Tennessee Titans roster all but set for 2012 season

Zach Brown

Kendall Wright

Now that free agency (including an extended run at Peyton Manning) and the 2012 NFL draft has come and gone, it’s time to for the Titans to get an up close and personal with their new personnel. Rookie min-camp is set to start on May 11^th with OTA coming on May 30^th.  The Titans needed to address both sides of the ball this off-season and have added pieces to both. The Titans went with sizzle in the first round of the draft selecting the Baylor Bears and former RG3’s top target in wide out Kendall Wright. Many pundits disliked the pick as it was thought the Titans would go after a defensive player. However, Wright has the chance to be big time play maker that can stretch the field and gives Jake Locker yet another target for future years. Yes he doesn’t have blazing speed but he makes up for that as a shifty and quick player, which is what you want in your slot receiver. Tennessee then turned its attention to the defense as they used their next three picks on that side of the ball. Second round draft pick Zach Brown of North Carolina will give DC Jerry Gray’s defense an element of speed as Brown registered the fastest forty time of all LBs in this year’s draft. He has been questioned about his football instincts and passive demeanor but it appears the Titans can live with that. With that being said both picks should come in and immediately come in and compete for playing time as they both fit a need for this team. Third round pick Mike Martin from Michigan should also get a chance for early playing time with his high motor and relentlessness on the pass rush.

Steve Hutchinson

Kamerion Wimbley

In free agency, the Titans made two splashes and then went about signing their own. The splashes include former All-Pro guard Steve Hutchinson from Minnesota. Not a surprising move as Head Coach Mike Munchak has said this off-season that h wanted to make some upgrades to the offensive line. It remains to be seen if Hutchinson can regain his form as he is coming off a concussion that caused him to miss the final two games of the 2011 season. Tennessee’s other key signing was pass rushing specialist Kamerion Wimbley formerly of the Oakland Raiders. The Titans plan to plug him in at defensive end instead outside LB as he has played his entire career in the NFL. The Hutchinson signing should give the Titans an considerable upgrade over guard Jake Scott the Titans let walk via free agency. He should open up a few lanes for Chris Johnson and hopefully get him back on track after a subpar 2011 season. In Wimbley they get a feared pass rusher who had 11 sacks as a rookie and should provide a much needed dose of explosion on the end of the defensive line. In signing their own, The Titans franchised safety Michael Griffin who so far has had a mixed career with Tennessee. His numbers last season were down across the board as he went from 108 tackles in 2010 to 78 in 2011 and from 4 ints to 2 in the same span. Tennessee also brought back safety Jordan Babineaux who proved to be a worthy replacement for Chris Hope. Tennessee lastly resigned special teams captain Tim Shaw, WR Lavelle Hawkins, Tackle Michael Otto,  DE Dave Ball, and TE Craig Stevens.

The Titans have to make up for the loss of CB Cortland Finnegan who was one of the key members the defense over the past few years. Finnegan joined former coach Jeff Fisher in St. Louis and leaves a void in the Titans secondary. They are counting on Jason McCourty and Alterraun Verner to pick up the slack for his loss. The Titans also drafted another speedster in CB Coty Sensabaugh of Clemson who ran a sub 4.4 at the rookie combine.

In summary, there will be a lot of new faces when the Titans open up mini-camp on May 30^th. They have added pieces in the draft and free agency that should push a 9-7 team that was one game out of the playoffs to be even better. The additions of Steve Hutchinson, Kamerion Wimbley, along with rookies Kendall Wright and Zach Brown give them four new potential starters.  They could still possibly add more players in the waning days of free agency and also undrafted rookies they bring into camp. They have bolstered the speed department on the defense and have a couple of new toys on offense. The team is all but set but it remains to be seen how much this 2012 edition of the Tennessee Titans roster will look on his its first game of the season against the New England Patriots on Sept 9^th. 

Titans still in good shape without Peyton Manning signing

The dust has finally settled from the two weeks period coined as Peyton watch and after a serious flirtation with the Tennessee Titans the Denver Broncos emerged to have a new sheriff in town. Titan’s owner Bud Adams threw out every conceivable thing he had at Manning to see what stuck and in the end Manning said thanks but no thanks. Tennessee now has to pick up the pieces and go on about completing the roster for a team that was 9-7 last year just a game away from the playoffs.




So now without Manning coming to town, the money that would have been in his bank account has to go somewhere and with the Titans needing several upgrades on both sides of the ball it would be conducive for them to venture into the free agent market to shore up some of their holes. The Titans have already signed two players in OG Steve Hutchinson and DE Kamerion Wimbley. Both will serve a position of need as Hutchinson, a former All-Pro guard will help open up holes for Chris Johnson and should be an upgrade over the departed OG Jake Scott. In Wimbley they get a 28-year old pass rushing specialist who had 16 sacks over his last two years in Oakland. The Titans ranked next to last in sacks last year with 28 so he adds some needed beef and explosiveness to the defensive line.Tennessee also re-signed Jordan Babineaux and franchised Michael Griffin which help the continuity of the defensive backfield.



Those signings will help but they won’t put this team over the top as a Super Bowl contender. Tennessee still needs to add a few more pieces to put this team over the top especially after losing Finnegan and DT Jason Jones. Undoubtedly the Titans will draft well as they did last year but they also can add a few more players in free agency. There are still a few names out there like WR Braylon Edwards or they could make an even bigger splash by pursuing Steelers WR Mike Wallace. The Titans also are reportedly planning to meet with a pair of cornerbacks in Tracy Porter and William Gay so it appears they are trying get that defense some help

Will it be Hasselbeck or Locker?

The offense is more adjudicated then the defense and should be even better then last year now that Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker have experience in Chris Palmer offensive scheme. The one question is who starts at QB next year and from early reports it appears it will be an open competition with Hasselbeck being the favorite to win but Locker could surprise and earn it. Chris Johnson looks to rebound off a disappointing season that saw gain only 1,047 yards on the ground after never rushing for lower than over 1,200 yards his first three seasons. Hutchinson will help in that department as well as the Kenny Britt coming back from injury. He will be able to take the top off the defenses and make sure they don't drop eight or more in the box to stop Johnson.

