Tennessee Titans Morning Links: What Bill Haslam And Damian Williams Have In Common Edition
by August West on Oct 27, 2010 9:55 AM CDT
in Tennessee Titans Links
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So most of us expect that Justin Gage has lost his spot to Kenny Britt for obvious reasons, but Paul K is the first brave soul with a pulpit to declare that Damian Williams should stay in the top three WRs when Gage is healthy. Gage could be back as early as this week, and I understand where Paul is coming from, but I have to believe that Damian Williams will see his playing time plummet for the same reason Bill Haslam is going to be out next governor: he's just luck/unlucky enough to be the guy with an R next to his name.
The Titans' offensive DVOA is a bit depressing this week, so we're going to focus on the defensive side where our guys rank 2nd against the pass and 4th against the run. Looking at the overall DVOA rankings, we're 5th, but we've beaten the 1st, 6th, 17th, 26th and 28th ranked teams, while losing to the 2nd and 29th ranked teams.
On the heels of the news about Tony Brown's balky knee needing rest, the Titans worked out three defensive tackles yesterday: Jay Alford, Dre Moore and Deljuan Robinson. This is a pretty common occurrence under the Reinfeldt regime, as he's proven to be very good about having a lengthy list of guys they can bring in if they really need to bolster a position.
More love for Alterraun Verner, this time from Boclair.
SportingNew takes a gander at career mid-level players like Jason Babin who have made a much larger impact than expected so far.
Jim Wyatt knows 5 Things About the Titans.
People from all over are getting a kick out of Jeff Fisher's turn as a gumshoe at Karma on Friday.
SignOnSanDiego.com has a scouting report of the Titans, which notes that Titans special teams assistant Marty Galbraith was Philip Rivers' offensive coordinator in college. There's also this gem, which I missed somehow in The Tennessean:
"Don’t go to places after 12 o’clock. Stay in the house. My fianceé actually yelled at me after that and I was like, ‘OK, I’ll stay home for the rest of the season.’ '' -- Britt, in the Tennessean, on what he learned from the off-field incident.
The Chargers look to be facing a blackout as the Titans come to town on Sunday. They aren't alone though, PFT is noting that Detroit, St. Louis, Oakland, Arizona and the game in London are all looking to fall short of the sell-out mark that permits a game to be broadcast in its local market.
USA Today looks at the dwindling playoff possibilities for the Chargers, who lead the NFL in a lot of non-critical stats, while battling the Cowboys for the league lead in inexcusable brain farts.
If you have any links to share feel free to email them to me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com, and be sure to follow me on Twitter at @AugustWest_MCM
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there's no better reason to ignore it!
but seriously, I think anyone who has watched this team knows they’re inefficient and relying on short fields and big okays right now. If the O-line comes together a little more, VY gets healthy and CJ comes out of the bye rested you’ll see those DVOA numbers rise.
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager. Follow me @AugustWest_MCM.
by August West on Oct 27, 2010 10:07 AM CDT up reply actions
Offensive DVOA is nice
But I think total DVOA tells the whole picture for the team as a whole. I think we can all agree that while the offense is scoring a lot of points that they are not consistently moving the ball…essentially the offense is about the same as last year, except with better passing and worse running game. The big difference is the defense, especially the pass defense. So, give credit to Babin/Ball/Jones and the secondary, especially Griffin/Verner, along with Cecil.
Just to compare, last year the offensive/defensive DVOA was 7.6%/12.7% (positive DVOA for defense is bad). That ranked us 15th and 27th for offense and defense. This year (so far) the offensive/defensive DVOA is 0.7%/-20.9% (negative DVOA for defense is good). We are ranked 18th and 2nd for offense and defense.
So, offensively, we are about the same as last year but defensively we are so much better. And, I think we’ll improve offensively as the young guys get to work with each other more (VY, CJ, Britt, Williams, etc). But, the defensive unit is much better…of course, no Nick Harper makes the pass defense many times better.
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions
the single most annoying thing about the MNF trio (who I REALLY like overall)
is that they never have anything bad to say about a player. All big plays are the results of great play, not a complete fuck-up by the other side. If they’d have done the Titans game this week they would have called Kerry’s passes great rather than noting how stupid it was to keep covering Britt one-on-one.
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager. Follow me @AugustWest_MCM.
by August West on Oct 27, 2010 10:27 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, I didn't understand the Eagles defensive gameplan
I saw several times that they had a safety double cover Nate Washington but they continued to leave Kenny Britt one-on-one or just let him run down the field open. I guess the Eagles haven’t ever watched any of the Titans games either, because it is obvious that Britt is the most talented WR we have (no offense to Nate who I think is a solid vertical threat #2 WR).
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 10:33 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, Gruden's praising of people can be over the top,
but I like the trio overall, too. I enjoy them far more than the normal CBS crew the Titans get.
"Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson. 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"
by TennesseeTyrants on Oct 27, 2010 12:51 PM CDT up reply actions
Terico (sp?) was all over Wade Phillips in the 4th Quater last monday
for going for it on 4th down and then going for the 2 point conversion, but it was very out of character
I'm no super-genius... or are I?
