The Disappearance of Lendale White

When the smash & dash moniker was broken by "Every Coaches Dream" Chris Johnson in the offseason, I didn't realize that Lendale White's career in Tennessee was going to be broken as well.

White had a career high 15 TD's last season, and a new slimmed down version (since he kicked his tequila habit) was poised for an even better 2009 campaign. I speculated in a previous blog that Tennessee might use less of Lendale this season because he is playing for a contract. Less touches mean less yards & touchdowns, which results in a smaller contract if the Titans plan on making a move to keep him in town. Through 11 games this season Lendale White has only 61 carries for 208 yards & 2 touchdowns.

Yesterday, an all-time low for Lendale White as he appeared to be a healthy scratch as rookie Javon Ringer got the nod to back up Chris Johnson. White was late for a team walkthrough on Saturday, but I really think there is more to the story then just being late. I think Lendale might have an attitude problem about his lack of carries he is getting this season.

I would be shocked to see Lendale White back in Nashville next season. The college class is not great at RB this year, so White will definitely be one of the most sought after RB free agents this year. I could list a dozen teams that could use him. Any off the field problems either with Fisher, or with his good friend Patron and White could find himself out of the league. So memo to Lendale, finish the rest of the year with Tennessee and keep quiet, the pay day is still out there.

Chris Johnson best back in the NFL ?

In previous blogs, I have mentioned that Chris Johnson is the AFC version of Adrian Peterson. I think today we can finally put that to a rest and just say that Chris Johnson is the most electrifying back in the NFL.

Johnson's performance today in a 41-17 win vs Buffalo was just fantastic. (26 carries for 132 yds, 2 TD & 9 receptions for 100 yards) He leads the NFL in rushing yards with 1,091. He has a ridiculous 6.4 yards per carry average which is also tops in the league. He averages 150.3 yards total per game which puts him on top of the league among RB's, and he is almost on pace (25 yards shy) of beating Marshall Faulk's single season record for total yards in one season.

The most amazing stat of all is that Johnson is having this season on a team that has a losing record. The Titans are 3-6 on the season and have been playing catch-up a lot this season. Also, take into consideration that opposing teams stack the box against the Titans because the QB play was horrible for the first 6 games of the season.

You can't go wrong taking either Peterson or Johnson. It is like the debate back in the 90's with Barry Sanders & Emmitt Smith. Remember those Sanders days where you would see his carries look something like this 2,1,-3,-1,62,-1,4,71,3. That is what you get with Johnson. You have that homerun threat every time he touches the ball.

The Titans ran the option a couple of times today effectively. It generally doesn't work in the NFL because the defense is so much faster then it is in the college game, but I believe the Titans can be successful using it on a limited basis. The option is a gimmick much like the wildcat is. Just knowing that the Titans have a few plays in their playbook will force their opponents to spend time in practice defending it. Mike Heimerdinger is very good at designing "decoy" like plays. The obvious reason not to run the option is that you do not want to get your QB killed, but just the threat alone will help.

Even though the Titans are 3-6 and pretty much out of playoff contention (unless they run the table) Chris Johnson gives this fan and all Titans fans hope for the future.

Vince Young strong in first win of the season

Titans coach Jeff Fisher's hand was forced by owner Bud Adams to make a change at QB, and it paid off ten fold in a huge win on Sunday vs their rival Jacksonville Jaguars. The Titans won the game 30-13 giving them their first win of the season.

Chris Johnson was the obvious most valuable player from this game giving his two long ridiculous TD(52,89)runs. Johnson rushed for a career high 228 yards on 24 carries. Johnson once again showed why he is the AFC version of Adrian Peterson as the most electrifying player in the conference.

The real story of the day though was the performance by Vince Young. Young had a stellar day completing 15 of 18 passes and 1 TD when he connected on a perfectly thrown pass to Nate Washington to extend the Titans lead to 10-0 early in the 2nd quarter.

