Oh how the times have changed: a few years ago the Titans made the playoffs without a single starter making the Pro Bowl.  Now Haynesworth, Bironas, Hentrich, Crazy Legs, Mawae, Amano, Scott, Bulluck, Finnegan, Griffin, Hope, Boom King and Kearse all have a good to very good chance of making the Pro Bowl this year.  How Amano and Scott are doing better than Roos and Stewart I have no idea, but that's a very impressive tally none the less. ****UPDATE: Paul Kuharsky has a breakdown of where the AFC South players rank in the voting, and their tallies as of yesterday.

 I wrote a lot of mean jokes about PK while trying to figure out why I was so annoyed about this armchair diagnosis of VY, but in the end I had to say I kind of agree.  If VY makes it back and is successful as the Titans' starter, it'll be a sign of tremendous character and perseverance... on a level that most young, rich and top 5 picks don't show historically.  I could definitely happen, but it would be the exception to the anecdotal-rule.

 Jim Wyatt lays out the ways the Titans could clinch a playoff spot this weekend with a victory over the Jets.

 LenDale White got probation for his mighty lame sounding off-season disturbing the peace incident.

 Gary Estwick reports from Boom King's charity Wrestling event on Monday night at the Wild Horse, and there are some odd pics as well...

 Not familiar with the career and stories about Kerry Collins pre-Titans?  Check out ESPN's Clip Reel on him.

 Sports Journalism's Golden Calf, Mike Lupica, says the Giants are the new Yankees, but he also uses this profound logic and expert syntax:

[The Giants] are the class of the sport right now, both sides of the ball, just about everywhere except with personal seat licenses. And that stands whether the Titans are 10-0 or not.

 Here's an update on the race for the yearly league awards as measured by the awesomely named Bucky Brooks:

Coach of the Year

1. Jeff Fisher, Titans (1): When your team rolls out to a 10-0 start, you have to be considered the front runner for this award.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

2. Chris Johnson, RB, Titans (2): The electrifying runner has been held to fewer than 100 yards in his past four starts, but continues to make contributions as an all-purpose threat. After tallying 88 total yards against the Jags, Johnson ranks second among rookies with 990 yards from scrimmage.

Defensive Player of the Year

1. Albert Haynesworth, DT, Titans (1): The one-man wrecking crew put on an outstanding show against the Jags (seven tackles, one sack and a forced fumble). Haynesworth's seven sacks push him into a tie for the league lead among defensive tackles with the Vikings' Kevin Williams.

 Veteran commenter and patriot Rustmeister weighs in on the Titans, with a little special hope that Mr. Favre leaves a few divots in the turf at LP Field courtesy of our defensive line.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a 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.)

That game puts my mind at ease a little bit.  I was worried about what would happen if an opposing team was able to completely take away the Titans running attack.  The Bears held the Titans to 20 net yards on the ground.  If you would have told me that number Saturday night I would have said there was no way the Titans would win that game.  Kerry Collins bounced back from his worst game of the season last week against the Packers to have his best game of the season going 30 of 41 for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He proved yesterday that he can do more than manage the game when he is called to do so.

The start of the game felt a little like bizzaro world yesterday.  The offense usually comes out and marches right down the field because Dinger is so good at scripting plays to start the game.  Yesterday they went 3 and out on the first drive.  The Titans defense usually comes out strong, but Rex Grossman marched the Bears right down the field for 7 points.

The offense didn't really get going until the third possession.  That drive included 2 catches by Alge Crumpler, one of which was a 20 yard reception of 2nd and long.  I think we are going to see some big things from Alge down the stretch.  That drive ended with the Ahmard Hall fumble on the goal line.  (Sarge didn't have his best game of the season yesterday, but he is still loved here at MCM.)  That play would have been an easy TD if not for the fumble, and I understand they were going for the element of surprise there, but I still would have liked to have seen that play go to The Touchdown Machine, LenDale White.

The Titans defense came up huge following the fumble by not allowing the Bears to convert a first down.   Chris Carr, who has been an unsung hero in this 9-0 start, returned the ensuing punt 29 yards to give the Titans great field position at the Chicago 25.  Four plays later Bo Scaife caught a TD pass from Collins to put the Titans on the board and tie the game. 

That was it for the scoring in the first half.  The only other play of significance was the David Stewart personal foul call that knocked the Titans out of field goal range on the next drive.  The Titans did get lined up for a 49-yard field goal at the end of the half, but Rob Bironas came up well short kicking into the Chicago wind.

The second half opened like the first half usually opens for the Titans.  After the defense forced the Bears to go 3 and out, Collins marched the offense right down the field for the go ahead touchdown.  Collins had completions of 11 (Brandon Jones who should be #1 on the depth chart now), 16 (Justin Gage who suddenly remembered he is supposed to catch it when it is thrown to him), 10 (Scaife), 5 (Scaife) and the 12 yard TD strike on a slant (Gage).  Adam at WCG mentions that the slant call there was probably a result of something the Titans saw when watching film of the Bears.

