2011 Tennessee Titans Team Preview | NFL Predictions
For the Tennessee Titans, who limped to the finish line with a record of 6-10 last season, a franchise took a sharp turn in exactly the wrong direction.
2011 Tennessee Titans Team Preview/Predictions
2010 Record: 6-10
ATS Record: 8-8
So much promise and possibility amounted to nothing but pure heartache, and the dissension that often flows from deep disappointment.
A season gone awry tore this organization apart.
The Titans were 5-2 in late October, but they then went into a tailspin, losing eight of nine games.
Only then came the biggest debacle of all, the public spat between starting quarterback Vince Young and head coach Jeff Fisher. Sadly, both men will not be in Nashville this season. Young joined the ‘Dream Team’ in Philadelphia with the Eagles, while Fisher decided to step away from coaching (at least for the time being).
He is being replaced by new head coach Mike Munchak.
The biggest question mark in Tennessee this season is whether the Jake Locker draft selection will work out.
What makes the Locker pick so interesting is that the quarterback’s stock dropped so sharply from his junior to his senior season at the University of Washington. There were some issues that became more apparent to scouts over the course of that year, mostly his accuracy and his ability to read opposing defenses.
Many teams had as low as a second round grade on Locker. Some scouts believed that his drop on the draft board was due to Locker’s receiving corps at Washington. However, the Titans saw differently:
They not only spent the eighth overall selection on him; they even took Locker over another quarterback, Blaine Gabbert, who was supposed to represent a clearly superior choice.
Yes, the quarterback situation is the most intriguing one in Nashville, but that is not to say there aren’t other questions marks in the Music City.
One question that isn’t looked at enough is how the offensive line underperformed in 2010. This is a very serious question for the Titans to deal with in the coming season. Offensive tackle Michel Roos had a terrible season for the standards he set in 2009. This franchise has serious concerns on the interior portion of the line, especially at the center position.
What is still more interesting is that the man in charge of getting these guys to perform well, Mr. Munchak, was promoted to replace Jeff Fisher as head coach. Hopefully for the Titans, Munchak can at least improve the offensive line and its performance in 2011. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
On the defensive side of the pigskin, the Titans are going to have some major issues at linebacker, especially now that Stephen Tulloch left for Detroit. It’s obvious that there is a problem when a team’s star players are leaving to play for the Lions.
Another crushing blow to the Titans was the loss of defensive line coach Jim Washburn. No longer having Washburn is very similar to losing a big time free agent such as Tulloch. Over the years, the Tennessee defense has always relied on excellent line play, using different stunts and formations to get the absolute maximum out of its players.
If observers aren’t convinced of the impact Washburn has had, look no further than the drama that is Albert Haynesworth. It really is amazing what Haynesworth did under Washburn, compared to what he did with his two seasons in Washington.
Times are going to be tough for the Titans. Breaking in a raw prospect like Locker is not going to be easy, even though they did sign veteran Matt Hasselbeck, who should help Locker. Also, it doesn’t help that receiver Kenny Britt getting in trouble with the law.
As is said quite often with new head coaches, the Titans’ fans are going to have to be patient – it’s going to take awhile for things to turn around.
2011 Titans Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +3250
Conference Odds: +6550
AFC South Odds: +600
2011-2012 NFL Regular Season Wins: Under 6.5
2011 Titans Predictions:
Place they’ll finish in AFC South: 4th
Place they’ll finish in AFC Conference: 16th
Over/Under Wins Prediction: UNDER
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