Offseason Review Series: Day 6: The Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
Division: AFC South | 4th in AFC South (1-5 in Division)
Tennessee Titans (2-14) / Jacksonville Jaguars (3-13) / Houston Texans (9-7) / Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
Coach: Ken Whisenhunt
Offensive Coordinator: Jason Michael
Defensive Coordinator: Ray Horton
Coaching Changes
-
Dick LeBeau officially named assistant head coach/defense. LeBeau "will be in charge of the defense and [defensive coordinator] Ray Horton will work with him to implement it."
-
Mike Mularkey promoted from tight ends coach to assistant head coach/tight ends and will have increased influence on offense, particularly connected to the run game.
-
The Titans hired Jason Tucker as assistant receivers coach, formerly with Saskatchewan of the Canadian Football League. Had three 1,000 yard receivers at Saskatchewan last year.
Dick LeBeau is probably the biggest offseason addition after spending the last 10 years as the Pittsburgh Steelers Defensive Coordinator. In his 13 seasons as the Steelers defensive coordinator, the team finished among the top-five in total defense 10 times and was number one overall five times and should use that experience to bring some sort of identity to the Titans' defense. Mike Mularkey had set franchise records with coaching over Delanie Walker in 2014 and got a much deserved promotion from his work. Jason Tucker, formerly with Saskatchewan, hopes to bring some identity to this very young receiving group.
Notable Free Agency Moves
Resigned: CB Brandon Harris, DT Karl Klug, K Ryan Succop, LB Derrick Morgan, OL Byron Stingily
In my opinion, the Titan's had a great free agency period in the offseason. They were able to dramatically improve the defense with signings like OLB Brian Orakpo who is a pro-bowler when not injured and gives the Titan's much needed depth at LB. They also signed CB Perrish Cox who had a good stint with 49ers nabbing 5 INTs across the 2014 season. Cox has lots to work on but could become a quality starter for many years. Da'Norris Searcy was also a quality player signed who will start at SS after a good season with the Bills and Pollard's departure. WR Harry Douglas will start at WR3 for the Titan's bringing a veteran presence along with WR Hakeem Nicks to a very young WR squad. Anthony Fasano should be a great compliment to Titan's TE Delanie Walker. I don't think QB Jake Locker's retirement was all that surprising looking at his career in Tennessee. T Michael Roos will be sorely missed spending his entire career with the Titans but should have a great replacement in Taylor Lewan. Nate Washington will also be a player that will be missed who brought excitement and leadership to the Titan's offense. The Titan's traded the worst tackles in the league for each other with the Carolina Panthers in Byron Bell and Michael Oher.
Draft
Round | Pick | Overall | Player | Position | School ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- 1 | 2 | 2 | Marcus Mariota | QB | Oregon 2 | 1 | 33 | Dorial Green-Beckham | WR | Missouri 3 | 2 | 66 | Jeremiah Poutasi | OG | Utah 4 | 1 | 101 | Angelo Blackson | DT | Auburn 4 | 8 | 108 | Jalston Fowler | FB | Alabama 5 | 2 | 142 | David Cobb | RB | Minnesota 6 | 1 | 177 | Deiontrez Mount | OLB | Louisville 6 | 32 | 192 | Andy Gallik | C | Boston College 7 | 28 | 245 | Tre McBride | WR | William & Mary
I want to preface this by saying I hate grades for players less than 2 years after their respective drafts and think it is pointless so I am grading the pick on where they were projected to go and the Titans need for that position.
Marcus Mariota Grade: B+
If you have the opportunity to draft a franchise quarterback, you take that chance. Heisman Winner Marcus Mariota is not a typical Whisenhunt quarterback, but Whisenhunt has been adapting a playbook to fit his style. He has serious talent and possesses character that many elite quarterbacks today have. The #1 QB on Mike Mayok's and Jon Gruden's draft board, Mariota is a dual-threat QB with a 4.48 40 time who boasted an impressive 105TDs / 14INTs through his college career. The big concern with Mariota is that he is a "system quarterback" who many think will not succeed under an NFL offense.
