Last Year:
A new division meant new challenges for the Titans last year as they switched from the AFC Central to the new AFC South. That didn?t faze the Titans as Jeff Fisher led them to another magical season taking the team all the way to the AFC Championship game. Throughout the season few people believed in this club, and few people thought that this team had enough talent to make a serious run. With the help of opponents overlooking them, this resilient team they pulled off one of the quietest 10 ? 1 runs to head into the playoffs on a high. After a very close controversial win against ex-division rival, the Titans were simply overmatched in the Championship game. This year they won?t catch anyone off-guard, but this is still a very capable team.
What we learned from Last Year:
The Titans tiptoed through most of last season, and only got any attention as soon as they hit the playoffs. How did this happen? Similar to their Super Bowl run a few years ago, nobody took this team seriously throughout the year. Last year they moved into a weak division, and started the season off 1 ? 4. If you told someone in week 6 last year that Tennessee was going to be in the playoffs they probably would have enrolled you in AA pretty quick. With the combination of an easy schedule, and an easy division this team cruised to a scorching finish. Teams and bettors underestimating them also aided their success.
What stuck out to me on this team like a sore thumb was Eddie George. For many years he has been their meal ticket, but definitely was not that last year. He is a very durable upright runner who generally can take quite a beating. He hasn?t missed a game in 7 years, but he has to be more effective. He ran for 1165 yards last year, 14th best in the league, but the concern though is that he is only averaging 3.4 yards a carry. Although he has never had blazing speed, last year he didn?t have a carry that broke 30 yards. In the thirteen other running backs that he trailed in yards rushing, not a single one of them had a yards per carry average below 4.0. Offensive Tackle Brad Hopkins missing time may have hurt him, but backup Robert Holcombe had a 5.1 yards per carry average in his limited time. George doesn?t have the bursts of speed he used to have, and his cuts just aren?t as strong. In response to that, the Titans started to depend more on Steve McNair which is not a bad move, but as this team plays tougher opponents they will need to get more from Eddie George.
What has changed?:
For one thing, their schedule has changed. Indianapolis and Houston are better, and some might argue with me, but Jacksonville has also improved. Last year they swept everyone in their division, which accounted for 6 wins. Can they pull it off again? No. Most teams still won?t look at this team as a true contender, but I can assure you that Tennessee?s division rivals will all be looking to knock them off their pedestal. If they lose a couple of games in their division, and maybe one more out of their division, that already shaves their record to about 8 ? 8. The point is that they will be walking around with a mini bull?s-eye on their back in their division, and they have a tougher road outside their division as well.
The Titans for some reason don?t seem to be a team that makes big impact moves through free agency. They like to grow and groom the talent themselves which might lead to this teams steady success throughout that past few years. The main difference on the team will be no more Kevin Dyson. They already played most of a season without him due to his injury so I don?t think he will be missed too much. Second round pick Tyrone Calico, last year starter Drew Bennett, and Justin McCareins should all compete for the open spot and replace him quickly. The only other real change will be Rocky Calmus starting as the middle linebacker opposed to Randall Godfrey. Losing Godfrey shouldn?t have much of an impact. The team?s strength defensively is still their defensive line. A healthy Jevon Kearse will accompany 8-sack man Carlos Hall, and pro-bowl 10-sack man Kevin Carter. A first round pick was used on corner back Andre Woolfolk to help reinforce an already strong secondary. This team can play defense, but they still rely on a ball control offense to help them succeed in close games.
Another thing to notice on this team is that very slowly they are getting choked with the salary cap. Nothing major has happened yet, but since they?ve decided to give long term deals to many of their players, it gives them less and less money to work with each year. They might have signed a veteran offensive or defensive tackle just to add some depth if they had the money.
O/U 9.5:
The Titans go right to work this year as they start off with the team that ended their season last year the Oakland Raiders. Aside from some tough opponents the first few weeks, the Titans will challenged significantly by their division rivals. This team is virtually the same as last year with a few minor changes, but the results might drop off if they don?t meet expectations. We know how they play where there are no expectations, how will they play when they are expected to succeed? They can still win 4 games in their division if they remain focused but will need another 6 if they want to go over their set total. They play: Raiders, Saints, @Steelers, @Patriots, @Panthers, Dolphins, @Falcons, @Jets, Bills, Buccaneers. If you?re a Titan fan, you should hope they follow up last year?s success similar to what they did after they made a nice run to the Super Bowl.
Fantasy Sleeper:
The problem with drafting people off of this offense is that they are fairly well known. The only two people worth taking on this offense are Steve McNair and Derrick Mason but you only want to select them if you can get them in a good round. Unfortunately these are the type of players that some bozo will draft 2 rounds higher than everyone else just because. This team is no longer focused around Eddie George; they pass the ball a lot more now. You probably won?t go wrong drafting McNair, but Mason is the guy that is more likely to slip down the draft board. Mason had over 1000 yards receiving last year, and he only played 14 games. He is McNair?s #1 target and with a healthy year could top 1200 yards easily. Just make sure you?re not overpaying for these guys.