There wasn't much action after that until the Titans put together a 11 play 52 yard drive that ended with a 2 yard TD plunge from Smash.  The ensuing kickoff was returned 41 yards by Devin Hester.  The Titans kicked to Hester all day and did a really good job of not letting him hurt them.

The Bears would end up attempting a field goal coming off of that kickoff return by Hester.  Jason Jones blocked the kick which prompted an Elaine Benes type celebration from Jeff Fisher (Full disclosure: I stole that from a guy on the radio).

Grossman would get a 1 yard TD run that came from the Titans lovely prevent defense, but that would be the end of it.  The Titans emerged from snowy Chicago 9-0.

At 7-0 we looked at the Packers/Bears/Jaguars stretch and said we needed to win at least 2 of 3.  Done.  Now we look at Jaguars/Jets/Lions and need 2 out of 3.  That seems even more doable.  Here's to hoping we win all 3.

Paul Kuharsky talked to several Titans about their pending free agency and how the franchise is with extensions.  The comments were a little disturbing, but understandable (I think Cort, Roos, Stewart and a few others would disagree).  Don't expect anyone to let that distract them Sunday, however:

"The Titans organization isn't the quickest to go to the checkbook, so we'll have to see," Bulluck said. "We'll just play this season out and I'm sure a lot of things will happen this offseason. But we'll worry about the offseason when we get there. You know what we're worried about now, right? Da' Bears."

 John McClain raises an awesome point I hadn't heard yet:

The Titans also are the only team in the league that’s perfect, 26-of-26, in the red zone. It’s interesting that a team ranking 21st in offense, including 29th passing, has managed to score at least 30 points in half of its games.

 Commenter UrbanDad drops off the kids long enough to point us towards this: The Football Outsiders gave-out their midseason awards, and the Titans dominated the list like it was the AFC South.

 Dinger knows that whatever he needs, he can just dial up Crazy Legs' number; he'll take care of it and make sure it looks good too!

 None to happy about his $7,500 fine for a supposed horse collar tackle on Aaron Rodgers last week, Jevon Kearse is going to appeal it.  Also of note: Dave McGinnis is a candidate for the Kansas State head coaching position.

 With the mercury falling in Chicago and those winter winds whipping off of Lake Michigan, expect to see a healthy portion of Smash and Dash this weekend at Soldier Field.

 More reasons why Ahmard Hall is a pimp:

Titans fullback Ahmard Hall, who served in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan will make his annual visit to a local veterans hospital in honor of Veteran’s Day next Tuesday.

"I’m just going to the hospital. I’ve been every year since I’ve been here," Hall said. "I’m just going to show my gratitude to the veterans, young and old, that served the country and enable us to do what we do."

 Intrepid commenter and contributer BigW points out that last week's Titans-Packers game gets the epic NFL films treatment. I'd love to watch a game live with the guy who narrates these vignettes... make sure you catch Steve Waterson's reaction to the Bironas miss.

 Bodoglife.com has the Titans' odds to make it to the Super Bowl at 5/1.  Keep in mind that these numbers are not for recreation or entertainment, and are intended to be used for gambling... sweet rent-losing, budget breaking gambling!

 The AOL Fanhouse gives their NFL midseason MVP to Big Albert, but they keep with the head stomping jokes... I don't think Albert will ever fully live that down.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a 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.)

How good has the Tennessee Titans offensive line unit been over the first half of 2008?  It's no stretch to say they've played at this level.   

I put Kerry Collins' stats up there to point out this: 210 times Kerry has dropped back to pass, and he's only been sacked on 3 of them.  Simply put, for a QB who was sacked 305 times in 14 years (21.8 times per year), that stat doesn't change without a little help from the big uglies up front.  It's a good illustration of just how dominant this line, already renowned for it's run blocking, has been in the passing game as well this year.

Oh yeah, they also pave the way for the AFC's leading rusher and the NFL leader in touchdowns.

Kevin Mawae is having the best year I can ever remember him playing.  I was a big fan of Mawae's during his Pro Bowl filled tenure with the Jets, but he really seemed to fall off last year.  He would get bull rushed back into the pocket, which forced Vince to bail, and struggled getting to the second level.  For whatever reason, though I get the suspicion Dinger's blocking schemes have helped, Mawae has been a beast this year.  He's the spokesman for one of the best all around units in the league and a clear leader in the locker room.  I think it's safe to say that Mawae's grit and veteran smarts have never benefited the entire offense more than this year.

