2nd Quarter

-Kerry Collins had all day to throw on the first play of the quarter.  He ended up wisely throwing away

-Great play call by Dinger on 3rd and 2 to send everyone left except for Collins and Bo Scaife.  Scaife made a great play to get into the end zone

-The Titans defense got toasted on the tight end screen that started the next drive.  No one was home on the back side of the defense

-Albert Haynesworth jumps offsides a lot

-Nick Harper made a fantastic play to knock the ball away from Andre Johnson in the end zone

-Matt Schaub made a great throw to Owen Daniels to get the ball in a tiny window between Harper and David Thornton

-William Hayes lost the backside contain and allowed Schaub to pick up a big gain on the bootleg

-Jevon Kearse did a great job of keeping that contain on the next play

-The Titans defense just opened up and let Steve Slaton run in for the 6-yard TD run.  That was the point where we were starting to get a little worried about the D, but they made the proper adjustments

-Another great throw on time by Collins to Justin McCareins to start the next drive

-I love watching The Round Mound run over people

-The throw to McCareins wasn't even close to being a catch.  Great job by Collins to get the Titans to the line and run a play before Kubiak got a chance to see it again.  Fisher said on his show last night they have a play called for just that situation.

-The Titans got another break on the TD run.  He might have extended the ball over the goal line, but it was really close

-The Titans did the worst job of tackling so far this season in this game.  They better get that fixed before AP comes to town

-Great hit by Michael Griffin to knock Johnson out of bounds on 3rd down on the next drive

-I would have liked to see the Titans take a shot down the field on the drive that started at 2:08, but that isn't Fisher's style.  Plus it looks like he is just waiting for Crazy Legs to break one in those situations 

-Mario Williams made his one play of the day on this drive when he knocked the ball out of Collins's hands

Halftime Titans 21 Texans 12

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-Great first series by the defense

-Obviously a bad first throw by Collins, but he did make a nice tackle

-The Titans caught a big break when Andre Johnson let that pass go through his hands in the end zone on 2nd down

-Albert Haynesworth own Matt Schaub

-Huge for the defense to hold to a field goal there

-Brandon Jones made a great move to pick up the first down on third and 2.  I was very critical of Jones before the season started, but he has played well so far

-What about Collins running for 12 yards on the bootleg?

-Collins made a great throw in a small window to B. Jones

-Nice to see Chris Davis making a big catch.  I know that play gave the Texans flashbacks of the throw to Roydell Williams from Collins in Houston last season.  Collins throw that route really well

-I wish they would have shown a replay of the throw to Alge Crumpler in the end zone.  It wouldn't have counted anyway because of the penalty, but I just wanted to see if he did catch it

-Great call by Jeff Fisher to go for it on 4th and 1.  It helps when you have a back like The Round Mound to pound people

-Michael Griffin is a stud

-Bo Scaife almost made an incredible catch on the play where "Super Mario" Williams was offsides.  A good throw there would have been a big gain.  Also, Mario isn't so "Super" when facing Michael Roos

-Justin McCareins has to hang on to the ball there.  I am not impressed with McCareins to this point

-A few things about the 50 yard run for Slaton

1. Tony Brown had a good shot to bring him down in the backfield but got tackled himself
2. Keith Bulluck was held like a champ on the play
3. I am not sure a horse collar should have been called there because Hope did have his hand around the front side

-The defense stood up deep in their own territory again

-Collins missed McCareins on what would have been a touchdown on the first play following the field goal

-I can't believe the Texans didn't respect the ability of Collins to beat them with his legs

End of the first quarter Titans 7 Texans 6

Like I said yesterday, 3-0 feels pretty good.  Yesterday's game was a whole lot different than I thought it would be, but the Titans won and that is all that matters.

The game didn't start so well for the Titans on offense when Kerry Collins was intercepted on the first play from scrimmage.  Collins did a great job of coming back from that and having a solid day.  I hope Vince Young was watching how a veteran reacts to a play like that.

The defense, as it did all day long, stood up and bailed Collins out by holding the Texans to a field goal off the interception.  In fact, the Texans actually gained -7 yards on the possession.

