Music City Miracles: FanPosts

Monday night game in houston

2009-11-06T15:12:25Z

just wondering if any body from MCM was makin the trip down, im comin from rochester, ny. its a special game for when seen as how my houston oilers played there, anyway just wanted to see where everbody was gonna tailgate, and i think all the old oiler fans on here and titan ones too should all wear oilers gear if u have it, ill be rockin my earl campbell jersey, i think that would be fun. let me know what you all think

In response to the Vince hater haters.

2009-11-05T13:39:45Z

It seems that now that VY is back and played very well the "I told ya so-ers" are out in force. (which as we know can and will change if he does poorly this week against the 9ers). Anyone who has ever questioned vince about anything are being painted with the same brush. I cringe everytime I read a post that implies that you have to hate vince just because you questioned his heart or his head. I've always felt that VY has the skills but he may have lost that competitive edge. I dont love him or hate him.

So my question is simple, do you hate vince or have you simply lost confidence in him? (jags game notwithstanding)

Is Mike Griffin back to form?

2009-11-05T00:54:24Z

It's obvious that through the 6 game skid safety play has been a big part of the bleeding. Griff and Chris Hope gave two learning rookies in the first starts of there young careers zero help and becasue of that the big passing numbers shouldn't of been shocking, Griff has been out of position ALOT and in those "how could you of possibly let that guy behind you " situations . I am a huge MG fan and have the jersey on the way I just cant figure how he has went from a ball hawking always in position and always around the ball kind of all-star (polamalu ,ed reed esque) , to a guy who seems lost on the field and late to the ball in the air and on the ground. Granted he rebounded in a big way against jax and had a big game even without recording an interception so I hope he is back because I can't find a reason for the drop off in his play because he is also said to be a great practice player and alwasy has good practices, I heard that it could have been personal issues that he was dealing with, hopefully all so good now and MG can concentrate on football. go titans.

Picture Help

2009-11-04T22:51:25Z

Does anyone have a picture of VY holding up CJ at the end of the Jags game? If you saw it, it was hysterical and I would love to post it and share. I dont know if it made the TV coverage, but it was very evident ot the game. As time was expiring and we were in the "V" formation, CJ turned around and jumped up onto Vince and it looked like a Father/Son scene out of some sick Titans montage. Let me know, thanks

49ers-Titans: Ask 49ers fans from Niners Nation

2009-11-04T19:08:44Z

Hey folks, this is Fooch from Niners Nation, your resident 49ers blog. Our teams are squaring off in what should be an interesting battle. At the beginning of the year I was particularly concerned about this game. As the season wore on I shifted to the other side of the spectrum. However, after your win this past weekend (even if it was the Jaguars) has me a bit concerned about this game. The 49ers sit as 4 point favorites, although it opened at 5.5, meaning folks are throwing money at your Titans.

The most intriguing matchup, at least right now, would be the Titans big time rushing attack against the 49ers very solid rushing defense. Chris Johnson is an absolute beast, while the 49ers are #1 in yards per carry allowed (3.2 ypc). To date, Adrian Peterson (85 yards, 4.5 ypc) and Michael Turner (97, 4.4ypc) have had the most success against the 49ers, so we'll see what Johnson can bring to the table.

The 49ers have been an inconsistent team thus far showing signs of awesomeness, while laying eggs at other times. There is a lot to talk about this week, so fire away with your questions.

And if you want to keep the conversation up top, feel free to Rec this as much as you want.

Easterbrook's take on run success for Titans

2009-11-04T02:37:32Z

There have been several posts lately regarding how VY contributes to our running game. One argument as to why our running backs might have an easier life with VY is that the defense is having to watch out for the scramble. Easterbrook, who writes the Tuesday Morning Quarterback article weekly for ESPN's page 2 has another angle. Below is an excerpt, but the whole article is fun. Always have enjoyed his column, and the cheerleader pics don't hurt.

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=easterbrook/091103&sportCat=nfl

Titans make Playoffs + win Superbowl = Vince 'Hall of Fame' Young?

2009-11-03T20:28:35Z

Vince said he will 'one day win a Superbowl and get into the Hall of Fame.'

What if (and thats a big WHAT IF), he does..this season.

Could he have a 'foot in' the Hall of Fame?

Think about it for a second. 0-6 to start the season, they call his number and he runs the table, 10-0. He helps put us in the playoffs, and by some miracle we keep winning each game in the playoffs and eventually, the Superbowl.

