Archive for the ‘Tennessee’ Category

Chris Brown’s deal with Titans

Wednesday, June 20th, 2007

If nothing else, running back Chris Brown’s re-signing with Tennessee earlier this week just points out how locked in the Bears are in featuring Cedric Benson as their number 1 back.

Sure, Lovie Smith has a bit of a history of running with two backs, but Chris Brown is from Chicago, and more than a chance to play at home, he valued a chance to compete for a starting job somewhere. In Nashville, he’ll get that chance. Apparently, he though it was a better chance than the one he was offered back home in Chicago.

Brown’s a good runner, but is a breakaway back with great size and burst through the hole. He runs standing straight up, and injuries have always kept him off the field. I don’t think anyone envisions Brown as a 25 carry back over 16 games, but he practically had all of 2006 off - playing behind LenDale White and Travis Henry - so he may be able to stay healthy this season for longer than most think he can.

NFL | 2006 | Week 13 - Tennessee Titans / Indianapolis Colts

Tuesday, December 5th, 2006

17-20 at TEN

When is icing a kicker not a good idea?

As the gamebook shows, on 3rd and 11 with 12 seconds left, both the Colts and the Titans had 1 timeout remaining. Each team used their final timeout in between the 3rd and 4th downs.

What the game tape shows is that the Titans called their timeout because it seemed they had changed their minds about attempting a 60 yard field goal. They were sending on the field goal unit. But really, it looked like Coach Fisher was having a hard to deciding. He probably had second thoughts about giving the ball back to the Colts at midfield with time remaining on the clock and one timeout left.

But then the Colts used their final timeout, and it became easy for Coach Fisher to change his mind again. As a result of Indy using their last timeout, the threat of giving the Colts the football at midfield wasn’t so great since they couldn’t stop the clock. Bironas was free to attempt a field goal and he made it.

One final note, in their two games against Tennessee this season, the Colts defense has given up 214 yards rushing and 219 yards rushing.

Here’s more about the Colts’ rush defense woes:

Of the 160 teams that have reached conference championship games since 1966, not one has done so allowing what the Colts are on the ground. Over the past two decades, no team has allowed 135 rushing yards per game and reached the conference championship.

If the situation doesn’t improve, Dungy conceded, “we’ll have struggles like we had (Sunday). We’ll be counting on the offense and the special teams to bail us out. You can win that way, but it’s hard to do.”

Check out the nice historical table they have on that article as well.

NFL | 2006 | Week 10 - Tennessee Titans

Tuesday, November 14th, 2006

26-27 vs BAL

Some may have been impressed by the way the Titans built a 26-7 lead in this game, but it was basically smoke and mirrors. Vince Young played… about average. He looked real comfortable when throwing from the shotgun, but not so comfortable when dropping back from under center. That was, of course, a big concern of Young’s when coming out of college. Vince just looked like he was rushing his throws a little too much when dropping back.

Even on his TD run, it took Young three straight downs from inside the 5 to punch the ball in - and even on his third keeper replays showed that he probably was down before he got in.

The Titans’ defense is doing a good job at stopping the run, but they can’t generate a pass rush at all and it’s hard to tell if they’re secondary is any good because their front four have been giving QBs too much time to throw.

My guess is that the secondary must be bad because the Titans seem almost afraid to blitz. They rushed just their front four almost all game and the Ravens’ line had no trouble protecting McNair with 5.

The Titans’ second half possessions went: punt, downs, int, punt, punt, punt, and blocked field goal.

LenDale White is showing a good burst whenever he gets a chance to run the ball, but Tennessee has been very slow to involve him into the offense.

2006 | Week 2 - Tennessee Titans

Friday, September 22nd, 2006

7-40 at SD

Targets stats only this week.

CATCHES / TARGETS:
Wade - 0/7
Bennett - 3/6
Givens - 2/5
Jones - 2/5
Scaife - 3/4
White - 1/3
Williams - 1/2
Brown - 1/2
Troupe - 0/2

2006 | Week 1 - Tennessee Titans

Saturday, September 16th, 2006

16-23 vs NYJ

Targets/Catches:
Bennett - 8/17
Wade - 5/8
Troupe - 1/4
Scaife - 1/4
Brown - 1/4
Givens - 3/3
Henry - 1/1
Jones - 0/1

2006 Misc Football Previews - AFC

Sunday, September 3rd, 2006

INDEX

Much of last year’s preview throught the AFC still holds true for this season. The Bengals, for example, return almost exactly the same offense they’ve put out onto the field the last two full seasons. That kind of continuity will continue to reap huge rewards for Cincinnati, and their defense is just average enough that they’ll win a lot of games, but give up a lot of points too. One thing on Carson Palmer, there’s no way he’s 100%. I’ve watched him run in both of the preseason games he’s played in and it’s good to see him up and running this offense. But Palmer is a very good quarterback outside of the pocket, throwing on the run and buying time on the edge. I don’t know if we’ll see a lot of that early in the season. And I don’t think it’ll effect his throwing too much. There’s no better fantasy quarterback in football than Carson Palmer. (Last Season)

