Boom King's streak of 53 straight starts may be in jeopardy because of the groin injury he suffered playing against the Ravens.  He won't practice this week, but expects to be ready to role against the atrocious offensive line of the Chiefs.  For a defensive lineman, that game is a money maker.

 Justin Gage is also confident he'll be ready to go for the Chiefs game, but was very dodgy abut what exactly his knee injury is.

 Gary Estwick notes that what the Titans may lack in premier talent, they make up for with depth.  It's hard to overstate how important this is as we look around the league and see a lot of guys who expected to make the Pro Bowl before the season instead focusing on claiming the most comfy spot on the bench.

 There are a variety of reasons why Alge Crumpler hasn't been lighting the world on fire so far this year (7 catches in 5 games), but the Titans are very pleased with what he's brought to the table so far:

Jeff Fisher has said that the coverages the Titans have been seeing simply dictate more throws outside. With an eighth defender in the box, the middle is more crowded and the better matchups are on the perimeter with receivers.

"A lot of what we're facing offensively is a three-deep contour on defense because of our ability to run, so the first read ends up going outside to the wide receivers," Fisher said. "Kerry is making quicker decisions and getting rid of it. But it will come. It comes. (Crumpler's) numbers will come. He's a very unselfish player, he's blocking very well, he's a big part of our offense."

Two scouts I spoke with recently both said they think Crumpler can still be an effective pass catcher like he was for so long in Atlanta.

Crumpler has been a consummate team guy, not complaining one bit, very happy to be part of a healthy, winning atmosphere after the circus he endured last year in Atlanta because of big stories involving Michael Vick and Bobby Petrino.

"At some point, the cracks are going to come," Crumpler said. "I have no doubts I'm going to get my chances."

 In news that should make centers and guards across the league weep, Fisher says Big Albert is just now getting into form after skipping the off-season conditioning program.

 Jeffri Chadiha rates the Titans as the season's no. 1 surprise.  I guess someone didn't follow the MCM preseason predictions did they?  Tisk, tisk.

 It's never too soon to take a peek at future Titans.  Lots of great  conference match-ups this weekend, so make sure you try to find a wide receiver not named Crabtree (he'll be drafted before we wake-up on Draft Day, believe me) for us to salivate over all off-season.

 Since Halloween is coming up soon: How to carve a perfect Jack-O-Latern.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a great link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

Another week, another slobber-knocking football game.  This one should be a low-scoring affair.  The "experts" are pretty split on this one:

Hoge loves us.

Continue reading this post »

Tell me this doesn't make you feel better:

According to Elias Sports Bureau, which tracks statistics for the NFL, 53 teams since 1990 have started a season 4-0, and of those, 45 have gone on to make the postseason, a rate of 84.9 percent.

Also in that story, Fisher is unsre if Tulluch or Fowler will start Sunday... so I guess he wasn't bluffing when he said who will start is almost entirely based upon that weeks match-up.

 The Tennessean comes through with a breakdown of the recent history of the Titans' blood-feud with the Ravens.  I'll never forget Eddie George's last great game as a Titan against the Ravens in the 2003 playoffs: George helped Titans fans everywhere exercise some demons by drilling Ray Lewis, despite a nasty shoulder injury, then getting in his face on the way to a victory.

 For the last time: KYLE VANDEN BOSCH (Boom King) HIT FREROTTE A LITTLE LATE, BUT IT WASN'T 'DIRTY' BY ANY STRETCH.  VIKINGS FAN, BOOM KING DIDN'T HIT YOU IN THE CROTCH SO PLEASE STOP WHINING THAT A GROWN MAN GOT HIT WHILE PLAYING FOOTBALL.

Now take your biddy and start making some noise about the fact that your talented team is very poorly coached.

 The Titans saved over $11 million by going with Gage and McCareins over Wade and Berrian.  Now if only that $11 million could go towards Bolden or Roy Williams...

 Peter King is now all hugs and kisses for our Titans, but not so much for Vince... this doesn't sound good:

Ten Things I Think I Think:

2. I think I'm hearing that Vince Young is rebuffing Kerry Collins' attempts to be a mentor. What a waste. Collins has seen too much, and he's a selfless person at this stage of his career. Whoever's advising Young should tell him Collins would be a smart addition to his inner circle.

