Titans-Colts inactives, gameday thoughts

The inactives are out for today’s Tennessee Titans home opener at Nissan Stadium against the Indianapolis Colts, and here they are:

INDIANAPOLIS COLTS: TE Dwayne Allen, CB Darius Butler, OLB Trent Cole, OT Denzelle Good, G Lance Louis, DT T.Y. McGill, CB Greg Toler

TENNESSEE TITANS: TE Chase Coffman, NT Sammie Hill, CB Jason McCourty, CB Cody Riggs, G Chance Warmack, RB Terrance West, QB Charlie Whitehurst

One notable inactive for the Colts, with Trent Cole down after being listed as questionable with a knee injury. When Vontae Davis cleared concussion protocol this week, I expected him to play, and he does after a questionable listing. I haven’t followed the Indy media this week, but offhand guess would be Robert Mathis, who played just 13 snaps in his return to the lineup last week to Cole’s 55 (of 69), sees an increase in his workload.

For the Titans, I did not expect to see Jason McCourty in the lineup even though I normally expect questionable starters to play and even though the Titans were already down corner with Riggs’ knee keeping him out again. Early in the week, I wondered if Marqueston Huff’s hamstring might force the Titans to make a roster move lest they go into the game down him and with just three corners against an offense with a plethora of wide receivers. But he responded to treatment and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him play some slot today. With an injury to any of the three corners, he’d probably have to.

I put many of my game preview thoughts in my answers to Nate Dunlevy, and my thinking hasn’t evolved about the game hasn’t really changed since I wrote that Thursday night. After the Colts struggled some with pressure against the Bills and Jets, and given that Dick LeBeau is a pressure guy in the first place, I expect the Titans to try to bring a lot of pressure against Andrew Luck. That will create opportunities downfield (if we see, say, Angelo Blackson again in coverage this week, Andrew Luck will probably spot that), and it will be up to Luck to hit them. As Nate mentioned in his half of the Q&A, he’s been uncharacteristically spotty this season. If he’s on point, like he normally has been against the Titans, that Tennessee doesn’t have the same top-end quality or depth at defensive back as Buffalo or New York will matter, a lot.

Offensively, the Colts inside linebackers stink in coverage and I’m not a huge fan of their safeties. This is probably another game the Titans will attack the middle of the field. The depleted cornerback corps that finished the Jets game was bad enough I thought even the Titans’ blah outside receivers would have the chance to do something against them. The return of Davis changes that, and I would not expect the Titans to test him. Frankly, it doesn’t make any sense to given their options. How the right side of the Titans’ line fares will also be a question. Jeremiah Poutasi looked like a fifth-round guard playing right tackle too often last week, and I’ve never been a big Jamon Meredith fan. Running the ball might be effective, as the Colts do not have a great front, but if Luck’s on point I doubt they can score enough points that way to pull off the win.

The line on this game is something like Colts -3.5. My offhand guess would have been about a point more in favor of Indianapolis. Their first two games were not pretty, but the Titans are a much more favorable matchup from the perspective of the Colts offense and I don’t trust the Tennessee offense.

I’ll be chiming in during the game on Twitter, so follow and yap at me there if you so desire. Recap up after the game, snap report Monday, and then it’s bye week so I’ll take the time to say some of the things about the start of the season I decided to wait until the bye week to say.