Furthermore, the AFC South division will be up for grabs this year with last years’s winner Houston appearing to take a step back after losing two of its defensive stalwarts in Mario Williams and Demeco Ryans. Matt Schaub is also coming off an injury and he hasn’t shown to be the most durable guy throughout his career so you have to wonder can he stay healthy all season. The Colts shouldn’t be a factor with Peyton trading one horse for another going to Denver. They will be rebuilding with Andrew Luck for the next few seasons so they shouldn’t be a factor in the immediate future. Jacksonville isn’t a team that strikes fear in anyone’s heart these days. New coach Mike Mularkey has to figure out what he has in Blaine Gabbert and to see if he is the QB of the future for that team. Maybe they swing a trade for Tim Tebow but that won’t affect much besides the buzz factor for them.

In Summarizing, the Titans have a great shot at taking back the AFC South division. The prodigal son Manning decided Denver was a better choice but the Titans are still settled at the QB position. Manning would have been great but without him coming to town the Titans can use the money they have on other key free agents to plug the holes they need. They have already made two solid signings in Hutchinson and Wimbley and are actively pursuing a few other names. If things fall into place and the Titans are able to shore up the defense, then I think they will battle the Texans for the division especially with the Texans taking a few steps back this off-season. We missed out on Peyton but everything still is within reach for this team to make a playoff run with a few upgrades and additions.

Sportaholic Weekend Rundown Dec 19, 2011

So it was my birthday weekend and I celebrated by kicking back and relaxing with family and friends. I even got caught up on my Christmas shopping as I am like most men who wait until the last minute to buy gifts. The sports scene this weekend was one of many layers. The NFL saw the Green Bay Packers going down for the first time this year as Kansas City pulled off a stunning 19-14 victory over the defending champs. Tim Tebow’s mythical legend suffered a setback as New England led by another Golden Boy in Tom Brady built a lead that even the great Tebow could not overcome. The Broncos-Pats game did draw a 19.5 T.V. rating good enough for the highest rating in four years for NBC. Let’s give it up for Carolina Panthers Offensive Coordinator Rob Chudzinski for pulling off the Little Giants hidden ball trick play that. It resulted in a 7-yard TD for fullback Richie Brocker and help them beat the Texans. And we have to mention the Titans as they got Indianapolis in the win column losing to the Colts 27-13. I think we may have seen Matt Hasselbeck’s last past as a Tennessee Titans but more on that later.

The biggest story in the NBA was off the court as Lakers superstar Kobe Bryant wife Vanessa filed for divorce. This just adds to the list of things going on for Bryant as the Lakers seem to be in flux after the on again off again trade for Chris Paul. As for CP3 he finally landed with cross town rival Los Angeles Clippers and looks to make for a formidable team with the likes of dunk poster ready to happen Blake Griffin and a young promising Deandre Jordan. The Knicks continue to add veteran point guards with Baron Davis reportedly signing. B-diddy will be out 8-10 weeks with a back injury so he won’t be seen for a while. The season is just a week away and there will surely be a few more surprises coming the association.

Now for the rundown (I warn you now it’s football heavy):

Tebow mania runs into Brady and Belicheck: It cannot go without saying that Tebow love has reached full scale epidemic mode. He has Saturday Night Live spoofs, has a beer named after him and even got a few kids suspended for Tebowing in school hallways. Tom Brady knows a thing or two about superstardom and even more about winning. The Pats gave up an early lead to the upstart Broncos but would come roaring back and put this one too far away for another Tebow moment. Brady seemed to have something to prove going 23 of 34 for 320 yards with 2 passing TDs and one rushing TD. On his rushing score he seemed to make sure to emphatically spike the ball to serve notice that no one should be forgetting about him. Denver really got sloppy with the ball at the end of the first half as they fumbled three times.  The Pats came out firing on all cylinders in the second half as they went on to score the last 21 points of the game. Tebow started hot and finished 11 off 22 for 194 yards. He scored two rushing TDs but also took a few ugly sacks including one that saw him lose multiple yards. The Broncos shouldn’t hang their heads as they lost to a very good New England team and still are in first place at 8-6 and in first place in the AFC West. Tebow and co. should still make the playoffs where is legend can continue grow.

Green Bay finally loses but surprisingly to the Kansas City Chiefs: There a lot of ways in my mind on how the Packers quest to go undefeated would unfold. 1. They would just go undefeated. 2. They would start to lose players to injuries  (See: Greg Jennings) and shut it down for the rest of the season or 3. One of their two remaining division foes would take them down. As you can notice in no way, form or fashion did I have the previously 5-8 Chiefs would take down the undefeated champs. Kyle Orton was making his first start for them as well as Rommeo Crennel taking the helm as head coach after the firing of Todd Haley. The Pack came out flat and never seemed to have the precsion passing game working that we have come to get use to from them. There were dropped passes from trusted guys like TE Jermichael Finley and WR Donald Driver. Their defense allowed Orton and the Chiefs to march up the field a number of times that yielded 19 points. And the last thing that doomed the Pack was an off game for Aaron Rodgers. He has played lights out all year but this was the first game he looked human going 17 of 35 for 235 yards and one TD. The Chiefs deserve a lot of credit as well as they simply out played Green Bay. Crennel’s defensive game plan was masterful as he flat out jammed the receivers at the line and only rushed four men to give his defense enough personnel to cover the vaunted Packers passing game. Its just one lost but it opened up Pandora ’s Box of questions for Green Bay. They suffered two more injuries on the offensive line and that of course means that Rodgers is at risk until they get healthy.  We all know that somewhere in the world today every player from that ’72 Dolphins team are smiling.

