More photos » by Mark Humphrey - AP

These answers are boring. Jeff should use some gestures to make this more interesting. (AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, fILE)

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(on Ryan Moats and Steve Slaton)

They're both different backs. Chris (Brown) is a different back than the other two. We've got tape on all of them, we've seen them. I would anticipate Moats to play on first and second down and then Slaton will probably handle duties on third down.

(on why the Texans have struggled running the ball)

They're throwing it very well. They can still run it. They put some good numbers up against some tough defenses. Their run game is still always going to be a concern.

(on the Texans secondary)

I'm sure they got those things corrected. Their whole entire defense has improved, numbers reflect it. If you look at the run defense and what we talked about yesterday. The run defense is not just attributed to the front seven, it's attributed to the entire defense. They've improved. They're making a lot of plays.

(on not having as many communication breakdowns on defense in the recent weeks)

It's has a lot to do with the return of Cort, Rod (Hood) getting use to what we're doing and Vinny (Fuller) coming back.

(on Justin Gage)

He's improving each day. He's improving. If he's unable to get out tomorrow, then it will be unlikely that he will play.

(on Kenny Britt)

He did things right. He's quietly doing the job. He's not getting a lot of opportunities, but those will come. With the potential of Justin (Gage) not to play this week, he's got a chance to make a lot of plays.

This post is sponsored by Comcast and their NFL Red Zone channel, a new NFL Network channel. Want to see every touchdown from every NFL game as it happens as well as live look-ins to all of Sunday's games in key situations? Then you need Comcast's NFL RedZone. 

The Titans offense is 19-22 (86%) with 14 touchdowns and 5 field goals. 

The Titans defense has allowed the opposing team to go 29-32 (91%) in the red zone with 17 touchdowns and 12 field goals. The Bills were 1-1 with a TD last week.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Quit tryin' to high-five me and go get yer friggin' check book!

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 Chris Johnson ripped-off almost 200 yards on the ground against the Texans in week 2, and this time around he's looking to ditch the 'almost' in that statement. If he has another game like that on the Monday Night stage, you're going to see him become on of the most popular players in the league.  I'd guess if he breaks 180 his jersey sales will hit top 5 by the Cardinals game.

 Ok, so you remember how Texans owner Bob McNair called their week 2 victory 'The biggest win in franchise history'? (That's cute isn't it?) Well I'm starting to feel bad about that, because should our boys stomp them Monday Night it's almost like we would have made all their dreams come to life, then slayed them as quickly as they came... just like that line in Laid to Rest, by Lamb of God!  Took the long way around for the set-up to this week's Friday Tasty Jam.

 The Big Marine, Ahmard Hall, came up with a very fitting nickname for Vince Young as he heads back to his hometown looking to cement his resurgence:

Mayor of Houston

 No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No No.  Somebody tell Fisher that we don't care about the past three years because we're in the now now.  Everything that's happening now, is happening now.  We can't go back to then.  Why? Because we passed it.  When?  Just now!  ( FYI: I have to bring that quote out twice a year.  It's in my contract.)

Follow us through the jump as we try to forget the pain of that last link...

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More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

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Well, the first three games they were giving up an average of 204 yards a game and the last six they've given up 60, and 60 would put them at the top of the league in the NFL right now. It's getting people healthy, a few minor adjustments, people in the right place and not giving up big plays.

(on Brian Cushing)

I thought he was playing really well in week three. He's improved since then. DeMeco (Ryans) is playing well. They're playing well upfront and the corners are supporting well. They're just not giving up big plays. They're scoring points. Teams don't have as many carries against them in the last six weeks, but they're playing well.

(on if there is dislike for the Texans)

I think we've established a rivalry now. We've gone there and lost, they beat us here at home. I think we've established a rivalry now.

(on why teams get better after bye weeks)

Some teams will improve, other teams for whatever reason will come back and have penalties and timing will be off and such. I haven't really gone and studied what they've done after bye weeks rather than just look at games after bye weeks to see if there's any unusual things that take place. We'll have to see. I'm sure they got a chance to heal up. They got an extra chance to game plan against us. We'll just have to see.

