Is Derrick Morgan Coming Around?

by Jimmy on Dec 26, 2011 8:30 AM CST in Tennessee Titans News

One of the easy whipping boys around here has been Derrick Morgan. He has been injured since the first day he walked in the door and has not done much of anything on the field outside of the first few games last season. We have asked the question if it is too early to call him a bust.

John Glennon has an article in The Tennessean this morning that says Morgan has played better the last few weeks. While he still isn't getting sacks like we/he/the team would like, he has been getting some pressure. That is not enough from a former first round pick, but it is a step in the right direction.

Morgan did make a nice play on Maurice Jones-Drew in the Jaguars game that Glennon talks about in the article. One of the things to remember about Morgan is that he looked like a really complete defensive end coming out of college. He is never going to put up sack numbers like Jevon Kearse did early in his career here. That should not be expected, but he does need to be making more plays all over the field. It looks like Saturday was a good start. Hopefully he can build on that.

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As you said, I don't think he is ever going to be a high number sack guy, but he will lock down that side of the field if we can give him some help

I think it would be good to get a pass rushing specialist in the draft this next year to put on the other side, rotate him out with Ball (assuming we re-sign him, i hope)

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by StPrattrick on Dec 26, 2011 10:33 AM CST reply actions

He wasn't projected to be a high sack guy. Anyone expecting 10-12 sacks a year is probably going to be disappointed.

I think/hope he develops into an above average DE.

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by WinnipegTitanFan13 on Dec 26, 2011 11:04 AM CST up reply actions

We should have kept Babin if we wanted lot of sacks (glad we didn't)

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by StPrattrick on Dec 26, 2011 11:11 AM CST up reply actions

Thanks for writing this.

I’m very glad you pointed out that he’s not going to be a prolific sack guy ever. That’s not the kind of end he is. Anyone who only looks at stat lines for defensive ends is never going to be happy with Derrick Morgan’s play, because he’s not going to rack up sacks.

However, games like yesterday showed why he was considered a complete end coming out of the draft. It wasn’t just the one play, he did a good job of stopping the run and playing good run defense all day long. He showed hustle and motor, and he showed good technique and fits. I couldn’t have been much happier with how he played.

I’m excited about him getting completely healthy.

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by TennesseeTyrants on Dec 26, 2011 11:37 AM CST reply actions

I think Morgan can be a high sack kind of guy

But it’s not easy coming back from injury like he has, especially at the DE position. Trying to turn the corner to get a sack puts a lot of strain on those ligaments and it takes a long time for a guy to start trusting he can turn that corner again. Plus, getting back into football shape as well and of course working on technique as this is essentially his first year at DE.

I am still willing to go with Morgan and Jones at DE next year…we essentially had two first-year DEs playing, and although they haven’t played great, they haven’t played horribly either. I would actually like to focus on getting a pass rushing OLB that can provide a speed rush on the weakside of the formation leaving Morgan / Jones rushing on the strong side. I think that will give a lot of flexibility for our defense and get more pressure on the QB…plus, I don’t think there is any real good speed rushing DEs in this upcoming draft (and you will have to overpay in free agency).

by shawneriksmith on Dec 26, 2011 12:04 PM CST reply actions

People need to remember that it takes 2 years to fully recover from an ACL injury

We’re coming around closer to 2 years right now so the more healthy he gets, the better he’ll perform

by Fila429 on Dec 26, 2011 1:39 PM CST reply actions

Forget that it takes 2 years to fully recover from an ACL injury...

Other than the fact that he’s been around the team for 2 years, he is still in his first season of playing NFL football. Some players it takes time to get acclimated to the game which he should he was doing before the injury. Give him another year and then we need to think about what to do about drafting or signing a new DE.

by benginat0r on Dec 26, 2011 4:48 PM CST up reply actions