For New England, Josh McDaniels begins his 2nd year as the Pats’ OC and 6th season with the organization. Running the ball was New England’s main weakness on offense last season; leading to the first round selection of RB Laurence Maroney. This preseason, Maroney has looked like a future star running back. It’s not believed that his recent knee injury is significant. I think what Maroney has shown in the last few weeks is a glimpse of what is to come. Corey Dillon turns 32 in late October, and although he said that he can still carry a large role, Maroney is the guy.

Another Patriot worth a fantasy look is tight end Ben Watson. He’s entering his third season, and is not only the Pats most reliable receiver at this point, but he was used heavily in the preseason and looked ready to have a breakout season. Normally, Tom Brady’s receivers don’t make for good fantasy options because the ball gets spread around so much in New England, but since we’re talking about tight end numbers, Watson should have a relatively good season for his position.

Turning in an impressive preseason performance for New England has been WR Bam Childress. The former OSU Buckeye is listed at 5′11 185, but he’s probably more like 5′9 175 and can get thrown around on the field. Still, he’s played tough in the games I’ve seen him in, has good enough hands and is able to adjust the ball pretty well. I expect Brady to connect with Childress out of the slot a number of times this season. Fantasy teams in really deep leagues could steal Bam off of free agency.

For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there’s no place to go but down. Way too much off season drama to deal with. This is exactly how and why teams don’t repeat. They’ll be lucky if they finish above .500. A September 1 trade for former Patriot Patrick Cobbs is worth noting, however. Cobbs is a 5-9, 205 pound back who showed a great burst through the hole this preseason. His running style and short, powerful build leads me to believe he may get a chance to be a short yardage back for Pittsburgh. Other than that, I wouldn’t touch any Steeler player this season.

The same goes for the Tennessee Titans. Apparently, after seven seasons in the NFL, the Titans just now realized that they didn’t want to put up with Billy Volek’s ego and have decided to throw him overboard. The Titans will probably go 4-12 as a result of their mess of a preseason and the whole thing will end up costing Jeff Fisher his job. Oh, and Vince Young will never be as great an NFL quarterback as Jay Cutler or Matt Leinart.

In San Diego, Phillip Rivers is going to make some mistakes, but he’s still a solid QB who can put the ball into tight spots and this is still a good enough offense to make the playoffs. I’m also very impressed with the depth the Chargers have put together at wide receiver. Eric Parker looks like he can be a solid #2 man, while Kassim Osgood’s size and speed combo makes defenses take notice as a third option. Rashuan Woods and Vincent Jackson are both former high draft picks who are still learning the position but have the physical skills to be NFL good players. And it even looks like the 6′5 Malcom Floyd made enough plays in the preseason to keep a job. He could develop into a contributor as well. The Chargers still lack a true #1 WR, but Keenan McCardell is a good 1B kind of wide out and with Antonio Gates playing the de facto role of 1A while defenses focus on he and LT in the backfield, the Chargers have enough players to make this offense work.

One other thing about the Chargers, since Clinton Portis injured his shoulder and ruined my hopes for a huge season (see below), I think of the remaining top 3 RBs available, LT is the guy to have over LJ and Alexander (read the Seattle post for more on Alexander). LJ has to deal with a retired left tackle, a departed offensive coordinator, and Herm Edwards. LT, on the other hand, only has a new QB to deal with, and that may actually lead to a better statistical season for him. But the biggest reason, is the insurance you can get when you draft LT. There may not be another backup running back in the league right now that is better than Michael Turner. The guy is a smallish, but is all power, speed, and vision.

Wednesday Football

Wednesday, October 19th, 2005

Cincinnati Bengals
Marvin Lewis may have outsmarted himself to start this game. The Bengals came out and tried to play a conservative, ball control road game in the first half. But with two minutes left, they were losing 0-10 and Plamer had thrown just six passes so far. So in their hurry up offense, the Bengals came out and ran 9 plays (all passes, all completions) for 79 yards and a touchdown. This Titans team is better than most think, but their one obvious weakness is against the pass and you’ve got to come out flying in order to beat them. And to second that point, Palmer completed 81.8% of his 33 pass attempts in the game.

Chris Perry got 4 chances (run and pass) inside the red zone, giving him 10 on the season. That’s second on the team behind Rudi’s 17.