Indianapolis finally gets a win at the expense of the Titans playoff chances: Upon witnessing Donald Brown’s 80-yard scamper that sealed the game for the Colts, I remembered asking myself how did this just happen? How did a Tennessee Titans who are smack in the middle of a playoff race let a winless team beat them so thoroughly? On the surface it appeared as if the Titans simply came out flat and didn’t take the Colts seriously. But as I looked at the game stats and different recaps of the game a few things became more apparent to me. First, I couldn’t believe that the Titans started the game going just 1/9 on third down. A lot of that can be attributed to them seemingly going two runs and one pass on most of the first half drives. Secondly, Indianapolis seemed to be more physical the entire game and it was evident with Brown end game stat line of 181 yards. The Titans just didn’t seem to want it as much as the Colts did. And lastly, it appears the time of Matt Hasselbeck as the starting QB for the Titans may have just passed right before our eyes.  Hasselbeck was as ineffective as I ever seen him going just 27 of 40 for 223 yards and no TDs. He was coming off a calf injury so we can cut him some slack for that but that was just not a good performance from the vet. Jake Locker came in and provided a spark for Tennessee as he led them on a scoring drive and it just seems like it time to start thinking about the future with the Titans playoff chances in serious doubt.

They would need a few miracles to happen now at 7-7 now to make it in as this lost basically took them out of contention. I like everyone else are disappointed about their lost to such a poor team but upon further thinking this is exactly what I predicted the Titans to be this season in a .500 team. They have had a few surprising victories over some teams and now they lost a game they should have won which is the exact reason they are a .500 football team. They are not quite there yet as a playoff team in my mind but they are oh so close.Now I know Tennessee Head Coach Mike Munchak came out and stated that its still Hasselbeck job but don’t be surprised if Locker doesn't get at least one start this year.

Editor’s Note: I know will be interning for 102.5 the Game here in Nashville so you may be able to catch me on a few of their radio and promotion spots. Don’t forget I also still host the Sportaholic Radio Show on beatknockin.com every Saturday from 10 A.M. to 12 P.M. so make sure you tune or call in. 

Sportaholic NFL Power Rankings Week 13

The AFC playoff picture is about as cloudy as Lindsay Lohan’s caree path. It’s a train wreck but no one can stop watching. This much is clear in the AFC, someone has to win the conference. It’s just hard to tell who it will be at this point. If the season ended today the Houston Texans would be the AFC’s top seed sitting at 10-3 with two missing QBs and their best defensive player. Baltimore would be # 2 but they seem to save their worst games for their worst opponents with two of their three losses coming to cellar dweller Jacksonville and a Seattle team that scares no one. At # 3 would be the Patriots and its been well chronicled how woeful that defense can be at its worst moments. I always knew Tom Brady played with a chip on his shoulder but geez does he have to go in on his offensive coordinator with such fire? If you can read lips, well really when I think about it you don’t even have to know how to see the venom that Brady was spitting at offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien.


As a result of the shortcomings of the front-runners of the conference, in my opinion it makes for a wide open race. Any team that gets hot (Read: Denver Broncos) at that perfect moment can really steal the conference. That goes for all the bottom teams as well as all they have to do is ride their momentum and they could topple a Houston, Pittsburgh or whoever ends with the top seed in the conference.

In the NFC it’s a different story as the Packers continue their quest to go undefeated and clearly the best team in all of football. San Francisco and New Orleans each have a commanding lead in their respective divisions as well. The only division race that is up for grabs at this point is the NFC East or should I say the least with the way Dallas and New York are fumbling and bumbling all the way to the finish line. This is a role reversal as over the past decade its usually been the NFC that was scrambling to find the dominant team of the conference.

1. Green Bay Packers (12-0) – Their demolition of the Raiders couldn’t have gone better if it wasn’t for the loss of WR Greg Jennings. He was the team’s leader in recpetions with 67 and only second to Jordy Nelson in receving yards and touchdowns. This will slow down that vaunted passing attack and the you tell the Packers didn’t take any other risks after the Jennings as Rodgers and most of the other starters were taking out on the next series. That is the biggest unknown in Green Bay’s pursuit of perfection as injuries always play a role in a team’s season. The Pack has to make sure that their priorities are in order as they have to stay healthy more than they need to go undefeated. If another star player goes down look for the Packers to shut it down.

2. Baltimore Ravens (10-3) – I thought Indy might stand a chance against the Ravens as we all have seen how Baltimore seems to play down to their competition. But there was no let down this time for John Harbaugh’s team as they did what they were suppose. It was a nothing to see here victory that keeps them on top of the AFC North. Looking at their schedule they should at least win two out of three and take the division and se themselves up with a # 2 seed and a first round bye.

3. New Orleans Saints (10-3) – The Saints league leading offense looked downright pedestrian for 3 quarters against the Titans before finally waking up. It was a dog fight to the end as Jake Locker made some big plays but he couldn’t make the biggest one at the end of the game and spared them. You have to win games like that in this league. Winning ugly is better than losing pretty that much is for sure. Once the playoffs start games will slow down defenses will be ready so games like this are inevitable. I do still have my doubts about New Orleans secondary as they gave three big pass plays in this game. As long as Brees is standing upright though, this team has a chance at the Lombardi trophy.

4. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) – Was James Harrison’s hit on Colt McCoy worth a suspension? Considering it was Harrison, the NFL”s poster boy of big hits who has been fined over 100k since he began playing then I guess. But this is getting quite ridiculous that guys on defense can’t do what you pay them to do. It was a vicious hit I will agree to that but what was Harrison suppose to do? McCoy was ripe for a big hit and there is no way Harrison can just turn it off once he is in motion. The bigger problem I had in that game was the Browns training staff allowing McCoy to back into game when he clearly was concussed. The NFL may have a ticking time bomb on its hand as 5-10 years from now we will see a lot of guys who are not going to be in the best mind frame from all those concussions. Big Ben also suffered a bad ankle sprain in the game but he’s a gamer and I fully expect him to be in uniform for their big game against the 49ers.

5. New England Patriots (10-3) – The Pats have finally cracked the top 5 again on the strength of their 5 game winning streak. I wasn’t impressed with their victory over the Redskins as that defense again allowed to many points to Washington’s terrible offense. When Rex Grossman is looking good against your team then your team defense is a problem. And then we had the whole Tom Brady-Bill O’Brien shouting match on the sidelines. When it was all said and done the Pats took home the victory (Thanks to Grossman’s mistakes of course) and it puts them in the driver seat for the AFC East. They will have their hands full with the Denver Tebows especially with that league worst passing defense but more on that later.

