Tennessee Titans Preview
It’s a new era in Tennessee in one way, as Jeff Fischer is no longer on the sideline after a 16-year tenure that’s astonishingly long in this day and age in the NFL, especially for someone who hasn’t won a Super Bowl. But it’s the same era in another. The Titans promoted from within, in elevating offensive line coach Mike Munchak to the top job, so we can again expect to see a physical running game serving as this team’s cornerstone once again.
Tennessee’s offensive line is one of the best in the game, with tackles Michael Roos and David Stewart taking care of the outside and the interior providing the push for Chris Johnson to continue piling up the yardage. The Titans haven’t been able to translate this ground success into victories, because if you’re going to win in the trenches you have to do it on both sides of the ball. And Tennessee’s defensive front, not a strong point to begin with, got weaker with Jason Babin’s departure to Philadelphia.
Furthermore, even those like myself who believe success is founded on consistent running the ball and stopping the run, recognize that in the NFL you need to make big plays somewhere. It need not be the traditional way in the passing game, but you need to have the kind of game-changers who are the difference between a 14-10 loss and a 17-14 win. Tennessee doesn’t have those players, and bringing in aging Matt Hasselbeck might have been the best option available at quarterback, but it won’t solve this fundamental problem. The best Munchak can hope for is that Hasselbeck at least avoids mistakes. Which then means plays have to come from the defense. If that’s going to happen, rookie linebackers Akeem Ayers and Colin McCarthy have to grow up fast and do some damage. Tennessee’s cornerback tandem of Cortland Finnegan and Alterraun Verner are solid, so the Titans can try putting them in man coverage and making things happen up front. The coordinator change from conservative Chuck Cecil to the more aggressive Jerry Gray should serve that end. Now it’s a question of whether the talent can make it happen.
Whatever they try, it would be a shame to see a running game this solid not get a chance to play deep into January. Tennessee needs to get the pieces in place around the O-Line and Johnson.
Tennessee is presently getting 8-1 odds to upend Indianapolis and win the AFC South. This and other prop information is available at Legends Sportsbooks.
Image from nfl-craving.blogspot.com
TheSportsNotebook.com is home to an extensive archive of sports history articles along with blog posts on contemporary sports.
The museum includes past champions, great moments, personal favorites and offers e-book article compilations.
Baseball Featured History
NCAA Football Featured History
Pro Football Featured History
Basketball Featured History
- Blog
- College Basketball History Articles
- College Football History Articles
- MLB History
- NBA History Articles
- NFL History Articles
- Sports History Articles
- Stanley Cup History
- Uncategorized
1973 Baltimore Orioles: A Bounceback AL East Title
Baltimore was the American League’s dominant team from 1969 through 1971. Each year, they blew away the AL East and swept through the American League Championship Series. In 1970, they won the World Series. By those lofty standards, 1972 was a disappointment. The Orioles failed to win the AL East, even in a year when […]
How The 1973 Cincinnati Reds Won The NL West
The 1973 Cincinnati Reds were looking to take that final step. In both 1970 and 1972 they had reached the World Series, only to come up short—by a single run in ’72. In 1973, the Reds won a hot race to return to the postseason, before again just missing out on October glory. This era […]
1972 World Series: Oakland Survives Cincinnati In 7
The 1972 postseason had already given baseball fans plenty of drama. Both League Championship Series rounds had gone the distance and were marked by individual games that were tensely fought. The 1972 World Series was more of the same. The Oakland A’s and Cincinnati Reds took the full seven games, with six decided by one […]
1972 ALCS: The A’s & Tigers Fight To The Finish
The early years of the American League Championship Series had been somewhat anticlimactic. A playoff round that was founded in 1969 as a best-of-five series, the first three editions had seen the Baltimore Orioles blow through with sweeps each time. The 1972 ALCS was different. The Oakland A’s and Detroit Tigers provided heart-stopping excitement throughout, […]
Animating Colors
Gradient
Overlay
Image Filters
Auto-apply Grayscale, Blur, and Sephia filters to your images without editing the original image source (no Photoshop needed). Image filter and hover filter can apply globally or individually as you want.
Sepia
Blur
