Titans cornerback Nick Harper returned to practice on Thursday and declared himself a go for...

Titans cornerback Nick Harper returned to practice on Thursday and declared himself a go for Friday’s game against the Chargers.

Harper missed practices earlier in the week with a shoulder injury. Harper said there’s a chance he'll play with a harness on the shoulder he had surgery on five years ago, but he’d prefer not to.

Great. Can't wait to see what an injured Nick Harper can do!

about 2 years ago Aditya T (smashville) 71 comments 0 recs |

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whew!!

pretty big relief there. Keith Bulluck being out is manageable.. but if Keith Bulluck AND Nick Harper were out, we might as well pack our bags. Hood is just… incompetent.

by sm00thBlue on Dec 24, 2009 1:55 PM CST reply actions

If he plays hurt, expect him to be a lock for:

atleast 3 missed tackles
1 missed interception (not because his coverage is good, because a sudden gust of wind blows)
12 plays where the sentence ends in “Nick harper on the coverage”
200 yards of passing given up.

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on Dec 24, 2009 1:55 PM CST reply actions

OMG

Can Bud not intervene, here too???

by Trasee on Dec 24, 2009 1:58 PM CST reply actions

If they play him

here’s hoping he does well, but I don’t have a lot of optimism.

by numbertenox on Dec 24, 2009 1:59 PM CST reply actions

Watching the vids on the new LB crew.

They all sound excited and confident. Tully sounds like he is on top of it. Obviously, the loss of Thornton and Bulluck is brutal, but the New Crew sounds like they are up to the challenge. I am very optimistic thay will step up and make the plays. On top of that Winborn is estatic to be back in a locker room and eager to contribute. Out of a bad situation, their attitudes made me feel better.

by Baha on Dec 24, 2009 2:03 PM CST reply actions

Will somebody please just shoot me now

even an injury wont bench this guy, i hope this is not the makings of a long day on the right side of our D.

by bullrider73 on Dec 24, 2009 2:04 PM CST reply actions

nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo

Will L

by WLtitans28 on Dec 24, 2009 2:51 PM CST via mobile reply actions

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by Pinoy Titan on Dec 24, 2009 3:35 PM CST reply actions

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by Pinoy Titan on Dec 24, 2009 3:35 PM CST reply actions

I guess there really is

NO Santa Claus.

by T the D on Dec 24, 2009 3:47 PM CST reply actions

Here's a question.

INT’s are the easy stat to measure with a CB – and that’s all we’ve referenced in regards to Hood’s three week performance – but how well did Hood really do? I admit I wasn’t analyzing his work closely. Did anyone happen to really study Hood during those three games? Is Fisher truly stubborn/foolish or is Harper (flaws and all) better than Hood? Maybe they both suck but Harper sucks a little less and is better at run support.

This one's for you, #9.

by Drubaru on Dec 24, 2009 4:06 PM CST reply actions

the issue is not how good Hood it

it is how bad Harper is…he is 35 and has lost more than just a step

I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

by DonFrancisco on Dec 24, 2009 4:15 PM CST up reply actions

I agree Harper has lost a step.

I guess I’m just really trying to figure out if there’s something Fisher has seen that I don’t about Hood. I just find it so hard to believe Fisher is that big of an idiot. Maybe he is…

This one's for you, #9.

by Drubaru on Dec 24, 2009 4:31 PM CST up reply actions

Good questions that need answers, however...

…those interceptions are VERY valuable. They immediately end an opponent’s drive and gives us another chance to score. Some players just have a knack for ‘em. (…Just like “luck” and “health” are skills that shouldn’t be overlooked)

by oilertitan on Dec 24, 2009 4:15 PM CST up reply actions

Good point.

Like, maybe Fisher should have “kept the hot hand.”

This one's for you, #9.

by Drubaru on Dec 24, 2009 4:32 PM CST up reply actions

Look,

You can’t get interceptions unless you stay with the receiver through the route, and Harper can’t do that.

"We really feel like we can go 10-0 in these last ten games...we’re trying to do something nobody has ever done." Chris Johnson
"This is the only building in the NHL that the fans get up and cheer for no apparent reason just to support us." - Dan Ellis

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by Aditya T (smashville) on Dec 24, 2009 4:17 PM CST up reply actions

I tried very hard to avoid talking about the INTs,

and focus on the rest of his game. But what I’m hearing from everybody is that INT’s are proof that the rest of his game is superior to Harper’s. Okay. I can see that. I know that Hood’s first INT was pretty lucky, a tipped ball.

So, again, has anybody really watched him closely? Also, why was he out of work? I just have this sneaking suspicion maybe he got lucky in the short term, but he’s not fundamentally sound.