The Bengals still have not found a way to keep teams from running up the middle against them. And they have to face the Steelers this week.
TARGETS(cathces):
Johnson- 9(8)
CPerry- 9(9)
Walter- 5(4)
Washington- 3(2)
JJohnson- 3(1)
Henry- 2(1)
RJohnson- 1(1)
Schobel- 1(1)

Tennessee Titans
The Titans really picked up a couple of good receivers in last year’s draft (Jones, Roby). And it’s a good thing too. Tyrone Calico hasn’t looked like much more than a 4th receiver this season. He was solely to blame on McNair’s first INT that Odell Thurman returned for a touchdown.

In only one game this season (week two) have the Titans tight ends, as a group, been thrown less than 11 passes.

I’m not exactly sure who it was, but the play-by-play man covering this game for CBS must have used the word ‘beautiful’ to describe a pass at least 15 times, and I’m not exaggerating. At one point, it did so on four straight plays and only a McNair incompletion could stop him.

This game ended with a real smart job of coaching on the part of Jeff Fischer. Down by 11 with less than a minute to go, the Titans were able to get a first down on Cincy’s 30 yard line. And rather than spend more time trying to get a touchdown, the Titans spiked the ball to stop the clock and then kicked a field goal to bring them within 8 points of tying the game. Tennessee did not retrieve the resulting onside kick, but you still have to appriciate what that kind of winning attitude will do for a young team like this.
TARGETS(cathces):
Jones- 12(5)
Bennett- 11(7)
Kinney- 5(4)
Troupe- 5(4)
Brown- 2(3)
Calico- 2(1)
Roby- 1(1)
Scaife- 1(1)

—
Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens finally played fast and physical on defense and special teams. For the first time this season, they looked to me like a hungry team.

Anthony Wright played a smart game, but by no means was he a playmaker out there against the Browns. He did do a good job at getting the ball to the guys that need to get it most: Mason and Heap. The Browns could not cover Todd Heap. He finally looks healthy and ready to make a difference.

Mark Clayton had an end-around touchdown called back by a holding penalty. The Ravens had 11 total penalties for 97 yards. That’s 32 for 244 in two weeks.

Dear Jamal: HIT THE HOLE RUNNING! You’re dancing behind the line like you think you’re Michael Jackson. Lewis was easily the third best running back on the field this past Sunday in Baltimore.
TARGET(catches):
Mason- 8(8)
Heap- 7(6)
Taylor- 6(4)
Lewis- 3(2)
Hymes- 2(1)
Clayton- 1(1)
Wilcox- 1(1)

Cleveland Browns
This game was a lot like the first three quarters of the Browns game last week against Chicago. The Ravens’ offense was unable to score in the second half, but unlike the Bears, Baltimore’s defense held up. And despite the final score, the Browns were competitive throughout this game.
TARGETS(catches):
Norhtcut- 9(4)
Bryant- 6(4)
Heiden- 5(4)
Shea- 4(3)
Jackson- 3(0)
Droughns- 1(1)
Green- 1(0)

—
San Diego Chargers
With an early lead, the Chargers played a real conservative football game in Oakland. They also used Antonio Gates as a decoy for most of the game; often throwing underneath his routes to Peelle, Neal, or LT.

Keenan McCardell dropped an easy pass in the end zone. It would have been his 6th touchdown of the season.
TARGETS(catches):
Tomlinson- 5(2)
Gates- 4(2)
Neal- 4(4)
McCardell- 3(2)
Peelle- 3(3)
Parker- 1(1)
Caldwell- 1(1)

Oakland Raiders
The Raiders’ defense started this game fired up and ready to stop the run. But their offense wasn’t up to the task. Collins was forced to rush his throws thoughout the game.

This team can still move the ball with Jerry Porter and Doug Gabriel as their top wideouts, but it’s really the play of their underachieving offensive line that is going to determine whether or not Oakland can get back into the playoff race.
TARGETS(catches):
Porter- 12(5)
Gabriel- 11(5)
Jordan- 7(6)
Anderson- 6(2)
Whitted- 5(4)
Moss- 3(0)
Zlemister- 1(0)

—
Washington Redskins
Another game is in the books where Clinton Portis looks great running in a single back set, and not so great having to find room behind lead blockers.

The Redskins have done a great job at getting Santana Moss the ball where he can do the most damage; near the line of scrimmage or way down the field. Over last three weeks, Moss has been thrown 12, 13, and 14 passes respectively.

Fox Sports brought in an interesting stat. After Tony Gonzalez drew a defensive pass interference call on the Redskins with 5:40 left in the first quarter, Fox noted that it was the first of such penalty Washington’s defense has been guilty of all season.