Wouldn't that be one of the greatest stories told in NFL History?

Obviously he would need to continue his career for years and hit many marks to really be considered. But if he somehow helps pull it off this year, don't you think he would have to be considered a very rare commodity to take a woeful team to the promise land? Wouldn't that ignite some talk about how great he is?

I know what your thinking, he played 1 good game against the bedazzlers, I'm getting way ahead of myself, and all that..but I don't think its THAT far fetched of an idea. We went 10-0 last year, we can do it again this year, and if the defense keeps playing like we thought they would at the beginning of the season, and the offensive players keep stepping up, then this is a Superbowl caliber team.

When Vince predicted his 'future' earlier this year, everyone kinda laughed at him..but is this his chance to really put a dent in history and prove everyone wrong? And if he does, wouldn't that be Hall of Fame worthy?

Running Game Explosion: Yes, VY Deserves Credit Too

2009-11-03T20:18:39Z

When watching NFL Live yesterday, Trey Wingo was going through the highlights and was complimentary towards Vince. Merrill Hoge, the idiot clown that he is, clearly was displeased that the Titans won with VY starting, sarcastically noting that the reason the Titans ran so much, and so well, was because Vince was in (implying that the Titans didn't trust him to throw). It is also worth mentioning that when Wingo noted that even Hoge would have to compliment Vince's touchdown throw, Hoge remained silent, while Dilfer agreed that it was a great throw.

This post, however, is not about Hoge per se, whom we all know is a moron regardless of how you feel about VY. This post is about the running game and some people's, including Hoge, inability to see the positive impact Vince Young has had, and can potentially have, for Tennessee's ground attack.

Vince Young critics commonly disparage his winning record by pointing out that the Titans are a run-first team with a very unimaginative offensive philosophy (for good or for ill). In other words, Young is "hidden" from the gameplan because he is a liability and the Titans avoid using him by simply running the ball, and running it again. What they fail to see is that Vince Young's very presence has a positive effect on the run game, and if used more effectively by Fisher, can be even more so.

This attitude can be seen in many people's reaction to the Titans' win over the Jags. Even those in the national media were trying to minimize Vince Young's effect on the game because Tennessee ran for over 300 yards; basically, any quarterback can win a game when their team rushes for 300 yards, right? What this fails to notice is that Vince Young was one of the reasons why the running game was successful on Sunday. Consider Chris Johnson's two long touchdown runs:

1. On third and 6, Young sidesteps the pressure and finds Kenny Britt for a big third down completion. Shortly after, Chris Johnson runs for a 54 yard touchdown. With another quarterback, like Collins, this is a sack and that run never happens.

2. As noted by me on the live game thread and Superhorn's post, Johnson's 89 yard touchdown run was influenced by Young's presence as a runner, causing several Jacksonville defenders to pause for a split second. While Johnson obviously deserves the majority of the credit for this play, there's nothing controversial about pointing out that the defenders' hesitation aided his cause.

With Collins in, that 54 yard touchdown doesn't happen and the 89 yarder might have just gone for the first down, and who knows what would have happened then. That's 143 yards rushing and two touchdowns that Young's mobility helped produce. It is way, way too simplistic to look at the box score stats and think, "Well, Chris Johnson exploded for 228 yards, so even Collins would have won that game too."

Back in 2006, when his critics said the same things, they failed to realize that the Titans' average rushing output more than doubled when Vince Young took over the starting job. While the college game is different, all of Texas' runningbacks enjoyed a healthy boost in their YPC when they were playing with Vince, and it's not like Travis Henry did anything after leaving Tennessee (granted, a lot of that had to do with his off-field stupidity).

I don't think Vince Young will ever be a QB like Manning and throw for bunches of yards and touchdowns. He will still make his mistakes, and I actually expect somewhere around the neighborhood of ten interceptions on his part before season's end. However, Fisher would do well to expand his thinking and take full advantage of what Vince can open up in the run game. I often call Fisher the Jim Tressel of the NFL; a successful coach who unfortunately has an outdated offensive philosophy (I encourage you to read Chris Brown's evisceration of Jim Tressel's poor use of Terrelle Pryor against USC). If he's willing to take more advantage of Vince's mobility, such as using the read option and getting Vince outside on boots, Young can make that Tennessee rushing attack even more dangerous.

