Thanks to Nate Bruce of TealPower for joining us in this week’s question and answer exchange with a blogger from the other side.
Following are our questions for Nate with his answers. Then, it’ll be a chance to see what’s on Nate’s mind as he asks us about the Titans.
Total Titans: There’s been a lot of talk about the possibility of the Jags bolting the city of Jacksonville for the City of Angels. Could Los Angeles become the new home of the franchise, or will the Jags remain in Jacksonville?
TealPower: Wayne Weaver said he’s very confident that he is not moving the team to L.A. and the team is not for sale. The team will remain in Jacksonville but they have to increase ticket sales and revenue to have the games be televised. With the economy the way it is, they need all the help they can get but they are staying in Jacksonville for the time being.
Total Titans: What’s your take on owner Wayne Weaver expressing early interest in drafting hometown hero Tim Tebow in 2010?
TealPower: I wrote a post a few weeks ago about drafting Tebow. Tebow is not the answer because he is about the same QB as Garrard and works out of the shotgun in Urban Meyer’s system. It is more of a publicity stunt because most of the residents in the Jacksonville area are Florida Gator fans so Weaver is trying to get them to buy the season tickets. Tebow is a great athlete but not the answer and running over college athletes will get him killed on Sundays.
Total Titans: Are you sold on the part-time change to a 3-4 defense? Are there a few square pegs trying to fit into round holes?
TealPower: It doesn’t work that well because the Jags have no pass rush so the secondary is getting zero pressure on the opposing QB. The Jags have the worst pass defense in the NFL giving up 281.7 yards per game. The 3-4 has held opposing rushers to 100 yards a game but Kurt Warner, Peyton Manning, and Matt Schaub have torched the secondary. It doesn’t work without a lot of blitzing.
Total Titans: True or false? If Maurice Jones-Drew can be contained, the Jaguars can’t win.
TealPower: True, Jones-Drew is the best athlete on the team. If you can contain him Garrard can’t lead the offense to enough points to win. The Jags starting WRs Torry Holt and Mike Sims-Walker have combined for 24 receptions and 366 yards and 1 TD. In his last game against the Texans, Jones Drew had 23 carries for 119 yards including 3 TDs. He is also a good threat in the passing game matching up against LBs. The offensive gameplan is get the ball to MoJo.
Total Titans: And finally, your prediction for the game. What do the Jags have to do and what’s the score?
TealPower: For Jacksonville to win, they have to keep Chris Johnson on the sidelines and run Jones Drew for 25-30 carries for over 100 yards. Garrard will pass for around 200 yards but I don’t think it will be enough. The Jags secondary is not fast enough to contain Johnson’s threat in the flats. SCORE: Titans 27 Jags 24
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And now, my answers to Nate’s questions.
TealPower: Why isn’t Vince Young the starting QB over Kerry Collins?
Total Titans: A lot of fans wonder that and one of my partners and co-writers, Drexel Perry, posed that question. You can read the pros and cons, along with the mixed reaction here. You can read this article by my other partner and co-writer, Tom Gower, to find out why the Titans failed on their last 15 pass plays last week. The short answer to your question is that Jeff Fisher believes Collins gives the Titans the best chance to win. I’m planning to write more about that next week, so stay tuned. I hope not, but it could be something we’ll be talking about for the rest of the year.
TealPower: How much does the Titans defense miss PacMan?
Total Titans: Not. A. Bit. The Cowboys cut him and they need help at corner. Some teams, like the Bengals and Raiders, will take anybody. They don’t want him. The CFL doesn’t want him. Nobody does. Especially not the Titans. They miss him about as much as they’d miss a group case of the swine flu.
TealPower: Can the Titans win games with LenDale White as the starter in case of an injured Chris Johnson?
Total Titans: The 2007 Titans had a 10-6 record when LenDale started all 16 games so the obvious answer is yes. However, there is cause for concern. When CJ was injured in the first half of the postseason loss to the Ratbirds, the Titans didn’t have much success running the ball afterwards. LenDale’s a good back, though. He’s good enough to start for a lot of teams.
TealPower: What was the reaction of the Titans fans to the death of Steve McNair?
Total Titans: I imagine you can classify Titans fans, like the fans of all other sports teams, into two groups, real fans and casual ones. There was a sense of sorrow and untimely loss among the true Titans fans. Casual fans, and those who aren’t fans at all, seemed more interested in talking about his extracurricular activity. We choose to remember him for his contributions to the team and the community. The team has honored him on several occasions and he will continue to be missed.
TealPower: Prediction
Total Titans: I’m looking forward to another typical Titans-Jaguars slugfest. I believe the Titans will try to shut down MJD and make the Jags one-dimensional, as Keith Bulluck predicted, and I believe they’ll succeed. At least in stopping the run. If you’re going to beat the Titans you have to throw the ball and I don’t believe David Garrard can do that well enough.
Now is a good time to catch the Jags’ new 3-4 defense, while they’re still tinkering with it. Including the preseason, the Titans have faced a 3-4 in five of the last six games. Look for the offense to be productive once again as the Titans win, 20-16.
Thanks again to Nate for joining us in this exchange. Fans, check out TealPower for more of Nate’s take on the Jaguars and stay with us on Total Titans throughout the weekend for more on the Titans-Jags.
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