News and Notes from the league:

Tebow and the Broncos do it yet again: Its so redundant at this point but I just have to ask the question once again? How in the hell are the Broncos able to do this week in and week out? Now granted they had a little help this time from Marion Barber as his two bonehead plays (Not staying inbounds on one play and fumbling on the next). Its just crazy how every week they seem to just hang around in the game and then just take the other team to the woodshed in the fourth quarter. Matt Prater deserves a lot of praise with his two +50 yard field goals as well. Now is this divine intervention as Tebow’s preacher is claiming in Denver? I don’t know and I don’t even want to speculate into something like that but you have to admit it does seem like Tebow is playing for a higher cause. We will really see what they are made of when they face New England this weekend’s premier game. Can’t wait to watch that one.

Cowobys lose again on last second FG miss: To be Cowboys fan these days has to be torture. You have your team up by 12 points with less than six minutes to play and somehow, someway they find a way to lose the game. While a friend and I were watching the game, we could just sense that Dallas letting the game slip away. After Miles Austin short-armed Tony Romo’s deep pass it was all but over for the Cowboys psyche. When a team is use to losing close games as Dallas is, all it takes is for one thing to go wrong in crunch time and all those doubts and fear begin to reappear. The game shouldn’t even have been in question by the time Giants stud linemen Jason Pierre-Paul blocked the game tying field goal. The Cowboys have to find a way to finish games and it may be too late this season to figure it out. The Giants on the other hand ended a four game losing streak and took control of the NFC East.

Sportaholic best games of the weekend:

New England Patriots (10-3) vs. Denver Broncos (8-5) – Tebow’s magic versus Brady’s golden arm in what should be an epic showdown. Brady and Belichek will surely say all the right things this week but come Sunday they will be ready to shatter the white Broncos Tebow aura. Tebow should actually have a lot of success against the Pats awful pass defense but more than likely he will struggle until the fourth and then go bonkers like he always does.

Detroit Lions (8-5) vs. Oakland Raiders (7-6) – Something has to give with the Raiders and Carson Palmer. He looked flat out horrible against the Packers last week and if he is to prove Hue Jackson and the organization right about the trade they pulled he has to at least put competitive performances. For the Lions they basically have to win out to secure a playoff spot with Dallas now breathing down their neck

San Francisco 49ers (10-3) vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (10-3) – This one just has playoffs oozing out of it. Two post season bound teams meeting in San Fran for a Monday night tile so of course you can count me in for this one. The niners are coming off an embarssing lost to the Cardinals so they should be ready to come out and raise hell. Will Big Ben play? Of course he will because like he earlier he is a gamer.

Sportaholic Tennessee Titans vs. New Orleans Review

Coming into this game everyone knew New Orleans NFL best offense led by Drew Brees would challenge in the Titans in every conceivable way on defense. Tennessee fought hard and came up short losing 22-17 in a game that they could have won. The Titans defense for the most part held the red hot Brees under control allowing only 3 John Kasay field goals in 3 quarters this game was practically a bore through the first half and I’m sure that was just fine with the Titans defense. Brees did complete a lot of passes but they didn’t do much harm at Tennessee was bending but not breaking. The Saints also had too many penalties in the first half that attributed to their stagnant offense. Tennessee’s offense just couldn’t capitalize on the defenses success as they could only muster 3 points in the first half. Titans starting QB Matt Hasselbeck’s injury may have had something to do with the offense struggling as he went down with an injured calf in the 2nd quarter. Hasselbeck was 5/7 for 44 yards before leaving the game.

Rookie Jake Locker came in provided a spark in the second half with his arm and legs. The University of Washington grad showed why the Titans are high on so high on him as he made a number of big plays. First, Locker found an open Nate Washington for a 40-yard TD pass as the injured WR broke a tackle on his way to the end zone. Next, he scrambled around and bowled over Saints Safety Roman Harper for his second score that closed the gap for Tennessee to 22-17. Unfortunately that would be as close as they would get as they wouldn’t get another score as they stalled on their last two drives. Things looked promising on their next to last drive as Locker hooked with Washington for a couple of strikes of 18 and 9 but they couldn’t covert a 4th down on a Locker quarterback sneak.

The Titans got the ball back with 1:34 for their last breath and moved the ball well as Locker delivered yet again to Washington for another 40-yard strike that put the Titans at that Saints 5-yard line. The Titans tried to fit in a quick slant over the middle that Saints CB Tracy Porter knocked down. That left the Titans with one last play. This time Locker couldn’t deliver this time as the rookie couldn’t get rid of the ball on a scramble and was taken down by the Saints as the game expired. It appeared that Locker may have held the ball to long and could have found a way to at least get the ball out to give his receiver a chance to make a play. Locker seemed inclined to second guess himself saying “Once I got outside the pocket there were a lot of guys there,” Locker said. “It ended up that I didn’t throw it anyway but ... I should have.” Titans head coach Mike Munchak was having none of that in the post-game. “I am not going to second guess anything he did,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said. The loss snaps their two-game losing streak and puts the pressure on them to win their last three games just to make the playoffs. The division is out of the question now as Houston’s win over Cincinnati clinched the AFC south. If you read the article closely you will notice not mention of Chris Johnson. He was held to 23 yards on 11 carries as the could never find his way against the Saints D.

It was such interesting game for multiple reasons for Tennessee with so many bizarre things developing during the game itself. To have top cornerback Jason McCourty out for the game, WR Nate Washington hurt but gritting out a good performance, and have Hasselbeck go down and rookie QB Jake Locker fill was just a lot for any football team to go through in one game. Luckily for the Titans they have three winnable contest left on the schedule with Indianapolis, Jacksonville, and a not much to play for Houston squad. They have to hope that the New York Jets stumble as they are 8-5 and control their own destiny after destroying the Kansas City Chiefs 37-10. The Titans are still in it but they can’t afford to lose another game.

The season is on the brink for Tennessee and we will see how they respond in the last stretch of the season.

