Glass ¾ Full Offseason Analysis: Defense

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As with the review of the offensive side of the ball, this overview of the business season is built on a central organizing thought: free agents are signed to address immediate needs; rookies are drafted to fill holes one league year down the line. The trick in assessment is simply following the money. Look at the roster, see where dollars are committed after 2014, and then evaluate rookie talents ability to replace the guys that will likely be lost to free agency/veteran cuts.

In that vein, this offseason has to be evaluated on three levels:
• Coaching changes
• Free agent signings / losses
• Draft class & UDFA / players not taken in the class

Please note that I am far less confident in my ability to review the defensive changes made in this offseason specifically because I am less knowledgeable about Coach Horton’s plans for the defense, specifically with the discussion of multiple fronts.

My take on that is simply that we will play some 4-3, some 3-4 and I suspect that there will be plays where we see only 2 defenders with their hands in the dirt while others are standing and moving into various configurations to confuse offenses.

Draftniks are likely shaking their heads at my ignorance. That said, the Titans made a number of moves in the draft and in free agency to address the defense. I’ll do my best to put them into context.

DEFENSIVE LINE
Titans entered the offseason with Morgan, Wimbley, Marcus Dixon and Lavar Edwards under contract through 2015. They made the decision to resign Pitoitua to a significant three-year deal, and to retain Wimbley at a reduced cost contract. If we were talking conventional 4-3, this would be the group reviewed.

But we aren’t. Morgan and Wimbley have been redesignated as LBs. Edwards and Pitoitua have been joined at the end positions by Casey, Klug and Martin.

Al Woods was signed to a short term deal with the thought he could work across the line. Mookie Johnson was brought back to work with Hill at NT position.

And the draft brought a very solid pick up in DaQuan Jones who 6’4, 322 pounds sounds like a guy who can play NT.

Twelve guys competing for at most ten positions, depending upon how one classifies Morgan and Wimbley.

Titans chose note to take Aaron Donald in the 1st or Louis Nix in the 2nd, so my first thought was that they were confident in Hill (who came on as the season progressed) and Johnson. But further thought suggests to me that they have given themselves multiple options on the nose (Hill, Johnson, Woods, Jones, and Martin) and will see how that group plays out in OTAs and in the fall.

Possibly the most troubling decision on the defensive side of the ball has been NOT to resign Casey, a guy who is a fantastic one-technique in a 4-3 but may be a man without a position in the 3-4 front. Casey has been the single most dominant player on the Titans defense the past two seasons. The new coaching staff simply has to put him in position to make plays. He and Klug are both off the books in 2014. Jones was drafted to replace one or the other, while Woods is also a short-term gap filler unless he can prove himself as Pitoitua did and earn a longer term deal.

None of us would be shocked to see Wimbley fall victim as a camp cut. But remember that he was more effective in the rush role in Oakland’s 3-4. While Casey and Morgan may not fit the new scheme, Wimbley may actually begin to be worth the contract he was given.

Keep in mind that by 2016 only Jones will have an active contract amongst the DTs, while Wimbley, Edwards and Pitoitua are signed at DE’s.

LINEBACKER GROUP
No group underperformed more than this one last year, and perhaps no group stands to benefit more from the change in the coaching staff than this one. In an all too short period of time, the Titan linebackers went from being led by one of the best in the business (Gunther Cunningham) to one of the least proven (Chet Parlevecchio). Yep, the biggest addition to the position group is Lou Spanos.

Once again with the shifting roles of multiple defenses come changes to player roles.

Inside guys appear to be free agent starter lock Woodard, and then a group of guys fighting for the spot next to him beginning with fellow Kentucky alum and 5th round pick Avery Williamson. Others in the mix include McCarthy, Fokou, Bailey and Brown. Of that group only Brown is signed through 2015. The expectation going into camp has to be that Woodard and Brown are the front runners to start. Ability to dominate on special teams will determine who sticks on the roster beyond the starters.

Outside likely sees Ayers, Gooden, and Phillips in competition with Wimbley and Morgan for playing time. Ayers is on his last year of rookie contract while Phillips 2-year deal certainly screams stop gap. Gooden was underwhelming in his rookie year.

All of this leads to my personal disappointment that Anthony Barr was chosen a few slots ahead of Titans pick in round 1.
Muck like with the defensive line I suspect we won’t know how these guys will actually line up until the third preseason game. Titans brought in three guys to bolster the group (Woodard, Phillips and Williamson). Based on past performance I would expect Morgan, Ayers and Brown to find roles. Two others likely make the roster from Wimbley, Shaw, Gooden, Fokou, and McCarthy. That should be quite the battle in the months ahead.

