Questions...and perspectives....

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by Gut, Oct 7, 2014.

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  1. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Our last game was great and terrible to watch. It's funny I was listening to the Jets fans on talk radio talking about their first 'Jet' moment (of supreme disappointment). Actually made me feel better that my team had a shot to win and finally put up some points. But for naught.

    I was giving myself a pat on the back as the Titans opened up with some WR screens and a Jet sweep to Wright who ripped off a big run...just as I had suggested!!!:) We moved the ball, Locker ran for what we needed when he didn't find anyone and we scored TD's.

    There has been much debate on whether Locker should be our starting QB now (or anyone's ever) and his skillset. While not exactly pretty, he was getting the job done well enough in the first half before being injured on 2 plays...both personal fouls. (This is something the league needs to look into and make a policy about). CW comes in and looked like Montana for a couple of throws and we're all thinking...fanatastic. The Locker haters are happy, the CW fans are happy, we scored 28 points in the first half...EVERYONE is happy.

    But in the second half, everything changed. We couldn't run, we couldn't throw, we couldn't hold the ball. Even when our D got the job done on 2 4th down plays, the O gave the ball right back. To make matters worse, our special teams made a big play...the refs took it away. Then we gave up a big play. The defense finally made a big play...the refs took it away and threw out one of our starting players...no explanation. We actually get positive yards on 1st down and someone decides that's a good time for a revenge hit and a personal foul to kill our drive.

    To make matters worse...we couldn't get a single yard out of our OL to win the game. An OL that has high round picks and high fa money on it. Not a YARD to win the game!!!

    We get a free rusher at the QB and we watch him buy time, eat a ham sandwich and watch him throw a TD pass. We can't stop the run all day...ALL DAY!!! One of the few positives was that Michael Griffin actually tackled and was pretty solid...except for that TD but I don't know if that was his or Wimbley's guy.

    We are truly having team-wide losses. The one unit that has most underimpressed are the special teams! We had an onside kick done successfully against us, gave up a blocked punt, can't seem to cover kicks that well or without penalty and our pro bowl returners have ZERO blocking. That 2 point saftey is the difference between winning or losing.

    Our defense seems to play well in spurts...SHORT spurts. Keep them on the field and we get worse. Hard to know if that's a combination of the offense keeps giving the ball back or our D can't get off the field on 3rd down. We have seen 2 games of stout run D even against an elite RB and 2 games where we can't stop anyone! Our pass D has gotten little pressure on the QB and the more were are on the field, the less pressure we get. The lack of pressure has not helped protect BWW so we have a catch 22 going on. our secondary can't cover well enough to help the front 7 get to the QB and we can't get enough pressure to help the DB's. And when we DO finally get pressure, Andrew Luck still makes a completion while falling to the ground, we get a roughing penalty, we get a contact penalty, somehow we find a way for the play to not go our way.

    Even more disappointing is our offense. Despite all the talent on paper, we can't line up and get a single yard to win the game. Our WR's aren't disciplined to align correctly, run the routes at the right depths or have the urgency to beat man coverage (this has been a theme EVERY WEEK). Our QB's and our OL/RB/TE have miscommunication problems. Our QB's are the holding the ball too long, taking sacks, can't find anyone or missing throws. They are also getting beat up.

    It's funny, considering the verbal abuse the WR corp has gotten in every post game for not doing what they are supposed to, one could argue our QB's are holding the ball too long waiting for someone to get open. Instead of the WR's losing confidence in our QB, maybe our QB's have lost faith in the WR's? Or maybe it's the QB's who aren't good. Locker hasn't done too much, CW hasn't done anything in the league so let's blame them.

    Or maybe it's the playcalling...let's blame the coach. It's funny listening to all these people say we aren't running enough. In the second half, after we got the ball back inside our 10 yd line, we ran the ball...negative gain. Ran again...same result. We couldn't run...except for the 2 Jet sweeps to Wright...and we couldn't throw. Who is the problem? Likely, there is more than 1.

    Who do you blame and how do we fix it???
     
    #1 Gut, Oct 7, 2014
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  4. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    OL. F*cking bench Levitre. Play Lewan. Tell Fatasses Oher and Warmack they are next if they don't start road-grading on run plays.


    btw- enjoyed your post. it offered a balanced perspective.
     
    #2 Riverman, Oct 7, 2014
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  7. Dee

    Dee Pro Bowler

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    Honestly I don't think you can pick one.

    It starts with coaching. The team looks and plays unmotivated and undisciplined. I believe that is a reflection of your coaches. Also some questionable play calls, but I'm not and never was a coach so it's hard for me to critique a NFL head coaches game plan.

    Offense - Everything. From Qb play to blocking. Running has been spotty and our receivers are not very consistent. To many 3 and outs period.

