as they have many picks to work with and need playmakers or depth at almost every spot on the field. Don’t expect too much this season from the Titans as they are building around Vince. The coaching staff is solid and should have this team ready to play with the big boys in 2009.

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