(on the Texans being an up and coming team)

They made a change on the defensive side and I think they've settled down. (Matt) Schaub has been healthy. They've got terrific players around him. Andre Johnson is as good if not the best in the league right now outside, even though they lost (Owen) Daniels, they still have other receivers that can make plays. They're well coached upfront, they've got a good running game, they've got three backs that can carry the football and they're not turning it over. That's a pretty simple equation there. They're a team that's drafted well. They built their defense up and that's been the difference.

(on if he sees the Texans as a playoff team)

I see them as our next opponent. I know this is perhaps one of the biggest games in their franchise's history. We'll see, I think over the next three or four weeks people will have a better idea.

(on Andre Johnson beating the defense deep down the field during the last game)

I give them credit for executing, but we didn't play well. We made some mistakes. We can't shut Andre out, you just don't do that. They're going to get him the football. What we can't do is give up the big plays deep down the field.

(on Vince Young playing at home in Houston)

I think it's always going to be an exciting time for him to go back and play at home. I think this week will be a little different. He'll be much more focused on football and the X's and O's rather than the emotions associated with going home.

(on if there is an advantage to having more experience at playing in big games)

They played the Monday night game last year. Each game along the way against different opponents becomes a big game for them. This game is about settling down and weathering the storm through the first couple of series, dealing with emotions and staying focused on football.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

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We have spent a lot of time talking about how much better the Titans secondary is now than it was at the Boston Massacre.  But my question is how much better are they?  They looked good against Jacksonville, San Francisco, and Buffalo, but none of those teams have a passing attack that really strikes fear into anyone.  Thus the real test comes Monday Night in Houston.  The Texans have the 3rd ranked passing attack in the league, and feature one of the best receivers in the game in Andre Johnson.  AJ can accurately be called a Titan Killer.  In his last 2 games against the Titans he has 207 and 149 yards receiving respectively with 3 touchdowns.

The good news for this particular match-up is there is no way AJ will ever be lined up across from Nick Harper.  Most of the big plays to Johnson have come with Harper "covering" him.  I would love to see the Titans chance the philosophy a little bit and line Cortland Finnegan up across from Andre on every play, but even if they still refuse to do that at least he would be Rod Hood's assignment instead of Harper's.

This game is also arguably the biggest of Michael Griffin's career.  August wrote a couple weeks ago about Griffin addressing his poor play (via Kuharsky).  Griffin has played better, but stil got caught peeking in the backfield last weke against the Bills.  Pretty much all of us here thought that after the season he put up last year Griffin was on track to become one of the best safeties in the league.  He has regressed this year, and Monday night would be the perfect opportunity for him to re-assert himself in the upper echelon of safeties.

It seems that his biggest problem this year has been guessing run far to often and letting receivers get behind him.  Gramsey offered me the perfect solution for this yesterday:

I wish MikeGriff would never ever, ever, ever, ever, evaevaevaeva, read run, eva

Sounds like a plan to me.  Kuharsky made the point on the radio this morning that there is really no reason for him to worry about the run in the scheme the Titans play because most of the time he is 12-15 yards away from the ball when it is snapped and there are at least six other guys that have run responsibility before it gets to him. 

I still have faith that Griffin is going to be a star in this league.  No better time than Monday night on a national stage to prove that.  His play will go a long way in determining if this secondary is ready to be the strength of the defensive unit as it was a year ago.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

Vince Young is ready to show Houston what a winner looks like.

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 The great part about having a talent like Chris Johnson on the roster is that when things are clicking, you could pretty much tell the defense what play is coming, and often enough they wouldn't be able to stop it:

As NFL analyst Rich Gannon visited San Francisco 49ers defensive coaches prior to their Nov. 8 game against the Titans, it didn't take him long to figure out their chief concern.

Protect the edges. Don't let Chris Johnson get to the outside.

"Then," Gannon said, "on the first play from scrimmage Johnson gets the ball and runs to the outside for (14) yards.''

