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I am still pumped from that win last night. The Titans made the statement that they are back. They dominated both sides of the ball in front of a national audience. I was afraid that a lot of the commentary after the game last night would be about the fall of the Saints. It really wasn't though. The guys on ESPN were really giving the Titans the credit they deserve.
I cannot say enough about the performance of Vince Young. I wish all of the Titans games could be in primetime because that is where Vince shines the most. Last night he was 14 of 22 for 164 yards with 2 TDs and 1 INT. Through 3 games Vince's completion percentage is 62.7%. That is better than Eli Manning, Donovan McNabb, Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, Marc Bulger and Matt Leinart. By the way, only Matt Leinart has fewer starts than Vince on that list. What are the Vince haters going to use for material now?
The running game was efficient again last night. LenDale White carried 17 times for 50 yards and Chris Brown ran 11 times for 38 yards. Both guys picked up some big short yardage plays. It was good to see Chris Brown pick up the 4th down when he was hit in the backfield. He usually just goes down, but last night he fought and got the yards he needed. Brown seems to be running the ball harder than he ever did before. The color combination of White and Brown is turning out to be very successful. Maybe the Titans did know what they were doing when they let Travis Henry walk.
It was good to see Brandon Jones bounce back from last week's game. He put the drop behind him and came back with a 4 catch 73 yard perfomance. One of those catches was a 35 yard TD catch where he broke a tackle and took it to the house. He has the tools to be a good player in this league. It looked last night like he was starting to figure it out.
Roydell Williams had another solid night with 3 catches for 37 yards. Eric Moulds chipped in 2 catches for 20 yards including one spectacular catch on the sideline that held up after the Saints challenged it.
Then there is the defense. I am truly shocked by how well they are playing. We ripped White all offseason because of his defensive line analysis. White, we owe you an apology. You were absolutely correct. Albert Haynesworth is playing like a man on a mission. He seems to be in the backfield on every play. Kyle Vanden Bosch is playing like we all knew he would. The combination of Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy looks great. Both of those guys being healthy makes all of the difference in the world.
The defense held the Saints to 34 yards rushing. Reggie Bush had 7 carries for 15 yards. 15 yards!! That is awesome. I don't know what Jim Schwartz did in the offseason to fix the run defense, but I feel safe saying that it is fixed.
We also learned last night that Vince isn't the only Titan that shines at night. What can you say about Mr. Monday Night Football, Keith Bulluck? He promised big things earlier in the week and he delivered. He has been the heart and soul of this team for years. I am so glad he had that game on national television so he will finally start to get the recognition that he deserves.
It is pretty obvious that the problems from last year's secondary are gone. They only gave up one big play last night and haven't given up more than one big play in any game so far this season. I know we thought the suspension of that cornerback would really hurt this unit. It obviously has not. Now I know the real fix has been having Cortland Finnegan and Calvin Lowry back there instead of Reynaldo Hill and Lamont Thompson, but I think this unit has come together to prove that the one who is suspended is not really missed on defense.
It is great to get a big win on Monday Night Football with the whole world watching. It is great to go into the bye week with a win and a winning record. The Titans aren't exactly where they want to be yet, but they are on the way. This is going to be a fun ride.