Sportaholic Tennessee Titans Season Preview

The NFL season is approaching fast and with that in mind, its time to preview teams and project their season outcome. I have enlisted some help in that department, as I have a few guest bloggers to go over a few teams. First up is my good blogging buddy Jim Irwin from Chicago. Jim's blog is titled http://jim-heftyinfo.blogspot.com/ and he has a ton of knowledge for football and (Surprise) Politics. Make sure to check his blog, for easy access just click his link on my blog roll. Jim is in the process of previewing every NFL team in the league and he is so kind to allow us here at the Sportaholic to use his Tennessee Titans article on our site. Now its time to turn Jim loose as he gives us the lowdown on our Titans.

TENNESSEE TITANS







2010 RECORD: 6-10-0


(4th in AFC South)






HEAD COACH: Mike Munchak

By: Jim Irwin

Offense: Matt Hasselbeck (3,001 passing yards with 12 touchdown passes and 17 interceptions in 2010) comes over from the Seattle Seahawks and will be the starter. Rookie Jake Locker (Washington) will back up Hasselbeck.

Hasselbeck will be replacing Vince Young (now with Philadlephia) and the retired Kerry Collins as the quarterback and brings much experience and leadership to the team. He helped lead Seattle to a Super Bowl appearance in 2005.

Chris Johnson ... aka CJ2K is in a holdout and when he does return, he will give the team perhaps the premier running back in the game.

The numbers for Johnson were way down from his 2,000 plus yards rushing season of 2009.

Last season, Johnson gained 1,364 yards rushing for a 4.3 ypc average and scored 11 touchdowns. In addition, Johnson led the Titans with 44 receptions and also had one receiving touchdown. Javon Ringer (239 rushing yards and two TD) will spell Johnson and the fullback is Ahmard Hall.

Kenny Britt (42 catches for 775 yards and nine TD) and Nate Washington (42, 687, six TD) will be the main targets in 2011. Tight End Jared Cook, who made 29 catches for 261 yards last season, is back and will be backed up by Craig Stevens. Justin Gage (20 grabs for 266 yards) and Damian Williams (16 catches) are the other wideouts.

The offensive line consists of center Eugene Amano, tackles David Stewart and Michael Roos and guards Ryan Durand and Leroy Harris.

Defense: This was a unit that would bend but not always break a year ago, evidenced by the numbers.

The Titans finished in the middle of the pack in points allowed (339), but near the bottom of the league in total yardage allowed (368) per game and passing yards (252) as well. The run defense gave up 116 yards per game, which ranked 20th in the NFL.

Up front in the revamped 4-3 defense for the Titans will be ends William Hayes and Jason Jones along with tackles Shaun Smith and rookie Karl Klug (Iowa). There are others who will see action, including rookie Jurrell Casey (USC), along with David Ball, Derrick Morgan and Jovan Haye.

The linebackers also have a rookie starter with Akeem Ayers (UCLA) playing along with Will Witherspoon and Barrett Ruud. Also in the mix are Colin McCarthy, backing up Ruud in the middle and outside linebackers Gerald McRath and Tim Shaw.

The leader in quarterback sacks from a year ago (Jason Babin) is no longer around, but David Ball (seven sacks) is up front for the team, which totaled 40 sacks last season. Jason Jones had 3.5 sacks and Witherspoon three from the linebacker position.

In the secondary, which was a big problem last season, the Titans have Cortland Finnegan and Jason McCourty at the corners with Chris Hope and Michael Griffin (four interceptions) playing the safety spots. Alterraun Verner (three picks), Vincent Fuller, Robert Johnson and Jordan Babineaux will give the Titans depth in the secondary.

The Titans had 17 interceptions last season, but ranked 29th overall against the pass, giving up 252 yards per game. They also were torched frequently by the long pass in 2010 and that has to improve as well.

OUTLOOK: The Titans are looking to unseat the Colts in the AFC South (which they did three years ago) in 2011 but have an uphill battle ahead of them.

The Colts are odds-on favorites in the division with Houston and Tennessee looking to battle for second place this year.

The offense for the Titans still will rely on Johnson (if and when he plays) in 2011, along with Hasselbeck getting acclimated to new Head Coach Mike Munchak's system.

Munchak replaces longtime (former) Head Coach Jeff Fisher for the Titans. In a bizarre scenario following the 2010 season, Fisher announced he wouldn't be back if (former Titans QB) Vince Young remained with the team.

Young departed, but so did Fisher.

It all adds up to a new look for the Titans, as they look to improve an offense that was 27th overall last season, averaging just 302 yards per game. The rushing game was solid, getting 108 per game, but the passing game averaged less than 200 yards per game in 2010 and that must improve.

The team must also score more. The Titans only had 356 points last season and were shut out by Houston (30th ranked defense last year) and had a four-game stretch when they put up just 39 total points in those losses.

The defense is looking to be revamped, especially in the front seven and will look to improve the pass rush and the coverage in the secondary as well.

Look for a 8-8 season from the Titans as they are definitely rebuilding and Hasselbeck will hold the reigns on offense until Locker is ready to take over in the future.



TEAM SCHEDULE:

Week 1- at Jacksonville

Week 2- vs. Baltimore

Week 3- vs. Denver

Week 4- at Cleveland

Week 5- at Pittsburgh

Week 6- BYE WEEK

Week 7- vs. Houston

Week 8- vs. Indianapolis

Week 9- vs. Cincinnati

Week 10- at Carolina

Week 11- at Atlanta

Week 12- vs. Tampa Bay

Week 13- at Buffalo

Week 14- vs. New Orleans

Week 15- at Indianapolis

Week 16- vs. Jacksonville

Week 17- at Houston

Weekend Round-up Aug, 15 2011

Weekends like the one that just passed is what I live for as a Sportaholic, as it was great action across the board in various sports. I was able to have the high of seeing my beloved football this weekend, as the NFL finally got back on the field. I was also hit with a low as Dan Uggla’s 33-game hit streak came to an end after a great catch by Cubs 2nd baseman Darwin Barney made a spectacular catch to ice Dan’s historic steak. Serena Williams continued her path back to the top of women’s tennis as she won yet another tournament (The Rogers Cup) coming off of her injury and looks to be rounding into form just in time for the US open. And low and behold, Keegan Bradley, an American won the PGA championship tournament ending a major drought that hasn’t seen an American win a major since Phil Mickelson won the 2010 Masters championship. Even college football is making waves as conference realignment has reared its head again with Texas A&M supposedly headed to the SEC, only to have to pump the brakes and be on temporary hold until the most powerful college conference decides just how it this to shake out. .