 Chris Johnson is at number 8 on PFW's MVP Meter... behind Adrian Peterson?

 If Mario Williams wants back in the spotlight, then he better not try lining up against Michael Roos, because Roos has completely owned the former no. 1 draft pick his whole career.  WHile Williams has had flashes of success against us, it's never come one on one against Roos.

 Must read article of the day: The AP polled 160 players (almost 10% of the league) with various questions about concussions and related issues.  The results are fascinating and a little scary.

Follow us through the jump for more great links about all kinds of goodness...

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John McClain of the Houston Chronicle was nice enough to answer a couple of questions I sent him yesterday about the Texans run defense and how they plan to stop Chris Johnson:

MCM: The Texans defense has been really good against the run in the last month.  What changes have they made?

JM: They allowed 205 (average) yards rushing in the first three games and 60.5 in the last six. The turnaround happened for this reason: They signed SS Bernard Pollard, who had been cut by KC. He started the fourth game and has been terrific against the run and pass. CB Dunta Robinson and rookie OLB Brian Cushing missed preseason and needed a few games to get ready. Rookie CB Glover Quin, who's physical against the run like Robinson, was moved into the lineup. They went lighter at DT so they could be more active and aggressive. They have a three-man rotation at tackle with Amobi Okoye and Shaun Cody starting and Jeff Zgonina coming off the bench. DEs Antonio Smith and Tim Bulman also play tackle more than DE.

MCM: Are they better equipped to keep CJ from hitting the home run against them like he did last time?

JM: The last time they played, CJ scored two times when players didn't do their responsibility. Instead of playing their spot and doing their assignment, they bit on fakes, and he cut right to where they were supposed to be. On his TD catch, SS Dominique Barber didn't see him leave the huddle and line up wide. That was Barber's last start. Johnson is the best breakaway back since Barry Sanders. He's still going to get long runs. The key is to make sure he gets a lot of short ones, too.

Thanks as always to John for taking the time to answer the questions.

The Texans were actually pretty good against CJ last time minus the two long touchdown runs, but every run counts and that is the beauty of having a back like CJ.  Teams can contain him for most of the game, but he seems to always get a run or two that kills them.

More photos » by Wade Payne - AP

CJ may carry the flag, but the defensive line carries the torch on this team.

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On the way to 13 wins and the AFC's top seed in the 2008 playoffs, one unit truly defined the Tennessee Titans: (usually after that colon I'd write 'the defensive line' like it held some sort of impact or suspense, but come on, you read the title of the post).  Last year's defensive line was a nearly mythical beast -- like half Deacon Jones, half El Chupacabra, and half Manbearpig -- that relentlessly harassed offenses and disrupted any game plan that couldn't be executed in 2.3 seconds.  Mothers of quarterbacks and offensive linemen cried when they would discover heir husky pride and joys would have to face Big Albert and the gang the next week.  It was defense so good it bordered on sexy sometimes.

Well, that collection of talent was squandered in the playoffs, and the most dynamic talent on the line cashed in on a rebuilt image for a pile of monopoly money soaking in the Potomac Basin.  With Albert gone and coordinator Jim Schwartz headed to Detroit there was much speculation as to how, yet little doubt if, the defensive line could come close to making the impact they had the year before.  Sure Albert is gone, we said, but this unit was always a big rotation and that depth would be the key.  Jason Jones grew into a beast at the end of last season, and the ends will be better than ever!

Cut to week 6 of 2009 and we’re all feeling a little foolish after an 0-6 start and an especially emasculating 0-59 loss to the Patriots...

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The Titans are 11-4 in the regular season against the Texans.  The Titans have never played the Texans in the postseason.  The Titans are 5-2 in Houston, and Jeff Fisher is 5-2 against Gary Kubiak.

Vince Young has made one start in Houston.  You might remember it because of this:

In case you didn't know, this is the Monday Night Football game so the broadcast will be handled by Mike Tirico, Ron Jaworski and Jon Gruden.

Info from the NFL release and a plea to each of you here after the jump.

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