It's a New Season (or halfway through) - Part 2

To recap, I couldn't get part two of my post in before the opening game vs. the Steelers because I had to work late. Then we lost the game in OT. Then we lost another, and another, and another, then lost 59-0, and all my ambition to finish my Titans post was gone. I was so beat down that I couldn't even muster the will to post a negative rant about how crappy the team was. So basically, I felt what it was like to be a Rams/Chiefs fan over the last couple of years. But at least the throwbacks were sweet.



But it's a good thing I didn't finish, because I would've been dead wrong. I would've said something about how what I saw from Chris Johnson in the preseason worried me, because I didn't see that burst he had last year. Well, halfway through the season, he's currently leading the NFL in rushing (by 120 yards over 2nd place), and is averaging 6.7 yards per carry - I WAS DEAD WRONG.

Then I would've posted something about how we needed to keep Vince Young on the bench at all costs, because even as boring or old as Kerry Collins looks at times, he still gives us the best chance to win games and that Vince turns it over far too much and will single-handedly cost us games. Well, with Collins at QB we were 0-6. With Vince the last two weeks, we're 2-0, and Vince has zero turnovers - I WAS DEAD WRONG.

I also said something in my first post about how we'd be good this year and that our defense was awesome. Well, we're 2-6, and have the worst pass defense, and one of the worst overall defenses in the NFL (but it's not b/c of Haynesworth, dammit!) - I WAS DEAD WRONG.

I still think the Titans are better than 2-6, but none of that matters now. Even if we improbably run the table and finish 10-6, I doubt we'd make the playoffs since we started out 0-6 vs. the AFC. What matters now is figuring out if Vince will stay around in the coming years, which I highly doubt. Even if he does keep his steady, turnover-free play going, there's no way he comes back next year at something like $14 mil per year (if they pickup his option). You don't pay that kind of money to a QB who gets you 13-19, 170 yards and a TD line, even if he is wining games right now. You can find a QB to play "smart" on a run-first team, for far less money. If they can somehow let him go and pick him up for less money, then it might be an option. With all the crap he's gone through with this team though, I think that's a longshot, and he's off to a fresh start somewhere else in 2010.

What also matters is being able to watch Chris Johnson dominate. He's on pace for just under 2,000 yards this year, and if the Titans give it to him 20+ times per game from here on out (like they have the last two games), he's gonna get it. What a STUD. His speed keeps on shocking me, and apparently, it keeps on shocking the linebackers and DB's on opposing teams, because he keeps blowing right by them, even when they think they have the angle. Enjoy yet another compilation, and be awed by the speed (and go to 0:58 for one of the best runs of this season):



Anyway, that's my take on the Titans. I still think it's realistic that, given the remaining schedule and how they've played recently, they could still go 7-9 or 8-8 this year, but that's hardly cause for celebration. But given the horrendous 0-6 start, it would be an encouraging way to go into the next offseason, finishing strong.

So that's that.