Chris Cooley really does a good job playing that tweener H-back spot for this team. And he runs faster than I thought he could.
TARGETS(catches):
Moss- 14(10)
Cooley- 8(6)
Patten- 6(2)
Thrash- 4(2)
Portis- 4(4)
Royal- 2(0)
Sellers- 1(1)

Kansas City Chiefs
With Willie Roaf back in the lineup, it was believed that Tony Gonzalez would see more opportunities to catch the ball. Over the last few weeks, KC has had to use their tight ends in pass blocking a little more than they are used to and it obviously hurt Gonzo’s already slipping pass production. In this game, the Redskins often used three defenders to contain Gonzo, but on those downs #88 was left to run against single coverage, Green looked for him immediately.

KC seems to be using more 3 WR sets than I remember them running in the past. And I wonder what happened to their high hopes for TE Kris Wilson. I didn’t see him at all in this game.

The Chiefs came out in the second half running a couple of different of screen passes and they ended up scoring on their first possession of the third quarter. Then on defense, KC came after Mark Brunnell hard until Moss hit that 80 yard flanker screen. Later in the game, the Chiefs scored the game winner on another screen pass, this time a 60 yarder to Holmes.

This was a strong game from both teams and one that could have gone either way.
TARGETS(catches):
Gonzalez- 6(2)
Holmes- 6(5)
Parker- 3(2)
Boerigter- 3(2)
Hall- 2(2)
Kennison- 2(0)
Dunn- 1(1)
Johnson- 1(1)
Richardson- 1(0)

Friday Football

Friday, October 7th, 2005

The Writers’ Week 5 NFL picks are up. The beach is currently tied for second place with CHFF. But take a look at our picks this week… We disagree 9 out of 14 times. On the flip side, beach picks agree nicely (11 of 14) with the first place Monsters of Midway. So there will be a lot of shaking up after week 5. I know I had a tough time with these picks.

Only one more game to add tonight. I’m getting my ass kicked.

—————
TEN- The Texans finally showed up to play a game this year. It only took them until week 4. This was a much better looking team than the one that had taken the field for the 6 prior games of the 2005 pre and regular season. Their defense played very well, as I expected they would, against one of the top offenses in the game. Houston has a good coverage secondary and a physical front seven. If their DBs could play the run a little better, this unit would be good instead of above-average.

The offense, too, was improved. The talk during their bye was that new offensive coordinator Joe Pendry had elevated the unit’s tempo and intesity. It showed. The Texans also looked very good each time they tried to run-block straight ahead. Their linemen were more effective at it, and Dominick Davis is a better one cut runner, in the Denver Broncos/Atlanta Falcons style. With a quarterback as mobile as Carr is, there is no reason why the Texans’ offense should not mimic the ones currently in Denver and Atlanta. All the personel is there. Jabar Gaffney had a solid game. TARGETS(catches): Johnson- 6(3), Gaffney- 6(6), Davis- 4(4), Wells- 2(2), Rivers- 2(0), Norris- 1(1)

CIN- Even though the Bengals only scored 16 points, their offense was still very efficient. They just happened to be playing against a motivated defense that matched up well against them. Cincinnati did not turn the ball over and Palmer completed 73.5 percent of his passes. Chad Johnson did find that getting open against Dunta Robinson is a little more difficult than it usually is against other corners. He still caught 7 passes, but a few of those were quick hitches near the line of scrimmage. Not that those aren’t effective, and not that CJ isn’t the second best wide receiver in football. TJ looked great again. He pulled in 8 passes on 10 targets for 105 yards, and for the second week in a row, had a touchdown catch called back by a penalty. I still think this is the best offense in the league right now. Although the injuries they sustained against the Texans at center and guard are worth watching. TARGETS(catches): TJ- 10(8), CJ- 8(7), Perry- 6(4), Henry- 2(2), Kelly- 2(2), Schobel- 2(1), RJohnson- 1(0), JJohnson- 1(1)

Saturday Football II

Saturday, October 1st, 2005

ATL- This was a sloppy game for the Falcons but they had a good game plan and did what good teams do. Brian Finneran stepped up with a huge game (relative to Atlanta receivers). He finished with 4 catches on 7 targets and made some key grabs along the way to keep drives alive. Alge Crumpler also had 7 targets, but he pulled in only 3 for 35 yards. Michael Jenkins is the #1 wideout though. He went 4 for 5 with a score. For most of the game, however, the Falcons’d ground game gashed a suddenly soft Bills defensive front. This week the Falcons host Minnesota.

BUF- The Bills opened this game with back to back deep throws down the left side; one to Eric Moulds and the other to Lee Evans. J.P. Losman wasn’t even close on either of his throws. After seeing the Bills play three games now, I don’t know what the Buffalo brass thought they had with Losman, but the second year QB is running plays that don’t really seem to be suitable to his talents. He plays a lot like Michael Vick, but with less touch than Vick on the deeper throws, and should probably be learning how to get the ball out of his hands sooner.

