Cortland Finnegan

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We all love Finnegan.  He has proven this season that he is already an elite corner in this league, and he will probably get even better.  Cort plays with a toughness and intensity that makes it impossible not to root for him, but that same intensity gets him in trouble at times with dumb penalties.  Grade: A.

 

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Between the Titans' devastating front line and their young, talented secondary there lies another beast that covers for both of their mistakes: the linebackers.  

As the Titans' scheme has leaned more towards zone coveages this year the attacking style of the linebackers we've seen in the past has given way to more read and react plays.  This may mean less big plays from this unit, but it also means they're keeping guys in front of them and focusing more on being in better position.

The linebacking group is also the only position grouping that has seen a performance-based line-up change.  Ryan Fowler may have seemed blind sided by his demotion in favor of the speedier Tulloch, but everyone knew that when Tully was drafted 3 years ago it wasn't as a long term back up.  He was too gifted athleteically and too productive at NC State to not earn a shot to crack the starting line-up.

How has he done with his opportunity?  Read on and see...

 

 

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Keith Bulluck is the leader of this group, this defense and in many ways the entire Titans team.  He's played more games as a Titan than anyone since the move to Nashville, and he's captain without question every year.  Bulluck has seen his tackle numbers drop ever since David Thorton joined the team, but that's largely because he's not being asked to do everything anymore.  Bulluck's sack numbers are down, but so are the entire units'; this is a testament to how little Schwartz has used the linebackers as blitzing pass rushers, opting instead to drop them in zone and let the front 4 collapse the pocket.  Still, we'd like to see a few INTs from Mr. Monday Night.

Grade: B

 

 

Follow us through the jump for grades on the rest of the starters...

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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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How good has the Tennessee Titans offensive line unit been over the first half of 2008?  It's no stretch to say they've played at this level.   

I put Kerry Collins' stats up there to point out this: 210 times Kerry has dropped back to pass, and he's only been sacked on 3 of them.  Simply put, for a QB who was sacked 305 times in 14 years (21.8 times per year), that stat doesn't change without a little help from the big uglies up front.  It's a good illustration of just how dominant this line, already renowned for it's run blocking, has been in the passing game as well this year.

Oh yeah, they also pave the way for the AFC's leading rusher and the NFL leader in touchdowns.

Kevin Mawae is having the best year I can ever remember him playing.  I was a big fan of Mawae's during his Pro Bowl filled tenure with the Jets, but he really seemed to fall off last year.  He would get bull rushed back into the pocket, which forced Vince to bail, and struggled getting to the second level.  For whatever reason, though I get the suspicion Dinger's blocking schemes have helped, Mawae has been a beast this year.  He's the spokesman for one of the best all around units in the league and a clear leader in the locker room.  I think it's safe to say that Mawae's grit and veteran smarts have never benefited the entire offense more than this year.

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Brandon Jones

Rec	Yds	Avg	TD
19	216	11.4	0

 

Jones has been the most pleasant surprise of the season so far. He, unlike Gage, has been catching everything that is thrown to him. He had a couple of huge catches on the final drive at Baltimore and made some plays against Green Bay. I never thought I would say this, but he has been the Titans most consistent receiver in 2008. He gets a B.

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This is going to be a bit redundant after the fantastic job that Beans did breaking down Kerry Collins's performance earlier this week, but I figured I would go ahead and throw my 2 cents in.  Collins has done exactly what this team has needed him to do so far this season.  He has thrown just 3 picks in his 7 games started and has only fumbled twice.  For that he gets an A. 

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This may be the easiest position grouping to grade on this team, and they're almost certainly the most fun to watch on Sundays.  Chris 'Crazy Legs' Johnson was drafted to give our stagnant offense some life.  National pundits mocked the pick, and local nutbar-fans like myself wondered why we would spend another high pick on a running back.

Now we know why.

Rather than use him as a change-of-pace back and 3rd down specialist, Crazy Legs was thrust into the limelight and quickly began eating away LenDale's carries.  Johnson's success has come quickly, and his momentum changing plays have helped wake-up an offense that still seems too content to punt sometimes.  Here at the halfway point in the season he's leading the AFC in rushing.  He isn't afraid to take a hit, can run inside and outside, falls forward for extra yards and has yet to lose a fumble this year.  Crazy Legs has also chipped in 164 receiving yards.

While LenDale may be carrying the ball less, he's gotten a whole lot more opportunities to audition for celebrity dance shows from end zones across the country.  Until the past few games Lendale's yards per carry was hovering below 3, but a few big runs against the Chiefs and Packers have helped raise that average back above 4.  A shoulder injury slowed down his wrecking ball ways for a few weeks, but LenDale has been one of the most consistent short-yardage backs in the NFL, and he's still broken of an 80 yard run.

Quinton Gainther, Chris Henry and the newly available Rafael Little have had next to no contribution so far this year, but that's more a testament to the health and effectiveness of Smash and Dash than a knock on their abilities.

So in summation, we have the AFC's leading rusher setting-up the NFL's leading TD machine.  It just doesn't get much better than that folks.

Grade A+