Tennessee Titans: Albert-less Defensive Line

At 6:00 a.m. on the first day of free agency, Albert Haynesworth was given 100 million reasons to leave the Tennessee Titans. The move left many Titans fans in disbelief and worry. Many fans just assumed the Titans could not afford to lose Haynesworth and would pay whatever needed to re-sign him.

However, the Titans don't believe any player is worth $100 million and would not even consider matching the Redskins offer.

Although the Titans lost the arguably best defensive player in the game right now, they actually may be better this year. This is due to the creative coaching of Titans' defensive line coach Jim Washburn.

"We are going to miss Albert, but at the same time we have to worry about what we do collectively," defensive tackle Tony Brown said. "Other guys are going to step in, and we're going to keep rolling."

Washburn seems to be able to plug anyone into his scheme and have it work. Names like Travis LaBoy and Antwan Odom are known around Tennessee for their production on the Titans' line, but were not able to do much on other teams.

Odom started 16 games his last season with the Titans. In those games, he racked up eight sacks. His next season was with the Bengals, in which he only started eight games and only managed to hit the quarterback three times.

LaBoy did not even start for the Titans in 2007 and still managed to get to the quarterback six times. In 2008, LaBoy started for the Cardinals and only managed four sacks.

Most teams run the ball in order to tire the defensive line out; however, the Titans and Washburn counter this by having depth. Washburn's idea is to rotate so often and play so hard that you wear out the offensive line.

The Titans' backups last year had just as many sacks as the starters and all together racked up a total of 39.5. Though sacks are not everything as they were sixth in the league against the run.

Last year in the game versus the Steelers, the Titans were without their two best linemen, Kyle Vanden Bosch and Albert Haynesworth. The Titans only gave up 31 rushing yards to Willie Parker and got to the quarterback five times.

This year, the Titans are returning everybody except for Haynesworth on a top-sranked defense. The secondary consists of three Pro Bowlers and the linebackers are well known among the AFC South, but seem to lack national recognition.

The defensive line starters may have been downgraded, but the overall depth for the line is a huge upgrade. Second year man Jason Jones will fill the second defensive tackle spot with Kyle Vanden Bosch, Jevan Kearse, and Tony Brown all keeping their starting spots.

Jacob Ford, who was second on the team in sacks, Dave Ball, and William Hayes will rotate in for the defensive ends. Former Tampa Bay nosetackle Jovan Haye, Kevin Vickerson, and second round draft pick Sen'Derrick Marks will rotate in at defensive tackle.

Look for the Titans defensive line to be in the top 10 again this year. Tennessee may not have the most individual talent in the league, but as a group, they are dominant.