The Falcons spent a lot of this game with only 7 men in the box, in order to protect their banged up secondary. So Buffalo was able to run the ball a little better than one would normally expect. At the end of the third quarter, the Bills had 129 yards rushing and just 44 passing. Yet they trailed just 16-17.

The pass patterns for the Bills this year has been consistent. Moulds has gone 7-7-8 in targets. Evans, 5-5-5. And Josh Reed, 4-7-3. With the offense unable to move the ball through the air, and now with Takeo Spikes out for the year, things are certainly not looking up in upstate New York.

—
OAK- The Raiders aren’t really playing bad football, they just can’t come up with any plays when they need then. They played NE tight for three quarters, were 10 yards away from beating KC, and then last week Oakland stayed with Philly all the way up to the final play. Oakland has not, however, run the ball well yet this year. And against the Eagles, they picked up just 21 yards rushing (and just 2 of their 18 first downs via the ground). Courtney Anderson score 2 TDs in week one, got zero targets last week, and then picked up 5 catches on 9 passes for 100 yards. With all these perimeter types, Anderson’s chances should continue to come. And without Ronald Curry, Jerry Porter saw a lot of throws. But he picked up just 5 catches on 11 targets. Randy Moss had 7 more targets. Tied for second on team in targets for the season is Lamont Jordan, who had 9 against the Eagles giving him 27 on the year.

PHI- The Eagles’pass blocking has been tremendous this year and they’re going to need that to continue with Donovan McNabb dealing with an abdominal tear. Greg Lewis is doing well as the team’s #2. He caught 6 passes on 9 targets for 70 yards against the Raiders. T.O. went 9 for 14, and Westbrook went 6 for 11. L.J. Smith continues to produce, catching 5 of 8. In the red zone, TO got 5 looks, Westbrook had 3, Lewis and Smith each had one. The Eagles front seven dominated the Raiders’ offensive line, and that bodes well for them with KC on the schedule next.

—
TEN- The Titans are going to be trouble this year. Norm Chow is really doing some good things with this offense and Steve McNair has been sharp. Rookie Brandon Jones has played well, and against the Rams he caught 5 passes on 9 targets and a touchdown. Drew Bennett is still putting up good numbers too, he went 6 for 10. Erron Kinney is surprisingly getting more throws than Ben Troupe. In St Louis, Kinney picked up 7 catches on 7 targets while Troupe had just 3 balls go his way (but he does have two scores on the year).

STL- Issac Bruce missed the second half of this game, and ended up with just 1 target. Torry Holt led the team with 11, and Kevin Curtis stepped into Bruce’s role and picked up 5 catches on 5 passes for 56 yards and a score. Shaun McDonald, after getting 10 targets in week one, had just 2 last week and 1 against the Titans.

—
DAL- One of the few games I didn’t see from week three, the stats show that Drew Bledsoe is spreading the ball around well to Terry Glenn, KJ, Jason Witten, and Patrick Crayton. But in the red zone, Keyshaun was targeted 3 times against the Niners, and he has 6 RZ targets on the year. It’s also nice to see Julius Jones involved in the passing game. He had 5 targets in week three and has picked up 16 passes his way for the season.

SF- Arnaz Battle is still producing. 6 more catches for him on 9 targets and a score. With Eric Johnson out for the year, the tight end position is all but gone from the team’s passing offense. Only three balls have gone to a 49ers TE all year. Seeing the highlights of Bradon Lloyd scoring twice against Dallas proves that the Cowboys are still vulnerable to the small, quick receiver (Moss).

Friday Football

Friday, September 23rd, 2005

AFC Targets, and related team news from Week Two:

BAL- In their first game with Anthony Wright at quarterback, Derrick Mason was the most active Ravens receiver. He caught 8 passes on 10 targets for 60 yards and a score. The tightends, all three of them, were again heavily featured. Heap, Wilcox, and Dinkins had 11 total passes thrown their way. With a bye this week, Baltimore’s top priority is to find their running game.

BUF- J.P. Losman was lucky he didn’t leave Tampa with two or three interceptions to his credit. Josh Reed picked up 7 targets, as did Eric Moulds. But the real story with the Bills right now is with their running back, Willis McGahee. He and Coach Mularkey have had a minor media fued this week in reference to McGahee’s running style lately. I, too, noticed in the preseason that he looked hesitant. The 1-1 Bills face another tough defense this week as they host Atlanta, and McGahee needs to show that he can dominate games because J.P. Losman can’t.

CIN- After picking up 4 more targets against the Vikings, Chris Perry now has 10 total on the season. He also had an impressive 87 yard flare pass called back on Sunday by a holding penalty. Chad Johnson was again the team leader, with 13. He’s on pace for a 184 target season (last year he had 158). Chris Henry looked good, catching 4 of the 4 passes thrown his way. And T.J. Houshmandzadeh picked up 4 red zone targets.