A wild weekend of finishes, rumors and pressure filled tournaments to get me fired up and ready to go on this Monday, so lets jump right into things.

Dan Uggla streaking no more: The Atlanta Braves 2nd baseman finally had his 33-game streak snapped as he went 0-3 against the Cubs on Sunday. The streak which started way back on July 4th saw Uggla raise his average from .171 to .231 and he hit 15 home runs during that span as well. The steak may have very well have continued if it wasn’t for the web gem Darwin Barney made on Uggla’s third at bat. The Cubs 2nd basemen busted it over from his position on a sinking liner and made a leaping catch that most 2nd basemen including Uggla would not have made. Uggla said as much when interviewed on ESPN’s Baseball Tonight, “I wish I was playing 2nd on my hit, because I ain’t making that play/” joked the Braves 2nd basemen. As much as I hate to see his streak end, his team the Braves is in good position for the playoffs as they are leading the NL wildcard by 2 games over Arizona.

Serena wins the Rogers Cup: It has been a long winding road for Williams who has endeared a tough year to say the least. The former number 1 ranked Williams sister seems to have found her grove as she won her 2nd tournament of the year and is heating up right before the US open. She defeated Samantha Stosur 6-4 6-2 as she dominated the Australian in straight sets. Williams was sidelined just days after her Wimbledon victory last summer, first with a foot injury sustained when she stepped on a piece of glass in a restaurant in Germany, and then diagnosed with pulmonary embolism in her lungs late this summer. Said Williams: I consider myself a favorite to just do what I can do best, if that means winning the U.S. Open, obviously I want to,'' she said. "I went through a lot of things physically and mentally and emotionally, and going through so much, I'm just taking it one day at a time and just going with it.'' Williams will continue her comeback and with this win she put the women’s tennis world on notice that she is back.

Keegan Bradley wins the PGA Championship: It had been awhile since an American had won a prestigious major and the boys across the pond had no shame in telling us about it, until now. Bradley became the first major winner for the Americans in 5 majors as he captured a heart stopping and epic PGA Championship. On a week where Tiger Woods was no where to be found on the leader board, Bradley and fellow American Jason Dunfer staged a mano e mano battle for the championship. Bradley who is also a PGA rookie, hit an assortment of wild shots that got him into contention after Dunfer looked as if he would run away with the win. Dunfer squandered a 5-stroke lead and Bradley capitalized as he forced a playoff and would eventually win. It was great to see two contrasting personalities going all in as Bradley was the picture of exuberance and Dunfer had a cool and calm demeanor. The end result was that America rightfully owned a major and it came in dramatic fashion.

Texas A&M to the SEC? Not so fast: The SEC has rebuffed the Aggies for the time being it their bid to become the 13th SEC school. Per Florida president Bernie Machen: "The SEC Presidents and Chancellors met today and reaffirmed our satisfaction with the present 12 institutional alignment. We recognize, however, that future conditions may make it advantageous to expand the number of institutions in the league. We discussed criteria and process associated with expansion. No action was taken with respect to any institution including Texas A&M." Long story short, The SEC decided to let the process of adding another member play itself out. In the world we live in today its easy to get phony info and anything else off the internet but its hard to figure out the truth from the rumors. Texas A&M more than likely will eventually land in the SEC just not at this current moment. Plenty of legal play will be involved which means more time before this one comes to fruition. Hold your horses just a bit longer Aggies fans, but your day of SEC play should be on its way.

Tennessee Titans win their first pre-season game over the Minnesota Vikings: The Titans kicked off a new era, as this was the first official game under new Head Coach Mike Munchak. So it goes without saying that the Titans wanted to make sure to get the win for their newly minted coach. We all know it’s a preseason game but no matter what you do, you win it,” Munchak said. I personally wanted to see how Matt Hasselbeck would respond as it was reported that he was struggling in the new system of Chris Palmer and the Titans offense. Hasselbeck went 5-6 for 55 yards and even rookie Jake Locker got in on the action as he tossed a 45-yard bomb to Yamon Figurs on a busted play to begin with. Locker botched the snap, then picked the ball and delivered a perfect strike for the touchdown. “Crazy way to have your first touchdown pass, but again, that will be a great story for him to tell,” Hasselbeck said of Locker’s TD.Locker ended the game with an impressive 130.0 QB rating and was 7-10 for 89 yards. The Titans looked impressive on the defensive side of the ball as well as they held the Vikings to just 3 points for the whole game. The defense looked more disciplined as they forced two turnovers on Minnesota’s offense.

All in or in all a good start to the season for the Titans as they saw some things they can build off of going into the season. Both QBs looked sharp and look to get better with every snap under their belt. Even Stefon Johnson, the USC product who suffered a season ending ankle injury, got iinto the action and ran over a couple of Vikings in the process. The Titans next pre-season game is this Saturday against the St. Louis Rams as they try to improve as much as they can before their first regular season game.



Notes: Titans DE Derrick Morgan(notes) had a sack. The first-round draft pick a year ago, Morgan is coming back after tearing his left ACL in his fourth game. … Griffin is returning from knee surgery after tearing an ACL in October, and Shiancoe was out this week with a hamstring injury … Asher Allen(notes) started for Griffin, and Kleinsasser started for Shiancoe. … The Titans sat WR Kenny Britt(notes) and DT Sen’Derrick Marks(notes), and rookie Karl Klug(notes) started for Marks. Justin Gage(notes) started for Britt. The Titans also scratched S Robert Johnson(notes) (hamstring) and Nick Schommer(notes) (hamstring) and LS/LB John Stokes(notes) (shoulder).

What Matt Hasselbeck brings to the Tennessee Titans

So the inevitable news that Matt Hasselbeck signing with the Titans has finally came to fruition. The 3-time pro bowler has bought his talents to music city as the veteran QB that the Titans so publicly craved and, also as the mentor to 1st round pick Jake Locker. The response that I elicited so far has been a mixed bag, as most people remember the brittle and banged up Hasselbeck from over the recent years. Most forget that he led Seattle to a Super Bowl and four consecutive division titles. His name seems to make most here in Nashville think about one of the two aspects stated above. So for those who are not familiar with the new projected starter for the Titans, I want to walk down a history of Hasselbeck’s career and achievements.