I hope they do blackout the london game.
It would serve them right for taking any games out of the states in the first place.
by J3G77 on Oct 27, 2010 10:08 AM CDT reply actions 1 recs
Easy their.
Protectionism is never the answer.
God Save the Queen
by CanuckTitan27 on Oct 27, 2010 10:20 AM CDT up reply actions
make enough money to go to games and you wont need to take them abroad
but yes you are really showing ‘them’ by not allowing san fran fans to watch a game that was taken from them because london didnt sell out a game between two crap teams with zero stars
I believe this is correct
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager. Follow me @AugustWest_MCM.
i dont think it would be blacked out in SF
but i doubt it would be blacked out in London. that makes no sense. so i assumed this guy was talking about SF. but i doubt the NFLs plan to grow the game in the UK would benefit from blacking one of the few sunday afternoon games people would get on TV or care about in any way.
my guess is the NFL would find someone they could prod into buying the remaining tickets
In the US teams can often get the local channel that’s covering the game to help out with that since they lose a ton of ad money in a blackout. The local TV exposure over there is half the point of going.
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager. Follow me @AugustWest_MCM.
Politics AND football in the morning links?
I like this place.
"Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson. 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"
by TennesseeTyrants on Oct 27, 2010 10:26 AM CDT reply actions
I try to keep away from it here
but it was just too easy on that one, and I think anyone who’s even driven through Tennessee in the past 6 months would agree…
Music City Miracles blogger and official Jon Bovi tour manager. Follow me @AugustWest_MCM.
by August West on Oct 27, 2010 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions 1 recs
Actually...
I was there for a weekend back in August and took no notice of any political stuff…
But then, I was there for a buddy’s birthday and determined to have fun, not get sucked into politics that I can’t change.
I’ll sure be glad when November 2nd has come and gone, though… the political ads on the radio are getting more and more annoying.
I love politics
I find the stuff incredibly interesting, and usually end up with really strong opinions about candidates, the issues, etc.
But I cannot stand the ads. You can’t get away from them on either side. It gets really, really old. It’s like listening to middle schoolers fight.
"Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson. 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"
by TennesseeTyrants on Oct 27, 2010 8:27 PM CDT up reply actions
The Chargers game makes me ill.
They constantly dominate us. If we go in there and win decisively i think we will have seen a real turning point in this team.
Ain't no time for hesitatin'
All you got to do is groove
by BonzosMontreaux on Oct 27, 2010 10:35 AM CDT reply actions
I agree with Paul K on D Will
I know Fisher doesn’t like giving rookies a lot of playing time but Williams has been very consistent in getting open and making catches. He hasn’t had any huge plays but he has converted several first downs. I think he is a good complement to Britt and Washington…Britt being the big physical WR, Washington the vertical threat, and Williams with the ability to find the open areas in a zone and pick up some YAC. Why change a good thing??
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 10:36 AM CDT reply actions
Exactly!
Everytime the ball is thrown to Gage I wince. I think everyone knows if the ball is anywhere near D Will he will catch it. That sounds like what we have need for a while in Titanland. Only problem is Britt outperformed Gage last year also and still didn’t matter.
Britt's offseason seemed to matter quite a bit.
L'enfer, c'est les autres.
by Strangely Enough on Oct 27, 2010 8:47 PM CDT up reply actions
I just have to say that I really hate the San Diego Chargers.
I especially hate Norv Turner. There I said it. Thank you, I feel much better.
One of my least favorite teams
and I don’t really know why. It’s just hate at first sight.
I'm not a Vince Young fanboy. I'm a Vince Young athletic supporter. No, wait.
by numbertenox on Oct 27, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Good cheerleaders, though
I'm not a Vince Young fanboy. I'm a Vince Young athletic supporter. No, wait.
by numbertenox on Oct 27, 2010 12:05 PM CDT up reply actions
Have you ever seen any "bad" cheerleaders?
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions
The scale goes like this:
good….hot….omg
Charger girls usually are on the upper end of the scale. Although I think they were wearing pink jackets the other day in pretty warm weather, which is kinda lame.
I'm not a Vince Young fanboy. I'm a Vince Young athletic supporter. No, wait.
by numbertenox on Oct 27, 2010 12:13 PM CDT up reply actions
Gregg Easterbrook says
The Chargers lost because their cheerleaders were over-dressed for the weather.
Inexcusible brain farts?
A-Dub, omly you could come up with that one. BTW, the Bolts & Boys are not alone in that dept. The Vikings & Saints have also fallen into that “underacheiver” catagory. And I’m not buying into the “fear the Chargers” slogan here. I don’t care about how many times we faced them or how many times they’ve beat us. We’re 5-2…they are 2-5…there’s a reason for that, and the reason is…we are a better team than they are. So if we take care of business Sunday & do NOT turn the ball over, then we’ll be 6-2 going into the bye week.
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 11:30 AM CDT reply actions
Questions
I was reading something somewhere this morning and came across a comment someone posted stating that we should pull Hope and move Finnegan to safety leaving ATV and McCourty to play the CB positions. I know Finnegan is great in run support and it would be nice to have someone playing safety with his cover skills. I cant even imagine the mismatches with him covering running back and tight ends. So the questions for all you people who know more about Finnys background are:
Can he play safety?