And what does a better rushing attack give you? Well, it can also help make your defense look better; that was one of the few things Hoge said right on Sunday when talking about the New York Giants, saying that they needed to get back on track with Jacobs and the run game to help out their defense.

I've discussed the NFL's false sense of "pure football" and their close-mindedness regarding different offenses before, which is another topic altogether. Even given that, Fisher would be foolish to avoid the read option as a viable play in certain circumstances.

The Titans are not finishing better than 6-10 in my estimation (sorry), but if there's a silver lining, it's the opportunity to create a coherent offense that accentuates VY's influence on the run game.

Is 10-6 Possible?

2009-11-03T17:29:39Z

Let's just take a moment to think about how nice it would be to finish 10-6, wild-card team, Superbowl Champions (seems like Wild-Card teams always win!)... take a moment.... ahhh isn't that nice?!

Now don't think i'm overreacting about the Titans winning one game. I've been saying we could go 10-6 since we got stomped by the Pats. Imagine if we won those first 3 close games, that would of been nice. But back to the present.

Remanding Schedule:
@ 49ers
vs Bills
@ Texans
vs Cards
@ Colts
vs Rams
vs Dolphins
vs Chargers
@ Seahawks

That's not an easy schedule... at all. But we can do it! Our secondary is finally getting it together. Finnegan and Fuller are back. Rod Hood looks sharp, better than Harper! Mouton and McCourty have alot of exp. now especially after starting a few games. The Front 7 has improved, KVB finally got a sack. Bulluck/Tulloch look better, Hayes/Jones as well. We did give up way to much yards to MJD, he's a good RB but that was horrible by us. Let's get it going D!

As for offense... now I was a supporter of KC, was that a mistake or what?! Vince Young looked amazing out there Sunday, going 15 for 18 not doing any stupid passes, hes matured! If Vince plays this well every week we'll be set. Not to mention we have the best RB in the league [minus AP]. LenDale hasn't got it goin'... yet. And the passing core is looking better, Washington, Britt, Gage, and Scaife are starting to roll now.

Honestly our defense will decide our record. When they make stops and we get ahead (by running) that's when we win. When were down and try to play catchup (by passing) we never catchup.

10-6 were coming for you...

Tennessee Titans Fan Approval Poll - Week 8

2009-11-03T16:50:47Z

It's Tuesday, that means it's time for our weekly Fan Approval Poll. Remember:

Here's how it works: Below you will see a poll with choices from 0 to 10. You should vote in the poll taking into account all aspects of the Titan Organization. These should include, but are not limited to, ownership, front office, coaching staff, players, product on the field and even gameday experience. 0 being 0% approval and 10 being 100%. The poll will stay open through Thursday evening.

Also make sure to leave a comment to explain why you voted like you did! And remember, this is YOUR poll, not MCM's. You vote like you choose!

Previous week voting went as such:

After Week 5: 35.2%

Week 6: 25.9%

Week 7: bye week

Poll

On a scale of 0 to 10, with 0 being 0% approval, and 10 being 100% approval, what is your approval rating of the Tennessee Titan Organization?

10

22 votes

9

11 votes

8

44 votes

7

40 votes

6

34 votes

5

38 votes

4

22 votes

3

15 votes

2

10 votes

1

4 votes

0

5 votes

245 votes | Poll has closed

New MCM Layout

2009-11-03T14:55:29Z

The SB Nation tech team rolled out some changes last night to the format of all of the blogs. I know there are some issues with the main logo if you are running adblock in Firefox. Let me know if you notice anything else. If you have any issues feel free to email me at titansmcm@gmail.com or the SB tech team at support@sbnation.com.

MCM Play of the Week (Week 8)

2009-11-02T21:49:11Z

So far this year, I've had few plays to choose from each game, and usually end up putting an average play in there to round out the 4 spots. Since there were so many good plays this week, I'm just putting all of them in there! And I wouldn't mind doing it the next 9 weeks, either!

Your first winning edition of POW after the jump!

A. Roderick Hood intercepts David Garrard. Welcome to the Tennessee Titans, Hood! Even if Torry Holt wouldn't have run into the official, I think Hood still gets this pick. Hopefully this guy keeps performing like this and knocks Harper out of that starter spot. Also, William Hayes absolutely leveled Maurice Jones-Drew at 0:09.

