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Titans: Who Knows What To Think?

By Randy Sharber

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The Titans got killed again last night in Kansas City.

Hopefully the monsoon that fell in the fourth quarter will wash away the stink that was the Titans preseason effort against the Chiefs. It was a typical exhibition game that makes you question if these games are absolutely necessary.

So was there anything as a fan of the Titans you could take away from this scrimmage? Yes. I think if you are a defensive player that can not make this team you should realize it is time to hang the cleats up.  You probably won’t make another NFL squad.

The defensive side of the ball seems to be devoid of talent for the most part. The starters aren’t great, and the back ups aren’t NFL players. Harsh, but reality. Either the Titans are holding the best poker hand (and face) in history of the NFL, or they are going the be picking number one in the draft this season as opposed to second last season.

The Titans were throttled by the Chiefs 34-10 in a mercifully rain shortened game. The Chiefs moved the ball at will against a Titan defense that could not tackle, cover, or stop the Chiefs at any point.

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The Titans were coming off of a shortened week after playing against the Rams on Sunday. This was role reversal. The Titans admittedly did not have time to game plan, nor did they try. That showed, and that was expected. What is not expected is starters to be as ineffective as they are. They can win one on one battles , or at least tackle ball carriers regardless of game plan. They simply did not.

So it is like this. Dick LeBeau must be looking at On Golden Pond and wondering why he wants to deal with this group, or they have something up their sleeve that they are so excited to unleash that it will make our collective heads spin. I hope it is the latter. I fear and believe it is the first.

The Titans were victimized by a top NFL receiver for the second time in three games. Julio Jones ran through the Titans’ secondary like Grant through Georgia. Last night, Jeremy Maclin showed that he would be enshrined in Canton if he played the Titans 16 games per year. He had 7 catches for 65 yards, and a 29 yard touchdown in a quarter and a half.

Corner Perrish Cox did have an interception for the second time in as many games as the bright spot for the Titans defense. Other than that, I just can’t think of anything good that came out of that game from a defensive standpoint.

Marcus Mariota continued to impress on offense. He was a steady 7/11 for 99 yards. He threw the ball extremely well, and ran extremely well. It is quite evident that the Titans made a good selection of Mariota, but it is also evident that he is not the missing piece of the puzzle that the Titans need to be better. They need many parts, not just a quarterback.

So we don’t really know what to take away from last night. You can not just say since they did not game plan that they didn’t have a chance. You can’t say they were tired because of the short week. Neither of those helped of course.

It is dangerous to predict future games on the basis of preseason wins and losses. Many years you will see a team run the preseason record perfect only to disappoint their fans during the real season. It happens all of the time. Likewise, you will see really good teams tank in the preseason, only to go on to greatness during the season.

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    • I think the Titans are in trouble. We have an offensive line that is suspect at best. We have running backs that are suspect at best. You have decent receivers, and average to above average quarterbacks. On the defensive side, I just don’t know. Jurrell Casey, Derrick Morgan, Brian Orakpo, Perrish Cox and Michael Griffin are players. Beyond that, it is slim pickings. I do believe that safety DaNorris  Searcy will help, but just how much is the question.

    As I have stated above, it is hard to predict future performance on preseason games. The team is never as bad, or as good as they look. But at some point the fans would like to see consistency in areas other than quarterback. Mariota can not win games by himself. That much you can predict.

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