Has he played safety before?
Is he big enough?
Is this just completely ridiculous?
Finnegan shouldn't play safety
He’s not big enough plus playing safety and CB are really different. Hope has not been playing great but he would still be better than moving Finnegan or any other Titan CB to safety.
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:46 AM CDT up reply actions
Hows about replace him with a rookie, like...
Robert Johnson?
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
That's a possibility
But would a rookie safety play better than Hope has?? I’m no fan of Chris Hope right now but I don’t think replacing him with a rookie safety is the best move either.
I think we’re stuck with trying to get Hope to play up to the level he has played in prior years…he is not as bad as Harper was last year. Of course, I think in next year’s draft, the Titans are going to draft a safety in either the 1st or 2nd rounds as eventual replacement for Hope (with Johnson competing as well).
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:52 AM CDT up reply actions
Saying he's not as bad as Harper...
is not exactly a ringing endorsement.
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah but...
Fisher didn’t replace Harper last year with a solid vet like Rod Hood…so I doubt he’s even thinking about replacing Hope this year with a rookie safety.
But, only time will tell if Hope pulls his game around…
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:55 AM CDT up reply actions
Yeah, but Hope's woes didn't start this year...
they started last year.
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 12:02 PM CDT up reply actions
Hope hasn't been great,
but he’s been good. He has a really ugly play sometimes, but he’s getting the job done overall.
I think he needs replacing, don’t get me wrong, but it’s not so urgent that we need to start Robert Johnson this year.
"Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson. 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"
by TennesseeTyrants on Oct 27, 2010 12:54 PM CDT up reply actions
Funny, Drexel Perry over at TotalTitans offered a similar suggestion
except with McCourty taking over Hope’s spot. Personally, I think both are ridiculous notions. Hope’s had some lapses, but I think he deserves a chance to get out of his funk. He’s been a pretty darn good player most of his career, and we need to know for sure if he is starting to decline or just having a down time from which he’ll recover, before anything drastic happens.
by groovymountain on Oct 27, 2010 11:49 AM CDT up reply actions
Agree
A caller called the fisher show last night griping about Hope, but I had to get out of the car and missed the response.
I'm not a Vince Young fanboy. I'm a Vince Young athletic supporter. No, wait.
by numbertenox on Oct 27, 2010 12:09 PM CDT up reply actions
I am down on Hope.....any suggestion of change is good for me!
Official MCM Hater!
"If anyone asks you, you fixed my television. Now go!"
Hope has become
an in the box safety only. His coverage has been awful. He cost us the Denver game. I don’t know that Johnson would be better however. I expect a safety in the first round next year.
As for the DTs being worked out
If healthy, I think Jay Alford could be a big pickup. He was really good in college at Penn State and was semi-productive his first two years with the Giants. But, he then tore his ACL and MCL and got waived by the Giants (and again by the Raiders).
So, if he is healthy, then I would definitely sign him…of course, that’s assuming Tony Brown’s injury is a little more serious than we thought it was earlier this season.
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:49 AM CDT reply actions
How bad do you have to be to...
get cut by the Raiders?
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 11:51 AM CDT up reply actions
True but...
I think it was mainly for health reasons…plus, the Raiders do have a pretty good set of DL. So, it’s really all about Alford’s health…if healthy, I think he can develop into a solid DT with Washburn working on him.
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:53 AM CDT up reply actions
I think you or I could...
develop into a solid DT with Washburn working on us.
by titansfan4ever on Oct 27, 2010 11:56 AM CDT up reply actions
Ha...Washburn is good
But I would get killed in the trenches…and SuperHorn makes a good point bringing up Babin.
I just think Alford has the physical talent…and he tore his ACL/MCL over a year ago so he should start getting healthy now. I’m assuming he stayed in shape though during his rehab.
by shawneriksmith on Oct 27, 2010 11:57 AM CDT up reply actions
Babin couldn't find a way to stay on the Texans squad after 2006. Or, Seattle, KC, and Philly over the past 3 years.
Provided the physical skill set is there, Washburn has proved that past results do not influence future results with our defensive linemen.
In other news, Troy Smith will be starting this week for the 49ers.
I didn’t even know he had left the Ravens.
YO
I was thinking the same thing. Troy Smith a 9er? Maybe he’ll like up deep with Ted Ginn like he did at OSU. GO BUCKS!
i did know he left
and was super pumped reading that today. turns that game into a must watch for me. he never got a fair shake in baltimore, but thats good cause id hate to be cheering for a raven
Regarding britt's fiance
Behind every worthwhile man is a woman fussing at him.
I'm not a Vince Young fanboy. I'm a Vince Young athletic supporter. No, wait.
Hey if she can keep Britt from getting into these little incidents, Titans fans will be sending her Christmas cards
by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Oct 27, 2010 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions
She needs to start doing a weekly column here like ATV!
Might keep some of you young guys out of trouble.
what was jeff fisher doing at a CLUB on a friday!?
doesnt he have any respect for the team and the game of football!
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