B. Chris Johnson runs for a 52-yard TD. This play was only so-so because he kept his lunch. Although CJ was ridiculous in this game, you have to give the credit on this run to the blocking. Ahmard Hall got the first guy and the O-line and WRs set up a HUGE running lane. (Update: Apparently, he didn't actually throw up after the play. Maybe I should have read first. I'm keeping all of this here though because it just makes the play more BA)

C. Chris Johnson runs for an 89-yard TD. Now this is real run! CJ was patient, waited for a little crease, ran over 2 guys, busted it for 89 yards, and then puked all over the endzone. You can literally say that he left it all on the field. Anyboy else notice how freaking fast Kenny Britt looked running downfield, and getting the final block? Seems to be a common occurance on Johnson's long runs. Coincidence? (Update: Apparently, he didn't actually throw up after the play. Maybe I should have read first. I'm keeping all of this here though because it just makes the play more BA)

D. Cortland Finnegan intercepts David Garrard. Man, it's good to have him back. It's nice to see 2 aggressive corners out there. This was basically a freebie for Cort, but he earned it with his play the rest of the game.

E. Vince Young's collective plays. VY didn't really do anything spectacular, but it sure seemed like he came up big when we needed him to. He converted 4 or 5 really important 3rd downs on my count (which is definitely not an official stat and could be completely wrong). The pass to Nate Washington at 0:32 looked like his 3rd or 4th progression. The TD pass to Washington at 1:05 was right where that kind of pass needs to be. The pass to Britt at 2:13 was why we drafted him. He did everything that was asked of him in this game. His passes were right where they needed to be for the WRs to make an easy catch. I'm still not convinced on Young, because this is only 1 game, but I sure do have hope for him now.

F. The V formation. BAM!

P.S.: I was really proud to see the fan support at this game. I guarantee you won't see that in about 25 other teams' stadiums when they are 0-6. i'm really glad I was there to watch it (and really pumped about the free T-Rac giveaway!).

Vote Below!

Poll

Which play do you think is the MCM Play of the Week for Week 8 of the 2009 season?

What Vince does for the Running Game

2009-11-02T01:46:01Z

89 yards play for Chris Johnson (via AmiableJason)

The play above is a microcosm of what Vince does for the running game. It appears to be a zone read, though to be completely honest, it's possible this could just be a designed run for Chris Johnson. Either way, it's not especially important.

Vince takes the snap out of the shotgun. Daryl Smith (#52) recognizes this play, and hesitates in anticipation of Vince keeping the ball. You'll also notice just a slight hesitation out of Scott Starks (#31) and Justin Durant (#56). The pauses by these two isn't nearly as noticeable as Daryl Smith, but it is equally significant.

Daryl Smith is now immediately out of position and now dealt the impossible task of tracking down Chris Johnson from behind. The split second that Durant waits gives Mawae enough time to get up field and engage him, eliminating his chance of pursuit. Similarly, the Starks gets engaged while he's identifying who has the ball, as opposed to immediately beginning going after CJ. This becomes even more important at the end of the play because this fraction of a second kills his chance of stopping Johnson from breaking off the huge run as he runs up field.

Obviously, this run probably doesn't happen with anyone else in the NFL other than CJ. He finds a crease, makes one defender miss, and breaks another tackle. Then his track star speed does the rest. But, it's important to notice that Vince's threat of a run does have an impact. And, with a guy as explosive as CJ, even just a half of a step can mean the difference between an 8 yard gain and a touchdown.

Tennessee Titans Players Reaction to QB Change

2009-10-30T06:11:56Z

First off, here's the official announcement by Fisher and other info on this Sunday's game. But don't worry, he's still in Kerry Collins' corner.

Vince Young on Vince Young and others after the jump...

VY gives his opinion how he thinks VY is going to handle this situation. He also talks about things, and things like dat.

KFC talks about his new country song he wrote this morning. You have to feel sorry for him, being that he probably is done in the NFL, and it really wasn't his own undoing. (He did nothing to help his case, though)

Chris Johnson gives his view. He may not sound intelligent or sober, but he always says the right things and is a lot more media savvy than I expected him to be after his rookie season. By the way, this guy is still 5th in the league in rushing yards when this team has had to give up on the run and pass in half of their games.

Keith Bulluck doesn't sound too conVINCEd (see what I did there?) that VY is the man.

Vince's former UH Cougars teammate, Bo Scaife, seems super excited to see Vince throw the ball behind him.

Justin Gage says he's committed to giving VY's growth by doing his best impression of Justin McStonehands.

