Tennessee Titans: The New and Improved 2000 Baltimore Ravens?

Our lives revolve around comparisons. We only accept something as good when we have a frame of reference. How does one thing stack up against another?

We can be told the food at a restaurant is phenomenal. But we refuse to accept someone's word unless they can compare the food to something at another place we already love.

We take the same approach with our NFL teams.

The Tennessee Titans have reached the halfway mark of the season completely unblemished. And right on cue, the conversations have begun with fans seeking comparisons to the the '72 Dolphins and the '07 Patriots.

They're undefeated, so it's a natural comparison—but is it the most accurate?

The Titans are more comparable to another team that's regarded as one of the best the NFL has ever seen.

They're winning games the same way the Baltimore Ravens did in their Super Bowl season—through strong running and a stifling defense.

Have the Titans improved upon their formula? How do the 2008 Titans stack up against the 2000 Ravens?


The Unexpected Quarterback

At the start of the 2000 season, Tony Banks was the quarterback leading the Ravens. Baltimore was 5-3 when Coach Billick had enough of Banks' inconsistency.

Banks was on a four-game stretch with no touchdown passes when the reins were taken away from him. After a three-interception, two-fumble performance, the Trent Dilfer era began.

Dilfer was the right man at the right time for the Ravens. He was managing games, but was dynamic and experienced enough to bounce back from turnovers and mistakes. He wasn't asked to perform miracles—only to hand the ball off to Jamal Lewis and not to put the game out of reach for the defense. 

With a lackluster group of receivers, Dilfer found the most success through the air with tight end Shannon Sharpe.

Kerry Collins is doing much of the same.

With Tennessee's dominant rush attack, Collins isn't needed as the savior in Nashville. Much like the 2000 Ravens, his job is to hand the ball off to one of his excellent running backs or move the chains by hitting tight end Bo Scaife.

Advantage: Tie

After the Monday night game against the Indianapolis Colts, Collins proved he could still find ways to move the ball when the opposition looks to stop the running game. A statistical giant by no means, Collins still has the efficiency to find open receivers.

He's not the the quarterback that will dice a secondary, week in and week out in 2008, but he'll win games through the air that Vince Young would have looked to win through his feet.

Trent Dilfer made mistakes, but he had several multi-touchdown games when the running game couldn't find the end zone in 2000. He had the benefit of starting halfway through the season, but he made the Ravens a bit more dynamic than Banks could have.

The Rush Attack

It may be hard to believe, but 2000 is the stone age when it comes to running game philosophies. The two-headed rushing attack most teams are employing has supplanted the concept of the workhorse.

The Ravens placed their running efforts on the legs of Jamal Lewis. The rookie was given the ball in favor of Priest Holmes and completely ran away with it.

Holmes did get some significant touches throughout the season, but the discrepancy in their numbers was substantial.

Lewis doubled Holmes in carries and nearly tripled him in yardage.

The 2008 Titans don't have that problem.

Tennessee has successfully established the thunder-and-lighting approach so many teams hope to achieve, with third-year man LenDale White and rookie Chris Johnson, respectively.

The two backs have combined for 14 touchdowns at the halfway mark of the season, compared to the eight achieved by Lewis and Holmes through 16 games.

Advantage: 2008 Titans

Lewis had an incredible rookie season, but he couldn't do it alone. Tennessee has the benefit of two backs that can do it alone.

The aforementioned Monday night game against the Colts saw the two phenoms rush for their lowest totals of the season but still combine for three touchdowns.

You're Not Going to Score

The 2000 Baltimore Ravens were one of the stingiest defensive units the NFL had ever seen. Through 16 games, the Ravens allowed an anemic 10.3-points per game from their opponents.

In 2008, the Titans are the best in the league in keeping teams off the scoreboard, allowing only 12.4-points per game.

But what about their opponents?

The Ravens only faced one top-10 defense in 2000, and that was the Jacksonville Jaguars—twice, before the divisions were re-aligned.

However, the Ravens took their winning streak into the postseason, when they faced the Denver Broncos and the Oakland Raiders. The Ravens left the second and sixth-ranked offenses with three points on the board during the playoffs.

The 2008 Titans have yet to face a truly potent offense.

The best they've faced is the 12th-ranked Minnesota Vikings, and given the look of their schedule, they won't face a better offensive team until the postseason—barring any catastrophes, of course.

Advantage: 2000 Ravens

The cast of characters in Tennessee can't compare to the who's who of defensive stars Baltimore could boast. From Ray Lewis to Tony Siragusa, Billick had a unit loaded with individual talent that also understood what it was to play as a team.

Albert Haynesworth is having an exceptional season, Keith Bulluck is ageless as ever, and the Titans' secondary makes the other team hold their breath every time the ball is in the air—but they are not the 2000 Ravens.

They're helping their offense win in the exact same fashion as the 2000 Ravens, but they're not as sharp. That's definitely not an insult.

The 2000 Ravens are the prototype for the perfect defense, and every team has tried to emulate it since the standard was set.

Far From Over

There is still a lot of football to be played in 2008. The Titans are an incredible team, but how they hold up when the target zooms in on their backs is yet to be seen. The Ravens had new life when their veteran quarterback found ways to save games for them.

As it stands, great running and suffocating defense are all well and good—but the quality of the quarterback shouldn't be the wild card in defining the potential for success.

Does Kerry Collins have what it takes to put points on the board when Johnson and White can't find the end zone? There are no indications that they're going to slow down, but any given Sunday, right?

Bo Scaife is a good tight end, but he's no Shannon Sharpe. And with receivers dropping passes the way Justin Gage does, what becomes of the Titans when a better defense figures them out, and a good offense finds a way to click on all cylinders?

Hitting their stride and getting the hot streak in the early half of the season may result in a meltdown by the time Week 16 rolls around.

Angel Navedo is the Head Writer at NYJetsFan.com, boasting Jet Fuel Radio, frequently updated news and opinions, and a premier fan community. He is also the Community Leader for the New York Jets on Bleacher Report.