    Defense is bad, but a you mentioned it's shows short glimpses of hope. Our DLine is probably the strongest part of this team. I think the linebackers will turn the corner. I know a lot of people were hard on Zach Brown, but him being out has been a huge hit to our D.

    Secondary is horrible. Straight up.

    So... to answer the question, I blame everyone for why we suck.
     
    #3 Dee, Oct 7, 2014
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  10. Dman

    Dman Pro Bowler

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    A whole team effort to SUCK! All 3 phases has been terrible this year and my sundays are no longer fun. I didn't think it would be worse the same time this year as last year but it actually is.
     
    #4 Dman, Oct 7, 2014
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  13. cdubbs2121

    cdubbs2121 Pro Bowler

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    Just start finding other ways to have fun on sundays or look as a titans victory as a treat/ or a deterrent to the next draft.

    This team is embarrassingly bad that there's no reason to get worked up about it. I'm not sure if they do.
     
    #5 cdubbs2121, Oct 7, 2014
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  16. DaCost

    DaCost Starter

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    Almost All the draft picks from the MM era suck and that's what hurts me the most.

    We basically got nothing just a much wasted draft picks especially the LBs.
     
    #6 DaCost, Oct 7, 2014
  19. kenny

    kenny Starter

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    I agree with everything except coaching. Not that I am a big Whiz fan, but these players have been playing uninspired, heartless football for quite a while. Hell most of the time the defense doesn't even seem to know there is a game going on. Now as I said I am not a huge Whiz fan, but I am a Horton fan. He has had great defenses everywhere he has been.

    The fact is Ruston Webster is the biggest problem.
    • He continually over pays average FAs.
    • continually drafts mentally weak players,
    • has ignored our HUGE need at pass rusher for YEARS,
    • ignored a huge hole in the secondary this year, and a lack of depth in the secondary for years.
    • Drafted a player to ride the bench this year when a playmaker was needed in several key areas. I know LTs are a premium position, but a good one comes out each year. I haven't seen anything so special from Lewan that we could not have waited. He may be great and I hope so, but I need convincing.
    • His developmental picks never develop.
    • has been so loyal to Locker that it has hurt this team,
    A new GM would be the most exciting off season addition we could make this year.
     
    #7 kenny, Oct 7, 2014
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  22. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Excellent post!
     
    #8 Gut, Oct 7, 2014
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  25. kenny

    kenny Starter

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    Thanks Gut! Still kinda new to it, but I am trying to get it together and make them readable. LOL. Thanks for the encouragement.
     
    #9 kenny, Oct 8, 2014
  28. edward nigma

    edward nigma Starter

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    I have read alot of frustration in this post that is warranted. But lets analyze each loss and be honest with ourselves.

    The cowboys game - no offense in the first half. Untimely turnovers and a hard time stopping Murray (NFL leading rusher). But we still had the opportunity to win. After the big win on the road against KC, I did not expect them to come out that flat on offense. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

    The Bengals game was pretty much the same thing. Now lets keep in mind, if BWW intercepts that pass to Dalton (or blows him up so that he is out of the game) momentum swings in our favor and maybe things would have been different. MISSED OPPORTUNITIES

    The Colts game (I started watching late) to my understanding swung in their favor after the Wright fumble and/or after the onside kick. I don't think we were prepared to play this game (my honest opinion). PREPARATION

    The Browns game loss was a result of poor coaching. We had opportunities to run the ball but didn't take advantage of them. Also, after the last turnover on downs, we tried unsuccessfully to throw the ball on 1st and 2nd down. We were bailed out on 3rd by an awesome catch by Walker. On the next set of downs that preceded the 4th and 1/2 yard, we did not attempt to run the ball AT ALL. NOT EVEN TO GET THE CLOCK RUNNING. This is EXTREMELY poor time management by a former SuperBowl coach. POOR COACHING

    I'm not going to lie to you and tell you that I expected us to be undefeated at this point of the season, but I did expect a win against Dallas and Cleveland. This would have put us at 3-2. I would be okay with that, because our schedule is weak I expected 10 wins this season and a playoff berth. I have changed my expectations for the season now. I don't expect us to win out, but our schedule is still weak.

    Whisehunt has to changes his approach and run the ball more. We need consistent QB play. It doesn't have to be exceptional, just consistent.

    We don't currently have the talent on defense to slow anyone down, but we can play better (smarter and more effective).

    Our special teams showed signs of life (forced fumble called back because of penalty) against Cleveland, hopefully that can carryover the rest of the season.

    If we eliminate the dumb drive killing penalties, catch the ball (Hunter) and run the ball (at least to allow the defense to stay fresh - Whisenhunt) then maybe we can squeak out a couple of win and not be the laughingstock of the league.
     
    #10 edward nigma, Oct 8, 2014
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