EXPERT ANALYSIS OILERMAN Blog week 5

[OILERMAN]

The Titans are on the verge of sinking to lows they haven't been at since moving from Houston, a home loss to the Jaguars Sunday would lock that status up. This team has lost 7 of last 8 home games and over the last 16 games is one of the worst teams in the league. Sunday was the biggest home regular season collapse in NFL history. The Titans have been shutout in 10 of their last 16 quarters of play. The Titans appear to be on the verge of turning the team over to a rookie 6th rounder at QB in Zach Mettenberger. It's bad times.

The week one dominating win against KC is nothing more than a distant memory after four straight losses, the last one a 25 point blown lead. I was pretty down on this team heading into the 2014 season as far as the 2014 season went but this team is worse than I originally thought. I think the blown lead actually hides the fact of how badly the Titans were dominated against the Browns. Hoyer threw 3 TDs and the Browns ran for 175 yards, even though they were down 25 points.

Looking back at the game the thing that stood out to me was how badly the defense was man handled, especially the top players. Jurrell Casey had one of his worst games I remember(0 tackles), he was constantly blown off the line and taken out of the run plays. Jason McCourty gave up 7 catches for 144 yards and was actually targeted on the two big drives right before half and to open the 3rd quarter on long pass plays. With the lack of talent on this roster if your best defensive players are playing this bad the chance of winning is pretty low.

Both lines were dominated as bad as you'll see in the NFL. The Titans OL gave up 3 sacks and 5 tackle for losses and while the rushing totals look good on the stat line the truth is Locker scrambles and a 38 yard end around by Wright padded those stats. Greene and Sankey combined for 19 carries for 63 yards, 3.3 yards per rush. The interior OL was completely stone walled on the QB sneak late in the game, something you rarely see in those situations.

I continue to look at the roster and where are the money is invested and see what a poor return the team is getting. Levitre is the highest paid player on the roster and is one of the Titans worst starters, and one of the worst starting guards in the league. McCourty is 2nd and as a man coverage CB has been a liability throughout his career when asked to cover WRs in man coverage, see 2012. Nate Washington and Kamerion Wimbley come in at 5th and 6th and both are below average players, Wimbley is likely the worst starting pass rusher in the entire league. Wimbley has 3 sacks in his last 20 games.

The last 4 first round draft picks are also getting poor results. Locker is among the worst starting QBs in the league, Wright is averaging less than 9 yards per catch, Warmack is a below average starting guard and Lewan is not playing yet.

With the mounting injuries I expect things to get worse before they get better.

Click here to view the article

[Face]

That's about it in a nutshell. I think McCourty is very good though but is playing injured. That's nitpicking though, this team is flat bad.

The bottom line is, when you invest two top 10 picks, a 4th rd pick, $7 mil into your RT, and sign a LG to the highest contract one has ever received, all in the last 2 years, the line better be dominant. Forget dominant, it's been one of the worst in the league, both QB's were under huge pressure on Sunday & the run blocking was awful. Meanwhile, the other positions that were ignored the last 2 years are showing it.

[TitansWycheck89]

Dark Clouds have been covering Nashville for almost a decade.

[Number9]

That's about it in a nutshell. I think McCourty is very good though but is playing injured. That's nitpicking though, this team is flat bad.

The bottom line is, when you invest two top 10 picks, a 4th rd pick, $7 mil into your RT, and sign a LG to the highest contract one has ever received, all in the last 2 years, the line better be dominant. Forget dominant, it's been one of the worst in the league, both QB's were under huge pressure on Sunday & the run blocking was awful. Meanwhile, the other positions that were ignored the last 2 years are showing it.

The OL is the one thing I just cannot understand.  Individually these are players with great credentials, but playing as a unit they suck.  It's further depressing because the Titans had a history of picking players late for the OL and developing them.  Roos was an out of character pick in the 2nd round.  I think they have to bring in an OL guru to get some bang for all the bucks spent.  Wiz said in his pressor yesterday that Warmack didn't feel the urgency of the situation.  He came out as a run blocking phenom, best player in the whole draft and all he has to do is back his man up a foot and he gets bent over.

[Bobo]

Weeeeebsteeeeeer!!!!

[No1TitansFan]

I continue to look at the roster and where are the money is invested and see what a poor return the team is getting. Levitre is the highest paid player on the roster and is one of the Titans worst starters, and one of the worst starting guards in the league. McCourty is 2nd and as a man coverage CB has been a liability throughout his career when asked to cover WRs in man coverage, see 2012. Nate Washington and Kamerion Wimbley come in at 5th and 6th and both are below average players, Wimbley is likely the worst starting pass rusher in the entire league. Wimbley has 3 sacks in his last 20 games.

 

 

This

[Jonboy]

The more I look at our defense and recent drafts, the angrier I become. Since 2011, we've only drafted two defensive players in the first two rounds...and both were 2nd rounders. In Webster's three drafts, they've only taken one defensive player in the first two rounds.

 

In fact, for the past two drafts, we haven't drafted a defensive player at all in the first two rounds (Warmack/Hunter and Lewan/Sankey)! I understand the need/value arguments, but that just can't happen.  

[AvgJoe]

It is crucial for this team to determine what we have in Mettenberger for the sake of the Defense. If he is starter caliber an proves worthy of the job for at least 2015, that allows the Titans to spend the 1st and 2nd Round picks on the Defense. It looks like we have a Top 5 pick coming...would be nice to use it on a Pass Rusher and another spot on the D

[Rogue]

What scares me is instead of this being a rebuild year, it's becoming clearer it's a pre-rebuild year.  Even if all the right choices are made, how long until we are truly competing again?  What are the odds we can do it in a single year?  

 

It's possible, I suppose.  Just one key player makes a difference across the field.  For all Hanyesworth's quirks, he single handedly made the whole defense better.   If we lucked up and landed a few key difference makers, perhaps a single year could make a big change.  

 

Otherwise, I feel we've got at least 2 more years before we are there again.....that assumes the right choices are made and they pan out.  

 

Sort of an empty feeling.  

 

Go Titans.  

[Jonboy]

What scares me is instead of this being a rebuild year, it's becoming clearer it's a pre-rebuild year.  Even if all the right choices are made, how long until we are truly competing again?  What are the odds we can do it in a single year?  

 

It's possible, I suppose.  Just one key player makes a difference across the field.  For all Hanyesworth's quirks, he single handedly made the whole defense better.   If we lucked up and landed a few key difference makers, perhaps a single year could make a big change.  

 

Otherwise, I feel we've got at least 2 more years before we are there again.....that assumes the right choices are made and they pan out.  

 

Sort of an empty feeling.  

 

Go Titans.  

 

It's bleak, for sure, but a franchise QB and someone who can rush the passer change everything. Suddenly guys who were once below average are now solid role players. 

[Alcibiades]

This was hard to read, but I do agree that a QB changes everything. Whiz gets criticized for his record without Warner, but perhaps that is more a reflection on just how important a decent QB can be. The Colts are a great example. That team isn't that good, overall, but they have a great QB, so....

[StephenIsLegend]

It's bleak, for sure, but a franchise QB and someone who can rush the passer change everything. Suddenly guys who were once below average are now solid role players. 

This, though.

 

Franchise QB and elite pass rusher are the top priorities.

[Yoshimitsu]

We've been doing a 3 year rebuild for 6 years, and I don't see it ending anytime soon. The sheer amount of star athletes at key positions that we are missing is astounding. People better hope that Mett pans out, or we are in for some worse times. If Mett fails to impress Whiz, we'll be drafting QB early once more, which destroys our chances of retooling the defense with young talent.