Tennessee Titans Second Quarter Report Card

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. 

The last two games they played pretty well though.  If you had the opportunity to see Sports Center's Top Ten Plays for the weekend you saw Justin Gage's jump ball catch where he shows off his eighty-two inch vertical against Tampa Bay.

There is a ton of room for improvement, but I think this set of personnel has good potential.  Definitely the most talented group of receivers and tight ends the team has had over the past few years. 

Unlike the last couple of off seasons, the receiver position won't be the glaring number one need for the Titans.

Grade: C-

Offensive Line

The offensive line has played amazing the last four games.  Tennessee quarterbacks have only been sacked twice in that time frame.

They should get a lot of credit for Chris Johnson's explosion of 491 yards over the last three games. 

Not many stats that I can pull out for the offensive line, but the average hole they have been making for the running backs is about the width of a semi.

Grade: A

Defensive Line

The pass rush has gotten better, the run defense has gotten worse. 

Jason Jones looks like he could be a really solid player in the future.  He has three sacks in the past three games.  William Hayes looks pretty good as well.  He has started the past four games in place of Jevon Kearse who has been inactive because of poor production.

The past three weeks opposing running backs have had success after the first few weeks the defensive front was stuffing everything.  The linebackers should take blame for that as well.

I'm not very impressed with their play yet.

Grade: C

Linebackers

This is one of the only parts of the team that have seemed to have gotten worse lately. 

Lawrence Maroney rushed for a buck twenty in the snow.  Maurice Jones-Drew broke off eighty and seventy-nine yard runs with eighty and seventy-nine missed tackles on each run.  Frank Gore averaged over five and a half yards a carry, but the 49ers thought their best offensive player should only run the ball eighteen times while they let super star Alex Smith attempt forty-five passes.

Stephen Tulloch and Keith Bulluck continue to be near the top of the league in tackles, but it doesn't look like that's translating into shutting down opposing backs the last few games.

The talent obviously is there and I expect solid play to return in the next few weeks.

Grade: C-

Secondary

Too much stock can't be put in the Colt's and Patriot's games.  The Titans were forced to start rookie seventh round pick Jason McCourty, rookie third round pick Ryan Mouton, and last year's seventh round pick Cary Williams.  That inexperience combined with the fact they were competing against the two best quarterbacks in the league in Peyton Manning and Tom Brady had all the makings of a nightmare.

The last two games, Cortland Finnegan played after being sidelined with an injury since week four.  The Titans signed veteran cornerback Roderick Hood who started the last two weeks in place of an injured Nick Harper.  They both have an interception in each the last two games.  Vincent Fuller is also back from an injury which has helped the secondary out as well.

Turnovers have been the key to the Titans two consecutive victories.  Even though the secondary has looked shaky this season, they should get as much credit for the two wins as Vince Young and Chris Johnson.

Grade: C+

Kickers

After missing his first two attempts in 2009, Rob Bironas has hit twelve field goal straight.  Five of those field goals were kicked in the last two victories.

I can't believe I'm about to say this about a punter, but Brett Kern is the man.  Reggie Hodges was the Titans replacement at punter when Craig Hentrich was put on injured reserve.  Hodge's punts had a net average of thirty-two yards in the four games he played for the Titans in 2008. 

Brett Kern was brought in during the bye week to replace Hodges as the starting punter.  Kern's net punt average is forty-four yards.  That's a twelve yard difference which is huge. 

Brett Kern for team MVP!

Grade: A-

Returners

The Titans longest kick return this year is twenty-seven yards.  The Titans longest punt return this year is fifteen yards.  If those longs aren't the worst in the league this year then I'll be stunned. 

The Titans have had eight different returners this year; that's not a good thing.

This team may have the worst return team in football, but look on the bright side. They haven't muffed one ball in the last four games.

Grade: D

Chris Johnson said he believes the Titans will win the rest of their games finishing 10-6.  That is a bold prediction, but Chris Johnson hasn't been afraid to make those kinds of statements in the past (see "I should have been rookie of the year" and "Smash and Dash is over").

I can't see the team winning eight straight games at this point.  If the Titans can beat the Colts in Indianapolis week thirteen, then people can start talking 10-6.  Until then, I'll be dreaming about who the Titans are going to draft in the first round in 2010.