 Jeff Fisher does a terrible job trying to make VY's habit of chilling away from the team and coaches during practices and the game Sunday seem inconsequential, IMO.

 VY should return to practice this week, and Fisher says his progression will determine if he's the no. 2 or no. 3 QB on Sunday.

 Michael Silver of Yahoo! bumps the Titans up to no. 2 in his inquisitive power rankings, with talk we're sure to hear for the next 6 months:

2. Tennessee Titans: For which team will brainy defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz be a head coach in 2009?

 Tomorrow is October 1st, and the Titans and Vanderbilt and TSU are a combined 11-1.  This is easily the best time in the history of football to be a fan of Nashville's football teams!

The Titans players and coaches may not be celebrating 4-0, 

"We still have a chance to go 4-12," Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck said,

but the fans are.  And why not?  This is the best start in the history for this fanchise.  There is still a long way to go, as Bulluck said, but 4-0 is a heck of a way to start.

The game yesterday was another good statement by this team.  This defense proved again that they are among the best in the league.  Sure, they gave up some yards, but they forced four turnovers to set up some easy scores and held the Vikings to 17 points.

The offense was exactly what it needs to be for this team to win.  They took care of the ball, though they were pretty lucky to put the ball on the ground three times and only lose one , and they took advantage of the short field when the defense gave it to them.  That is all they need to do with a defense that is as good as this one is.

I love watching the first drive of the game under Dinger.  There is not an offensive coordinator in the league that is better right out of the gate (I have absolutely no stats to back that statement up.  It is just a gut feeling.)  The first drive yesterday went 74 yards in 11 plays and took 4:51 off the clock.  The only thing I didn't like about that drive was the play calling on the final third and two.  I thought they should have put The Round Mound (What about the FOX announcers stealing that from us?) in and take two down to pick up the two yards if necessary.  It would have been a huge statement for the offensive line.  Instead they settled for a 20-yard Rob Bironas field goal.

The defense forced the first turnover of the game on the Vikings' first drive.  The offense turned that fumble recovery into 7 points with a 1-yard touchdown run by Chris Johnson.  This was mentioned in the game thread, but I wish Crazy Legs would cut out the high stepping.  That could come back to haunt him at a very inopportune time.

The next Vikings' drive was not so good for the defense.  That drive went 10 plays for 80 yards and was topped off by a 28-yard touchdown run by Adrian Peterson.  Michael Griffin should have stopped Peterson short of the goal line, but he took a bad angle.  All in all the defense did a good job of against AP, holding him to just 80 yards on 18 carries.

The Titans' offense stalled in the red zone again on the next drive and settled for a 32-yard field goal from Bironas.  The Titans offense has been great in the red zone so far this year.  That is interesting because most of us thought that Alge Crumpler would be the player that would cure those woes, but he has been non-existent in the red zone.  It was big for Kerry Collins and company to answer the Vikings' score.

Speaking of Collins, he played another decent game yesterday going 18-35 for 199 yards.  There was some debate in this morning's link post about his play as compared to Vince Young's.  The biggest number I am looking at is his turnovers, and through 3 full games he has turned the ball over 1 time (I give the fumble lost yesterday to Kevin Mawae).  I have little doubt that VY could be putting up similar completion percentage, yardage and TD numbers, but there is little doubt in my mind that he would have turned the ball over more than once.

The next Titans' touchdown came off an AP fumble that was recovered by Tony Brown.  That was the drive with the controversial Justin Gage call.  I don't think Gage made the line to gain, but I also didn't think there was evidence on the replay to overturn it.  The Titans got a break there, and they took advantage of it.  We need to remember that as the season goes along, because just like last year with the Chris Chambers non-catch catch, there will be a call like that that goes against the Titans.  That is just football.