The offense came roaring back with an 11 play 5:26 drive that ended with LenDale White's first of two touchdown runs on the game.  I was pretty shocked to see Jeff Fisher go for it on 4th and 1 right there, but it shows that he has a lot of confidence in his offensive line to pick up short yardage.

The next Texans drive only lasted one play because, here you go gramsey, Michael Griffin picked off Matt Schaub.  Griffin made a heck of a catch.  This play was huge not only because it gave the Titans great field position, which they would give right back on the Justin McCareins fumble, but because  Texans' coach Gary Kubiak challenged that Griff didn't come down in bounds.  He lost the challenge, and that loss probably kept him from a couple of challenges he would have won later in the game.

The next Texans drive was the one where Steve Slaton ripped off the 50-yard run.  The thing about that run is that he should have been tackled in the backfield, and if Hentrich is my Homeboy is correct, Keith Bulluck was held on the play.  The Titans defense was once again able to minimize the damage and hold the Texans to another field goal.

The Titans drove down the field for another touchdown following that field goal.  That drive went 10 plays in 4:18 and was capped by a touchdown pass to Bo Scaife.  One of the many things that Collins appears to have brought to this offense is red zone efficiency.  Yesterday the Titans came away with 3 touchdowns in 3 red zone trips.

The Texans scored their only touchdown of the day on the next drive that included 43 yards receiving by Owen Daniel on 2 catches.  That drive was a little worrisome because it appeared the Texans had figured out how to move the ball against the Titans' defense, but Jim Schwartz and company made the proper adjustments.

The Justin McCareins 37-yard reception that should not have been set up The Round Mound's second touchdown run on the next drive.  Collins did a great job of getting the offense down the field after the pass to McCareins was ruled complete to get a play off before Kubiak got a chance to get another look.  There is no doubt that Kubiak throws the flag there if he hasn't already lost one challenge, and I was surprised that he still didn't go ahead and throw it because of the magnitude of that play.

That gave the Titans a 21-12 lead and sent Fisher into ultra-conservative mode.  Collins threw just 11 passes for the rest of the game.  I was not a big fan of just sitting on it from that point on, but that is Fisher's style.  It worked yesterday so I guess we can't be all that upset about it.

The Texans offense would move the ball a little bit for the rest of the game but were unable to put any more points on the board.  They would go for it 4 times on 4th down in the second half and not convert any of them.  The first time was with 5:12 left in the 3rd quarter from the Titans' 10-yard line.  I am sure Kubiak was kicking himself for that decision later in the game.  The final 4th down attempt was picked off by Cortland Finnegan and returned for a touchdown to put the game away.  It is going to be cool to see Finnegan playing in the Pro Bowl.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

(opening statements)

I want to start off by complimenting the entire Texans organization, the players, staff and administration, everybody associated with the organization for the job that they did really going back to as late as this past Tuesday. After visiting with a number of the coaches and some of the players before the game, it is hard to imagine what they went through. It is hard to imagine for us to imagine what basically the population has gone through there in south Texas.

And for them to pull together like they did and to fight to the very end I think the whole organization, players, coaches, staff and their fans should be commended for it. It was a tremendous effort. They are one of us. I just think, I want this to get out that they did one heck of a job today.

As far as the game is concerned, I think you saw that our defense, somebody told our defense that the field was five yards long, not a 100 yards long to assess our play inside the 5-yard line.

The defense made the plays when we needed to make the plays .We got the points, we got the turnaround. We didn't play the game I thought we were going to play. But, we will take the win.

The turnovers, those types of things have a direct effect on the ballgame and they did today. Our offense was in a hole the second half. We couldn't get going with the difficult field position. But overall I think we took a step forward. I think we got a little better, but we have a lot of things to correct.

(on Kerry Collins' performance)

We expect Kerry to do well. He didn't start out the way he wanted to start out but he settled right back down. That's the experience that he has. He made a bad throw and the defense made a play for him and held them to three points. We got on a roll, so he was able to just brush that off. He did a nice job. He put the ball where it needed to be put. They're a good defense and I thought we did a nice job protecting for him. We kept his jersey somewhat clean and he made good reads and good decisions.

(on the rushing attempts by Kerry Collins)

I don't think they anticipated him doing that. That's why we had it in the game plan. But yeah, he can still get it for an old man. He lost a lot of weight in the off-season. He runs around in practice. In the future it helps keep the edges honest.