Dorial Green-Beckham Grade: C
Multiple drugs related offenses led Green-Beckham dismissed from the University of Missouri football team and then transferred to the University of Oklahoma. He sat out the 2014 season as a transfer restriction, after a waiver request was denied by the NCAA. Many analyst made comparisons to a "young Randy Moss", DGB's physical talents were by far one of the best among receivers in the draft. Green-Beckham has shown remorse for his actions and has said multiple times he is ready to prove doubters wrong.
Jeremiah Poutasi Grade: B
In college, Poutasi took 846 snaps and allowed only three sacks during his career. At 6"5 and 335lb, the Titans have said he can play both tackle or guard. Health also is not a major concern, playing in 36-37 matches and starting 35. Poutasi was also a second-team ALL PAC-12 selection in 2014. He has slow hands and needs work being quick on his feet.
Angelo Blackson Grade: D
Stopping the run is one area that the Titans' needed to improve upon, adding Blackson to the middle of their defensive front adds the beef to eat up multiple blockers for the linebacker groups to get in at the running backs as well as the quarterback - something that was sorely missed last season. He will have to show up during the offseason to earn a starting role.
Jalston Fowler Grade: B-
Adding that H-Blocker to the backfield is something that will help the development of both Bishop Sankey and Marcus Mariota. Not only with the added benefit of blocking for Mariota, he gives him a bonafide receiving threat as he leaves his college career with seven receiving touchdowns. The added bonus with Fowler is he is big, at 6"1 and 248lbs, he could play a vital role in the development of the new franchise quarterback. Perhaps a bit of a reach at the 4th round, but the Titan's FO seemed to see something in him.
David Cobb Grade: B+
Following a disappointing rookie season from Bishop Sankey, the Titans selected David Cobb in the 5th. He isn't a speedy, twitch runner, he provides that battering north-south style that veteran RB Shonn Greene has not been able to provide. With Cobb in the mix, the Titans' will be able to run a lot of full house sets, adding multiple ball catchers to help Mariota progress through his reads.
Deiontrez Mount Grade: C-
Deiontrez Mount comes in to fill a depth issue. Mount has an uphill battle to try and get playing time, but he has the height and speed combination to be a good situational pass rusher. His long arms are good for pass protection, but his tacking issues could have thrown up red flags in the Titans' war-room, but they drafted Mount regardless.
Andy Gallik Grade: C
Gallik is a potential starter in the NFL, at 6"2 and 306lbs he certainly has the measurables to be an NFL center. Adding depth is always an intelligent move, with the numerous injuries the Titans' offensive line had last season, their lack of depth was exposed.
Tre McBride Grade: A
Mike Mayok had McBride listed as the 88th best player in the draft and Tennessee got him at #245. Setting receiving records at William & Mary, the Titans' added depth at a skill position which is missing talent.
