Tennessee Titans News
2012 NFL Free Agency: Titans Wishlist #8 Stevie Johnson
I know this one is going to be controversial, but Buffalo Bills WR Stevie Johnson is the my 8th most wanted free agent for the Titans. The bad about Johnson is highly publicized. His on the field antics are probably going to be enough to turn a lot of people off, but the fact remains that he is a really good NFL wide receiver. In the last two seasons he has tallied 158 catches for 2,077 yards and 17 touchdowns.
As far as the antics go, Johnson told CBS Eye on Sports that he is done with that stuff:
Tennessee Titans Open as 40/1 Odds to Win 2013 Super Bowl
I am by no means picking the Titans to win the 2013 Super Bowl, but if I were a betting man, I would think about putting some money on them at 40/1. There is a lot of work to be none between now and then, but that number seems pretty high. Can someone explain to me why the Dolphins and Cardinals have better odds that the Titans?
Click through the jump to see the full list of 2013 odds courtesy of Bovada.
Grading the 2011 Tennessee Titans: Special Teams
This was a good year for the Titans' special teams. Rob Bironas, who should be playing in today's Pro Bowl, was 29 of 32 (90.6%) in field goal attempts and hit all 34 of his extra points. That 90.6% is the second best number of his career (last year he hit 92.3%).
Brett Kern also had a really nice year. He averaged 43.6 yards per punt and had 31 of his 86 punts downed inside the 20.
The one area of special teams that was disappointing this season was Marc Mariani, who was pretty much a non-factor this year after being so good last year. He had one punt return for a touchdown, but only averaged 10.7 yards per punt return. Mariani also drives me crazy because he lets too many catchable punts hit the ground. Those numbers don't show up anywhere in a box score, but they really hurt in the field position battle.
Mariani's weak year hurts the grade a little bit here, but overall special teams had a solid year.
Grade: B+
Grading the 2011 Tennessee Titans: Secondary
The Titans' secondary was the strength of the defense in 2011. Jason McCourty has come on as a really solid corner. None of us thought that was possible when he was getting torched by Tom Brady and company in the snow in New England a couple of years ago, but he is a quality starter in the NFL now.
Cortland Finnegan had a bounce back year in 2011. He did not play that well in 2010 after he was threatened with a suspension because of all of his after the whistle antics. I was worried that he would not be able to play well without that edge, but he did in 2011. It is unfortunate that he will probably not be with the team in 2012, but someone is going to overpay for him.
Grading the 2011 Tennessee Titans: Linebackers
The linebackers were by no means the strength of the defense in 2011, but they also were not a liability after Colin McCarthy replaced Barrett Ruud. Obviously McCarthy was the biggest story of the year, especially around here. He came in and provided a huge upgrade over Ruud. You have to love all of the stories you hear about his preparation. The future is bright for that kid.
Akeem Ayers did not end up being the dynamic playmaker we had hoped he would be before the season started, but he was a solid player who got better every week. They talked about his versatility when they drafted him. We did not get to see him do much rushing the passer this season. That was probably because they did not want to give him too much as a rookie. Look for them to do a lot more with him next season after a full offseason of work.
Will Witherspoon was the other starting linebacker. He was not very good. Hopefully they will be able to find a guy to replace him in the draft this year.
Grade: B-
Grading the 2011 Tennessee Titans: Defensive Line
This is a good news, bad news type of post. The good news is that their were two guys who played really well on the defensive line this year, and they were both rookies. Jurrell Casey and Karl Klug were two of the best players on the defense. That is a solid foundation in the middle to build around.
The bad news was the defensive ends were highly disappointing. We were so pumped about Jason Jones moving to end, but it did not end up being a good move. He was only able to manage 3 sacks on the season.
Grading the 2011 Tennessee Titans: Tight Ends
Jared Cook finally came on at the end of the year. All year long we wondered what was going on with him. Was he not getting the ball because he wasn't open or because Matt Hasselbeck wasn't looking in his direction often enough? We still don't really know the answer to that question, but it got better at the end of the year.
The challenge for Cook going forward is finding a way to consistently produce. He has had an excellent month of December in the last two seasons. Now it is time for him to be a steady presence in this offense.
Indianapolis Colts Granted Permission To Interview Titans Defensive Coordinator Jerry Gray
Just a day after the Colts fired Jim Caldwell, Jim Wyatt is reporting that they've reached out to interview Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray. Now, we have no idea if this is a serious interview, of if Irsay is trying to satisfy the Rooney Rule. Gray has already interviewed, and been passed on, by the Tampa Bay Bucs this offseason. My hope (for our sake) is that Gray isn't a leading candidate in Indianapolis.
It would be a pretty shocking turnaround of a career for Gray to go from collegiate secondary coach to NFL head coach in less than 16 months, but the NFL is a weird place where momentum is everything. Either way, it's a compliment to Gray, even if it is a ‘token' interview.
We'll update you as soon as we hear anything else, but if you want the real scoop on what's going on with the Colts, I guess you should follow Rob Lowe on Twitter.
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