This one's for you, #9.

by Drubaru on Dec 24, 2009 4:28 PM CST up reply actions

all 3 of hood's INTs were fluky

2 tipped passes and the one that went right through TO’s hands.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on Dec 24, 2009 5:23 PM CST up reply actions

but he had to be in position to catch those tipped passes and dropped catches.

by TitansFanForever on Dec 24, 2009 6:23 PM CST up reply actions

not true

he was totally out of position on the TO INT, seeing as how TO had an easy wide open catch that him simply whiffed on. behind the receiver is not good position.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on Dec 24, 2009 8:38 PM CST up reply actions

an interception is an interception

one was tipped, one went through TO’s hand, and one the receiver was blocked by a referee…though I thought he was in position for that one, it’s up for debate, really

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 7:02 PM CST up reply actions

"an interception is an interception"

well, kinda, but if you want to use INTs as a measure of a CB’s skills you have to look at how it happened. hood wasn’t out there jumping routes or making insane plays on the ball. if TO catches the ball, hood was terribly out of position behind the receiver. instead TO blew it and hood got a gift. same thing on the one griffin tipped to him on the sideline. griffin made the play cuz hood couldn’t get there, so he was standing flat footed in bounds instead of making a play on the ball, and it dropped into his lap again.

The Dual Threat, Official Enforcer/Stat Geek of MCM.

by hal41605 on Dec 24, 2009 8:37 PM CST up reply actions

Spot on on the TO miss. He was in trouble there

I think on the Griffin tip that was safety help with Hood in the right place at the right time

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 8:44 PM CST up reply actions

i'll take fluky

"hey, quit reading these ridiculous words of wisdom and get back to work!"

by stetix01 on Dec 24, 2009 11:05 PM CST up reply actions

me too

fluky > old and slow

I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

by DonFrancisco on Dec 25, 2009 7:24 AM CST up reply actions

forget interceptions (he had a fluke one last game)

i haven’t seen harper bat a ball away the whole season.

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by Pinoy Titan on Dec 24, 2009 4:29 PM CST reply actions

you haven't seen Hood bat away a ball either...

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 4:47 PM CST reply actions

yeah

i saw him intercept balls

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by Pinoy Titan on Dec 24, 2009 4:51 PM CST up reply actions

after getting beat

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 6:56 PM CST up reply actions

What?

Your defense is that Harper is a better defender because when he gets beat, it goes for touchdowns, but when Rod Hood gets beat, he intercepts it?

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 6:58 PM CST up reply actions

You know what I'm saying

Hood got int’s on balls that he was beat on. It wasn’t because he jumped a route or tipped a ball to himself.

WR ran into official
Grif tipped a ball
Ball goes through TO’s hand

None of the above was a result of him making a play.

If WR doesn’t run into official then it’s a catch for the receiver.
If Griff doesn’t tip ball then receiver catches the ball
If TO doesn’t let the ball go right through his hands then it’s a reception.

Come on…that’s all fluky.

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions

The receiver wasn’t going to catch that ball on the Jags play. That’s good pass defense. He’s there. The other ones; fluky, yes, but he’s waiting by the receiver on the tipped ball. He still has to catch it. He wasn’t beat, he was just helped out. The TO one, well, TO just gave up on that and anyone on that play probably gets the pick.

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 7:20 PM CST up reply actions

The

receiver you all are talking about that ran into the official was Torry Holt.

Just letting y’all know.

by RhiNo6705 on Dec 25, 2009 1:13 PM CST up reply actions

Well, Harper gets beat and doesn’t get INTs.

Media - "How does it feel to be that fast?"
CJ - "It feels real good."

by nathangouge on Dec 24, 2009 9:53 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

Stats:

Passes thrown Rod Hood’s direction were completed 43.3% of the time, while passes throw at Nick Harper are completed an NFL 4th worst 72.0% of the time. The QB rating for passes thrown into Rod Hood’s direction is 51.0, while the QB rating for passes thrown at Nick Harper is an NFL 6th worst 103.1.

Official Graphic Designer/Researcher/Grammar Police of MCM.
Official Graphic Goon of OTF.

by Aditya T (smashville) on Dec 24, 2009 4:47 PM CST reply actions

wow

he really is that shitty

by vancouverTITAN on Dec 24, 2009 4:55 PM CST up reply actions

case closed

nice work smash

"I finished the game. In my mind, if I finished the game, I can play next week." - Steve McNair RIP
Charter Member of the Music City Miracles Hall Of Fame

by Pinoy Titan on Dec 24, 2009 4:56 PM CST up reply actions

Awesome, smash.

That’s why you get the big bucks.

I shall now return to my former stance that Fisher is either a) drunk with power, b) an idiot or c) out of his mind.

Thanks. Nice work and those stats were way overdue. (apologies if you had posted them elsewhere before).

This one's for you, #9.

by Drubaru on Dec 24, 2009 4:56 PM CST up reply actions

SCIENCE!

Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove

by BonzosMontreaux on Dec 24, 2009 5:59 PM CST up reply actions

Thank you, Smash

I’ll tack on a stat, I saw someone say Hood got lucky on his interceptions, but he’s still in position.
Rod Hood: 3 PASSES DEFENDED/3 INTERCEPTIONS in 3 games
Nick Harper: 5 PASSES DEFENDED/1 INTERCEPTION in 10 games

I’ll take Hood

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 6:57 PM CST up reply actions

source...i guess now you're using that same source

that you were bashing on the Dolphins site. So, tell the listeners the numbers for Finnegan and Fuller.

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 6:58 PM CST up reply actions

You can look at the stats at profootballfocus.com

Harper’s numbers are the worst of all Titans DBs

Official Graphic Designer/Researcher/Grammar Police of MCM.
Official Graphic Goon of OTF.

by Aditya T (smashville) on Dec 24, 2009 7:02 PM CST via mobile up reply actions

didn't need a stat sheet to know that

I could tell just by watching him get beat in every imaginable way on the field. Makes me wish for the glory days of Denard Walker

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 7:04 PM CST up reply actions

So I guess judging by those numbers

Hood is better than Finnegan…right??

Finnegan is 64%. Smash, you knew those numbers were flawed when you looked at them the first time.

The jury is still out on profootballfocus to see if they’re using coach’s tape.

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 7:06 PM CST up reply actions

I haven't seen anything nearly as convincing from you

Your argument is that his stats are invalid. Your argument against Hood is that he hasn’t played against a real offense yet. Or that his interceptions were luck/a result of him getting beat. But Harper has looked terrible against everyone but the Rams. So far, the argument that Hood is worse than Harper isn’t from what HAS happened this season, but from what MIGHT happen.

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 7:12 PM CST up reply actions

So...is Hood better than Finnegan

Yes or no…?

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 7:13 PM CST up reply actions

Not in my opinion

And has Harper had a better career than Hood? I think so, but this season he’s looked off. I was on Harper’s team last year, and I don’t want him to be hurt to have to miss a game, but I think Hood did better than Harper in his three starts this year.

I’m not saying Hood is going to go out and smother his assignment. I’m not saying Hood is great. I’m saying: From what I’ve seen this season, I have no reason not to start Hood over Harper.

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 7:23 PM CST up reply actions

I was just asking you that question to

just to show you that I don’t buy into that sites figures. Honestly, I just think Hood is a mirage that everyone is buying.

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 7:26 PM CST up reply actions

the issue is not how good Hood is. The issue is how BAD Harper is. Those numbers don’t prove Hood is better b/c he hasnt played enough for the numbers to mean anything. It’s like a batting average of .400 but with only 20 AB (or 1.000 after 2 ABs, right Jimmy!). It doent really tell us anything. Harper’s numbers on the other hand do tell us something. He has played as one of the worst CBs in league this season.

I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

by DonFrancisco on Dec 25, 2009 7:30 AM CST up reply actions

This man knows of what he speaks

He batted 1.000 in his high school career.

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles even though gramsey hates it.

"What if I was Peyton Manning?"- CJ to the ref after they picked up a personal foul flag for a late hit on him.

by Jimmy on Dec 25, 2009 3:28 PM CST up reply actions

By the way

while the QB rating for passes thrown at Nick Harper is an NFL 6th worst 103.1.

Site states that Hood’s was 109.1 for 2008.

Analyze that however you want to…

by earlers on Dec 24, 2009 7:25 PM CST up reply actions

thank god

someone else is with me on the “Rod Hood is not Jesus Christ” argument.

by Paulj567 on Dec 24, 2009 8:19 PM CST up reply actions

I give up

I pray Harper has the game of his life, but all signs point to Rivers turning his head upfield at #20 all game long.

by Great Paperclip on Dec 24, 2009 8:28 PM CST up reply actions

no ones argument is 2008 rod hood is better than 2008 nick harper

by mattd97 on Dec 25, 2009 1:08 AM CST up reply actions

Answer me this

How does Cardinals D from 2008 compare to this years. The Cardinals played a high risk/high reward defense with a lot of blitzing, single man coverage, lot of going for INT, etc. Sounds just about opposite of the Titans D. I don’t think we know how good/bad Hood is in the Titans D.
We do know that Harper is done and has been bad, very bad. He is getting in the Justin McCareins zone.

I’m an early bird and a night owl. So I’m wise and I have worms.

by DonFrancisco on Dec 25, 2009 7:34 AM CST up reply actions

Agreed

2 totally different defenses.

3/4 and 4/3 not to mention.

Completely agree with the Justin McCareins comment, though it makes me cringe.

by RhiNo6705 on Dec 25, 2009 1:18 PM CST up reply actions

keep in mind...

Finnegan is our #1, Harper and Hood were both #2’s (hehe). While not always the case, Finnegan lines up against the opposing team’s top wideout. He’s got a harder job than both Harper and Hood.

by MondayNight on Dec 25, 2009 1:04 PM CST up reply actions