It is far too early to expect performances like this on a weekly basis from Young however. Defenses will make adjustments, and Young will have bad games. He adds another dimension though that Kerry Collins couldn't provide. The pursuit from the backside DE will decrease as they have to stay in their lanes because of the scrambling ability of Young. This should give Chris Johnson & Lendale White more space in the run game. You saw it yesterday first hand, give Chris Johnson a hole and he can take it to the house. I think you will see a lot of misdirections, bootlegs & option type plays from the Titans from here on out.

"I told him he played like I thought he could play," Titans owner Bud Adams said. " … I see him having a great future with us here." If Young is the future in Tennessee they will certainly need to re-work his deal for next season as he is due an outrageous 14 million dollars. The only way Young plays for the Titans next year is if he renegotiates that deal or he leads the Titans to 14 straight wins and a Super Bowl championship.

The Titans got back to basics on offense Sunday. 37-18 was the rush/pass balance. In recent games this year, the results were almost exactly opposite with a 2-1 ratio in favor of the pass. The Titans got their identity back on Sunday.

I think the coaching staff tried to get too smart in the off-season. All you heard from the media was the Titans need a big time receiver to win it all. The Titans will never win it all playing their style of offense. So what does Tennessee do? They franchise their top receiver in TE Bo Scaife, add Nate Washington in free agency and draft a receiver in the 1st round in Kenny Britt, the first Titans WR drafted in the 1st round since Kevin Dyson. So the Titans finally have the pieces on paper to make a legit Super Bowl run and the coaching staff tries to turn this team into a passing offense. You have to blame the coaching staff for the change in scheme. I am aware of the dozens of dropped passes that have plagued this team for years, and they definitely didn't help this season either but throwing the ball 40 times a game is not what this team does best.

The Titans would be 0-7 if it wasn't for Bud Adams, as there would have been no way Fisher would have made that move to switch QB's. Thank you Bud for giving me and and all of Titania hope again.

Titans time is now to rebuild with trade deadline looming

With the trade deadline approaching tomorrow, I think it is the perfect time to start unloading some players. The NFL is not a trading league, and trade deadline deals are not the norm, but that doesn't mean that the Titans should not try to make some moves.

The Titans are without their 2nd round pick in next years draft after trading with the New England Patriots to select TE Jared Cook in the 3rd round in this years draft. At the time it wasn't such a bad move because Tennessee was looking at a late 2nd round draft pick, and they added a player in Cook who was graded much higher then where he ended up. Is Jared Cook worth the 55th overall pick in next years draft. No doubt in my mind he is. Is Jared Cook worth a pick in the mid 30's. Only time will tell, but as much as I love Cook's potential, a player picked in the early 2nd round usually has first round talent.

So lets take a look ahead at some possible players that the Titans should shop around the league.

RB - Lendale White
This is clearly Chris Johnson's team, and rookie Javon Ringer has impressed me enough where you can pop him in to spell Johnson. Lendale is no schlub at RB. There are plenty of teams that could use his services. Seattle for instance who is only 1-1/2 games back in the NFC West could use a back like White. I don't think Lendale will get a huge pay day in free agency, but he will be one of the top sought after RB's in my opinion. He will definitely be priced out of a return to Nashville.

TE - Alge Crumpler
Did Lendale's stomach magically transform into Crumplers body, because he looks a hell of a lot bigger this year. I am not sure what the market would be for someone like Crumpler, but if they could even sniff a 5th or 6th rounder out of some team for him I would make the move.

DE - Kyle Vanden Bosch
KVB is a free agent at the end of the year, and although he is one of this teams best defensive players, the Titans will not pony up the cash for him. A perfect trading partner would be the Cincinnati Bengals who just lost former Titans DE Antwan Odom for the season with a torn achilles tendon.

LB - Keith Bulluck
Bulluck is one of my favorite Titans of all time, but I would love to see the Titans move Bulluck to give him a shot at a title. He is not the same pro bowl linebacker as he was in the past, and he definitely will not be resigned in the offseason unfortunately knowing how the Titans treat their veterans. There are plenty of teams that could use a leader like Bulluck. How about the New England Patriots? They seem to love veteran linebackers.

I would be highly shocked if any of these players do get traded, but why not throw it out there. I would also be shocked if the Titans resign any of these players in the offseason. Getting a mid round draft pick is better then not getting anything at all isn't it?

