When "Fisherball" goes bad...

Pardon my rant. This one rivals one of Gut's munchers.

There are so many problems facing the Titans right now it's hard to put a finger on any one area. But, to me, it boils down to the Titans no longer being able to play "Fisherball".

"Fisherball" requires the offense to grind out long drives focused mainly on the run and short passing game. It isn't about scoring fast but wearing down opposing defenses. It also allows the defense to rest so it can play an aggressive styles designed to generate pressure. Pressure leads to mistakes by the opposing offense, sacks, turnovers, etc. Special teams must be solid as field position is often a key.

Love it or hate it, this team is built around this style of play. When things don't fall into place, you then have issues the Titans don't have the skill set to overcome.

First and foremost, the Titans offense has had trouble stringing together first downs. Teams know they can focus on slowing CJ and then bring the house and put pressure on Collins in long yardage situations. So far, it's been pretty much the same formula we've seen from all the defenses the Titans have faced and they'll continue to see it until Fisher and Co can find some answers.

Besides the score, three clear indicators the Titans are not playing their style of football is Time of Possession, Turnover Ratio and Passes Attempted. The Titans are losing the time of possession battles and are on the ugly end of the turnover ratio. We are seeing 40+ passes a game by Collins who is on pace to have over 600 attempts.

Here are the '08 numbers vs the first four games of '09:

2008
Pass Attempts: 28.15
Turnover Ratio: +14
Time of Possession: 29:19

2009
Pass Attempts: 38.25
Turnover Ratio: -5
Time of Possession: 27:13

Collins clearly isn't the kind of QB who needs to be passing the football 40 times a game. The TO ratio is clearly the most glaring stat so far. ToP doesn't seem that dramatic but, if you look at what Fisher prefers, it's closer to the '07 number of nearly 32 minutes a game.

To right the ship, the Titans are going to have to do a better job on first down. Look at the first half yesterday:

1-10-TEN 20 (15:00) K.Collins pass incomplete deep right to N.Washington.
1-10-TEN 20 (10:02) K.Collins pass short right to N.Washington to TEN 21 for 1 yard.
1-10-TEN 20 (6:34) C.Johnson left end to TEN 21 for 1 yard.
1-10-TEN 11 (1:34) C.Johnson right end to TEN 16 for 5 yards.
1-10-TEN 35 (14:56) L.White up the middle to TEN 35 for no gain.
1-10-TEN 49 (13:02) K.Collins pass short right to A.Crumpler to JAX 45 for 6 yards.
1-10-JAX 18 (10:46) L.White left end to JAX 16 for 2 yards.
1-10-TEN 22 (7:29) C.Johnson right end pushed ob at TEN 31 for 9 yards.
1-10-TEN 21 (3:16) K.Collins pass short middle to C.Johnson to TEN 30 for 9 yards.
1-10-TEN 20 27) (Shotgun) C.Johnson right end pushed ob at TEN 38 for 18 yards.
1-10-TEN 38 17) (Shotgun) K.Collins pass short right intended for N.Washington INTERCEPTED by G.Alexander at TEN 48. G.Alexander toTEN 26 for 22 yards.

11 first downs. Six runs, Five passes. A good mix but six of these plays resulted in 0-2 yard gains or a turnover.

As bad as the offense has been, the more pressing issue, IMO, is the defense. With corners playing off seven yards, QBs know they always have the quick pass or slant which usually gains and easy five yards. The holes in the Titans zone have been exploited continuously as QBs know their receivers won't have to fight off a jam and can find the gaps. The pass rush is inconsistent and Cecil appears to be lost. The Titans continue to play the same schemes with the same horrendous results.

With the offense unable to sustain drives and the defense unable to get off the field on third down, the Titans D wears down. The Steeler's game is a prime example of a bad defense getting worse. Yeah, they miss Haynesworth but this runs much deeper.

Obviously, special teams have played its role. To me, it was the biggest factor in two of the Titans four losses. Hopefully, Mark Jones is a step in the right direction but the drop off here from last season has been massive.

With all the issues that had led to an 0-4 start, the most concerning thing to me is the lack of effort and intensity we saw yesterday. The Titans have zero swagger now. I can, at least, support a team who plays hard. If Fisher hasn't already lost the team, he better find some answers this week or the Titans will end up in one of the biggest beatdowns in franchise history next Sunday night and will be 0-6 at the bye.

 

Based on two of the first three games where the first offensive play has been a handoff to CJ (for zero or negative yardage), I didn't really have a problem with the deep shot. A reception there sends a message.