FanPost

Titans preseason...should we still be ranked 30th?

Prior to the start of training camp, a reputable pro football magazine released it's annual NFL preseason power rankings. The Tennessee Titans were ranked 30th out of 32 teams.

Wow.

Although I was surprised the Titans were ranked so low, the non homer fan in me tried to look at the assessment objectively. After all, with so much turnover on the coaching staff, no one really knew what to expect.

On the field, the Titans lack "one name" players. Peyton, Megatron, Dez, ect. Their starting qb is playing on a one year deal, and they took an offensive lineman of all things with the 11th overall pick in this year's draft. Without the luxury of seeing the new look Titans on the field, 30th was a safe call.

Now that the team's game 3 dress rehearsal is complete, lets reassess that 30th power ranking.

After 3 preseason games, the three most potent offenses in the league so far are Philadelphia, New England, and New Orleans. Not exactly a shocker right?

But number four is...yep....Tennessee.

Now, before you dismiss this as a meaningless abstract preseason stat...please consider the following......

1. New head coach Ken Whisenhunt made his name in this league calling plays. He was the offensive coordinator for the Super Bowl Champion Steelers, and led the Arizona Cardinals.....the Cardinals.....to their first Super Bowl appearance.

The Cardinals....

And they did it with an explosive offense. Yes, the Cardinals had Hall of Fame qb Kurt Warner that year. But lets not forget that Warner was considered washed up in his previous stint in New York. He kinda just landed in Arizona to extend his career.

Digressing.....

In addition to all of that, coach Whiz...as the offensive coordinator in San Diego last year...finished with the 5th best offense in the league. The year before they were one of the worst in the league in that category.

2. Jake Locker looks like the qb from the first four games last year. If you recall, Tennessee was racking up wins at a playoff pace prior to Locker going down. His qb rating was over 100 at the time.

After 3 preseason games, Locker boasts a rating of 119.9, 4th in the AFC. He's checked the ball down well, and seems to have a good grasp of the new offense. His back ups, especially rookie sixth round pick Zach Mettenberger, have been just as impressive. He boasts a qb rating of 97.9, and leads the entire league in preseason passing yards, all while leading two second half comeback performances.

Second year wide receiver Justin Hunter seems to be making the leap this summer. His preseason performance assures the coaching staff that number 1 wr Kendall Wright will have a credible compliment on the outside this year. That would allow aging veteran Nate Washington to move into the slot role.

And speaking of aging veterans....well what do you know...a Shonn Greene sighting. That man is running the ball like Tennessee took a running back high in this year's draft.

No wait...they did.

Rookie second round pick Bishop Sankey has shown some flashes, as well as an encouraging nose for the end zone. But his fumbles are a concern. I'd also like to see his production against consistent first team defense caliber talent.

The X factor in all of this is flex back Dexter McCluster. Find another sentence with that many "x's" in it.

Ok...digressing.....

What intrigues me about McCluster is just how conspicuous the Titans were in not showing anything with him. He did a swing pass here, a draw play there, but nothing that his talent...and free agent salary...would warrant. That leads me to believe that coach Whiz has some special things in place for McCluster that he doesn't want on film until it's too late.

All in all, very impressed with that side of the ball.

On defense? Well...what was that preseason ranking again?

This unit has been down right terrible, especially the first unit. Every opposing team took their opening drive right down the field and scored....with no resistance. And before you point out that Tennessee played Green Bay and New Orleans the first two games, Aaron Rogers and Drew Brees did not play.

That's even scarier.

Not pressuring the qb, not getting turnovers, not getting off the field on third downs, missing open field tackles, the list goes on and on. Team IQ was one of the things we were looking for this preseason, and the eye in the sky don't lie. It looks like the defense is having a hard time grasping defensive coordinator Ray Horton's new 3-4 scheme.

Horton better do something...anything...and quick. Until then, if you own a Chiefs player in fantasy football not named Dwayne Bowe, start him week 1.

Tennessee is not there yet by any means, but signs are pointing up. At worse, we can officially say the Titans are not the third worst looking team in the league so far. In fact, I'd like to see that preseason power ranking updated at the conclusion of this week's games.

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