It's been widely assumed and talked about being a do or die season for both Mike Munchak as well as Jake Locker. I think many, both close to and distanced from the team, forget just how truly horrible the team was last year. It is often said that you are what your record is, but I believe last years Titans were worse than 6-10. So is it truly playoffs or bust?
Substantial and definitive improvement should be the delineation line. The quick hook expectations in today's NFL have teams blowing up before they even begin. It's very important to keep in mind how bad the Titans 6-10 season really was last year. It wasn't necessarily the losses the Titans sustained along the way, but the awesome fashion in which they lost that was so horrible.
What if the Titans stand toe to toe against good playoffs team and convincingly win over non playoff teams? If the Titans get back to a 9-7 or 10-6 record without any blowouts and still miss the playoffs, I would hate to see the team blown up. Why throw away all the hard work and effort and what could be a great stable foundation going forward for years to come?
The reality is the team overachieved in the lockout year and last year was a complete mess for a number of reasons.
Making the playoffs one year is great, but building a long term viable franchise is truly the goal. If this Titans coaching staff and team are making substantial and marked improvement they should be kept around for another chance at the same thing. A blanket "playoffs or bust" delineation would be an exaggeration in my opinion.
" Munchak needs to make the playoffs to keep his gig, and I don't know if he's capable of doing that in 2013." --Adam Schein
I will admit, "make or break" sounds a lot better than "improve or break", but I truly don't think it's the case this year. What are your expectations for the season?