Tennessee Titans Preseason Opener Offers Mixed Results

After watching the Titans preseason opener against the Seahawks, I was left with mixed emotions.

The biggest positive of the night was by far the opening drive that led to a Chris Johnson rushing touchdown from the one-yard line.

Vince Young looked great on this drive for the most part. His passing numbers were a little inflated thanks to a short flip pass to Ahmard Hall that went for 28 yards.

All of that optimism quickly subsided when Young made a terrible decision to throw the ball up for grabs instead of running for the first down.

These mistakes have to be cleared up before the regular season starts, and Young assured they would be to reporters.

It was surprising to see that Young didn't come out for a third series after the interception. With it still being early in the game it would have made more sense to give Young a chance to get his confidence back up.

The offense looked shaky all night while Chris Simms was in the game, but all of the blame can't be put on Simms. The offensive line gave him virtually no blocking which is usually the price you pay when playing with the second and third string guys in preseason.

Rusty Smith, who was picked in the sixth round of this year's draft, actually had a solid performance with the exception of the interception he threw in desperation at the end of the game.

His pocket presence was still very impressive for the blocking he was given, and the fact that it was his first NFL game.

He also handled the blitz much better than Simms, and even converted a two-point conversion with a pass to Marc Mariani.

Javon Ringer was one of the few bright spots for the offense. He furthered his case even more as the being the backup to Johnson, finishing with 60 yards on just seven attempts.

The battle between Ryan Mouton, Jason McCourty, and Alterraun Verner to start at cornerback became even more cloudy. All three players made a few good plays, but Mouton made more critical mistakes. One of those mistakes was a missed tackle that led to a Seahawks touchdown.

Just as soon as you were ready to criticize Mouton, he turned around and made an interception by being in the right place at the right time. Verner made the more impressive interception along the sideline.

The worst part of the night came when Stafon Johnson suffered a dislocated ankle. At first it was thought that Johnson could miss the entire season, but now it looks to be 8-12 weeks.

It's still very unfortunate for a guy that has been through so much already in his short football career.

For the most part, the Titans should be pleased with the performances of the starters and second stringers.

They limited their penalties, the defensive line looked strong against the run, and the first-team offense scored on the opening drive. You can't argue with those results after the first preseason game.

Notable Good Performances

• Javon Ringer- seven attempts, 60 yards
• Gerald McRath- six tackles
• Alterraun Verner- one interception, four tackles

Notable Bad Performances

• Chris Simms- 7/13, 24 yards, one fumble lost
• Paul Williams- one reception, 18 yards, two drops