(on being able to rely on the defense to help when turnovers occur)

What's important is the experience itself. You can talk in front of a defense and say, ‘Hey look regardless of what happens, if there is a field position shift what-have-you, you guys need to go make the play.' Now they know they are capable of doing it and getting use to it. It was the longest interception return in franchise history. That's a great way to finish the game.

(on if he was surprised about the fourth down decisions made by the Houston Texans)

You know, I'm never going to second guess another coach. Gary (Kubiak) has information over there that we don't have. They don't call plays not thinking that they're going to work. I thought they did a great job with their play calling and you could see the chunks that they were picking up throughout the game. We had to play defense too and our guys made the plays.

(on if Jevon Kearse is hurt)

No, he's fine. We didn't really have any injuries this week other than just minor bumps and bruises.

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A crazy first half, but it is always good to go to the lockerroom with a lead.  

I am going to open a thread for the late games because I figure most of us will be watching the Jags and Colts so hang around for that.

     VS.    

NUTS AND BOLTS

Date: September 21st, 2008
Time: 12:00 p.m. Central
Location: LP Field, Nashville, TN
Records: Titans (2-0) Texans (0-1)
Weather: 79 degrees, 0% chance of rain, Wind SE 2 mph
TV: CBS
Radio: 103.3 WKDF
Texans Coverage: Battle Red Blog and The Houston Chronicle
Titans Gameday Central

The Titans haven't started a season 3-0 since 1999.  This seems like a good year to do it.

GO TITANS!!

This is always an interesting game.  As I mentioned the other day, the Titans are 10-2 in this serie, but that hardly tesls the story.  Most of the games have come down to the wire.  Who can forget the 2006 game when Vince Young won the game with a 39 yard touchdown run in overtime, or the game in Houston last season when Rob Bironas kicked an NFL record 8 field goals?  The Titans come out on top most of the time, but it is never easy.

Another thing that makes me nervous is that all of the "experts" picked the Titans.

I don't expect this game to be any different from the ones in years past.  The Texans are coming off a crazy couple of weeks that included them being displaced because of Hurricane Ike and having their game against the Ravens cancelled.  It will be interesting to see how the Texans come out for this game.  The best thing the Titans can do is jump on them early to deflate any momentum they have.

The Texans have decided to build with defense.  They spent the #1 pick in the 2006 draft on DE Mario Williams, the #33 pick on LB Demeco Ryans, and the #10 pick in the 2007 draft on DT Amobi Okoye.  Last season they finished 24th in total defense and 22nd in scoring defense so it hasn't come together just yet, but they are young and improving.

Last season the Titans ran the ball well against the Texans gaining 155 yards and 153 yards in the two meetings respectively, and they didn't even have Chris Johnson.  I know this isn't exactly groundbreaking stuff here, but the Titans will try and establish the run in this game.  Last week the carries were split 50/50 between Crazy Legs and The Round Mound.  I would expect it to be the same in this game.  Use CJ early to losen up the defense, pound them in the middle of the game with TRM, and then watch CJ break a big run when they are worn down.

Kerry Collins only start of last season was in the Bironas game, and he went 25 of 42 for 280 yards.  I don't see Collins throwing the ball 42 times in this game, but he will continue to play efficient football like he did last week. 

Justin Gage is going to be a game time decision so Brandon Jones will probably start in his place, but we should get our first regular season look at Lavelle Hawkins.

The Titans defense will get after Matt Schaub just like they did last season when they knocked him out of both matchups.  They may want to re-think that game plan though because if they knock Schaub out of the game Sage Rosenfels, the Titan killer, will come in.  

The biggest challenge for the defense will be to contain Andre Johnson.  Johnson is simply one of the best receivers in the NFL, and just about the only weapon the Texans have on offense.  I cannot wait to see Cortland Finnegan matchup against Johnson a little bit.  We won't get to see much one-on-one because that is not the Titans style, but there will be a few battles.

I am also interested to see Steve Slaton.  He had a really good career at West Virginia, and carried the ball 13 times for 43 yards in the Texans opener.  He will probably end up as their feature back if he can stay healthy, which he had trouble doing in college.  The Texans also have Ahman Green, but I am sure he is hurt.