Other Offseason News that Affected the Team
-
Bernard Pollard asked to be released from his contract and for that reason was released (Jan 31)
-
DaQuan Jones to start at DE (May 2015)
-
Mariota leads NFL jersey sales for May (May 2015)
-
Tommy Smith steps down as Titan's CEO (April 2015)
Projected Starting Lineup (Written by u/BroskeyDemands)
- Bold indicates training camp battle
| Position | Player |
|---|---|
| QB | Marcus Mariota |
| HB | Bishop Sankey/David Cobb |
| FB | Jalston Fowler |
| WR1 | Kendall Wright |
| WR2 | Justin Hunter/Dorial Green-Beckham |
| WR3 | Harry Douglas |
| TE1 | Delanie Walker |
| TE2 | Anthony Fasano/Craig Stevens |
| LT | Taylor Lewan |
| LG | Andy Levitre |
| C | Brian Schwenke/Andy Gallik |
| RG | Chance Warmack |
| RT | Byron Stingly/Byron Bell/Jeremiah Poutasi |
| DE | DaQuan Jones |
| NT | Sammie Hill |
| DE/DT | Jurrell Casey |
| LOLB | Derrick Morgan |
| ILB1 | Avery Williamson |
| ILB2 | Zach Brown |
| ROLB | Brian Orakpo |
| CB1 | Jason McCourty |
| CB2 | Perrish Cox |
| CB3 | Blidi Wreh-Wilson/Coty Sensabaugh |
| S | Michael Griffin |
| S | Da'Norris Searcy |
| K | Ryan Succop |
| P | Brett Kern |
| LS | Beau Brinkley |
Position Group Strengths and Weaknesses
| Position | Strength | Weakness |
|---|---|---|
| QB | Very intelligent rookie QB who can master the playbook in one offseason. Quality back-up in Mettenberger. | Charlie Whitehurst is your most veteran QB. Mettenberger has mobility and accuracy problems. No experience from Mariota. |
| Offensive Line | Michael Oher is gone forever. Aside from one or two games, Taylor Lewan has looked like he will fill the position of LT perfectly. There is some depth at center. Warmack got better as the season progressed. | The offensive line seemed to had practiced on Native American burial grounds last year and have been plagued with injuries since the start of 2014. Last year they proved they were, as a unit, mediocre at run-blocking and bad at pass-protection (Some blame can be put on injuries for that). Michael Roos has retired, so the veteran presence at LT needs to be replaced by 2nd year tackle Taylor Lewan. Andy Levitre had a serious regression in play in 2014. |
| Linebackers | Good at QB pressure. Orakpo and Morgan together are a balanced combo. In 2014 PFF ranked Avery Williamson ranks 6th among all ILBs, and the #3 rookie ILB behind Borland & C.J. Mosley. Well-rounded unit. | Zach Brown, who looked great in 2013, received a season-ending injury in week 1 of 2014 and hasn't seen the field since. Brian Orakpo is becoming to be known as injury prone as he faced season ending injuries the last two seasons. There is no depth at LB outside of the starters. Horrible at stopping the run. |
| Defensive Line | Jurrell Casey is a pro bowl DT even though no one outside of Tennessee recognizes it. | DaQuan Jones will start his first game this season as DE. Sammie Hill is a very average nose tackle. |
| Backfield | Bishop Sankey has been reportedly "busting it everyday at HQ" since the season ended. Much more depth with the release of Shonn Greene and the additions of David Cobb and Jalston Fowler. | Bishop Sankey had a very disappointing rookie season with obvious issues with breaking tackles and vision. Ranked bottom near bottom 5 in league wide rushing. Basically no veteran experience from any of the starters. |
Group Strengths: ( Written by u/JustBreathe69 )
Receivers
Coming into the offseason, this looked like one of the biggest weaknesses of the team, but after the acquisitions in free agency in the drafts, it has become one of the most reliable positions for the team. You got a pro bowl worthy tight end in Delaine Walker, who had almost 900 yards last year, and explosive slot receiver in Kendal Wright and an ultra athletic, exciting rookie in Green-Beckham. Green-Beckham has top 10 talent, and if he gets his head straight, he can be a beast in the NFL. The additions of Harry Douglas and Hakeem Nicks provide depth, and Tre McBride was a steal in the 7th round. I'm not saying these guys are elite or anything, but you could be doing worse on an NFL roster.
Secondary
The secondary struggled last year and was plagued by injuries, with Damion Stafford, a late round pick, having to start late in the year. However, the secondary was improved in free agency with the addition of safety Da'Norris Searcy, an excellent run stopping safety for the bills and Perrish Cox, a proven # 2 corner for the 49ers. Add those to guys to a group with Jason McCourty, a player with # 1 corner talent and you got yourself a nice looking secondary. Yes, Michael Griffin needs to do better, but if he can play anywhere near to his old ways, this will be a great strength for the Titans.
