The New York Jets are coming off a 28-24 road loss to the New York Jets. The Bills took a 24-21 fourth quarter lead, but Mark Sanchez's fourth touchdown pass of the game, this one to Santonio Holmes, with 1:01 left to play gave the Jets the win.
What I saw from Buffalo that game, and the others of theirs I've seen, after the jump.
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What I saw from Buffalo that game, and the others of theirs I've seen, after the jump.
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Thanks to Joe Pinzone of Buffalo Wins for joining us for this week's question and answer exchange. Our questions and Joe's answers follow, after the jump.
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Even if the Titans somehow make the playoffs, they aren't a good enough team to win a postseason game. It will be one and done again, just like it has been for their last two postseasons. I'm not getting caught up in any hype about the playoffs.
After Sunday's win, the Titans are 6-5 and ninth in the AFC playoff race. They should get to eight wins with victories over the Jags and Colts and might even get to nine wins if they can manage to win at Buffalo this week.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the win over the Bucs which put the team in it's unexpected and fortunate position, I saw more problems Sunday that concerned me.
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After Sunday's win, the Titans are 6-5 and ninth in the AFC playoff race. They should get to eight wins with victories over the Jags and Colts and might even get to nine wins if they can manage to win at Buffalo this week.
While I thoroughly enjoyed the win over the Bucs which put the team in it's unexpected and fortunate position, I saw more problems Sunday that concerned me.
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Four weeks into the season, I noted the Titans were doing a quite poor job of converting possessions that started in opposing territory into points. After this past Sunday's game, when the Titans got six points out of four possessions that started in Tampa Bay's half of the field, I thought it was time to update those numbers.
And despite Sunday's performance, good news. The Titans are now more productive on drives starting in opposing territory than they are on drives starting anywhere else on the field. Yup, with touchdowns against the Steelers, Colts, and Falcons, the Titans are averaging 2.06 points per possession.
If you read the prior post, though, you'll note that the Titans were averaging more points than that on drives that started in all three zones of their own territory, inside the 20, on the 20, and from the 21 to midfield. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. They're now averaging 1.89 points starting from the 21 to midfield, and 1.76 points when starting inside their own 20. The problem area now looks like their own 20, where they're averaging only 1.47 points per possession. That's virtually identical to their success the second half of last season, when the offense could hardly move the ball at all.
Really, though, what these numbers are telling us is something novel nor interesting: the Titans have struggled to move the ball offensively for most of the season. Without Kenny Britt, the receivers haven't been anywhere near consistently productive, and before last Sunday Chris Johnson was ineffective running the ball in imperfect situations. The one curious thing I'll add is there's not much separation between how good the Titans offensively are when they start in their own end, and the reason is clear from the Premium DVOA database: the Titans are terrible between the 40 and the opposing 40, and bad between the opposing 40 and the 21. no comments
And despite Sunday's performance, good news. The Titans are now more productive on drives starting in opposing territory than they are on drives starting anywhere else on the field. Yup, with touchdowns against the Steelers, Colts, and Falcons, the Titans are averaging 2.06 points per possession.
If you read the prior post, though, you'll note that the Titans were averaging more points than that on drives that started in all three zones of their own territory, inside the 20, on the 20, and from the 21 to midfield. Unfortunately, that's no longer the case. They're now averaging 1.89 points starting from the 21 to midfield, and 1.76 points when starting inside their own 20. The problem area now looks like their own 20, where they're averaging only 1.47 points per possession. That's virtually identical to their success the second half of last season, when the offense could hardly move the ball at all.
Really, though, what these numbers are telling us is something novel nor interesting: the Titans have struggled to move the ball offensively for most of the season. Without Kenny Britt, the receivers haven't been anywhere near consistently productive, and before last Sunday Chris Johnson was ineffective running the ball in imperfect situations. The one curious thing I'll add is there's not much separation between how good the Titans offensively are when they start in their own end, and the reason is clear from the Premium DVOA database: the Titans are terrible between the 40 and the opposing 40, and bad between the opposing 40 and the 21. no comments
We'll be having our normal question-and-answer exchange this week with Bloguin's Buffalo Bills blog, Buffalo Wins.
Titans fans, what questions do you have about the Bills that you'd like to see answered? no comments
Titans fans, what questions do you have about the Bills that you'd like to see answered? no comments
Well, wins don't have to be particularly pretty to count.
The Tennessee Titans came back to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-17 today at LP Field in what was a pretty ugly, mistake-filled game. The Bucs got on the board first, chunking their way down the field but not making it in the red zone for a field goal, but the Titans took advantage of the kickoff return. Marc Mariani handed off to Tommie Campbell on a reverse, and Campbell showed off excellent speed in outracing the defenders 84 yards for a touchdown.
The Titans would get within aiming distance of the end zone their next two possessions, but failed on fourth down from the Bucs 30 after moving the ball 29 yards and extended their lead to 10-3 after finally getting to the red zone after a Dave Ball sack/fumble/fumble recovery set them up at the Tampa 38. The Bucs would tie the game right before halftime, though, after a Javon Ringer fumble was returned to the Titans 29. Josh Freeman capped off the drive when Mike Williams beat Alterraun Verner on a slant from three yards out.
