Albert Haynesworth

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Haynesworth is the best defensive tackle in football.  He disrupts the middle of any offensive line he faces and keeps the interior lineman from getting to the second level to block the linebackers.  Fat Albert will probably become the highest paid defensive player in the league this offseason.  I just hope it is the Titans that are writing his checks next season. Grade A.

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The 3rd preseason game is the most important for most teams because it is the game where they play their starters into the 3rd quarter.  That is not how the Titans will handle this game.  Titans' Coach Jeff Fisher said on Thursday that the starters will play only the first half this week, and then next week against the Packers they will play into the 3rd quarter.  Here are some things to watch for in tonight's game:

 

Offense

• The Titans have done a little more game planning this week than they normally do in the preseason in order to give the offense, particularly the passing offense, some much needed confidence.  Look for them to come out with a set number of scripted plays on their first drive like they would in a regular season game.  Dinger is very good with the opening drive, so don't be surprised to see a TD to open the game.
• We are still waiting for a receiver to step up and prove he can make plays.  Lavelle Hawkins did it last week, but he is out this week with an ankle injury.  Can Brandon Jones or Justin McCariens prove something on the field?  I would say at this point McCareins, Justin Gage and The Hawk are the only locks to be on this roster opening day.  Everyone else is playing for their lives.
• I am always excited to see what Chris Johnson is going to do.  He is supposed to return kicks in the first half.  I would love to see him break one.

Defense

• The defense has looked pretty solid in both of the games thus far.  I look for them to get all over Falcons' rookie quarterback Matt Ryan. 
• Stephen Tulloch will get another start with Keith Bulluck out.  It was fun to watch him fly all over the field last week.  He is going to prove to be a very valuable part of this defense because he is backing up all 3 linebacker spots.
• Jason Jones, William Hayes, Antonio Johnson, and Jacob Ford were all impressive in camp.  It is time for them to make some plays in live action.

The Falcons are not expected to be very good this year.  The Titans' starters need to look sharp in this game to continue buliding momentum towards the regular season.

Be sure and stop in tonight for the open thread that will be up at 5:00 p.m. central.

 

The defense played a pretty good game Friday night.  The Raiders are going to have a pretty good offense this season with the running back combo of Justin Fargas and Darren McFadden.  JaMarcus Russell looked pretty good as well.  That TD pass to Zach Miller was a perfect throw against good coverage.  My only real complaint about the defense was they didn't get much pressure on Russell, and when they did, they allowed him to move around and make some plays.  The only player that could bring him down, oddly enough, was Reynaldo Hill.  Some thoughts on individual defensive players:

Eric King- King had an up and down night.  He looked silly early when he got juked out of his pants, but came back to make a break up a pass intended for Ronald Curry on 3rd down.  Later Curry put a move on him that left him standing still.  After seeing King start one game, I would say he is better than Reynaldo Hill, but he is not anywhere close to starting over a healthy Nick Harper.

Stephen Tulloch- I really like watching Tulloch play.  He did get blown up by Fargas outside linebacker positions so he is the next guy on the field if any of the linebackers get injured.

Albert Haynesworth- Fat Albert blew a couple of plays up.  He looks to be in good shape and ready for another Pro Bowl season.

Cortland Finnegan- That was money well spent.  He is always around the ball, and he is always knocking people off of their feet.  He made a really nice play against the screen pass to keep it from becoming a big gainer.

William Hayes- The kid looks athletic.  He was in the backfiel a couple of times and made a nice play to stop McFadden on a stretch play.

The passing game was terrible Friday night.  There is really nothing else to say about it.  Vince Young and Kerry Collins both seemed completely lost out there, and the receiver didn't do anything to help them out.  The Titans actually ran the ball really well.  Some individual thoughts:

Vince Young- VY looked great on the first series.  He made a great throw to Bo Scaife, who had a good game, on the second series, but it was all down hill from there.  The biggest things I noticed was that VY was back in the habit of not setting his feet and stepping into his throws which is what keeps him from being accurate.

LenDale White- White looked shifty and ran the ball hard all night. 