Height: 6 ft 4 in Weight: 225 lb

• 3× Pro Bowl selection (2003, 2005, 2007)                     

• 1× All-Pro selection (2005)

TD–INT

176-128

Passing yards 29,579

QB rating

82.2



Hasselbeck also owns a laundry list of Seattle Seahawks passing records:



• Games Started at Quarterback - 131

• Highest Passer Rating, Season (Min. 200 attempts) - 98.2 (2005)[20]

• Most Pass Attempts, Season - 562 (2007)[20]

• Most Pass Attempts, Game - 55 (at San Francisco, 12/1/02)

• Most Pass Attempts, Career - 3,806 [21]

• Most Pass Completions, Season - 352 (2007)[20]

• Most Pass Completions, Game - 39 (vs Detroit, 11/08/09)

• Most Pass Completions, Career - 2,572 [21]

• Most Passing Yards, Season - 4,279 (2007)[20]

• Most Passing Yards, Game - 449 (at San Diego, 12/29/02)

• Most Passing Yards, Career - 29,579 [21]

• Most 300+ Yard Passing Games, Career - 16[22]

• Most 300+ Yard Passing Games, Season - 4 (2002 and 2003)[22]

• Most 3,000 Passing Yard Seasons, Career - 8[20]

• Most Consecutive Seasons, 3,000 Yards Passing - 4 (2002–05)

• Highest Completion %, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 60.2%[23]

• Most Touchdown Passes, Game - 5 (tie w/5 other players)

• Most Consecutive Attempts Without an Interception - 159 (2005)

• Lowest Interception %, Career (Min. 200 attempts) - 2.7%[23]

• Only Seahawks QB with 13 wins in a season (13-3 in 2005)[20]

I don’t know how to take the records he holds for Seattle as they have never really had a QB that stuck around as long as Hasselbeck did. One thing I can say is that I believe that Hasselbeck is a winner. He has proven as much with the Seahawks. I firmly believe this was a great move for Tennessee for multiple reasons. He already has a relationship with Jake Locker as the two were workout buddies in Seattle. He already is familiar with Mike Reinfeldt and Chris Palmer who both previously worked with the Seahawks organization. And the last is that he has proven that if you can provide him a decent run game and protect him, then he can put up solid numbers for a team. Now as far as his injury list, it goes as the following:

In 2006 he suffered a second degree MCL sprain and also broke fingers on his non-throwing hand

In 2008 Hasselbeck suffered from a back injury that affected a nerve in his lower back

The back injury led to a weakness in his leg that brought on a knee injury

In 2009 suffered fractured ribs against the San Francisco 49ners in week 2.

In 2010 suffered multiple injuries including broken wrist and concussion.

Now conversely, I have heard whispers of Titan fans wanting Donovan McNabb instead of Hasselbeck. Those whispers are warranted as most Titans fans are use to mobile QBs after having Vince Young and Steve McNair (RIP). But if you look at the numbers then you will see that Hasselbeck over the last two years has McNabb beat on just about everything. McNabb is also coming off his worst seasons as a pro following a dismal performance in the nation’s capital. He had 15 interceptions in 13 games and was eventually benched in favor of Rex Grossman. That’s right, benched in favor of Rex Grossman. McNabb was openly criticized about his readiness for game day plans and Coach Mike Shanahan stated that McNabb was not fit enough to run the two minute drill. That is two things that you have never heard about Hasselbeck. Yes he does get dinged up a lot but his level of preparation or his playing shape has never been questioned.

In summarizing, I believe Matt Hasselbeck was the best possible move for the Titans to make. He has experience, familiarity with the coaching staff, and a working relationship with rookie Jake Locker. He should come in and immediately take the reins as the starting QB and make an impact on and off the field. As long as the Titans offensive line can keep him clean, then Tennessee has a chance to be a decent team this year. Hasselbeck should be able to thrive in Chris Palmer’s system when you couple him with electric RB Chris Johnson (Provided that he is playing due to his contract dispute). He proved that he still has something left in the tank with his heroic efforts against the New Orleans Saints in last years playoffs. Hasselbeck threw for 272 yards and four touchdowns in the Seahawks upset of the defending champion Saints. The Titans made the most sensible move in obtaining Hasselbeck and they should reap the benefits this fall.

Major Concerns of the Tennessee Titans 2011 season

How great is the feeling of football coming back to us? All signs point to the lockout ending in a few days so its time to get back to the business of talking on the field football again. The Tennessee Titans probably have the worst situation coming out of the lockout. Let’s go down the list of problems facing this team:




• New coaching staff in transition including new Head Coach (Mike Munchak), Offensive Coordinator (Chris Palmer) and Defensive Coordinator (Jerry Gray)

• The retirement of Kerry Collins may hinder the development of the Titans first round draft choice Jake Locker

• The saga of off-field incidents involving the Titans best receiver Kenny Britt.

• The contract dispute in the making for the Titans best player RB Chris Johnson

• The possibility of losing major players due to free agency (Stephen Tulloch, Jason Babin, etc)



These are the biggest question marks for a team that less than a year ago was one of the most stable franchises in all of the NFL. The time has come to assess the Titans biggest needs as free agency is set to become a 2 or 3 week bonanza due to the labor strife.



Biggest Concerns:

1. Quarterback. To be a top team in this league, you have to have a surefire QB. The Titans carousel days of Vince Young and Kerry Collins have mercifully come to an end with the Titans selecting Jake Locker with the 8th pick of the draft. But with Collins retiring and the Titans undoubtedly not ready to toss their future QB to the wolves just yet, they have to sign a veteran QB to facilitate the transition of Locker. Most reports have Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck as the primary target of the Titans. He has connections to the franchise as GM Mike Reinfeldt was formally of the Seahawks and has ties to Hasselbeck as well as incoming OC Chris Palmer. Even Hasselbeck’s brother Tim of ESPN has discussed the possibility of Matt joining the Titans.

