Last Sunday, the Tennessee Titans were on the wrong end of several costly mistakes that played a key role in their disappointing loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Today, the Titans were able to take advantage of the miscues by the undisciplined New York Giants en route to a 29-10 victory.
Aided by the G-Men’s 11 penalties, three turnovers, two missed field goals and for the icing on the cake, a safety; the Titans scored 19 unanswered second-half points to break open what was once a 10-10 contest at intermission.
Solid bounce-back performance by Vince Young
Coming off last week’s benching, as I suggested in my preview of this week’s matchup, it was paramount for Vince Young to bounce back with a solid effort against the Giants.
Although he only attempted 16 throws (only 4 in the first half) VY completed 10 of his passing attempts for 118 yards and a scoring toss to Kenny Britt. He was particularly effective on a TD drive that culminated with the aforementioned Britt TD pass.
Heading into halftime, with VY only attempting 4 passes, I was beginning to question whether or not Fisher had any faith in VY making plays with his throwing arm. Of course, in the second half, we started to see Young presented with more opportunities to throw the football and for the most part, he did a pretty good job of making his throws.
He still has a long ways to go to quiet the naysayers but for at least this Sunday, VY appears to be headed in the right direction.
Bend-but-don’t-break Titan defense
Chuck Cecil’s troops gave up their share of yards but at the end of the day, they only allowed a touchdown and a field goal.
Individually,Michael Griffin continued his solid play by stepping up with 11 tackles while also forcing a fumble. Newcomer Will Witherspoon was also stellar, coming up with a sack for the third consecutive contest.
Collectively, the unit came up with two sacks as well as forcing three turnovers.
Compared to previous renditions of the Tennessee Tyrants, the 2010 defense lacks the star power that some of those units had. However, they are a prideful group who play well together and go hard until the whistle blows and if they’re able to keep up the good work, the defense will give the team a fighter’s chance in the majority of the games they play in.
Other random thoughts
-Chris Johnson started a new 100-yard streak today, as he rushed for 125 yards and two scores in a workman-like effort consisting of 32 carries.
For a little guy, CJ does a great job of taking a pounding but I’m probably not the only one who would prefer to see CJ with a lighter work load.
-Besides the potential of CJ2K wearing down, the other reason why his workload shouldn’t exceed the 25-30 carry mark is the presence of promising 2nd year runner Javon Ringer, who in limited opportunities, rushed for 30 yards on only six carries.
With Ringer continuing to show promise, I’d like to see him get about 10 carries a game, with CJ getting about 25.
-Hopefully, Kenny Britt’s TD reception will give him the much-needed confidence boost that he so desperately needed after his nightmare of an offseason.
-I was definitely impressed by the athleticism of DT Sen’Derrick Marks on his interception of Eli Manning. Great job by the big guy of continuing to hustle until the whistle blows.
-Total Titans is a Titans blog, so the problems of another team is not a particularly big concern. However, I just have to mention the ridiculously undisciplined play by Tom Coughlin’s New York Giants football team.
Sure, Coughlin’s won a Super Bowl and he’ll be forever appreciated by the Giants fanbase for that accomplishment. Unfortunately for him, we live in a what-have-you-done-lately-for-me society, so based on this year’s uninspiring performance, I don’t think it’s a stretch to consider Coughlin as a potentially endangered coaching species if the situation doesn’t improve by the end of the year.
It’s only a matter of time before the Bill Cowher to the Giants rumors start.
If any of you have any thoughts regarding the Giants and their struggles, feel free to stop by Bloguin’s G-Men site; Ultimate NYG.
As for your opinions about today’s Titan victory, feel free to provide your always welcomed insights below.
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