Titans Embarrased on National Television vs Colts

What a crazy day of football yesterday. The Chiefs hanging with the Cowboys. The Broncos upset the visiting Patriots to go 5-0. The Bengals beating the Ravens on the road. The Titans were poised to end their losing streak on primetime vs the arch nemesis Indianapolis Colts.

The first series of the game the Titans looked like the Titans of 2008. The front four was getting pressure on the QB. Nick Harper & Jason McCourty both made some nice open field tackles. The Colts offense sputtered and it looked like the Titans were back.

The Titans opening possession was fine until TE Alge Crumpler fumbled on a great hit by Colts safety Antoine Bethea that was reminiscent to the key fumble that Crumpler lost in the playoffs to the Ravens last year. Peyton Manning and the Colts did what Peyton Manning and the Colts do. That is capitalize on turnovers, and with a short field the Titans were down 7-0.

The Titans went three & out on their next possession and after a punt that hit an Indy player, the Titans were finally giving a break with great field position at the Colts 37 yard line. A bad penalty on Kevin Mawae ended this drive, and luckily the Titans were able to get a field goal.

The next Colts possession Peyton Manning was intercepted by Keith Bulluck and the Titans started again inside Indy territory on their 34 yard line. Once again though penalties killed the drive. Ahmad Hall's 2nd holding penalty of the game, and a false start by Justin Gage pushed the Titans back near field. Luckily again the Titans ended up with a field goal. We will get back to this drive later.

The Titans defense stepped up again forcing a three and out next drive, and then another questionable call on the ensuing drive for the Titans offense. 3rd & 1 on their own 46 yard line. Kerry Collins over throws Justin Gage on a deep pass on the left sidelines. We will get back to this later as well.

The Colts offense finally got on track and drove down 81 yards on 12 plays to give them a nice 14-6 lead with a 1 yard Joseph Addai TD run.

The Titans got the ball back with just 5 minutes left to go in the half, and put a great drive together until predictible passes (seven in a row) occured once again, and the Titans had to settle for another FG to cut the lead to 14-9.

With 1:04 left in the half and starting at your own 7 yard line, you would expect most teams to just take a knee and take the lead going into half. When you are playing the 2009 Titans and you have a hall of fame QB apparently this is not the case as Peyton led the Colts to another TD in just 47 seconds. 30 of these yards were because of roughing the passer penalties. Kyle Vanden Bosch came in low which drew the flag for one, and a cheap shot by Jacob Ford was the other flag. The game was pretty much over here, and won't get into any more of the recap, but will offer some analysis.

The entire coaching staff was terrible starting


Mike Heimerdinger
Heimerdinger must be living in the past, because Kerry Collins is not Steve McNair. Another big play of the game was a 3rd & 1 on the Titans 45 yard line. Instead of keeping the drive going with a short pass with a high completion rate or just running it down the throat of the opponent like the old Titans would do, a stop & go with Justin Gage? Seriously? When you are battling a team as good as the Colts are, you need to capitalize on these drives.

The play calling is absolutely terrible. Chris Johnson only had 9 carries in the game. Johnson needs 25 touches a game period. He is a game breaker. Find ways to get him the ball. Coaching is one big chess match, and it seems Dinger is always a move behind.

Jeff Fisher
In a previous blog this year, I suggested that maybe a coaching change was needed in Nashville. I certainly feel stronger about that after Sunday nights game. One of the big plays of the game was a 3rd & 19 from the Indy 43. Raheem Brock of the Colts jumped offsides which gave the Titans a free play. Collins connected with Bo Scaife for a 18 yard completion, which left them 1 yard shy of the first down at the Colts 25. If you accept the penalty you have a 3rd & 14 from the Indy 38. Bironas does have a strong leg, but most likely the Colts give you the underneath stuff here anyways and you gain a few yards and Bironas field goal attempt is maybe a 50 yarder instead of a 43 yarder. If you decline the penalty, you go for it on 4th & 1. Fisher elected to decline the penalty, and then kick the field goal. You have to give your team a chance to win.