CLE- Trent Dilfer is doing a good job so far this season at getting the ball out of his hands quickly. He’s also spreading his targets around well. Steve Heiden led the team with 8, as the Packers have been hurt by tight ends a lot this year (Marcus Pollard in week 1). Billy Miller also got a chance in the end zone that was knocked away by a defender. As expected, Frisman Jackson only had two passes thrown his way and everyone saw what Braylon Edwards did with three of his four targets. The Browns will face a very fast Colts defense this week, and I expect their rather immobile offensive line to have all kinds of troubles.

DEN- The Broncos did all they could to lose to the Chargers, but it didn’t take. Denver turned the ball over twice inside the Chargers’ 30 and Elam missed two field goals in their first 8 possessions. But 10 fourth quarter points led them to a key divisional victory. Rod Smith (11) and Ashley Lelie (10) led the team in targets and Jeb Putzier had a surprisingly low 3. Charlie Adams seems to still be the #3 WR, as he got 4 passes thrown to him. Darius Watts had just one. The Broncos host KC on Monday night, and they should doing so with an 0-2 record. Still, they also could have beaten San Diego by three touchdowns. Denver’s defense played well.

HOU- Awful.

IND- The Colts are going to expload this week, I can just feel it. They’ve faced two of the best defenses in the league, and yes they are going against Romeo Crennel this week but his Browns just don’t have the talent to do what the Pats have done in the past. Dallas Clark played his first game of the season and he picked up 3 targets. The WR trio maitained their form; Harrison 8, Wayne 7, Stokely 5.

JAX- Reggie Williams continued his rise, with 4 catches on 5 targets. The Jags also kept Matt Jones involved with 3 targets. But Jimmy Smith is still the clear #1. He picked up 7 passes.

KC- Almost by default, Eddie Kennison is still the top WR on the Chiefs. He had a career high 1086 yards in just 14 games last year. He picked up 102 targets last year and is on pace for 104 this season. But I still like #2 guy Sammy Parker. He had 6 passes thrown to him against Oakland, catching 3 for a 28.7 ypc average. In the red zone, the Chiefs went to their running backs 10 times in week one, and 11 times last week. Tony Gonzalez has just two RZ chances on the season. He’s a little behind his three year average of 21.6 and he’s got those talented Denver linebackers to deal with this week.

MIA- Randy McMichael was busy against the Jets, pulling in 8 passes on 11 targets. On the year, he has 14 catches on 18 targets, and four looks inside the red zone. Chris Chambers is also getting a lot of passes, as he has 20 targets on the year and five inside the twenty. But Chambers only has 6 receptions so far.

NE- Daniel Graham only got one pass thrown his way in week two, but it was a 1 yard touchdown strike. Ben Watson is still the top TE target, he got 5 more passes thrown to him against Carolina. Deion Branch (14, 25 in two weeks) is the clear #1 and David Givens (9) a solid #2 guy. New England’s offense really struggled last week. They only ran one play in the red zone (Graham) and that was only after Troy Brown’s 71 yard pass play that ended on the 1. Their best starting field position was from their own 33 and they made it into Carolina territory just four times (TD, INT, FG, Fumble).

NYJ- Laveranues Coles and Justin McCareins had identical target numbers in week two (10 and 8, respectively). Not too much else going on here. The Jets are still finding their way around their new offense.

OAK- Lamont Jordan had a tough time hanging on to the ball against the Chiefs. He caught just 6 of the 11 passes thrown to him. Many of those incompletes were due to Jordan trying to run with the catch too soon. I still think he’s a above average receiver, especially considering his size. The errors he made Sunday night were not really physical; he definitely has the hands to catch 70-80 passes this year and he’s obviously going to get the chance to in this offense (see the OAK preview). After two weeks, it looks like I might be wrong about Randy Moss. He’s got 10 catches and two scores so far and that’s in line with the projections I had him at. But the 257 yards he’s racked up is way ahead of the pace I’d thought he’d go on. In fact, he’s on pace for 2056 and even though it’s only two games, I didn’t see him getting to 1600. But that looks to be where Moss is headed. He’s getting the ball thrown to him plenty (22 total targets). Jerry Porter had 11 targets in week two and with Ronald Curry out of the year, Porter should see an increase in his production. Also look for Doug Gabriel to make an impact as he returns this week from a finger injury.

PIT- All of these crazy Pittsburgh stats are either very misleading or they underscore how fantastic this team is playing. We’ll find out this week, but from my point of view, it looks like they are rolling.

SD- The Chargers got Antonio Gates involved right away, as he went 8 for 8 in passes. Keenan McCardell continued his high pace with 8 more targets, giving him 22 on the year. And not only has LT not caught a pass all season, but he’s only been thrown one ball.

