Tennessee Titans Should Keep Offensive, Defensive Strategies

Last year, the Titans saw an incredible 13-3 season and an AFC South Championship. While they did not reach their Super Bowl goal, the team still had to be proud of their accomplishments.

Many factors can be attributed to that success, but none greater than the play calling of Mike Heimerdinger, who masterfully utilized every piece to get the most out of them. Although the offense was ranked poorly, it worked well enough to get the Titans to 10-0.

What were the two most effective plays for the Titans on offense? Let’s take a look.

1)   The Dump Pass – It was used more than a handful of times last year for gains of at least 10+ yards and sometimes set the Titans up for scoring position. The “Dump Pass”, as it is known, could be used with any player at any time. Many times as well, the Titans would set up a wall of linemen in front of the receiving player, which allowed them to move the ball with ease.

2)   Running the football – The Titans have found their balance in the running game. The other “Smash and Dash”, Chris Johnson and LenDale White are a unique pair of speed and power. Most of the success the team enjoyed last year was in part to controlling the football and the clock. If Tennessee wants to continue their success from last year, they should not break from their running game.

There might be the chance that Tennessee will try to utilize a more vertical passing game with the signings of Nate Washington and drafting Kenny Britt. Justin Gage also proved last year that he can be a deep threat.

However, where there is more of a vertical game, there is always the chance for more mistakes. The balanced attack last year helped the Titans rank second in turnover ratio with +14. A vertical game could open up the possibility of throwing more interceptions, such as Brett Favre last year, who threw 22 interceptions.

The defense was also spectacular, as Jim Schwartz created an effective rotation with Albert Haynesworth, Tony Brown, Jason Jones, and others to make the Titan defense one of the best in the league. However, the loss of Schwartz and Haynesworth have created an uproar on that end of the spectrum.

New defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil certainly has his hands full this year, but the pieces are in place. The Titans will remain in their 4-3 defense and no convert to a 3-4. Tony Brown will return again this year, which brings some clarity to the defensive line.

It is expected that new signing Jovan Haye from Tampa Bay will fill in the hole that Haynesworth left, although second round pick Sen’Derrick Marks and second-year man Jason Jones will be in the mix during training camp. All four players should be in a solid rotation by the time the season begins.

The only other worries on defense should be the lack of depth at linebacker and injuries in the secondary. Middle linebacker seems to be set with Stephen Tulloch as starter and Ryan Fowler a solid backup. The concern lies with the backup positions to Keith Bullock and David Thornton.

Standford Keglar returns for his second season, where he racked up 12 tackles. Josh Stamer returns to the Titans for his second season with the team, where he recorded 10 tackles last year.

If Thornton and Bullock can remain healthy, there should be no question about the Titan’s linebacking corps. However, Keith Bullock and Stephen Tullock’s contracts expires at seasons end, so Tennessee should prepare their backups for potential starting spots in the 2010 season.

In the secondary, Nick Harper has had his questions on the field. While his play has been stellar, Harper has failed to stay consistently healthy. With his contract expiring at season’s end, this will be a “make or break” season for his future with the team.

Third round pick Ryan Mouton and sixth rounder Jason McCourty might prove to challenge for a potential open starting spot come next season. Safety should be no issue, as both Chris Hope and Michael Griffin return and have solid backups in Vincent Fuller and Donnie Nickey behind them.

So after looking at the whole scheme of things, Tennessee should not make a lot of changes. While free agency and the draft shake things up and force changes in the lineups, the Titans motto should be “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it.”

Stick with works, win the AFC South again, and hopefully go deeper into the playoffs and potentially win their first Super Bowl.