Aqib Talib gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead when he undercut Hasselbeck's pass for Nate Washington early in the third quarter after Chris Johnson and Mike Williams exchanged fumbles. The Titans cut the lead to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. The Bucs made it to the edge of field goal range their next possession, but two penalties pushed them back to midfield, and the Titans drove 80-yard for the eventual game-winning score. The big play of the drive was a 34-yard run by Chris Johnson, and Hasselbeck converted fourth-and-goal from the TB 2 to Damian Williams for a 20-17 lead.
The Bucs would end up with two chances to get the win, but Josh Freeman threw the ball to Colin McCarthy, which the Titans converted into a Bironas field goal and 23-17 lead. Tampa made it to the Tennessee 25 in the final minute, but ended up with a confused fourth-and-one at the 25 that resulted in a particularly bad failed sneak. Hasselbeck took a final knee, and the Titans won for the first time all season when allowing more than 14 points.
After the jump, player notes:
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The Tennessee Titans came back to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-17 today at LP Field in what was a pretty ugly, mistake-filled game. The Bucs got on the board first, chunking their way down the field but not making it in the red zone for a field goal, but the Titans took advantage of the kickoff return. Marc Mariani handed off to Tommie Campbell on a reverse, and Campbell showed off excellent speed in outracing the defenders 84 yards for a touchdown.
The Titans would get within aiming distance of the end zone their next two possessions, but failed on fourth down from the Bucs 30 after moving the ball 29 yards and extended their lead to 10-3 after finally getting to the red zone after a Dave Ball sack/fumble/fumble recovery set them up at the Tampa 38. The Bucs would tie the game right before halftime, though, after a Javon Ringer fumble was returned to the Titans 29. Josh Freeman capped off the drive when Mike Williams beat Alterraun Verner on a slant from three yards out.
Aqib Talib gave the Bucs a 17-10 lead when he undercut Hasselbeck's pass for Nate Washington early in the third quarter after Chris Johnson and Mike Williams exchanged fumbles. The Titans cut the lead to 17-13 early in the fourth quarter on a 52-yard field goal by Rob Bironas. The Bucs made it to the edge of field goal range their next possession, but two penalties pushed them back to midfield, and the Titans drove 80-yard for the eventual game-winning score. The big play of the drive was a 34-yard run by Chris Johnson, and Hasselbeck converted fourth-and-goal from the TB 2 to Damian Williams for a 20-17 lead.
The Bucs would end up with two chances to get the win, but Josh Freeman threw the ball to Colin McCarthy, which the Titans converted into a Bironas field goal and 23-17 lead. Tampa made it to the Tennessee 25 in the final minute, but ended up with a confused fourth-and-one at the 25 that resulted in a particularly bad failed sneak. Hasselbeck took a final knee, and the Titans won for the first time all season when allowing more than 14 points.
After the jump, player notes:
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The inactives are out for today's game at LP Field between the Titans and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and here they are:
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: DE Michael Bennett, LB Zac Diles, CB Anthony Gaitor, G Derek Hardman, OT James Lee, WR Michael Spurlock, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
TENNESSEE TITANS: WR Donnie Avery, DT Zach Clayton, RB Jamie Harper, C Kevin Matthews, LB Barrett Ruud, QB Rusty Smith, OT David Stewart
For the Bucs, as expected Michael Bennett is out. Rookie second-round pick Da'Quan Bowers starts in his place. FS Tanard Jackson returns to the lineup.
For the Titans, David Stewart misses the game, while fellow questionables Karl Klug, Colin McCarthy, Derrick Morgan, and Michael Roos are all out. With Stewart's injury and likely Roos's as well, rookie OT Byron Stingily makes his NFL debut. That forces Jamie Harper, who's played sparingly, to the bench and leaves the Titans with only CJ and Ringer at halfback. Dave Ball also returns to the lineup as expected.
Feel free to leave your comments here during today's game. I'll be chiming in mostly on twitter, so feel free to follow and send me a message there. no comments
TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS: DE Michael Bennett, LB Zac Diles, CB Anthony Gaitor, G Derek Hardman, OT James Lee, WR Michael Spurlock, DE Daniel Te'o-Nesheim
TENNESSEE TITANS: WR Donnie Avery, DT Zach Clayton, RB Jamie Harper, C Kevin Matthews, LB Barrett Ruud, QB Rusty Smith, OT David Stewart
For the Bucs, as expected Michael Bennett is out. Rookie second-round pick Da'Quan Bowers starts in his place. FS Tanard Jackson returns to the lineup.
For the Titans, David Stewart misses the game, while fellow questionables Karl Klug, Colin McCarthy, Derrick Morgan, and Michael Roos are all out. With Stewart's injury and likely Roos's as well, rookie OT Byron Stingily makes his NFL debut. That forces Jamie Harper, who's played sparingly, to the bench and leaves the Titans with only CJ and Ringer at halfback. Dave Ball also returns to the lineup as expected.
