Astute commenter thelogic snagged this article in the sidebar: The Hawk is learning how to fly, but needs to cut down on the simple mistakes.

 gramsey712 sends along this awesome read on the fire that drives Cortland Finnegan to infuriate anyone who lines up against him (which may be his best weapon):

While in high school, Finnegan would go play pickup basketball at the nearby naval station with Sue Simpson, one of his guardians. At one point, one of the fellow competitors told Simpson that they had enough of Finnegan.

"He said if Cortland didn’t calm down, they were going to wring his neck," Simpson said with a laugh. "Here’s this 17-year-old driving all these 30-year-olds crazy in a pickup game. I told him he couldn’t go back there for six months, and he was OK after that."

 Big props to Joykat for pointing us towards this Teresa M. Walker article about the Titans not being satisfied by being 5-0 or holding our competition to the fewest points allowed through 5 games in the league.

 If you want inane but ultimately interesting facts, there's no better place to turn than the Elias Sports bureau:

Kerry Collins threw an 11-yard TD pass to Alge Crumpler on the first play after the 2-minute warning to give the Titans a 13-10 victory at Baltimore. Collins threw game-winning TD passes in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter in consecutive games for the Giants in December 2001, but this was only his second game-winner inside the 2-minute warning since then.

 We may have brought in Alge Crumpler to replace him as the top dog, but Bo Scaife is the 2nd best receiving TE in the league, according to Football Outsiders.

 Perhaps the funniest blog title on the web: What Would Kerry Collins Do? Because Kerry Collins is the new Jesus.

 And finally, in a sign the Titans still aren't getting the respect they're due, I couldn't find a single person who picked us to win this weekend.

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.)

First off, I need to apologize again to Alge for what I said about him in the game thread about looking like the high school kid that didn't belong on the football team.  He came up big when it mattered the most yesterday.  

Also, I love the fact that Kerry Collins faked Ray Lewis out of his jock on the game winning touchdown pass.

Continue reading this post »

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.

This from titanbt53:

Anquan Boldin wants to be traded. Yes, his agent is Drew Rosenhaus. Yes, he has a 4 year 22 million contract. But isn’t that around what we gave Givens??

It’s obvious Vince needs an exceptional reciever. We get that with Boldin. And for what?? A second round pick, which I expect would be around the 50-55th pick of the draft.

It’s about time to spend some money and take a risk, because with Anquan Boldin, our run game, and defense, I see the Titans as a top 5 team in the league.

Yep, that about sums it up. 

Now I think the Cardinals would probably ask more than just a 2nd rounder, but so what?  I would give them next year's #1 because with Boldin on this team there is no way they don't make the playoffs.  Heck, I would even give them next year's #1 and a #2 or #3 in 2010.

The one question on Boldin is his health, but doesn't getting a big name receiver have to be lucky for the Titans at some point?  The odds are in their favor after how things worked out with Yancey Thigpen, Carl Pickens and David Givens, right?

VY needs a weapon.  Sure Alge Crumpler is a big upgrade at tight end, and Lavelle Hawkins looks to be a good threat, but Crumpler isn't going to stretch the field much anymore, and Hawk is a rookie receiver who is currenlty injured.  Plus the addition of Boldin would open up the field for guys like Justin Gage, Justin McCareins and Roydell Williams, who are all decent receivers, but would look a whole lot better with a legitimate threat on the other side.

Step up to the plate Mike Reinfeldt.

Jim Wyatt has a nice piece on Vince Young's play yesterday.  Alge Crumpler put it best:

"It's that competition. That's the thing I've found out about Vince is that when the lights go on, he thrives for competition,'' tight end Alge Crumpler said. "He made some great throws, and we spread the ball around and did some things well.''

That is why I don't put any stock in VY's inconsistencies from camp.

Wyatt also blogs that rookie receiver Lavelle Hawkins continues to impress in camp.  He is battling for that slot receiver spot.  That battle could get interesting once Roydell Williams is 100% because he seems to be a good fit for that role as well.

Terry McCormick's camp confidental has more praise for VY.

“He was decisive and made plays,” Fisher said. “When you’re a young quarterback and in a relatively new system, when you step on the field and you’re up against a completely different defense, and you’re completing passes, it means you’re improving.”

And Joy Kat weeps..

Titans Radio with more encouraging news from yesterday's workouts.  TR also mentions that Roydell Williams will miss Saturday night's preseason opener.

The Titans and Rams will work out together again this afternoon.

Terry McCormick's camp confidental. Not only is Crumpler making plays on the field, he is helping Vince Young get his head out of his butt when he isn't playing well.  Everyone knows that I am a big VY supporter, but I am sick of his pouting.  We were all touting his leadership coming out of college and in his rookie season.  Last year he was sulking on the sideline every time something went wrong.  He has got to get past that if he is going to be successful in this league.  /rant

The Titans Radio recap has more praise for Crumpler mentioning he had 3 TD catches during team drills.