Another interesting name floating around was soon to be former Redskins QB Donovan McNabb. The Redskins will probably release the former Pro bowl QB as soon as the lockout is lifted going in favor of John Beck (Who again?). McNabb did look past his prime a bit last year with Washington but he still can get the job done as a veteran mentor for Locker. McNabb could parlay a year of good play with the Titans into a multi year deal with another team.

Off the radar picks include former Arizona Cardinal first round pick Matt Leinart, Baltimore backup Marc Bulger, and Trent Edwards formally of Jacksonville. All these players could be stop gaps until Locker is ready to take the reins.

2. Kenny Britt’s head: Britt seemed to enjoy his extra off a little too much this year. He was involved in several highly publicized incidents including: Allegedly made inaccurate statements on his driver's license applications on two occasions, Britt was also charged with tampering with evidence, obstructing a government function and resisting arrest while allegedly crushing a cigar containing what officers suspected to be marijuana, He was charged with theft-by-deception, a misdemeanor, after he was accused by two bail companies of not following through on paying the bail money for a friend who had been arrested, Britt pleaded guilty to separate motor vehicle violations related to an April 12 arrest on speeding charges in his hometown of Bayonne. He initially faced felony charges before prosecutors dropped them, citing his lack of a criminal record, and finally he was accused of being involved in a bar fight Oct. 22 in Nashville, but authorities later decided not to charge him. Whew, what a list. Dennis Rodman would be proud of Kenny for this but unfortunately he isn’t the one signing the checks for him. He is all but guaranteed himself a call and maybe a suspension from the commish Roger Goddell. I have spoken about Britt on my radio show to gauge the response on how the community feels about him and what I received was an indifferent attitude towards his transgressions. Britt is talented and has the potential to be a top flight NFL receiver but following in the footsteps of former Titans headache Adam “Pacman” Jones will do him no favors. A veteran has to step up and mentor the young Britt and tell him his place in the league. Just because one has success doesn’t mean that they are destined to great. Britt was recently seen at a Britney Spears concert onstage with the pop singer here in Nashville and it seemed to get a little racy at times. All in the day of the life for Britt, hopefully when the season ramps up, the shenanigans will end for him.

3. Chris Johnson’s contract dispute. As much as it pains me to say it, being a running back in the NFL means that more than likely you have a shortened career due to the nature of the position. You are constantly being hit rather it be from tackles or blocking for the QB. So when you come into the league and exceed expectations, you want to get that big and loaded contract as soon as possible. Johnson has certainly earned a new contract as he is one of the top 3 RBs in the NFL. To illustrate my point here are Johnson’s numbers since arriving in the NFL as the 24th pick of Tennessee:

Season Team Rushing Receiving Fumbles

G GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD FUM Lost

2010 Tennessee Titans

16 16 316 1,364 4.3 76T 11 44 245 5.6 25 1 3 2



2009 Tennessee Titans

16 16 358 2,006 5.6 91T 14 50 503 10.1 69T 2 3 3



2008 Tennessee Titans

15 14 251 1,228 4.9 66T 9 43 260 6.0 25 1 1 1



TOTAL 925 4,598 5.0 91 34 137 1,008 7.4 69 4 7 6



• He broke the 2,000 yard barrier and also set the single season yards from scrimmage record (2,509) in 2009 and was named to the All-pro team.



• His 1,364 ranked him fourth in league last year despite constantly facing eight man and sometimes nine man fronts from the defense.



• He was ranked the 13th best players in the league by the NFL Network.



If these numbers don’t make you want to sign a guy to a long-term contract, then I don’t what will. Bud "Bottom Line" Adams is usually thight with his wallet but he pays his stars (See: Eddie Geroge, Steve McNair and Frank Wycheck) but thats about all he pays. As I stated earlier, RBs usually have a short shelf life in the NFL, but that shouldn’t hinder Johnson from the dollar signs. He is only in his fourth year and the biggest declines at that position usually happens with players in their late 20s and early 30s. He is the main attraction for Titan fans as his speed and style electrifies LP field on Sundays. When you go Titans games just look around and see how 28 jerseys you will see. The Titans tried to appease Johnson by moving $2.5 million into a signing bonus for the 2010 season but Johnson wants his full due now and why shouldn’t he. If the Titans are serious about being a contender for the next few years, they have to sign the centerpiece of the team. If Johnson ever makes it to free agency, he could be as good as gone.

4. Coaching staff in transition: One of the worst parts of the lockout in my opinion was the no interaction of the players and coaches. Teams with new coaches like San Francisco, Carolina, Denver, Cleveland, and Tennessee haven’t had a chance to integrate their locker rooms as a result. It puts those teams at a disadvantage out the gates as they will have to quickly accustom themselves to their new surroundings. The Titans situation couldn’t be a worst position as they parted ways with Jeff Fisher, the longest tenured coach in the league at his time of dismissal. Hiring Munchak was good because the team did have familiarity with him as he has been the Titans offensive line coach under Fisher since 1994 and overall with the franchise since being drafted by the Houston Oilers back in 1982. Munchak may not be new to the team but OC Chris Palmer is. He will be giving the task of molding young Jake Locker into the eventual leader of this team. Palmer does have a good track record as he guided Eli Manning to his best season ever. DC Jerry Gray also has some experience with the Titans as he was the defensive back coach for the 1999 and 2000 season.



Furthermore, the team will basically have to learn an entirely different system under all of the new coaches. Munchak has promised changes and will run a more flexible offense around Chris Johnson with Palmer calling the signals. On the defensive side, Gray also has promised changes and hinted at shifting between a 3-4 defense and 4-3. These type of changes in philosophy and mentality take time and with the short amount they will have, can you not expect some problems in this transition? Munchak also has to put up with the problems created off the field with Britt to show what kind of enforcer he will be as the head man in Tennessee. It’s going to be a lot of his plate to make this first season successful for the Titans.



So as you can see, the Titans face a litany of questions coming into the 2011 season. There are plenty reasons of concern that this could be a down year in Titanland. But one thing I have learned in this business is to never underestimate this team. The last time I did back in 2008, all they did was obtain the best record in the league that year at 13-3. Hopefully this is one of those situations this time around as well.