I want to start by saying thank you to August West for picking up a lot of writing while I have been out. We are finally back home, so the writing on the site should be back to normal. Here are my thoughts on the game:
1st Quarter
-It was good to see Chris Hope make a good play early in the game after what happened to him in Cincinnati last season
-Why can't we find anyone to return punts or kicks?
-Note Kerry Collins career TDs 174 to INTs 172
-Mawae should have blocked Rivers on that first play instead of the inside backer
-Big whiff by Amano on the 2nd play
-Jail break on the 3rd play. Bad first series for the offensive line- you don't see that very often
-The defense scared me a little early, but they ended up playing very well
-The defense forced 2 fumbles on the second drive but weren't able to recover either
-I love the look with KVB standing up and playing linebacker
-Hope was all over the field early in the game
-Collins makes very quick decisions
-The D line was a little excited in this game
-Chris Perry made a really nice catch on the swing pass from Palmer, of course the Titans were all over it
-Why in the world did the Bengals run into Carr when he called the fair catch?
-The Round Mound is still running it hard
-Gage had a big drop right at the end of the first quarter
End of 1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
-Brandon Jones learned how to catch. Great throw by Collins on time
-The throw to Bo Scaife was dangerous, but I think it would have worked if he didn't get tripped
-Great push by the O line plus Ahmard Hall on The Round Mound's TD plunge
-I love it when the other team runs on first and second down and ends up with 3rd and 13
-The Titans got really lucky to get the ball back on the Collins fumble. It takes Collins a long time to wind up and throw when he is trying to go deep
-Alan Lowry better be putting in some extra time this week after his unit got a punt partially blocked for the 2nd straight week
-Chad Johnson's catch with 7:45 left in the 2nd quarter was the first catch by either he or Housh
-Ryan Fowler had some big plays in this game. He is an unsung hero against the run
-Johnson turned around our boy Finnegan
-The Titans defense looked pretty bad on the Bengals TD drive that covered 63 yards in 11 plays. Glad to see they made the necessary adjustments afterwards
-It is great that the Titans have a guy like Chris Johnson who can break a play even when Fisher is being conservative It would have been nice to see him get out of bounds there, stopping the clock, and not get thrown to the ground
-Nice throw by Collins and move by 12 Gage to get the TD
-Finnegan looked bad on the 2 screen plays right before the half. Did you notice who made the tackle 36 yards down the field on the second one? That's right, KVB
Halftime
Second half after the jump
3rd Quarter
-Carr finally made good return to open the 2nd half
-Collins looked pretty agile getting outside the pocket and making a nice throw to McCareins
-I would have liked to see if the throw to McCareins on the 3rd down on the first drive would have been on the money if Collins hadn't been hit
-I think Hentrich could have caught the snap he fumbled, but it was crazy how much the wind moved that ball
-Kearse jumped offsides on the 4th down play, and the Bengals still got the 1st down
-That field goal attempt by the Shane Graham moved more than any field goal attempt I have ever seen
-That 15 pounds Collins lost has apparently made a big difference. He made a great play to elude the rush and get the ball to Gage
-Jones thrown to twice, and he caught both of them
-CJ has some open space if he can break a tackle on the reception
-Collins got Crumpler involved. That was good to see
-Bad win conditions mean nothing to Rob Bironas
-Another big kickoff return following the field goal
-As August mentioned, that shot of the little old man holding on to the first down marker is priceless
-The Titans offense would have really good field position if the kickoff team could ever make a tackle
-I know the wind conditions were bad, but why is Carr running away from a punt that landed right beside him?
-Huge play by The Round Mound to get the Titans some breathing room when they were backed up
-CJ could have had a big run if he would have cut it outside on the 2nd down play after LenDale's big run
-The best punt ever by Hentrich with the 70 yard coffin corner out at the 2
End of the 3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
-I don't understand why the announcers were going nuts about the Hope hit on Johnson. Johnson was trying to get back up, and Hope made sure it didn't happen. That is football
-David Thornton is good
-We don't talk enough anymore about how much Keith Bulluck means to this team, but he always seems to come up with really big plays
-Of course another big kickoff return after the Bulluck TD. They better figure that out because it is going to cost the Titans a game if they don't get it fixed
-Another big run by TRM to get the Titans out of the shadow of their own end zone
-Another big return, this time on a punt.
-Finnegan is a stud
-Most of the time I would have yelled about the Titans calling a run on 3rd and 8 with just under 8 minutes to go in the game, but I was ok with it considering the weather conditions
-Great play by KVB and The Freak to take down Palmer for the sack
-Michael Griffin with his first of many picks this season
-Congratulations to Chris Johnson for getting his first career 100 yard rushing game
-The play on 4th and 2 at the end of the game took way to long to develop
Game Over Titans 24 Bengals 7