Turnovers and an all-around inconsistent performance doomed the Tennessee Titans as they fell to sole possession of last place in the AFC South with their 24-17 loss to the New York Jets.
Rookie CB/KR/PR Ryan Mouton’s nightmarish day consisted of two muffed kicks that led to 14 Jets points. Meanwhile, at the opposite end of the NFL-tenure spectrum, veteran QB Kerry Collins ended the game on a horrible note with an abysmal 13 consecutive incompletions.
Additional thoughts about today’s Titan loss…after the jump.
The NFL Lords giveth and they taketh away
After facing a quick 14-0 deficit without even having run an offense play, the Titans started to show a pulse after Tony Brown forced a Mark Sanchez fumble that fell into the hands of “The Freak” Jevon Kearse. The team continued to ride that momentum by scoring 17 unanswered points to take a 17-14 lead.
However, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction when Ryan Mouton muffed his second return, which led to the Jets quickly capitalizing with a score as a direct result of having a short field.
Inconsistency…the name of the game for the 2009 Tennessee Titans.
The one-millionth reason why 13 is an unlucky number
At times, Kerry Collins ran the Tennessee Titan offense with precision, holding steady in the pocket while delivering lasers to open receivers.
Unfortunately, Kerry failed to save his best for last by laying a goose-egg on his final 13 passes. Contrary to prior possessions, Kerry started to feel the pressure of the Rex Ryan blitz and had to force a few passes on a couple of occasions.
I’m not going to pin this loss on Kerry but without a doubt, his subpar efforts in the game’s crucial moments didn’t exactly help the Titans’ cause of pulling out their first victory of the season. That’s two weeks in a row that KC was unable to step up when the team needed him the most.
No one should be calling for a QB controversy but if the team continues to falter, it’s only a matter of time before the chants for Vince Young to guide the team are heard loud and clear in the city of Nashville.
The schizophrenic Tennessee Titan defense
There were times today when the defense reminded you of past Titan units that played with a high level of intensity while achieving great results stopping the opposition. On other occasions, we were once again confronted with the reality of the defensive struggles that we’ve discussed ad nauseum on Total Titans.
I saw a much better effort out there today and of course, the injury bug didn’t do the team any favors as Finny and Fuller had to leave the game. However, outside of their continued stellar performance stopping the run, the pass defense still has a few wrinkles to work out, to say the least.
A few positives
-Kenny Britt is a stud and it’s going to be a lot of fun watching him develop into a more than capable NFL WR.
-Chris Johnson continues to live up to his “Every Coaches’ Dream” moniker by being the elite playmaker that the Titans envisioned him becoming when they surprisingly selected him in 2008.
-In limited opportunities, LenDale White ran with speed and tenacity.
Just say no to the Patron, folks.
-Also want to give special mention to Tony Brown and Jacob Ford, who did a good job of harrassing Mark Sanchez for the majority of the game.
Final random thoughts
1. The Titans sure do miss Chris Carr.
2. With Jacksonville’s win over Houston, the Titans are alone in the basement of the AFC South.
That sucks.
3. It may be just me, but Alge Crumpler looks a whole lot better as a receiver in the passing game this year. He’s nowhere near as good as he was during his Falcon days, but he’s greatly improved from last year.
4. Tough break (literally) for Vince Fuller, who broke his forearm. The Titans are going to miss his versatility.
5. Despite Mouton’s troubles, Fisher still had the faith in him by showing support and continuing to trot him out there to return punts.
That’s why Fish is known as a player’s coach, folks.
Enough from me…What are your thoughts and opinions regarding today’s disappointing Titan loss?
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