Smash mouth football reigned supreme for the Titans tonight, as they pasted the Rams 34-13 in their preseason debut.
The Titans’ running game grinded out an astonishing 340 yards and the first team defense displayed their punishing potential on a defensive series that was culminated by a Keith Bulluck interception return for a touchdown.
Player of the game
Quinton Ganther had two scores and ran for 115 yards on only eight carries. His first gallop to the endzone was simply magnificent as he bounced to the outside for a 45 yard touchdown run.
Play of the night
If tonight is any indication, Titan fans will have a lot to be excited about when it comes to rookie Chris Johnson. After a few carries for minimal yardage, Johnson turned on the jets on his 66 yard touchdown run.
After all of the positive press surrounding Johnson and his playmaking ability during training camp, it was nice to see what all the fuss is about.
The kid is a gamebreaker.
Goat of the night
Filling in for Nick Harper, who left the game with a concussion, Reynaldo Hill’s night was filled with mistakes. He made Dane Looker look like Torry Holt on several occasions. Hill’s frustrating evening didn’t end there: he also missed tackles while attempting to stop the run, and was also the culprit on a pass interference play that led to the Rams only touchdown of the night.
If Hill gets any extended playing time during the regular season, cover your eyes folks, because it isn’t going to be a pretty sight.
He’s this year’s Randy Starks.
Other impressive performances
Jason Jones stepped up big-time as he filled in for an injured Tony Brown. He often made his presence known in the Rams’ backfield as he stuffed a couple of runs for losses. I was also impressed with his motor on running plays where instead of giving up, he hustled down the field to get in on the tackle.
Kyle Vanden Bosch was his usual self tonight as he made life miserable for former Pro Bowl left tackle Orlando Pace. Jevon Kearse also showed a glimpse of previous greatness on his deflection of a Marc Bulger pass. Jacob Ford also got in on the act with a sack.
The quarterbacks
Vince Young completed three of his six passes and also had a thirty-five yard run that reminded many of his Texas days. Similar to what I observed in training camp last week, Vince’s completions tonight were to tight ends and running backs.
Kerry Collins took a few more shots downfield, and looked very comfortable in the pocket. He’s having an impressive training camp and if something happens to Vince(knocks on wood), the Titans will be in good hands if Collins is under center.
Ingle Martin didn’t do too bad against the Rams’ scrubs, and his twelve yard run was just inches shy of being a touchdown.
The running backs
Every Titan running back had their share of success against a putrid Rams run defense. Johnson looked liked a rocket on his long touchdown run, and Ganther showed a nice combination of power and speed in his impressive performance.
LenDale White had his moments as well on the Titans’ first drive. Unfortunately, he was unable to pick up the first down on a 4th and 2 deep in Rams’ territory. Chris Henry and Omar Cuff didn’t do bad at all, but considering the Grand Canyon-sized holes they were running through, I wouldn’t put too much stock in their efforts tonight.
The receivers
Titan wide receivers only accounted for three of the team’s thirteen completions. Biren Ealy and Paul Williams each had their share of drops and miscues.
Of course, on a night when the offense runs the ball for over 300 yards, the performance of the receivers is highly irrelevant.
I’ll give the group an incomplete for now.
The Titan tight ends figure to be an important part of the team’s passing game this year. Crumpler caught a few passes and appears to be a huge favorite to be the team’s leading receiver this year. Petrowski and Scaife also caught a few passes and at the end of the game, Craig Stevens made the stat sheet with a 11 yard grab.
Special teams
Filling in for an injured Rob Bironas, Jon Vaughn was 2/2 on field goals, with makes from 43 and 48 yards. For Vaughn, that’s the best he can hope for as he attempts to impress perhaps another future NFL employer.
Chris Carr was solid on punt returns and looks to be the favorite in the battle for that role. He isn’t a gamebreaker by any stretch of the imagination but he’ll give the offense solid starting field position.
Final assessment of tonight’s performance
I was impressed by the intensity displayed by the defense and if all of the key players stay healthy, I’m expecting a great year by this intimidating unit.
The running game appears to be in mid-season form, but at least some of that performance may be due to a poor Ram run defense. We’ll see how this group progresses in the coming weeks.
The passing game has some kinks to work out, but appears to be on the right track. Vince didn’t turn the ball over and showed some good footwork in and out of the pocket, which indicates that Dinger is doing a good job of instructing his talented, young pupil.
All things considered, the Titans’ preseason got off to a good start tonight.
What are your thoughts regarding tonight’s performance?
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