It was big that the Titans headed into halftime with a 20-10 lead.  The 10 point lead was part of the reason that AP only carried the ball 18 times.  The other part was the game plan put together by Jim Schwartz.  Remember two years ago when someone started a website called firejimschwartz.com?  It is amazing what a guy can do when he gets good players to work with.  He threw everything at the Vikes' yesterday, including 5 man fronts, 4 man fronts, 3 man fronts, and zone blitzes.  I will be surprised if he isn't a head coach next season.

The second half was much the same as last week.  The Titans went into super-conservative mode and let the Vikings hang around.  The play of the day came off the foot of Craig Hentrich.  AP had just scored his second touchdown of the game to make the score 23-17, and the Titans' offense had just squandered the only good kickoff return of the season from Chris Carr.  The Vikings were gaining some momentum, but that punt just killed it.

The Titans put the game away on that drive when Nick Harper intercepted Gus Frerotte, and Crazy Legs scored a 6-yard touchdown on the next play.

A few more thoughts:

• The KVB hit was not dirty.  Frerotte needs to stop crying
• Tarvaris Jackson probably wishes he never got in the game.  He was in for 3 plays and was sacked twice.
• Against a defense such as the Vikings, The Round Mound should only be in there in short yardage situations
• I want to see more screen passes
• I hate the Ravens 

Now it is Ravens week.  I cannot put in to words how much I hate that team, but I will try this week.  For now we enjoy 4-0.

This is the most anticipated non-divison game I can remember in a long time.  The Titans have the chance to start 4-0 for the first time since they became the Titans.  There has been a lot of trash talking between our site and the Daily Norseman, but I think any reasonable person can agree that this is going to be a tight, physical game.  These are two very talented, very similar teams.  Here is a look at who the "experts" at the four letter picked this week:

Shocked am I that Hoge picked against the Titans.

The Vikings are very good against the run.  We have talked about that all week, but you know as well as I do that Jeff Fisher doesn't care about that.  The Titans are still going to come out and hit the Vikings in the mouth.  We all agree that the Titans have a great offensive line.  They get a chance to prove tomorrow just how great they are.  

There is a good chance that Kerry Collins might have to win this game.  That would have really scared me this time last year, but I have faith now that he can do it.  Look for the Titans, especially if they have trouble running the ball, to throw a lot of screen passes to Chris Johnson and a lot of dump offs to Bo Scaife and Alge Crumpler.  Those plays are good extensions of the run game and should be open against the Vikes' defense.

The Titans will also take some shots down the field because the Vikings' defensive weakness is their secondary.  The key to the game will be the offensive line giving Collins time to take those shots.  The receivers have looked better the last couple of weeks, and Justin Gage should be good to go, so I look for some big plays in the passing game.

Defensively the game plan is simple on paper;  Stop Adrian Peterson.  No big deal, right?  Peterson is one of the best running backs in the league and stopping him is no easy chore.  There has been a lot of talk this week about the Titans run defense being overrated because "they haven't played anyone yet."  They will get their chance on Sunday to silence the critics.  I think they are up to the challenge.

The other popular banter from Vikes' fans this week has been that the Titans' secondary is overrated.  The Titans' secondary is not overrated, but it really doesn't matter on Sunday.  The combination of Gus Frerotte and his receivers does not strike fear in my heart.  The Titans' secondary may be getting more hype than they deserve, but there is no doubt they can handle Frerotte and the Purple Pass Catchers.

The Titans will be the better team on the field Sunday.  The key will be to play Fisher ball.  Take care of the ball, run the ball successfully, stop the run, and the Titans walk away from this game 4-0.

Everybody is justifiably focused on Adrian Peterson coming in to town, but something tells me the Titans aren't overlooking studly MLB E.J. Henderson or this celebrated defensive line.

 In the good news department, Justin Gage returned to practice.  Nick Harper didn't, but perhaps that means more run for the impressive (so far) youngster Eric King.

 Titans back-up QB Chris Simms (that still hasn't sunk in... maybe because they didn't show him at all on TV Sunday) reached out to Packers CB Al Harris, who recently ruptured his spleen.  First question: what the heck is a spleen?