Group Weaknesses: ( Written by u/JustBreathe69 )
Outside Linebacker
Our staring OLBs (Derrick Morgan and Brian O'rakpo) are decent, but other than that, we got nothing. Pass rush was already a weakness last year, with Derrick Morgan leading the team with 6.5 sacks. If one of those guys goes down, we are potentially looking at Jonathan Massaquoi starting in their place. Ouch. Orakpo has an extended injury history and I think that he'll play every single game this year. Morgan is a decent player, but he can't play every down, and I think that our lack of depth is really going to get us into trouble. Besides those two, we have no proven pass rushers outside of Casey, so I think we will continue to be in the bottom of the league in terms of sacks.
Offensive Line
Yes, Lewan showed flashes last year before he got hurt, and yes, Warmack looked like he was really coming into his own near the end of the year, but I still don't trust this O line. Andy Levitre is a corpse and we are probably starting Byron Bell, the only right tackle worse than Michael Oher last year. jeremiah poutasi is going to need a lot of time to develop, and I just don't trust the same O line that gave up 50 sacks last year. It's a good thing that Marcus is quick on his feet, because he's going to be running around a lot playing in the same division as JJ Watt.
Schedule Predictions
Titans 2014 Regular Season League Rankings for Comparison (Total Yards) per ESPN:
I think schedule predictions this early are useless but they are fun to talk about in the offseason.
Total Offense | Total Defense | Pass Defense | Rush Defense | Pass Offense | Rush Offense | ---|---|---|---|---|---|--- 29th|27th|15th|31st|22nd|26th
Week 1 @ TB:
- Tampa 2014 Ranks: 28th Pass Defense / 19th Rush Defense / 25th Passing Offense / 29th Rush Offense
I think Tennessee as well as Mariota surprise people like they did last year @ KC. Look for both defenses to try and bring pressure to capitalize on rookie QBs. Could go either way. Win 20-13
Week 2 @ CLE:
- Cleveland 2014 Ranks: 8th Pass Defense / 32nd Run Defense / 20th Pass Offense / 17th Rush Offense
Again, I think the Titan's defense and offensive line both looked above average when they are healthy in 2014 and Dick LeBeau works some magic against the Brown's offense. Could go either way. Win 21-17
Week 3 IND:
- Indianapolis 2014 Ranks: 12th Pass Defense / 18th Run Defense / 1st Pass Offense / 22nd Rush Offense
Andrew Luck's powers know no bounds. We lose to them like we have since Luck came into the NFL. The defense's flaws are shown by Luck. The offense can't handle the Colts' defense. Indy once again brings this team back into reality. Loss 13-31
Week 4 BYE:
Week 5 BUF:
- Buffalo 2014 Ranks: 3rd Pass Defense / 11th Run Defense / 18th Pass Offense / 25th Rush Offense
Tough game. Buffalo just is too much on the defensive end because of Rex Ryan and the exceptional defensive front. Tennessee's defense could keep the game close. Loss 13-17
Week 6 MIA
- Miami 2014 Ranks: 6th Pass Defense / 24th Run Defense / 17th Pass Offense / 12th Rush Offense
Another tough game. Miami's new defensive weapons put too much pressure on the offensive line for Tennessee leading to a low scoring game for Tennessee. Loss 14-28
Week 7 ATL:
- Atlanta 2014 Ranks: 32nd Pass Defense / 21st Run Defense / 5th Pass Offense / 24th Rush Offense
Atlanta is away and not getting the benefit of "crowd noise". I think Mariota is able to take advantage of such a weak defense. Harry Douglas has something to prove. I think again it's a close match-up based on how much receivers do. Win 31-24
Week 8 @ HOU:
- Houston 2014 Ranks: 21st Pass Defense / 10th Run Defense / 24th Pass Offense / 5th Rush Offense
Watt feasts on the souls of rookie QBs and doesn't like that Mariota was studying tape before the game. I do think Mariota worries the Texans in the long run though. Loss 9-19
