Good statline deceptive for Titans Michael Griffin

Michael Griffin has always been a mercurial player, but his biggest issue has always been what he does in space. Despite accounting for 10 tackles, one sack and one tackle for loss, Griffin may have cost the Titans the game.

The main thing you need to know about Griffin is that when he is on an island, he often leaves too much room for offensive players and get abused. On the first play of the game he allowed Niles Paul to manipulate him in space and get a 50-yard gain that would ultimately result in a field goal. Then, more notably, he took an awful angle on Pierre Garcon that allowed him to take a curl route 70-yards for a touchdown.

I know one player doesn't usually change the outcome of the game, but those two plays resulted in 10 points for the Redskins that only won by two points.

With the slow offense that the Titans have now, the defense has no room for error, even if it is unfair.

Now, Michael Griffin isn't necessarily a bad player, but he needs to have a defined role to be successful. Ray Horton would be smart to remember what he said preseason about using Griffin at or around the line of scrimmage more than anything. He is physical and fast when he is allowed to run downhill, and for a defense that lacks a physical downhill presence in the run game, that could be where Griffin shines.