Another week, another loss for the Tennessee Titans.
Powered by a relentless rushing attack that ended up with a ridiculous 258 yards on the afternoon, the Jaguars handed the Titans their fifth consecutive defeat in today’s 17-6 Jacksonville victory.
Additional thoughts on yet another Titans’ loss…following the break.
This isn’t 2008, folks
Two years ago, in what was also a home game against the Jaguars, Kerry Collins relieved an ineffective and injured Vince Young and helped lead the Titans to the first of many victories that season.
In 2010, taking over the starting QB position due to yet another injury to Vince Young and a rough start to the career of rookie signal-caller Rusty Smith, the results were less than stellar for KC.
Today, Collins completed only 14 of his 32 throwing attempts for 169 yards and two interceptions. On several occasions, Kerry’s throws were erratic and while trying to survive in the pocket facing the Jaguar pass rush, he held the ball too long far too frequently.
At this point in his career, Collins is a vet who isn’t going to carry the weight of the offense on his shoulders. On an offense with the typically-explosive Chris Johnson being held in check and the unit’s second-best weapon (Randy Moss) being inexplicably ignored yet again, there’s no surprise that Collins is a sitting duck back there in the pocket.
Unfortunately for the Titans, with Young done for the season and Rusty not being ready, outside of playing Chris Simms, it’s the “See how many incomplete passes Kerry Collins can throw Show” for the remainder of 2010.
Matador run defense for the Tennessee Titans
For the second consecutive week, Titan defenders served as matadors yelling, Ole!…as the opposing team bulled their way to success rushing the football.
After allowing the Texans to accumulate 188 yards on the ground last week, the Titan rush defense was once again pounded into submission as the Jaguars finished the day with an absurd 258 yards on a whopping 53 carries.
Considering the Titans’ recent woes of not being able to stop the run, no one can fault the Jaguars for having a 53-19 (almost 3:1) run-to-pass ratio.
Aside from dealing with injuries on the d-line as of late, the Titans have also failed to replace the big-bodied presence of a guy who used to suit up for the Titans on fall/winter Sundays. Yes, I’m talking about Albert Haynesworth, who could easily be made available next offseason due to his tumultuous relationship with new Redskins’ coach Mike Shanahan.
Whether it’s bringing Fat Albert back into the fold, or reeling in another big body via the draft or free agency, the Titans certainly could use some more bulk on the interior of their defensive line.
Another reason that can be attributed to the Titans’ pathetic run defense as of late: a piss-poor job of tackling. There’s way too many times where Titan defenders are in a position to make a play, only to see them fail to make the stop.
Final random musings
-Bo Scaife had a rough day, experiencing a couple of drops when making the grab would have clearly helped the team’s fortunes.
-Speaking of Scaife, as I said in a recent article, he should be on the bench in order to see what the team has in Jared Cook, who led the team in receptions today, making 4 grabs for 47 yards.
We’re all familiar with what Scaife brings to the table: It’s time to see what the athletic Cook can accomplish in the lineup.
-I know I’m not the only one with visions of LeGarrette Blount pounding the opposition for short-yardage first downs as the smaller Chris Johnson struggles in his attempts to overcome eight-man fronts in obvious running situations.
-Terrible job by the offense on third downs, as they converted only 2/11 opportunities. The inability of the offense to stay on the field certainly isn’t doing any favors for the defense.
-With today’s loss, the 5-7 Titans have now joined the Houston Texans in the AFC South basement. Even with opportunities to play division foes looming on the horizon, the words slim and none should be used when asked about the Titans’ chances of winning the AFC South.
Any thoughts on today’s Titans’ loss? You know the drill…
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