nine

We have rounded a corner. And around that corner we find....another spike!

As of today, only two QBs in the league are ranked in the top five for highest TD%, lowest INT%, and overall passer rating. Aaron Rodgers: 7.5 % TD rate, 1.1% INT rate, 109.7 passer rating Ryan Tannehill: 7.5% TD rate, 1.2% INT rate, 113.6 passer rating

Worst. Football. Thread. Ever. 😆

I said it a few months ago and I'll say it again: I firmly believe the 2020 draft class will be the least impactful rookie class ever. Not just for the Titans, but across the entire league. This year's rookie class basically had 4 weeks to prepare and adapt to the NFL. Zero OTAs or offseason workouts....zero preseason games. Most of them met their new coaches and teammates for the first time in August. The league will always have rookies who have an immediate impact and turn into great players. But when we look back a few years from now and compare the 2020 draft class to other drafts before and after.....I think we'll find that 2020 produced a much smaller percentage of players who were ready in year one, and much larger percentage who needed a year or two to develop.

The real question is whether AB can maintain his composure and carry himself as a reasonably stable functioning adult for a half season...or if he once again finds some ridiculous new way to screw himself out of a great situation.

Surely this has to be the worst division in NFL history. We're seven weeks into the season, and two-win team is leading the division. Unbelievable.

As I recall, I had a 100% wait-and-see mindset when the hire was announced. I had absolutely no idea what to expect, but I was perfectly content to give him a chance to prove himself. Needless to say....2+ years later, I'm absolutely ecstatic.

I thought the same thing. However....for games that are flexed to Sunday night, the NFL can't just move them around at will. It's my understanding that the networks have a right-of-first-refusal for their own games. There's no question that the NFL would love to make a battle of two undefeated teams the country's prime-time game......and I'm sure CBS said, "Hell to the no.....you're not taking our golden goose! That game is staying right here on CBS.....go find another game to flex."

I thought both candidates represented themselves very well. Not that either guy did a particularly good job.....but they got their message across. Trump had his list of bullet points he wanted to focus on and steered the conversation that way at every opportunity. As per usual, he was vague and evasive about his plans if re-elected, and tried to make it more about attacking Biden's family and his track record as VP. Biden levied plenty of criticism at Trump, but did a better job of staying on topic and presenting for his plans and vision for America's future if elected. However.... on those occasions where he went on the offensive and attacked Trump, he missed a lot of opportunities and left a LOT on the table. There were numerous times where Trump made ridiculous statements where Biden could have easily taken him down with a kill shot....but Biden either offered a watered-down response or bypassed it entirely. In football terms, it was like Trump left a WR standing uncovered in the end zone, jumping up and down and waving his arms.....but Biden didn't see him and went for the checkdown or threw it away. I felt like the final debate didn't really influence or change anyone's mind either way; it simply affirmed opinions for the supporters on both sides. I'm sure Trump supporters loved it and thought he was spectacular..... he delivered the same narcissistic bullshit and highly partisan bluster that has defined him from day one. Biden presented a very different style and vision for America's future.....and even if people aren't completely sold on him as President, he's still a huge and welcome improvement over the current state of affairs.

I'm waiting on the announcement of a huge endorsement with Fresh Step kitty litter for that huge cat turd hanging out the back of his helmet.

Henry is huge, but he's not a traditional bowling-ball power runner who comes in low and hard and plows through people. He's a relatively upright runner who takes a couple steps to get up to full speed; if a DL can get to him early before he establishes momentum, his strength is somewhat neutralized. He often starts games slowly.....but as the game goes on and those big 300 lb. DL start to wear down, they lose a step and aren't penetrating into the backfield as frequently. And without that penetration, Henry becomes absolutely dominant. And the more he runs, the stronger he gets. Henry is one of the most dominant and feared running backs of his generation, and his production speaks for itself. We'll see how the Steelers fare against that so-called "fake bravery" this weekend.

Or maybe a “Steelers/Vince Young” deal where he lifts him up in the air and bodyslams him on his fucking head while their O-line just stands there watching.

Here's something that's flying under the radar: After only five games, TE Jonnu Smith already has 5 touchdowns. Five games is obviously a small sample size....but at his current pace, Jonnu is on track to challenge for the NFL's single-season record for touchdowns by a TE. (Current NFL record is 17 TDs, set by Rob Gronkowski in 2011.)

Henry will obviously be a focal point of the Steelers' defensive gameplan this week. But lest we forget... last year against the Buccaneers' #1-ranked rushing defense , Henry had 16 attempts for 75 yards (4.7 yds/carry) and would have gone for 125+ if not for a freak fumble where his own knee knocked the ball loose just as he broke free for what would have been a 50+ yard TD. Against a dominant run defense that averaged 3.3 yards/carry and hadn't allowed a run longer than 16 yards all season, Henry had runs of 35 and 18 yards and had a long 42-yard run nullified by penalty. Henry will have his work cut out for him this week, no doubt. But then again, so do the Steelers.

It almost sounds weird saying this...but the fact is, the Titans offense has a ton of firepower and a LOT of damn good weapons at their disposal. The Steelers have a damn good defense. If they decide shutting down Henry is priority #1, they can do it. Can they shut down Henry and also contain AJB? Maybe. Can they take away Henry, AJB. and Davis all at the same time? That’s pretty unlikely. And even if they do....they still gotta figure out a way to account for Jonnu. And Hump. And occasionally Firkser. And Tannehill’s legs. There’s simply no way to have every base covered on every play. The opportunities will be there. My guess is, the Steelers will focus on rushing the passer and stopping the run....”play the run on the way to the QB”, as the saying goes. But that also creates more opportunities for the receiving corps if Tannehill is decisive and gets the ball out quickly and accurately....which is his bread and butter. I fully expect this game to be a full 60-minute slug fest....but I like the Titans’ chances.