Titans-Cardinals inactives, game thread

Written by Tom Gower on .

The list of official inactives is out for the Titans, and includes the names you'd expect:

DT Tony Brown
CB Cortland Finnegan
DE Jacob Ford
WR Justin Gage
DE William Hayes
LB David Thornton

Kenny Britt gets the start at wideout for Justin Gage, while Dave Ball starts for Ford and Alterraun Verner gets the starting spot at corner that Ryan Mouton had last week.

Feel free to leave your comments here during tonight's game.  I'll mostly be commenting on my Twitter page, so feel free to follow along there.

Titans training camp, Week Three recap

Written by Andrew Strickert on .

The Tennessee Titans have now completed three weeks of training camp and it's been another typical camp. Hot, over 90° every day the past month. In this recap, I'll focus on the practices of last week and offer some thoughts on how the roster is shaping up from the observations I've made.

Video: two plays against the Seahawks

Written by Tom Gower on .

I thought I'd try a new gimmick: video breakdowns of plays.  Detailed visual breakdowns of plays is something I've wanted to do for a couple years, but have never gotten around to doing.  Consider these that debut, and more as proof of concept than as something I'll do going forward.

2010 Tennessee Titans positional analysis: ST

Written by Tom Gower on .

We conclude our trip around the Tennessee Titans position by position as we approach the 2010 regular season with a look at the special teams.  As was the case with the last two positions I wrote about, it'll be a mix of continuity and change from last offseason.

The continuity starts with one of the league's best placekickers in Rob Bironas.  Bironas is coming into the second season of a four year, $12 million contract extension he signed in February 2009.  He had his third consecutive excellent season in 2009, making 27 of 32 field goals, including an impressive 5 of 6 from 50+.  The Titans ranked second in the NFL in FG/XP DVOA as measured by Football Outsiders, the third straight season they (read Bironas) has ranked in the top 5.  He should be good again in 2010.

The one downside of Bironas' 2009 season was his average kickoff distance slipped 3.0 yards, from 67.2 to 64.2.  The Titans' kickoff coverage teams were also mediocre, so the team as a whole slipped from league-average to among the worst in the NFL, and were a big part of the reason Titans' opponents had the second-best starting field position last year.  Bironas is already 32, so the Titans might have to live with that shorter kickoff distance going forward.

Yea or nay: Should the Tennessee Titans re-sign Brandon Jones?

Written by Drexel Perry on .

Certainly, we're all familiar with WR Brandon Jones. The enigmatic receiver played his first few seasons in the city of Nashville, tantalizing us with his talents while simultaneously frustrating us with his inability to produce on a consistent basis.

In 2008, his final season as a Tennessee Titan, Jones had a breakout year of sorts, notching a career-high 41 catches for 449 yards and a score. Of course, Jones chose to sign elsewhere in free agency the following year, bestowing his John Hancock on a contract with San Francisco.

Brandon's days as a 49er didn't last long, as his lack of production (only one catch in 2009) eventually led to his release earlier this week.

Lo and behold, the Titans have been mentioned as one of the teams that are interested in signing Jones.

Could Samkon Gado help the Titans?

Written by Andrew Strickert on .

Samkon Gado photo by Andrew Strickert for Total TitansI did a double-take when I noticed a new running back, #36, on the field at noon Tuesday. I was even more surprised when he turned around and I read the name on the back of his jersey, Gado.
 
Samkon Gado. Power back. Short-yardage runner. Former Green Bay Packer, Houston Texan, Miami Dolphin and St. Louis Ram. Now a Tennessee Titan.
 
Apparently Jeff Fisher and Mike Reinfeldt view him as veteran insurance. Also, I heard someone on the radio the other day -- I believe it was Mike Keith -- say he's a guy who can contribute on special teams, covering kicks and blocking on returns. Gado has even returned four kicks in his career for a twenty-yard average.
 
He may also be able to help in pass protection, a problem area for the Titans which Tom commented on in the Seahawks preview:

2010 Tennessee Titans positional analysis: CB

Written by Tom Gower on .

The next stop in our tour after the Titans position by position as we approach the 2010 regular season is one where we know the Titans will have a new starter: the cornerbacks (including the nickel back).

Fortunately, the starter they have returning is a pretty good one to build around.  Considering the shambolic state of the Titans' 2009 secondary, Cortland Finnegan had a pretty good year, tying his career high with five interceptions despite missing three games.  By Football Outsiders numbers, he also ranked 14th among cornerbacks in Success Rate, a measure of how well defenders do in terms of preventing successful plays by the offense.

The contenders for the other starting cornerback spot have some pretty big shoes to fill.  Nick Harper of course started opposite Finnegan last year and put up some pretty amazing numbers.  It's hard to throw at the same corner all the time and have success, but Titans' opponents manged it.  Harper was, by FO numbers, the league's 3rd most targeted cornerback and the 4th least successful.  On the other hand, Harper was one of the league's best corners... at run defense.  He didn't miss many tackles and consistently stopped opposing runners for little gain.  Whoever his replacement will be will almost certainly be a worse run defender and a better pass defender.