Continue reading this post »

The Tennessean points out the preponderance of starting QBs right now who are well into their 30's: Kerry Collins, Gus Frerotte, Brett Favre, Trent Green, Kurt Warner, Jon Kitna and Damon Huard are all 35 or older.  Of course, the Jets are probably the only team that's ecstatic to be in this situation.

 Ryan fowler was blind-sided by his demotion in favor of Stephen Tulloch, and Fowler believes the move is permanent.  Jim Wyatt says Fowler handled the demotion with great class and aplomb, despite being obviously disappointed.

 Yahoo! Sports wins my award this week for best MSM game preview of Sunday's match-up.

 Gary Estwick gives us ammo to expect a payback by the Titans this Sunday:

Minnesota has won the last four games against Houston/Tennessee, outscoring its AFC foe 111-60.

 The Titans offensive line has played very well so far this year, and they'll need to keep it up this weekend against a ferocious Vikings defensive line.  This SUnday is going to be the best test against a 4-3 defense we see all season, IMO... time for Roos, Stewart and Scott to earn those big contracts they got in the off-season.

 Terry McCormick reports that VY has been throwing with a knee brace on, but Fisher has been dodging giving a time-line for the QB's return.

 Scout.com offers up a free report on how rookie running backs are faring and list Crazy Legs as the 2nd most productive RB so far (behind Matt Forte who doesn't split time and doesn't compete with a passing game):

2.  Chris Johnson: Like Forte, he's quickly gotten involved in both the running and passing game. And he's also brought a quiet maturity to a team that has been unsteady at the running back position. A powerful and fast runner, Johnson has been asked to carry the ball at least 15 times in each of his three games, and he has posted no less than 74 yards per game. That's a nice start for a rookie who is sharing reps.

 ESPN scribe Elizabeth Merrill talked to several members of VY's inner-circle and people important to his past, such former Titans GM Floyd Reese and VY's long-time spiritual adviser, to get a read on what they think VY is going thorough.  The results aren't mind blowing, but definitely worth a read.

 Matt Williamson from ESPN Scouts Inc. breaks-down what VY has to improve on the field... sounds a lot like what 'Dinger talked about improving all off-season.

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

The Titans built a lot of momentum in their preseason opener against the Rams.  It is very important for th em to continue that momentum tonight against the Oakland Raiders.  Here are some things to watch for:

Offense

• The Titans ran all over against a bad Rams defense last Saturday night.  The Raiders were not good against the run last year (ranked 31st giving up 145.9 ypg).  The Titans will be playing without starting right tackle David Stewart.  Keep an eye on his replacement, Daniel Loper.  This is his chance to step up and prove he can be a viable option if one of the tackles goes down during the season.
• While the that Raiders were really bad against the run last season, they were really good against the pass (ranked 8th giving up 195.8 ypg).  Keep an eye on Vince Young tomorrow night.  I want to see him go through his reads and make good, quick decisions.  I also want to see him deliver passes with accuracy to give the receivers the chance to make a play.
• Speaking of the receivers, it would be really nice to see at least one of them step up and prove they can be a consistent, reliable option for VY.  Justin McCareins will get his first chance to prove just that tonight.
• Quinton Ganther should get carries against better competition tonight.  We he be able to have similar success?  His roster spot is probably on the line.
• What will Chris Johnson do to impress us in this game?  He is going to be returning kicks, and I cannot wait to see him do that.

Defense

• The defense was really solid last week against the Rams.  How will they handle a rushing attack that features two very talented backs in rookie Darren McFadden and Justin Fargas.  Can the Titans shut down this attack like they did last week?
• JaMarcus Russell has a cannon for an arm.  Will the Titans front four be able to pressure him enough to keep him from being able to get the ball downfield to his receivers?
• The Titans need some reserve defensive lineman to prove they can get the job done if one of the starters gets injured.  Which guy is going to step up?

This game should be pretty entertaining because the competition is better, and the starters should play longer.  Come back during the game and join the open thread which will be up a couple of hours before the game.

As Hook em mentioned here, Big Country had some torn cartiladge in his knee and underwent an arthroscopic surgery procedure this morning.  He is only expected to miss 2 weeks.  Jim Wyatt says he could be back for the final preseason game, but I expect they will hold him out until the season opener September 7th against the Jaguars.  Daniel Loper should get the reps with the first team in Stewart's absence.

If the Titans can escape the preseason with this being the worst injury they will be pretty lucky.

The Tennessee Titans took another step in suring up their offensive line today by signing right tackle David Stewart to a six-year contract extension.  Stewart's deal is worth $38.9 million with $10 million in guaranteed money. 

The Titans have now accomplished 2 of their 3 in house goals over the offseason by locking up both Michael Roos and Stewart with six -year deals.  Now all they have left to do is get Fat Albert locked up.