This game will probably come down to the wire, but I see the Titans being able to have a lot of success on the ground and coming out with a win.

To get us ready for this weekends game with the Texans we have 5 questions with Battle Red Blog:

MCM- It seems in situations like the one the Texans have faced this week teams either come back with a great performance or they fall apart. Which one do you think it will be for the Texans on Sunday?

Battle Red Blog- The optimist in me says that they bounce back and put up a good fight. They were manhandled in the season opener at Pittsburgh. In the days immediately following the loss, the team was focused entirely on proving to the fans, and more importantly, to themselves that they were better than the team that got beat down in week one. Then came Ike, and their entire focus changed.

To be honest, this team doesn't have years of cohesion to fall back on, so it is going to be tough. The offensive line has been overhauled and features a rookie left tackle in Duane Brown, and Steve Slaton, our starting running back, is also a rookie. Mix in a revamped blocking scheme, and you can see where the team may be doing a little more thinking and a little less reacting during the course of the game.

With all that said, I have faith in Matt Schaub and the wide receiving corps. They have always shown the ability to move the chains, and I expect them to step up big this weekend.

Defensively, there are questions to be answered. Hines Ward took second year cornerback Fred Bennett to school, and our safeties looked out of position during Steelers' key plays. But then again, Mario Williams showed why he is quickly becoming the best defensive end in the game with his outstanding performance (six tackles, two sacks, and a forced fumble). They should have an easier time than they had with the Steelers, so I expect the defense to rise to occasion.

The Texans will be fired up and looking to give their fans something to feel good about. They have all the motivation they need, but the question is, have they prepared well enough to take on a team as physical as the Titans? We'll find out on Sunday.

MCM- Matt Schaub was knocked out of both games against the Titans last season. Is the Texans offensive line going to be ready for the Titans pass rush this time?

BRB- The Texans gave the reigns of the offensive line to legendary line coach Alex Gibbs. The zone blocking system is simple, but the practice proved to be a little more difficult at Pittsburgh. The Steelers run an attacking 3-4 defense that is predicated on blitzing, so that had something to do with the lines poor performance. Couple that with the team falling behind so quickly, and it makes a little more sense as to why the team struggled to keep Schaub upright.

Last year the Texans gave up a franchise low 22 sacks with four coming at the hands of the Titans (two in each game). The line held up fairly well in those two games; however it's hard to defense a player like Albert Haynesworth whose intentions are to injure the opposition. You gotta admit, that helmet to helmet hit on Schaub was pretty cheap. Nevertheless, the Odom sack in the second game was monstrous - and clean. There's no doubt that our newly formed line is going to have their work cut out for them.

I don't expect to see Schaub on the ground any more than usual. If the game remains close, Schaub stays pretty clean. 

MCM- Do you think the Texans are glad to see Kerry Collins at quarterback, or would they rather Vince Young back there?

BRB- It would have to be Vince.

When the game is close, Vince Young is at his most dangerous. He's always a threat to scramble and make a play with his legs. The problem with Vince is his inability to beat a team with his arm. I don't know if he doesn't do well reading defenses, but he's not going to pick a team a part from the pocket.

Interestingly, Kerry Collins seems to be the polar opposite. He's a veteran with limited mobility, but has enough experience playing quarterback to take what the defense gives him. He can still play pro quarterback in this league, and even if he isn't the same guy he was back when he was throwing for 250 yards a game, he can still make decent decisions in the pocket.

With the Titans' potent rushing attack, and his ability to be a "game manager", Collins seems to be the tougher matchup. Besides, beating the Vince Young led Titans would probably feel more satisfying.

MCM- This Texans defense has a couple of young studs on it in Mario Williams and DeMeco Ryans Are they ready to take a step forward and become an elite NFL defense?

BRB- In short, no. Don't get me wrong - Mario and DeMeco have both proven themselves to be two of the league's best at their positions. Amobi Okoye is coming along, but he has a long way to go before he is held in that regard.

What's keeping this team from taking that next step from mediocre to good is the inability to pressure the quarterback. Outside of Mario Williams (12 sacks over his last eight games), the Texans haven't been able to produce a consistent pass rush. They desperately need to find a bookend to compliment Mario. If they do, I think you'll start to see this defense really take off.