Chris Johnson- I was so sad when he missed the ball on his first kickoff return chance.  CJ is an impressive runner.  He was very close to breaking another TD run.  The one thing he did wrong Friday night was not concentrate on balls thrown to him.  It looked like he was looking to run before he caught the ball.

Justin Gage- He only made one catch, but it was a good one on a ball that was not well thrown.

Paul Williams- He has to be on life support at this point after another bad penalty and another couple of dropped passes.

Lavelle Hawkins- This was the coming out party for The Hawk.  He got lit up on the first pass he caught and help on.  The 51 yard TD catch was awesome.  He made a nice move after catching the ball to spring himself free.

Ingle Martin- Martin did a really good job leading the team down the field to set up the winning TD pass.  The Titans will probably only carry two quarterbacks on the roster, but Martin is looking he might deserve a spot.

The Titans agreed to terms today with 4th round draft pick William Hayes.  Hayes's contract is for the minimum salary over the next 4 years and a $500,000 bonus according to ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky.  Hayes is the 4th of 7 draft picks to sign leaving just the first three picks (Chris Johnson, Jason Jones, and Craig Stevens) unsigned.  Camp opens Friday afternoon, so hopefully those guys will be inked before then. 

 

Jim Wyatt has today's practice report up on his blog.  Some observations:

Defensive end Jacob Ford, who tore his Achilles last year in training camp, has made a nice surge of late. On Wednesday, he worked his way into the backfield on several occasions. Ford said he’s feeling stronger, and more comfortable.

            Second-round draft pick Jason Jones got work with the first team at defensive tackle, in place of Antonio Johnson. Both players are getting an extra long look because of Albert Haynesworth’s absence.

            Defensive tackle Tony Brown batted down two balls, while defensive ends Kyle Vanden Bosch and Jevon Kearse busted it in the heat, chasing the ball downfield time and again. Kearse also busted through on one play to stop rookie running back Chris Johnson in the backfield.

            Rookie defensive end William Hayes got recognized for both good and bad from defensive line coach Jim Washburn. He was praised for one play, then Washburn rode him for not running to the ball on another.

This defensive line is going to be really exciting to watch.  I think they are going to spend a lot of time in the backfield this season.

Receiver Brandon Jones continues to be inconsistent. He made some nice catches, but failed to haul in a few catch-able balls. Defensive back Chris Carr should get some credit for breaking one up, however.

I don't think he will end up making the team.  Heimerdinger doesn't care for inconsistent play.

Receiver Lavelle Hawkins continues to provide reasons why he could be an instant playmaker. He’s shifty when he gets his hands on the ball, and makes guys miss.

Hawkins looks on pace to secure the slot receiver spot.

Jim Wyatt has posted another practice report on his blog.  The higlights:

--Rookie defensive end William Hayes got noticed for good reasons and bad. Hayes stripped Young of the football on a good pass rush up the middle, but had to hear it from Coach Jeff Fisher, who scolded him for being a little too aggressive.

       "Don't touch the quarterback, William,'' Fisher said. "Don't touch the quarterback.''

I like it that he is getting noticed and making plays.  That aggression will payoff when it matters.

--Defensive tackle Antonio Johnson continues to stand out in practices. He busted through the line on one play and stopped rookie running back Chris Johnson cold.

It sounds like he is going to be a solid guy in that defensive tackle rotation.  The Titans could end up having a dang good D line next season.

--I've been skeptical about receiver Mike Williams, but the guy continues to make plays in practices. Williams extended his arms and made a great catch on a ball thrown by Kerry Collins on one play, then went up high to catch another at the goal line.

There is the Mike Williams update August was asking for.

--Receiver Biren Ealy made a highlight-film catch for a touchdown, catching the ball just off the ground.

       It was close. Linebacker Keith Bulluck wasn't convinced.

      "Great catch, but they might have to review that one,'' Bulluck said.

Ealy is going to contribute this season.  Great article about him from Wyatt here.

--Johnson continues to show some nifty running ability. He squirted through the hole on one handoff, and outraced would-be tacklers. He also made a nice catch on a ball thrown by quarterback Ingle Martin.

He too shall contribute.