SECONDARY
The strength of last year’s defense took a significant hit with the loss of Alteraun Verner in free agency. Draft pundits expected that the Titans would replace him in the 1st, possibly with Darquez Dennard or Brandon Gibson. When Gibson was picked, and Lewan surprisingly fell to the Titans, the team trusted their board and took best player available. That decision cost the Titans some Pundit grade points. Every year we say ‘take the best player available’. I haven’t seen any ranking that didn’t indicate that Lewan was the definitive best player available at that slot (ranked from 5th -8th best available player – Manziel was typically in the 20’s).

What we know for certain is that Mike Griffin and Bernard Pollard (resigned for two more years as a free agent) will start at S with George Wilson, now in his final year, as their primary sub. Titans are said to like Stafford who is under contract through 2016, and can convert Marqueston Huff, drafted in the 4th, to that position as well.
In short, we know what we have up the middle.

McCourty, coming off of his best pro season, will hold down one of the DB spots. Huff might be in the mix to compete with Wreh-Wilson and Sensabaugh for the starting slot. I believe the Titans are very confident that Wilson will start on the outside, and that Sensabaugh will continue to excel in the slot. Tommie Campbell is here for comic relief, and I believe that Micah Pellerin of the Cowboys and Huff will be fighting it out for back up positions behind McCourty and Wilson.

SPECIAL TEAMS
Rob Bironas will either be replaced by Bonani or UDFA Travis Coons from Washington. That should insure that we no longer ‘settle for 3’ once we get into the red zone. In fact, we may opt never to kick a field goal. Punting will be reliably handled again by Brett Kern, while Beau Brinkley looks to cash a $580,000 check for another year as long snapper.

Return team will certain benefit from either a full year of Leon Washington, Mark Mariani, or Dexter McCluster. That alone can add 2 wins to the schedule since the lack of this crew last year absolutely cost us two years.

LEADERSHIP
I mentioned in a previous thread that the Titans focused their attention on team captains in this year’s draft. Every player we drafted held that role on their team. Pollard was brought back in large part because he was a vocal leader, and Walker serves a similar role on the offensive side of the ball.
Titans have had a helluva time pulling out of tailspins for a number of years now. Leadership is critical in this area. Jake is well liked on this team and he is clearly positioned to be ‘the man’ now with Fitzgerald gone.

Be curious to see which players emerge on the defense to claim the leadership reins (beyond Pollard).

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
With only six picks thanks to last year’s Justin Hunter trade and the free agency spending binge the Titans were simply not going to get an ‘A’ grade in this draft.
Too many holes, too few opportunities.

Trading up for Bortles was impossible. Trading back for Carr was clearly not desirable to the front office. So we were left with choosing the best available player in the first, our highest rated running back in the 2nd, and then were fortunate to get a good talent in DaQuan Jones who was projected to go higher by most.

Huff will make an immediate impact on special team as will Williamson. Frankly it wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Williamson is able to earn the spot next to Woodard.

For many Mettenberger was the talk of our draft. Fans wondered why we didn’t take him in the 2nd. When we got him in the 6th a smart draft became a very exciting one.

Someone posted that there are few football reasons why he can’t/won’t start over Jake this season. I’m not going to pretend to enter that argument without bias. For me, it’s Jake’s job until he is outplayed for it (could happen) or is reinjured (CMJ would bet my name Michael that it will happen).

THREE STARTERS MAKES THIS AN ‘A’ DRAFT
That’s Pat Kirwan’s measuring stick. Get 3 starters from a draft and you have gone a long way to rebuilding a franchise.

I have no doubt that Taylor Lewan will be a starting LT. It might happen this year. It might happen next year. But he will certainly carry on the Hopkins>Roos>Lewan legacy.

I have no doubt Bishop Sankey will be the Titans starting RB for the next four seasons. And I think he will get the majority of carries this year.

If Jones, Huff, Williamson or Mettenberger can break into the starting line-up this year or next, we will clearly have had an effective draft.

I like our chances.

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[headhunter]

The defense should be solid, we have a good mix of vets and young players and Horton of course.

[NashvilleNinja]

I would have preferred Louis Nix, and I think if we'd had that 3rd round pick Houston would never have had the opportunity to draft him. But DaQuan Jones may turn out to be a nice consolation prize. We may have drafted Jones in the 3rd anyway. Who knows?

 

I am thoroughly disappointed that we haven't even attempted to sign Casey to an extension yet. Have they even initiated talks on either side? I wish that could get done before training camp ever gets here, but I'm not too confident that it will. We may wind up losing Casey... which would suck royally.