 First sign the Zombies have infiltrated the biological sciences, or a valuable study aimed at protecting future football players: former Titan great Frank Wycheck may agree to donate his brain to science after his death.  Either the scientists will study the effects of multiple concussions and lots of hits, or the zombies will eat it when their blood lust becomes unbearable.  (Contrary to what was reported by the New York Times, Wycheck has not made a final decision yet.)

 Vince Young is close to being healthy enough to practice, and Jeff Fisher says he'll be our no. 2 on the depth chart once he's there... cross your fingers and hope this works out.

 I may be a little late with the link, but the USA Today comes through with a good profile on Chris Crazy Legs Johnson, with one note that may make some of you tithe a little more:

• On his speed: "It is God-given, really. There are things people can do to make them a little faster, but no one can be that fast unless it's God-given."

Amen.

 Titans Tackle Michael Roos and linbacker David Throton talk about getting a kick out of watching Kerry Collins run and cracking on him for his gray beard.  Expect a letter from the AARP soon, boys.

 How do you know your team is starting to turn heads?  They get profiled by Canadian media.

If you have anything you'd like to pass along for the next day's links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com

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.

Yesterday Jimmy asked how we feel about the game Sunday, and I think Ryan Fowler said it perfectly:

"Quite honestly, I hope they all do well," Titans linebacker Ryan Fowler said. "But I certainly don't want them to start that streak with us."

I can't imagine what the Texans players and their fans have gone through over the past week or so (though I've heard the stories and seen the effects Ike had on my beloved Astros), but I hope they're at least in a place where football can be a healthy distraction.

 Big thanks to gramsey712 for passing along a good preview of the Titans-Texans game by The Sporting News.

 How anyone could write this piece without bringing up how cupcake the first half of our schedule is, I'm not sure, but it's sure nice to see the Titans staying focused on winning the game that's in front of them while everybody else tries to distract them.

 A great read on the vocal leader of this defense, Keith Bulluck, and his 100th consecutive start for the Titans.  If you've never read his life story, you really should... here's a good place to start.

 Justin Gage, our only really reliable WR, hasn't practiced in a few days, but there is one upside:

With Gage out, rookie wideout Lavelle Hawkins continues to become a bigger part of the offense. He was inactive for the first two games.

 Terry McCormick relays a tradition Jim Washburn has passed down to our defensive line for years: The Chain.

 Boom King (Vanden Bosch) has made it his mission not to be the weak link... I'd say he's been might successful if that's his goal.

 If you're going to the game Sunday, the Titans are participating in a charity drive that benefits our soldiers at war.  All you have to do is bring your old cell phone; AT&T will have it recycled and the proceeds will go towards buying soldiers pre-paid phone cards to call back home.

If you have anything you'd like to pass along for the next day's links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com

After perhaps the most tumultuous week in franchise history, our Tennessee Titans showed they could weather a tempest on and off the field.  

What happened Sunday was impressive no matter what you think of the Bengals this year.  Jeff Fisher and the Titans' veteran leaders made sure this team's focus was on the one thing they were all assembled to do: win the next game.

The whole game was marred by swirling crosswinds blowing steadily from 30 to over 50mph.  Early on the Bengals and Titans both struggled to adjust and get going on offense as they traded punts and penalties.

A Titans drive that began late in the 1st quarter and lasted into the second finally got us on the board.  Collins looked good keeping the passing attack focused on short passes and accurate, with the hopes the WRs could break tackles after the catch.  Some did, most didn't.  Still, the results were exact;y what we needed: steady and reliable.  Nothing to frazzle the nerves.

LenDale looked strong running the ball between the tackles, and the team rolled down the field in vintage Fisher/Dinger fashion: 11 plays and nearly 6 minutes long.  

The Bengals' only score came a few drives later as the D struggled to stop some nice runs by Chris Perry.  Carson Palmer really struggled Sunday.  Given how badly he's burned us in the past maybe he was due, but something definitely looked wrong with him.  It was his 2nd poor display in a row, and while Kerry wasn't nails, he definitely outplayed Palmer in those conditions.