TEN- Steve McNair used his back heavily against the Ravens, throwing 15 passes to the trio of Chris Brown, Travis Henry, and Troy Fleming. In turn, the tight ends saw considerably fewer balls (4, down from 13). The wide receivers were led by Drew Bennett (8) and Brandon Jones (6). The Titans are back on the road to St. Louis this week.

And from the NFC…
CAR- The Pats were focused on slowing Steve Smith. He only had 4 catches on 6 targets for 34 yards. Keary Colbert had 7 balls thrown his way but didn’t come down with one. Ricky Proehl stepped up for the Panthers, catching 3 of 3. And Rod Gardner, who reportedly has been slow to learn the offense, picked up one red zone chance. It’s Stephen Davis’ team inside the twenty, he scored 3 RZ touchdowns on 6 chances.

Wednesday Football

Wednesday, September 14th, 2005

I absolutely love Directv’s new Sunday Ticket feature: Short Cuts. It was offered this week as a free preview, but as a result, I know that sometime this next weekend I’m going to be $99 dollars lighter. Being able to watch an entire game in less than a half hour… well by then I’ll have convinced myself it’s worth it.

Anyhow, here are some notes from two particular week one contests that I caught on Short Cuts:

Broncos at Dolphins

Denver blizted Gus Ferrotte an awful lot. And Gus looked rather poised in the face of it.

Ronnie Brown has the spin move of Warrick Dunn in a body closer to T.J. Duckett’s.

Denver should have been tied at half time. They went for it on fourth and goal inside the five and missed. Later, in the fourth quarter, the Dolphins almost held Denver out of the end zone again on four straight plays inside the five, but Broncos fullback Kyle Johnson scored on fourth down.

The reverse Chris Chambers took for 61 yards should have been a touchdown. He had plenty of blockers in front and did actually reach the end zone but it was rightly determined that he stepped out of bounds around the 18 yard line. Miami needs to show that play again soon.

Tatum Bell’s fumble was inexcusable. He’s not going to earn himself more playing time with moves like that. Still, he got a lot more playing time than most expected because of Mike Anderson’s injury.

Miami ran more four man defensive fronts than I expected.

Nearly every time Wes Welker touched the ball, on returns and on catches, he looked like he could score. Welker is a Texas Tech product, so he should know what he’s doing with the ball in open space. He did give up a key fumble early in the fourth quarter, but it wasn’t a careless one. Welker was hit from three directions and had the ball pop out from behind.

Both of Denver’s tight ends, Putzier and Alexander, struggled mightily.

As I mentioned in the Tuesday Targets, both of Ashley Lelie’s red zone targets were indeed jump ball fades in the end zone.

Also mentioned in the above link is that Chris Chambers was everywhere. He had 13 balls thrown to him but only made 5 catches. He also picked up an extra 28 yard pass interference penalty on Dominique Foxworth.

This game re-affirmed everything I wrote about Jake Plummer here. Of course, none of this is new. Still, both of his INTs on Sunday were essentially garbage time picks. He earned the first one, but certainly not the second.

Titans at Steelers

Tennessee drove 61 yards on 11 plays on their first drive of the game. They were up 7-0 to start.

Willie Parker’s speed has certainly been talked about over the past few days. But he also has shown good ability to break off or elude the first tackler behind the line of scrimmage. Since he only needs two steps to be at full speed, Parker running behind Kreider and this O line is a dangerous guy. The one thing I kept thinking he looked like was a pinball. He would bounce off of one guy, curl around another, and then plow right over a third all in the matter of two seconds. Keep in mind also that Parker did not touch the ball in the fourth quarter and he still had 209 yards from scrimmage. Also keep in mind that he shredded the Buffalo defense in week 17 last year when the Bills were playing for a playoff berth.

This game could have easily been 17-17 with five minutes left in the first half.

Travis Henry’s fumble wasn’t horrible. James Farrior stuck him right in the gut/football and the ball popped loose. The fumble wasn’t at all reminiscent of the fumble problems Henry had early in his career.

Steve McNair’s INT really wasn’t his fault either. It came out of the hands of Drew Bennett, who was going over the middle at the time and should have been securing the ball into his chest. The pass would have fallen incomplete had it been an out route instead of a slant. McNair’s other turnover, a lost fumble, wasn’t unforgiveable either. He had barely got back into his drop before Joey Porter came screaming around the edge and stripped the ball while McNair was loading up for a throw. This Titans’ offense really isn’t as bad as it may seem. They only had one unproductive drive all day.

The Titans secondary really is that bad.