Kicking field goals vs a team as good as the Colts is not going to win you the game. Fisher should know this by now. Fisher was even crazy enough in 2004 to do the unthinkable. 3 onside kicks (2 of which were recovered) in one quarter vs the Colts back in a game in 2004. The Colts ended up winning that game 51-24. That Jeff Fisher had the "marbles" to make that kind of move. If you play on the Titans defense, and you are shutting down the Colts for 1-1/2 quarters like they did last night, and your offense is only putting up field goals, it has to get a little bit frustrating.

This team also lacks the discipline that it needs to win games. Wide Receivers should never have a false start penalty. Ahmad Hall had two terrible holding penalties that could have been avoided. The personal fouls have got to stop. There is no accountability anymore. Fisher used to bench someone for making dumb mistakes, now he puts them right back in. (ex. Mouton Jets game)

Fisher used to be that young energetic coach. He got the most from his players, it just seems to me that the players have given up on him and his system. I think it is time for a change in Nashville. Fisher is one hell of a coach, but I think he could benefit from a year off, and then a possible return to coaching elsewhere in 2011.

When it rains it pours, Nick Harper to be sidelined for up to 6 weeks. The already banged up Titans secondary battle an upset Patriots team this weekend. 0-6 anyone?

Titans need to get back to basics on offense

The moniker "Smash & Dash" has quickly faded this year in Tennessee. Chris Johnson self proclaimed "Every Coach's Dream" is having a fine season this year leading the NFL in rushing after 4 games.

Lendale White on the other hand has hardly been used at all. White has had a disappointing first quarter of the season statistically gaining only 82 yards, 1 TD on 23 carries. Compare that to 2008 where after 4 games he had 161 yds, 5 TD on 60 carries. Chris Johnson had 337 yards, 2 TD on 67 carries in '08.

Lets compare the two totals after 4 games
2008 - 127 carries 498 yards 7 TD
2009 - 92 carries 516 yards 3 TD

This above stat shows me a few things.

1. The Titans are running the ball quite well. Yes, a lot of those yards were Chris Johnson's on his career day vs the Texans, but he has been effective in every game.

2. The Titans are not running the ball enough! 35 less carries is too much of a difference. The only game they were out of it was the Jaguars game. The Jets game was played in terrible conditions, yet Kerry Collins had 37 pass attempts that game. Does this make sense to anyone?

In fact, through 4 games this season Collins has thrown for more passes (153) then everyone in the NFL other then Tom Brady (174). In Collins first 4 starts last year he only had 113 pass attempts. 40 more pass attempts this year then last season. Quite a difference.

I am sure you have heard the phrase, if it's not broke, don't fix it. Well the Titans offense did not need to be changed. They just needed some more playmakers on offense to help make those plays. They took care of this in the offseason by franchising TE Bo Scaife, signing FA WR Nate Washington, and drafting rookie WR Kenny Britt in the first round of the draft this year. What wasn't needed was changing this team from a smash mouth run the ball down your throat offense to a run & shoot offense like the old Oilers days.

Memo to Jeff Fisher & Mike Heimerdinger: You don't have Warren Moon or Steve McNair at QB. You have a 36 year old grizzled veteran who is being put in a situation where he clearly isn't comfortable being in.

Remember the days where you would sit and watch a Titans game with a friend of yours who wasn't a Titans fan, and you would hear comments like, "Wow, this is boring" or "This is like watching high school football with all this running" That is Titans football, not 3 consecutive incomplete passes and a punt.



What made the Titans such a great team over the years was their ability to play this brand of "Titans Football". Run, Run, Run....wear the defense down, control the clock, keep your defense fresh, and by the time the 4th qtr hit the opposing teams were waiving the white flag because they were just physically beaten.

The Titans need to be running the ball 30-35 times a game to win, not 20-25 times a game like this year. Lendale White has looked really good this year despite his pretty low ypc avg. His touchdown run vs the Jets was one of the best runs I have seen Lendale have in a long time. Use Lendale more in this offense. Be creative with Chris Johnson. Johnson has great hands, use him in a Reggie Bush kind of role with Lendale on the field at the same time. Find more ways to get Chris Johnson the ball. He is the most electrifying RB in the AFC hands down, and probably only 2nd in NFL behind Adrian Peterson. I would like to see a game plan like Johnson 20 carries, 6 receptions & Lendale 12 carries. If the Titans can get numbers like this, then beating the Colts might actually become a reality on Sunday night.