On a more serious note, as a Titans fan, I really do hope that he goes out there and proves me wrong, and datboybevans right. This franchise really needs something like that right now (and plus I would really like it if VY helped me out on the Play of the Week segment, as the last few weeks have been rough). If you think it's bad now, just wait until next March when we're all wondering where half the team all of sudden disappeared to. We're most likely going to be looking at a completely different Titans team next season, so just sit back and enjoy the rest of the season, as ridiculous as it might get.

#1 dude who has got to go

2009-10-30T03:18:01Z

I find all this talk about who should play QB less than entirely relevant to the overall troubles we're having. So I want to ask, who is the first person we should fire and when? My vote, unquestionably, is FRED GRAVES, the sooner, the better. He has done absolutely nothing for us, just as he did nothing for the Lions and Browns before him. Every receiver he has coached on these 3 teams has CHRONICALLY underachieved.

I would like to here other fans thoughts

You hatas betta be redy. VY gonna rock da HOUSE!!!

2009-10-29T22:50:54Z

u guys betta be redy on sunday vince is gonna go psycho!!!!! all you kerry collins lovers are gonna be put to shame by the great vince. and once vince wins the next 10 games, jeff fish is gonna regret he tried to ruin vinces career and he gonna get CANNED, because BUD knows football.

if you dont like what im sayin than you just mad im speakin da trruth!!!!!!! I seen VY at UT. I watched every game!!! HE IS A ELITE NFL QB!!!! Fish just be tryin to ruin his career. Fish is a big traiter neways, we saw he wore a Manning jerzee.

so be redy VY hatas, becuz he gonna be hear 15 mor yeres and he is gonna win us a SUPERBOWL!! but it wont be ur superbowl you tennessee fake fans, its gonna be for us true fans hear in TEXAS!!! DA TRUE TITANS STATE!!! VY knows what I mean!! He texas tried and true. SO you betta watch ur back, cuz it gonna be on dis sunday. VY PUTTTIN THE TEXAS BACK IN TITANS!!!

/and scene

//bows for the crowd

Clips for highlight reel...

2009-10-29T15:52:29Z

Hey! I am new to the Music City Miracles but a long time follower of the Oilers/Titans. (My third cousin is Warren Moon...seriously) I dabble in motion graphics and was wondering if i could get some help from the Miracle Nation. I am looking for some high quality highlight reel video clips of the Titans...(i know they may be hard to find this year...)

If you have them please feel free to email them to me or comment here with the link. Once I have enough and I am finished with the reel, i will post it here! Thanks and GO TITANS!!!!

Don't start Kerry Collins for JAGS GAME!

2009-10-28T22:44:42Z

I've been wathcing KC do lose games all year, so I'm not wasting my sunday watching him lose another! We have seen what KC can do there shouldn't have even been a battle for who's going to start this game! If Jeff Fisher cared anything about the future of this team he would have been allowing Vince Young all the time with the first team offense as possible! I'm a big VY fan but I know he's had his bad times along with his good, but I really want to see if he makes a difference with all the new guys on the offense! And people are crazy if they don't want to atleast see what VY can do with the new talent on the team! The season is already over anyway worst thing that could happen is you end up with the 1st pick of the draft!

Who do we have that we're still excited about for the future?

2009-10-28T13:35:31Z

When people across the country think about the Titans they think about a ridiculously fast running back with homerun ability. Then they think about the loss of Haynesworth. The flirtation of bust status with Vince Young. How Kerry Collins appears to be aging in dog years. I will admit, I am in Kansas City and don't necessarily follow the Titans as closely as I could, but I have a bit of a fascination with them and am so curious about how this floundering start to the season took place and what will need to happen to get back to respectability next season. I, like many, figured this would be the season they overtake the Colts and not only make the playoffs but enter top seeded again. But as winter comes in it may be time to start looking ahead to the draft to see what our biggest holes are and what we can do to fix them.

What is one personnel related move that will improve the team most dramatically?

Who are the Titans top 10 players heading into next season?

PS- Save let's save the talk about coaching changes for another thread. Players are more interesting.

Ask Big Cat Country

2009-10-28T13:32:00Z

Hey MCM

John from Big Cat Country here. Very sad turn of events involved with Steve McNair. Even though he ripped my heart, and childhood, out in 1999 I had a lot of respect for him as a football player and wished the Jags had a QB of that quality. It seems both are teams are stuck in between a rock and a hard place concerning the draft. QBs will most likely be on the top of the list and no second round pick, should be interesting.