Ben Burger was (again) very much a half field passer throughout this game. He still threw for 218 yards on just 9 completions. I mentioned on Tuesday that the Steelers probaby won’t do anything special this week againts Houston. So if you’re watching, count how many times Ben looks off his first receiver and still stays in the pocket. I’d be surprised if he did it once. Burger really takes himself out of plays sooner than he needs to and it’s hindering his development. He’s not a bad quarterback, not at all. And I only call him Ben Burger cause I have enough carpal tunnel problems thatI don’t need to be going through Rothifskfvnsl every time. Sorry. Pajamas.

Courtney Roby didn’t do much on Sunday. He returned a few kicks. I’m sticking by it though. This guy can really play. Just wait for it.

2005 Fantasy Football / Offensive Coordinator Preview - Tennessee Titans

Saturday, August 13th, 2005

INDEX

Norm Chow
-entering first season with the Titans

This is quite an opening statement:

Arguably one of the finest offensive coordinators in college football history, Norm Chow enters his first season as the Titans offensive coordinator.

Chow’s college coaching career has certainly earned him the right to have his name in that discussion, but how will that translate to the pro game? As we saw in Washington during Steve Spurrier’s reign there, collegiate football success does not always mean professional football success.

So I went searching, and found this illuminating article from before the 2001 season, when Chow was beginning his career at USC. The whole thing is worth a read, but there are a couple of notes that indicate what kind of offense Chow likes to run:

“The thing with the offense is once you’ve got it, you’ve got it,” Palmer said. “It doesn’t keep going like the old offense. It isn’t so broad. The key is taking what the defense gives you. I’ve been greedy with the long ball when there’s a guy 5 or 6 yards in front of me open. So he tells me to be more patient.?

Palmer’s reference here to ‘the old offense’ was one to Paul Hackett’s complex, west coast style that USC ran before Chow. (Hackett went on to coordinate the Jets offense and he is now a coach in Tampa Bay.)

Here’s more about Chow’s early days in Southern Cal:

…And that’s just what he’s done this summer at USC, installing his wide-open, pass-happy offense with a playbook about half as thick as the one used by former coach Paul Hackett. Instead of worrying about precise footwork and perfect mechanics, Chow is instructing junior quarterback Carson Palmer to merely relax and find the open man.

It’s worked before. In 27 years at BYU and last season at North Carolina State, Chow’s series of short to mid-range passes, thrown to each and every eligible receiver, has produced some of the greatest offensive seasons in college football history.

So this much is obvious: the Titans are going to call more timing-based, short to intermediate pass plays in order to keep Steve McNair clean and healthy for as long as they can. And to have any chance of making the playoffs, the Titans are going to need #9 starting every game they play.

McNair has played ten seasons now, this being his eleventh, and he holds an impressive 59.3 career completion percentage. He’s finished above 60% in each of the last five seasons. When you consider that McNair has been playing in an offense that in the past has been designed more around ball control and deep throws, his completion numbers are even more impressive. In a west coast style attack, McNair should approach a 70% completion rate this season.

At running back, I’ve never been a big fan of Chris Brown, so I’m instinctively drawn to Travis Henry’s value this year. I followed Brown a little in college, and he was injury-prone there too. But in addition to not being a reliable bet to start in the lineup, he’s not the most reliable runner either. Brown is the kind of back who, a little like Ricky Williams was, will lose two yards, lose one yard, and then break off a 46 yarder before fumbling. He’s got great size and speed, but that upright style is detrimental not just to his health, but also his ability to pick up at least three yards per carry or hold on to the football.

As for Henry, the former Volunteer is a good fit for a west coast offense. He blocks well, and catches the ball out of the backfield easily. When you add that to his hard-nose, low to the ground running style and I think that Jeff Fisher will quickly fall in love with Henry’s toughness and durability. Remember, Travis played much of 2003 with a cracked fibula.

The Titans will be playing their first season in eight years without the dependable Derrick Mason at wideout. And while I really like Drew Bennett, there’s just no way he catches 1247 yards again this year. Consider that 527 of those yards came in a stretch of three games (three monster games) against the Colts, the Chiefs, and the Raiders. Those were three of the worst pass defenses in the NFL last year. Bennett is still a very talented receiver, and he’s in an offense that will probably give up enough looks in the red zone to haul in 8-10 touchdowns, so don’t overlook him completely.

There isn’t much else to say about Tyrone Calico besides ‘Is he healthy?’, but the one guy who I like to catch some balls on this Titans team is TE Ben Troupe. Since depth is a problem at WR this season, the Titans should be able to use both their excellent blocking TE in Enron Kinney, and their excellent receiving TE in Troupe on the field at the same time. The former Gator is athletic enough to line up in the slot, and fast enough to play against opposing safeties. He’s a solid second TE option in fantasy leagues. Just get someone else in case he goes flop.

One thing is for certain, if Tennessee’s offense struggles this year, it won’t be because Chow’s system doesn’t work in the pros. He’ll be successful, as long as he has the players to execute properly.