In a game marred by penalties and personal fouls, the Titans were defeated by the Falcons in a 17-3 snooze-fest.
The matchup resembled a wrestling match more than a football game, as both teams were constantly hitting each other after the whistle. The two squads combined for 17 penalties in a contest that seemed to mean a lot more to the players than the Atlanta fans, who didn’t even come close to making the game a sell out.
Due to the sorry turnout by the Falcon faithful, the game couldn’t be broadcast live in Atlanta because of the NFL blackout rules. The days of Michael Vick performing in a sold-out Georgia Dome are long gone, to say the least.
Here are my thoughts and observations on a forgettable night for the Titans.
Two Steps Forward, One Step Back
Unfortunately, this was the story of Vince Young’s night. In early action against the Falcons, Young appeared to be confident while making decent throws in and outside of the pocket. He was doing a good job of distributing the football to his backs, tight ends and receivers as he marched the Titans down the field.
Just when things were looking good for Vince and the Titan offense, a bad play or miscue would occur at the most inopportune time. On one drive, as Vince felt some pressure, he threw a bad pass that ended up being intercepted by an Atlanta defender. On another drive, as the Titans were trying to score before the half, a perfect downfield pass intended for the usually reliable Justin Gage was dropped.
Vince ended the contest with a 9-of-18 performance, with several dropped balls by his receivers and an interception. Vince had his share of ups and downs but his receivers didn’t do anything to make his job any easier.
Kerry Collins had a poor night, completing only one of his eight passes. Ingle Martin received some mop-up duty in the fourth and completed three of his six passes.
The running game
With LenDale White out for tonight’s game, this was a chance for Chris Johnson to show he could perform as the team’s everydown back. He rushed 11 times for only 35 yards, but he did show the ability to keep his legs churning after initial contact.
Despite his lack of size, Johnson is a tough kid who isn’t afraid to mix it up with the big uglies. He didn’t make any big plays but overall, I thought Johnson did alright tonight.
As for the other backs, Ganther and Henry didn’t do too much in limited opportunities. Ganther performed slightly better, gaining 17 yards on 4 carries. Henry was more interested in venturing east-west than hitting the hole on one disastrous play, and ended the night with a measly five yards on three carries.
Another lackluster performance by the WR’s
Dropped balls were a recurring theme for Titan wide outs against the Falcons. The receivers dropped four of Vince Young’s tosses, including the aforementioned Justin Gage blunder that ended a potential drive before halftime.
Justin McCareins caught a couple of passes tonight, and Paul Williams made a nice grab towards the end of the game for 17 yards. Tight ends Alge Crumpler, Bo Scaife and Craig Stevens combined for four catches.
Solid job by Titans’ first string defense
The Titans’ first team defense was perhaps the team’s lone bright spot. They did a pretty good job of stifling rookie QB Matt Ryan, whose completions were mostly of the short variety. Jevon Kearse attained his first sack of the preseason, and Jacob Ford continued to shine with a nice tackle for a loss on a wide receiver screen play.
The backup Titan defenders surrendered both of Atlanta’s touchdowns during the second half. Calvin Lowry completely whiffed on a thirty-nine yard Jerious Norwood run that set up Atlanta’s first TD. On their second touchdown, rookie RB Thomas Brown scored on a nine-yard run by juking an over-pursuing Colin Allred.
Final Thoughts
Due to the Titans’ penchant for running the football, you probably won’t be seeing Vince Young air the ball out 18 times during the first half of a regular season game, unless the team is way behind.
Tonight appeared to be another opportunity for the coaching staff to evaluate the passing game. Jeff Fisher and his crew also utilized this game as an opportunity to see what Johnson is capable of as a primary back.
As a whole, tonight’s performance was sloppy and filled with inconsistency. Even franchise LT Michael Roos had a tough night, as he was beat by former Pro Bowler John Abraham on more than one occasion.
Fortunately for the Titans, it’s the preseason, so the games don’t count. However, if the team is going to be ready for its opening day showdown with the Jags, they will need to perform much better.
So, what do you guys think? How would you evaluate tonight’s performance?
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