Later in the second quarter Crazy Legs finally got a crack to run through, and thanked the O-Line by breaking off a 51 yard run.  The next play he was good for 9. That's Johnson's true value: where as Eddie was a consistent sledgehammer, Johnson can change the momentum of the game on any given play.  An offense that had started to look rough suddenly sprang to life, and the drive ended with a pretty 11-yard pass to Gage.

The entire second half was a grinder.  Both teams tried to run the ball but neither got terribly far.  The only score was a Rob Bironas field goal that hooked through the upright in nearly impossible kicking conditions.  Linemen on both sides kept jumping offsides, but they did excel in swatting away the pizza boxes, bags and wrappers that were floating around the field.

The game's final score came on a sweet blocked punt after the D backed the Bengals down to the one-yard line.  Perry was lucky to make it back out of the end zone on that 2nd down play.  With a shortened approach for the punter, Bulluck fired through a crease in the blocking and stuffed the ball back to the ground with his full palm.  Fitting to his work ethic, Bulluck also recovered the loose ball in the endzone for a touchdown.

It's tough to say a ton about the defenses performance.  For short stretches they were getting pushed off the line, but overall they baffled a Bengals offense that struggled mightily with the freakish winds.  Boom King (Vanden Bosch) and The Freak (if you don't know who that is go tell your mom you shouldn't be allowed on the internet) combined for the Titans only sack, and former Titan Antwan Odom got the only Bengals sack.

Aided by the lack of vertical passes, the secondary played well and certainly came ready to hit: DBs counted for 6 of our top 10 tacklers.  

Jim Schwartz did something I've never seen before outside of the goal line: he repeatedly used DE's (mostly Boom King and Dave Ball) at middle line backer to solidify the d-line in obvious running situations.  It was a good gamble, as the Bengals only managed 88 yards on 28 rushes. It was, however, one that may have been provoked by the conditions since throwing it down field was a complete crap shoot.

Final Conclusion?  On the field it's tough to draw one.  The Titans were largely expected to win this game and they did so in convincing fashion.  

The thing to take away from this week is how impressive the Titans' focus was.  No one would have been surprised if all of the controversy, whispers and talk had distracted them.  The fact that there weren't many penalties and zero turnovers shows that for this team it doesn't matter what reporters and fans are asking about all week long, as long as after the game they're asking about how 2-0 feels.

Thanks for reading. Jimmy will be back soon with his take.

This addition of What 2 Watch 4 is all about the offense.  The defense has played well this preseason, even when missing some key parts, and will probably only see a series or two against the Packers first team.

There is never a must anything preseason game, but if there were, this would be it for the Titans' offense.  Since the Packers will likely only play their #1 defense for the first quarter, it is very important that the Titans get in the end zone tonight.  I don't care how vanilla the offense is that they are running, there is absolutely no excuse for not moving the ball up and down the field against another teams #2's.

This game is also important for the overall confidence of the offense.  Mark Howard and Paul Kuharsky were saying that the body language of the offense has not been good in practice the last couple of weeks.  Confidence is one of the most importance aspects of sports.  A confident team can often play well above their ability level (i.e. the Colorado Rockies last season).  If it takes making plays against some subs for the offense to get their confidence back, so be it.

Vince Young needs to have a successful night.  His numbers would not have been terrible last week if not for the drops.  He did make one really bad throw, but I think we will all be ok if he only makes one really bad throw a game (assuming that not all 16 of those end up as INTs). 

We are still sitting here waiting for a receiver to step up.  At this point I am not sure that is going to happen.  There was some noise earlier in the week that Roydell Williams could be playing for his job this week.  It would be nice to see him step up and make some plays tonight.  Lavelle Hawkins probably won't play, which is disappointing because I would love to see him get the chance to develop some chemistry with VY.  I think at this point the only receivers who are safe are Justin Gage, Justin McCareins, Lavelle Hawkins, and probably Brandon Jones.  Keep an eye on Roydell, Paul Williams, Chris Davis and Biren Ealy tonight.  They all need to do something tonight to earn a spot.

The offensive line needs to have a good game tonight as well.  The Titans haven't had any problem moving the ball on the ground, but they have had some issues with the pass rush.  It would be nice to see them have the dominating performance that they are capable of.