It’s always interesting to find out what others think about the Titans and what else they’d like to know. This week’s question and answer exchange is no exception to that. In Part One of this week’s Q&A, I’ve fielded the following questions from Nate Bruce of Teal Power.
Teal Power: Why haven’t the Titans been able to find a good passing attack behind Vince Young and Kerry Collins?
Total Titans: There are two main reasons. Vince isn’t the best passer in the league and the Titans haven’t had a really good receiver since Derrick Mason left. We are hoping that 2009 first-round draft pick Kenny Britt will develop into that guy. Some Titans fans would add that it’s also because Jeff Fisher prefers the running game to the pass, which is true, but offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger doesn’t mind a quarterback who chucks the ball around. Dinger did that quite a bit when he had Steve McNair and Mason.
Teal Power: What is the best feature about Chris Johnson and will he be able to win in the postseason?
Total Titans: CJ has the most pure raw speed of any back I’ve ever seen. He reportedly turned in the best 40 time ever at the combine, a 4.22. Defenders can’t take the same angles on him and even when they do make adjustments, he still often beats them. When CJ presses a hole, he can gain eight yards where other backs get three. Or he can break one all the way on plays where other backs get eight or ten yards. We’ll have to see about the postseason. In his only previous postseason appearance, CJ was injured and left the game in the first half, which changed the entire complexion of the game, which the Titans ultimately lost.
Teal Power: How much does the team miss Albert Haynesworth on the defensive line?
Total Titans: Not as much this year as last year. Last year, Tony Brown was the only other defensive tackle to step up and take over some of the load. This year, Jason Jones, Sen’Derrick Marks and Jovan Haye are all playing much better than they did a year ago. Of course, Albert was a prototypical two-gapper and that’s someone you just don’t replace that easily. It makes a difference in what you can do.
Teal Power: What is the biggest need on the offensive/defensive side of the football?
Total Titans: Offense — If Vince doesn’t continue to improve, the Titans may have to start looking for a new quarterback. He is continuing to improve, so hopefully that will no longer be a need. A playmaking receiver for Vince would be nice, and Britt, as mentioned above, could become that guy. So could tight end Jared Cook.
Defense — Depth in the secondary. The starters are adequate as a whole but a key injury could be disastrous. The depth at safety, especially strong safety, isn’t promising, so I view that as a priority in the next offseason. We can always use more depth at corner.
Teal Power: Has this rivalry lost some luster from back in the past with Mark Brunell vs the late Steve McNair?
Total Titans: It certainly has, at least from my perspective. Besides Brunell and McNair, you also had RBs Fred Taylor and Eddie George and WRs Jimmy Smith and Derrick Mason, not to mention all the defensive stars. I will always remember the great battles between Smith and Samari Rolle. Someone once said that after a typical Titans-Jaguars game, you thought Samari held Smith in check pretty well and then you’d look at the stats and Smith’s line would be half a dozen catches for 100 yards and a touchdown. I always enjoyed those games, with the great players on each side.
Thanks to Nate for his questions. In Part Two, Nate will answer some of our questions about the Jaguars.
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