A new division meant new challenges for the Titans last year as they switched from the AFC Central to the new AFC South. That didn?t faze the Titans as Jeff Fisher led them to another magical season taking the team all the way to the AFC Championship game. Throughout the season few people believed in this club, and few people thought that this team had enough talent to make a serious run. With the help of opponents overlooking them, this resilient team they pulled off one of the quietest 10 ? 1 runs to head into the playoffs on a high. After a very close controversial win against ex-division rival, the Titans were simply overmatched in the Championship game. This year they won?t catch anyone off-guard, but this is still a very capable team.
What we learned from Last Year:
The Titans tiptoed through most of last season, and only got any attention as soon as they hit the playoffs. How did this happen? Similar to their Super Bowl run a few years ago, nobody took this team seriously throughout the year. Last year they moved into a weak division, and started the season off 1 ? 4. If you told someone in week 6 last year that Tennessee was going to be in the playoffs they probably would have enrolled you in AA pretty quick. With the combination of an easy schedule, and an easy division this team cruised to a scorching finish. Teams and bettors underestimating them also aided their success.
What stuck out to me on this team like a sore thumb was Eddie George. For many years he has been their meal ticket, but definitely was not that last year. He is a very durable upright runner who generally can take quite a beating. He hasn?t missed a game in 7 years, but he has to be more effective. He ran for 1165 yards last year, 14th best in the league, but the concern though is that he is only averaging 3.4 yards a carry. Although he has never had blazing speed, last year he didn?t have a carry that broke 30 yards. In the thirteen other running backs that he trailed in yards rushing, not a single one of them had a yards per carry average below 4.0. Offensive Tackle Brad Hopkins missing time may have hurt him, but backup Robert Holcombe had a 5.1 yards per carry average in his limited time. George doesn?t have the bursts of speed he used to have, and his cuts just aren?t as strong. In response to that, the Titans started to depend more on Steve McNair which is not a bad move, but as this team plays tougher opponents they will need to get more from Eddie George.
What has changed?:
For one thing, their schedule has changed. Indianapolis and Houston are better, and some might argue with me, but Jacksonville has also improved. Last year they swept everyone in their division, which accounted for 6 wins. Can they pull it off again? No. Most teams still won?t look at this team as a true contender, but I can assure you that Tennessee?s division rivals will all be looking to knock them off their pedestal. If they lose a couple of games in their division, and maybe one more out of their division, that already shaves their record to about 8 ? 8. The point is that they will be walking around with a mini bull?s-eye on their back in their division, and they have a tougher road outside their division as well.
The Titans for some reason don?t seem to be a team that makes big impact moves through free agency. They like to grow and groom the talent themselves which might lead to this teams steady success throughout that past few years. The main difference on the team will be no more Kevin Dyson. They already played most of a season without him due to his injury so I don?t think he will be missed too much. Second round pick Tyrone Calico, last year starter Drew Bennett, and Justin McCareins should all compete for the open spot and replace him quickly. The only other real change will be Rocky Calmus starting as the middle linebacker opposed to Randall Godfrey. Losing Godfrey shouldn?t have much of an impact. The team?s strength defensively is still their defensive line. A healthy Jevon Kearse will accompany 8-sack man Carlos Hall, and pro-bowl 10-sack man Kevin Carter. A first round pick was used on corner back Andre Woolfolk to help reinforce an already strong secondary. This team can play defense, but they still rely on a ball control offense to help them succeed in close games.
Another thing to notice on this team is that very slowly they are getting choked with the salary cap. Nothing major has happened yet, but since they?ve decided to give long term deals to many of their players, it gives them less and less money to work with each year. They might have signed a veteran offensive or defensive tackle just to add some depth if they had the money.
O/U 9.5:
The Titans go right to work this year as they start off with the team that ended their season last year the Oakland Raiders. Aside from some tough opponents the first few weeks, the Titans will challenged significantly by their division rivals. This team is virtually the same as last year with a few minor changes, but the results might drop off if they don?t meet expectations. We know how they play where there are no expectations, how will they play when they are expected to succeed? They can still win 4 games in their division if they remain focused but will need another 6 if they want to go over their set total. They play: Raiders, Saints, @Steelers, @Patriots, @Panthers, Dolphins, @Falcons, @Jets, Bills, Buccaneers. If you?re a Titan fan, you should hope they follow up last year?s success similar to what they did after they made a nice run to the Super Bowl.
Fantasy Sleeper:
The problem with drafting people off of this offense is that they are fairly well known. The only two people worth taking on this offense are Steve McNair and Derrick Mason but you only want to select them if you can get them in a good round. Unfortunately these are the type of players that some bozo will draft 2 rounds higher than everyone else just because. This team is no longer focused around Eddie George; they pass the ball a lot more now. You probably won?t go wrong drafting McNair, but Mason is the guy that is more likely to slip down the draft board. Mason had over 1000 yards receiving last year, and he only played 14 games. He is McNair?s #1 target and with a healthy year could top 1200 yards easily. Just make sure you?re not overpaying for these guys.