Week 9 @ NO:
- New Orleans 2014 Ranks: 25th Pass Defense / 29th Run Defense / 3rd Pass Offense / 13th Rush Offense
I honestly think this game will be very close, but Brees will end up leading this team to victory over a very young Titan's defense adjusting to new coaching changes/scheme. Loss 17-21
Week 10 CAR:
- Carolina 2014 Ranks: 11th Pass Defense / 16th Run Defense / 19th Pass Offense / 7th Rush Offense
I think we see two great defensive efforts, it's just one is much better and has much more experience. Loss 6-13
Week 11 @ JAX:
- Jacksonville 2014 Ranks: 22nd Pass Defense / 27th Run Defense / 31st Pass Offense / 21st Rush Offense
See Week 13... Win 28-21
Week 12 OAK:
- Oakland 2014 Ranks: 16th Pass Defense / 22nd Run Defense / 26th Pass Offense / 32nd Rush Offense
These teams are pretty evenly matched, but Oakland's new offensive weapons combined with Carr's experience push the Raider's over the Titans. Look for how well Tennessee's defensive backs contain Cooper and company. Loss 21-22
Week 13 JAX:
This series will split which should surprise no one because these teams are pretty even on talent. Loss 17-26
Week 14 @ NYJ:
- New York Jets 2014 Ranks: 14th Pass Defense / 5th Run Defense / 32nd Pass Offense / 3rd Rush Offense
Jets will lock down all receiving options for the titans. Look for the match-up between Titans backfield / mobile Mariota and the Jet's linebackers. Win 23-13
Week 15 @ NE:
- New England 2014 Ranks: 17th Pass Defense / 9th Run Defense / 9th Pass Offense / 18th Rush Offense
If the Titans win this game I will burn my Jake Locker jersey while butt naked with nothing on but a cut out of Tom Brady over my face. 59-0 Never Forget Loss 28-49
Week 16 HOU:
See Week 8. Loss 16-29
Week 17 @IND:
See Week 3. Loss 28-42
Summary
So I do have this team going 5-11, but that could easily be another 2-14 with losses from Cleveland, Tampa, Atlanta or New York. I do think we have a good ceiling at around 7-9 or 8-8 that would result in wins from Houston, Oakland, and Jacksonville. Last season killed all optimism I had in this team and I am setting the bar low, but having a potential franchise QB play his first season should make for a very entertaining season.
Training Camp Battles To Watch ( Written by u/BroskeyDemands )
HB: Sankey and Cobb will split carries, but we won't know who gets the bulk until the season starts.
WR2: Hunter wins the training camp battle due to experience, but midway through the season has a chance to be replace by DGB.
C: When Schwekne plays, he play well. However, he's never finished a full season. Gallik was hand picked by this coaching staff, and while I think Schwekne gets the start this year, Gallik will eventually have his job.
RT: This position is wide open. Poutasi was selected to eventually take this role, but it may take him a year or two to develop into a starter. With his play last year Stingly has a chance to be a stop gap until then.
CB3: The coaching stuff seem to really like BWW potential to become a starter in this league, which ultimately may win him some playing time. Don't count Sensabaugh out, however. In the past he's been a high caliber nickel.
S: Griffin and Searcy are both starting, but the coaching staff hasn't definitely said who is starting where. They both have experience in both positions.
Discussing Offensive and Defensive Schemes ( Written by u/Scrubtanic )
u/Scrubtanic did an excellent overview of the schemes the Titans have adopted last season here. Not much has changed since last season, expect Mariota to mainly come out of the shotgun and the defense to look more like a traditional 3-4.
Shout-outs
Big shout-outs to r/TennesseeTitans and u/skepticismissurvival
Additional shout-outs to the help from u/Ryan-30K , u/Scrubtanic , u/JustBreathe69 , and u/BroskeyDemands
Posted Jun 24, 2015, 3:24 PM UTC