The Tennessee Titan's season couldn't have started worse. A 0-6 record for a team that started out 10-0 the year before is devastating. The only thing that could have made that sixth loss feel even worse is a fifty-nine to nothing slaughter handed out by Tom Brady and friends.
The Titans had Super Bowl expectations, but their dreams were cooked before Thanksgiving. Most teams would have given up and started to think about next season.
With nothing to lose but the zero in their win column, Jeff Fisher (or Bud Adams) handed Vince Young the reigns and the team hasn't looked back since.
Here is my positional analysis for the last four games:
Quarterback
For the first two games of the second quarter of the season, Kerry Collins was the Titans starting quarterback. Collins looked like a wise veteran under center in 2008. In 2009, he just looks like a washed-up thirty-six year old who should be sitting behind a desk working for ESPN as a NFL analyst.
Kerry's last game as the Titans starting quarterback was a performance to forget. He went two for twelve for negative seven yards and an interception. About half of those incompletions were drops by Titans receivers who are probably wishing for a pair of Cutters for Christmas.
You can't put all of the blame on Collins for the passing woes because of all the drops, but his backup led the Titans to the teams first wins of the season with the same receivers.
Vince Young has done all he has been asked of so far by not turning the ball over. In the last two games the Titans haven't turned over the ball once while the defense has forced six turnovers.
Young's athletic ability gives him the option to tuck and run if he can't find an open receiver. The immobile Kerry Collins doesn't have that choice. The Titans couldn't have called speed option on fourth and one against the 49ers if Collins had been in the ball game.
Through two weeks as the Titans starter, Vince Young is undefeated, and that's all that really matters.
Grade: C (Collins D-, Young A-)
Backfield
Chris Johnson is currently on pace to finish the season with 1,918 rushing yards. Johnson said that if he surpasses the two thousand yard mark than he would buy all of his offensive lineman cars.
If Johnson rushes for an average of just over 130 yards per game the rest of the season he would make it to two thousand yards. Easier said than done of course, but it's definitely not impossible.
Chris Johnson has been incredible in 2009. In week eight against the Jaguars he broke the franchise single game rushing record with 228 yards. In that contest he broke off runs of fifty-two and eighty-nine yards.
The Titans definitely are not the two-back team they were last season. Instead of splitting carries between Johnson and Lendale White evenly, Johnson has been getting more than twice as many touches as White this season.
White is a free agent at the end of this season. Lendale has controlled the Titans goal line and short yardage carries since last season. A sign that the Titans won't re-sign White after this year, Chris Johnson was given both goal line opportunities during the 49ers game and scored on each of them.
Grade: A+
Receivers
Kenny Britt looked like an offensive rookie of the year candidate through the first four games of the season. In the last four, he has only caught three passes.
After I praised the receivers in their first quarter report card (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/269606-tennessee-titans-first-quarter-report-card) they prove me wrong by putting on a clinic of how to drop the football.
The Patriots game was the worst, it seemed like they were trying to get Kerry Collins benched. Sure it was snowing; Tennessee people aren't used to New England snow. Don't forget though how well traveled the Titans receivers are.
Justin Gage spent four years playing for Chicago; it snows a lot in Chicago. Nate Washington played in Pittsburgh for four seasons; is snows a lot in Pittsburgh. Kenny Britt played college football in New Jersey for four years; it snows a lot in New Jersey.
Was the snow the reason for all the drops? Nope, it's just another excuse. It didn't snow in every game this year.
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