The Texans made a last ditch effort to solve their pass rush problems when they brought in Rosevelt Colvin, but that train was derailed before it ever left the station. While I was a fan of the incentive laden contract, I went on record early and often criticizing the move to sign him in the first place. And sure enough, he ended up getting cut when the rosters were trimmed to 53.

The lack of a pass rush makes it hard on our secondary. They just don't have the skills to cover a talent group of receivers for very long, especially if the quarterback is being given seven seconds to find the open man. And with CB Dunta Robinson on the PUP list until the seventh week, the pressure falls on free agent acquisition Jacques Reeves and 2^nd year man Fred Bennett to step up and keep the secondary from being the unit that sinks the season.

The Texans are just now starting to free themselves from the dead money deals left over from the Casserly era. My hope is that they are able to bring in a couple of impact players this offseason to mesh with this burgeoning defense.

MCM- Standard fifth question: What will the headline for this game be in Monday's Tennessean?

BRB- "Vince Young Leaves House without Cell Phone... Again!" Just kidding. The headline will read: "Titans fall to Tenacious Texans".

As always, go over to BRB and check out his 6 question VY bashing for me.

(On Chris Johnson and LenDale White's carries being split almost exactly 50/50)

Well, we were 15 a piece last week. We're not counting them but you just get a feel. They're unselfishly rotating and there are times we'd prefer to have one in the game other than the other but hopefully that will continue.

(On if a rhythm develops in the running back rotation process)

Yeah, well there is. What's hard to do is go in for one play and come out. So you typically go a series or three or four plays or at least the first and second downs, and then first, second and one will come in on third down. That's kind of how the rotation has evolved.

(On his sense of how Houston has used Steve Slaton and Chris Taylor)

We just have one game. 30 [Ahman Green] had some injury issues and then [Steve] Slaton goes in and he played and played well so I can't really get a feel for what they're doing. Typically speaking, the offense that they're using is going to rotate backs and keep backs fresh so that's what we expect.

(On if they prepare to face Sage Rosenfels at all after Matt Schaub was injured against the Titans last year)

We're familiar with both of them, what they can do. One's just slightly more mobile than the other and [Matt] Schaub really does a good job. You go back and look at what they did the preseason and like I said, it was promising. He's going to get rid of the ball on time, he's going to not get hit. That's how they protect their quarterback, they disperse everybody very evenly and they get the ball out. It's the design of the offense. It's a different Houston Texan offense than it has been in the past.

(On Albert Haynesworth's suggestion that the Titans should run a two-quarterback system)

You know, we'll obviously begin to sit down and we'll consult with him once a week on decisions that we make.

(On Kerry Collins physical shape)

Oh, he's in great shape. He's probably where he was in college, I mean he's lost a lot of weight and he's running around. He's moving the pocket well. He made a great play, a play that he may not have made last year, in the ball game. [He got] flushed out to his left and threw across his body. So he can get out of trouble and make a play.

(On if he asked Kerry Collins to lose weight last year or if it was done by Collins himself)

No, he did it on his own. He was productive for us last year and effective. He worked hard.

(On his thoughts on Kerry Collins and his longevity and his ability to still play quarterback at a high level)

Yeah, we went through that with Neil [O'Donnell]. Neil had been a few places and came in and still did it well for us and that's the same with Kerry [Collins]. His numbers are quite impressive if you really think about what he's done. He's in great shape and loves to practice, enjoys the game plan. We'll see how well he plays.

(On if he likes Kerry Collins proclaiming that he wants to make the Titans his team now that he's starting)

That's what should come out of the quarterback position, regardless of who's playing the position. When you play quarterback you've automatically been anointed the leader and so it's the nature of the position. You expect him to say that.

(On if he addressed the team on Roger Goodell's announcement today about player safety)

We discussed it, I discussed it with them. It's just a reminder that player's safety is first and foremost on Sundays, that players will be penalized if things get out of hand or if there are some egregious hits. The officials are told to err on the side of caution. If they think it's a helmet-to-helmet then let it fly, and if it's not, so be it. But just try to keep the unnecessary hits out of the game.