Lets get the ball into the hands of the players that can actually win a game for us this year, and that is not you Kerry Collins.

Fire Jeff Fisher, is he on the hot seat ?

The Titans fell to 0-3 today, and there are many grumblings around the online Titans community that Jeff Fisher is on the hot seat.

Jeff Fisher has been on the sidelines since 1994 making him the longest tenured coach in the NFL. Fisher has a regular season record of 128-105, and a post season record of 5-6. His first and only trip to the Super Bowl was back in 1999 where Kevin Dyson came up one yard short vs the Rams.

Is it time to make a change in Nashville? Lets take a look at some interesting head scratching moves that Fisher has made recently.

Personnel
Yes, A lot of this is on GM Mike Reinfelt has well, but I think Reinfelt has actually done a great job with this team since his arrival. Why on earth is Craig Hentrich still on the roster? This has nothing to do with a GM, but everything due to Fishers loyalty to his veteran players. Hentrich is at the age (38) where injuries are going to bother him more, thus the Titans are forced to carry an extra punter on their squad because of this. Do you think it was Reinfelt's decision to re-sign Hentrich to a one year deal in the off-season? This was Fishers decision.

The Titans lose CB/KR Chris Carr to free agency and they do absolutely nothing about it. Instead they rely on rookies Javon Ringer, Ryan Mouton & Jason McCourty to return kicks. If the Titans didn't have to keep 2 punters on their roster, they could have at least kept WR Chris Davis on the roster to return kicks where he was at least servicable last year.

Game Decisions
Ryan Mouton had two fumbles in Week 2 vs the Texans, but yet he was back in action in Week 3 vs the Jets. Does Fisher just have a soft spot in his heart for CB's? I remember back in the old Fisher days where when you make a mistake, your ass is on the bench. Mouton was giving ANOTHER shot in the 3rd qtr today vs the Jets and muffed another return. You fix these things in practice, not in a must win game like today.

Rob Bironas has one of the best legs in the league, but yet Fisher will not give the guy a chance to put up points on the board. If you are inside the 35 yard line, you need to be kicking field goals and attempt to put up points on the board. Going for it on anything more then 4th & 2 is crazy. This has happened in 2 of 3 games this season, and a handful last year.

Mike Heimerdinger was great back in the Super Bowl years, but Heimerdinger also had a great QB to work with in Steve McNair. Kerry Collins is not a great QB. He is a game manager, not a game breaker. McNair was a game breaker. The Titans need to get back to their smash mouth run offense. They need to find more ways to get Chris Johnson the football. The Jets were attacking all day today. How many screens/draws did the Titans run today. ZERO. Lendale White who also played well today needs more touches. The Titans win by running the ball, not by throwing it 30 times plus a game.

Defensively adjustments needed to be made in the Pittsburgh game. It was Chuck Cecil's first regular season game as defensive coordinator and Ben Roethlisberger was picking apart the Titans soft zone defense. Fisher needs to step up and make an adjustment on the fly if his coaches are not doing it. Coaching is one big chess match, and Jeff Fisher is certainly no Bobby Fischer.



Back to Kerry Collins. How many times has he actually put this team on his shoulder and won a game? When is the last time he has made a clutch throw late in the game?
Fisher does not have the cajones to make the move back to Vince Young. That would be admitting that he was wrong about the switch to begin with. Young might not be able to throw the best pass, but I remember a few games where he battled back and won a game late for us. (Giants comeback, Texans OT game) Vince has actual weapons now in Chris Johnson, Kenny Britt & Nate Washington to work with that wasn't there two years ago. The change needs to be made now at QB, not for the sake of this season but for the sake of the franchise. Tennessee needs to see if Young is a franchise QB NOW before the draft next year.

I am one of the biggest Jeff Fisher fans out there, but his coaching has cost the Titans all 3 of the games this season. It is time for a change at QB, and if Fisher does not make that move, then it is time for a change at head coach. Jon Gruden anyone?