Titans at a Crossroads

Now that the their playoffs hopes are officially dead - thanks to the 34-14 drubbing they suffered this past weekend at the hands of the Chiefs- I guess this is as good a time as any to breakdown where it all went wrong for the Titans in just two short years.

In 2008, the Titans were the story of the NFL. Behind the breakout play of then-rookie Chris Johnson & the lockdown mentality of a tenacious defense, the Titans bolted out of the gate to a 10-0 start. They imposed their will in every single one of their games that season and eventually finished 13-3 with home field advantage throughout the playoffs. However, helped by an obvious non-call on what should have been a delay-of-game penalty, the Ravens knocked the Titans off in the Divisional Round. That's where the wheels began to come off.

Fast forward to 2010, and this version of the Titans bears little resemblance to that imposing 2008 squad. Chris Johnson is still around, but he's been bottled up nearly all season. The defense is still respectable, but the secondary is so weak that the highlight of their season was the mid-field brawl featuring who else but Cortland Finnegan. Vince Younghas once again flashed his inner-child & made life as a grown man playing a kid's game much more complicated than it should be. Jeff Fisher, while the longest tenured coach in the NFL, seems to have lost whatever control he may have had over the locker room in Tennessee. In short, it's not a question of what's wrong with the Titans, it's a question of what isn't.

Let's start in the backfield.

Despite his disappointing 2010 season in which he has fallen terribly short of his own boastful prediction of a 2,500 yard season, Chris Johnson is still one of the 3 best backs in the league. The blame for his lackluster season does not fall squarely on the shoulders of CJ. In fact, the only knock against Johnson this season is the fact that he should have been in training camp instead of talking smack about how many yards he was going to break off.

The main problem is the Titans play-calling. When an opposing defense can simply cram the box with as many bodies as possible in order to stop the running game before it can even get started... There's a problem. All season long teams across the league have dared the Titans to beat them through the air, and guess what? The Titans can't do it. They don't even try.

In Kenny Britt, they have one of the best young receivers in the league. They also have a Hall of Famer in Randy Mosswho was basically brought in to be a benchwarmer/decoy. It would be wise to utilize these two weapons when defenses decide to line up against you as if you don't have a quarterback who is capable of tossing a simple ten yard pass every now and then.

So, pass the ball once in a while in order to spread the field for Chris Johnson. Give this man some running room, and he will once again light the whole league on fire. However, keep allowing teams to stuff the box & Johnson may very well pack up and leave when his contract is up.

Let's move on to the wideouts.

As mentioned above, Kenny Britt is the real deal. He's a stud and he has proved his worth while on the field this season. Other than Britt, though... There's nothing to get too excited about. Randy Moss doesn't count because he has been little more than set dressing since his arrival, and when he does get on the field the effort he puts forth is pathetic.

Britt plays with heart & tenacity whether the play being run was drawn up for him or not. Just like a big man in basketball who runs the court hard after a rebound, the Titans should reward Britt with a few more looks. He must be given a chance to show his true potential, and that will not happen by calling three running plays in a row even though the box is stuffed with hungry defenders awaiting their turn to stop the 2,000 yard man.

Now, onto the quarterback position.

Who's the quarterback? Ah, yes... The great enigma of the Tennessee Titans. It's not Kerry Collins, it's not Vince Young, and who the heck is Rusty Smith? Kerry Collins has simply run out of gas, Vince Young is only interested in hearing how great he is, and... Who the heck is Rusty Smith?!

I know that the "go-to" excuse for Vince Young apologists goes something like this, "He's so talented. He just needs to grow up". Yeah, well, Vince is wrapping up his fifth season in the league, and he is 27 years old. Nobody should have to make excuses for grown men once they hit 25. It's time to move on.

The Titans should seriously consider drafting a young quarterback in the upcoming draft who can: A) Throw an accurate pass to a wide open receiver, and B) Keep his cool even when people don't think he's the most special young man in the world.

Donovan McNabb will probably be available. Why not bring him in to groom whichever young QB the Titans draft? At this point, it certainly couldn't hurt.

Okay, let's give the tight end position a look.

In the spirit of finding the silver lining in the loss at Kansas City this past weekend, Jared Cook finally proved that he can be a viable offensive weapon for the Titans at this position. The only thing holding him back from being a consistent starter at this point is the fact that he is a liability when the calls are not drawn up to go to him. His blocking is horrendous, but so what? Work on that during training camp, and he'll be golden. Imagine an agile end like Cook blocking for CJ, and then having the ability to dig out wide for a quick pass once the defense bites on the run fake? Could be an explosive possibility.

Let's talk defense.

The group up front was pretty strong throughout the season, but the secondary got exposed way too often. Finnegan is a very spirited and vocal player, but his act grows old quick when he continually gets burned downfield. There's not much to recommend here but to draft smart & hope the veterans go through a serious gut check during the off season. Either they're okay with being embarrassed week after week, or they show up to prove that they can still get the job done. Period.

Finally, let's look at the head coach.

It is not fair to dump the last two seasons in Jeff Fisher's lap, and blame him for the mess. Not all of it, at least. After all, during the 2008 season there were more than a few fair weather fans suggesting that Fisher was the best coach in the league.

The truth is that things have gotten stale in Tennessee under Fisher. The grim faces of the players on the sidelines says it all. Nobody is having fun. Nobody is smiling. Every single person on the sideline seems to be walking on eggshells.

Fisher should be proud of his tenure in Nashville, but he must also realize that he has been undermined by an owner who is in love with Vince Young. According to his players, the locker room is divided over the Fisher/Young fissure. That is something that will only get worse until one of them is gone, and with Bud Adams' affinity for VY already well-known... I believe that the writing is on the wall for Mr. Fisher, and I strongly believe that he is smart enough to read that writing and leave for greener grass.

- JM