Another reason to get excited about Chris Johnson.

A nice piece on Stephen Tulloch.  I would love to see Tulloch in there as the middle linebacker, but he won't get that shot until he proves that he will be in the right spot 95% of the time.  The coaches are going to go with Fowler, even though Tulloch has more talent, because he knows his assignments and plays them on every play.

The Tennessean practice report from that includes more high praise for Jacob Ford.

The Titans have officially completed their first week of camp.  It is only 7 days until we get some actual on the field action against another team.  What have we learned so far?

1. Vince Young is inconsistent.  There has been a lot of chatter about that on the site.  Like I said in jason's observations form last night's practice,  it is going to take a while for VY to look good day in and day out while learning Dinger's offense.  We will see him get more and more consistent as camp goes along.  As long as he is ready to go when the Jaguars come to town in week 1 everything is ok.
2. Jim Wyatt has his eye-openers from camp thus far and they include Kyle Vanden Bosch, Stephen Tulloch and Michael Griffin on defense.  That list is very encouraging.  We know what we are going to get out of KVB so no surprise there.  We need Tulloch to step up and add depth at linebacker. The coaches love Ryan Fowler, so Tulloch isn't going to start, but he has been working some at outside linebacker so he will be the back-up for all 3 spots.  There is no player more loved on this site than Griffin, and Wyatt just confirms that he is going to be a star in this league.
3. Wyatt's offensive eye-openers are Chris Johnson, Justin McCareins, Justin Gage, and Alge Crumpler.  The only way that that list could be more exciting is if VY was on it.  The Titans' offense was void of playmakers last season.  Johnson is looking to be a guy that can take it to the house anytime he touches it.  The Titans have never had one of those guys.  McCareins and Gage are stepping up to be solid, and that is exactly what Dinger needs.  Crumpler looks healthy, and we all know how good he will be when healthy.  The Titans should be able to cure there red zone problems from a season ago.
4. The Titans are not the wait around for talent to develop team that they were when Floyd Reese was the GM.  They proved that by cutting Mike Williams this week.  That can do nothing but make the team better. 

This is going to be a fun season.  I can't wait until they take the field next Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Yahoo is running down the 32 NFL teams and ranking them in order of fantasy relevance.  They have the Titans at #31 just ahead of the Chicago Bears.  The article says the only Titan worth owning in an 8 or 10 team mixed league is Rob Bironas. 

It is hard to argue with their logic.  A lot of us will be playing in a fantasy league together, so I am hesitant to give away too many of my secrets, but I am thinking that Alge Crumpler will finish in the top 5 fantasy tight ends.  The article points out the Titans poor performance in the red zone last season, just 22 TDs in 50 possesions, and that is exactly where Crumpler will thrive this season.

So what about you?  Which Titans do you think will out you over the top in our MCM fantasy league?

*Site note: The info has not been emailed for fantasy football just yet.  Our blog network, SB Nation, is partering with AOL to promote their fantasy football leagues.  As soon as I have all the details on that I will pass them along. 

You better gobble this up because this is going to be the last on the field football news for about a month.  Jim Wyatt has his practice observations from the final OTA up.

Here is some fantastic news:

Quarterback Vince Young went out with a bang during the team's last practice until training camp, and was praised by head coach Jeff Fisher for his work.            

            “Today really tells the whole story. His eyes downfield, picking up the deep receiver, his accuracy in the plus territory. His footwork today was excellent,’’ Fisher said of Young's improvement this offseason. “He had a great day.’’            

             Afterward, Young said he plans to take some time to get away from football, but not a lot. 

             He invited a group of receivers to work with him in Houston next week, something he also did last year. He hopes it will keep them stay in rhythm, and help their chemistry. Justin Gage and Biren Ealy are among those who’ve already committed to making the trip, while others were looking at their schedule. On the last look at the Titans before training camp, a pair of receivers named Williams stood out.

We are going to see Vince Young make a lot of progress under Mike Heimerdinger.  I am really excited about the numbers he is going to put up this season.

Paul Williams made a pair of great catches, one in the end zone when he took the ball away from a defender. Later, he caught a touchdown pass from Kerry Collins. No doubt the guy is talented.  

            Mike Williams continues to travel down the right path. While his conditioning level remains an issue, he looks good and has been mostly consistent catching the ball. Williams went up high to get a ball on Friday, an athletic move he couldn’t have made when he was 30 pounds heavier last year.

There is life from the Paul Williams camp.  I cannot wait to watch this receiver battle in camp.

As much as the Titans throw tight end Alge Crumpler in the red zone in practices, it’s looking like he could score a lot of touchdowns this fall.

The Titans were terrible in the red zone last season.  The addition of Crumpler should change that.