Feel free to leave your comments here during today's game. I'll be chiming in mostly on twitter, so feel free to follow and send me a message there. no comments
A belated Happy Thanksgiving to all our readers. Due to the holidays, no Q&A this week and this'll be a slightly less detailed EI than normal.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a 35-26 road loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers went up 14-0 and 21-10 in the first half, but the Bucs twice cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter. The Packers scored a game-clinching touchdown with 2:55 to play, though, and hung on for the nine point victory.
What I saw from Tampa Bay that game, and the others of theirs I've seen, after the jump.
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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are coming off a 35-26 road loss to the Green Bay Packers. The Packers went up 14-0 and 21-10 in the first half, but the Bucs twice cut the deficit to two points in the fourth quarter. The Packers scored a game-clinching touchdown with 2:55 to play, though, and hung on for the nine point victory.
What I saw from Tampa Bay that game, and the others of theirs I've seen, after the jump.
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Total Titans wishes all of you a very happy Thanksgiving. I hope you'll get to spend the holiday celebrating with family and friends.
As we reflect upon things to be thankful for, I am very thankful for you, our readers. Without you, there would be no reason for this site to exist.
Here are a few things I believe Titans fans should be thankful for. We should be thankful that the team has taken some positive steps which should mean improvement for the future.
We should be thankful that Chris Johnson's $30M guaranteed money is only guaranteed in case of injury, and not for performance.
We should be thankful that some of the rookies are starting to play well and show some promise, which bodes well for the coming years.
We should be thankful that Mike Munchak has apparently changed the culture of the organization and the environment of the team.
We should be thankful that a few turkeys are no longer with the team.
Happy Thanksgiving!
After Monday's regular weekly press conference following this weekend's loss to the Falcons, it's clear to me that The Powers That Be at Baptist Sports Park are having a "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil" story about Chris Johnson's play. Did the offensive line play well? No, they clearly struggled at times and most running backs would have struggled to gain positive yardage on a number of Chris Johnson's carries this week. The problem is, Chris Johnson in the past wasn't "most running backs." The Titans didn't sign Chris Johnson to a lucrative extension less than three months ago to be "most running backs." Even with the rest of the team struggling, the Titans paid Chris Johnson to do more than he did last Sunday.
Frankly, what I suspected about Chris Johnson after the Browns and the Steelers game has been confirmed by recent events: he is able to be effective only when he sees green grass in front of him and either no defender or a defender he can avoid off to the side. When the offense is able to put him in positions like that, he can be successful. That happened a lot against the Panthers. It's happened hardly at all the rest of the year. What I think his play against the Texans showed is that it isn't necessary to have the same kind of penetration the Falcons had last Sunday to take Chris Johnson out of the game. All you have to do is not give him open space. That means Chris Johnson's effectiveness is a reflection of the ability of the offense to give him that space.
Now, I thought the Titans understood this after the Texans game. They started playing Javon Ringer just as much as they did Johnson. After some success in the first half of the Bengals game, though, The Powers That Be apparently decided CJ was "back" and decided to play him almost exclusively. And he's been about 99% as mediocre as he was the rest of the year before then. By this point, I have no idea what The Powers That Be are seeing. Unless CJ's play is a pawn to a dysfunctional or divided organization or they're playing Chris Johnson with their eyes on parting ways with him before the franchise pays him any more money beyond this season, they're engaged in a fool's exercise and I'm not having any more of it.
Unless and until there are drastic changes in Chris Johnson's level of play, I'm done with him. I'm not going to write any posts about him. I'm not going to spend my time obsessing about him. I'm going to avoid him as much as I can while still blogging about the Titans as I see fit. no comments
Frankly, what I suspected about Chris Johnson after the Browns and the Steelers game has been confirmed by recent events: he is able to be effective only when he sees green grass in front of him and either no defender or a defender he can avoid off to the side. When the offense is able to put him in positions like that, he can be successful. That happened a lot against the Panthers. It's happened hardly at all the rest of the year. What I think his play against the Texans showed is that it isn't necessary to have the same kind of penetration the Falcons had last Sunday to take Chris Johnson out of the game. All you have to do is not give him open space. That means Chris Johnson's effectiveness is a reflection of the ability of the offense to give him that space.
Now, I thought the Titans understood this after the Texans game. They started playing Javon Ringer just as much as they did Johnson. After some success in the first half of the Bengals game, though, The Powers That Be apparently decided CJ was "back" and decided to play him almost exclusively. And he's been about 99% as mediocre as he was the rest of the year before then. By this point, I have no idea what The Powers That Be are seeing. Unless CJ's play is a pawn to a dysfunctional or divided organization or they're playing Chris Johnson with their eyes on parting ways with him before the franchise pays him any more money beyond this season, they're engaged in a fool's exercise and I'm not having any more of it.
Unless and until there are drastic changes in Chris Johnson's level of play, I'm done with him. I'm not going to write any posts about him. I'm not going to spend my time obsessing about him. I'm going to avoid him as much as I can while still blogging about the Titans as I see fit. no comments
