The Contenders
By Nick Bishop
So, I’m watching my Auburn Tigers squeak by the Vols and reading Bill Simmons’ weekly NFL Picks, and thought I’d share what he had to say about the Tennessee Titans. He gave his first power rankings for the season this week and listed the Titans at 3. It’s a pretty spot on assessment of this team, I just hope he’s wrong about how his last point ends. Really though, I just wanted to post it because of part A. I’ve probably read it ten times or so now, and every time I laugh out loud. Now that one I hope he’s right about.
"3. Tennessee TitansIn four parts …A. They have the league’s best defense, and if you don’t believe me, you will believe me this Sunday after they do everything short of actually having sex with Gus Frerotte.B. You can learn a lot about a team’s playoff chances by how “locked in” (for lack of a better word) their sideline seems to be during a game. With the Titans, Jeff Fisher is prowling back and forth like a prison guard barking orders at a chain gang; any time a good play happens near their sideline, you’ll see every guy react happily right away; and if there’s a cheap shot on their sideline, 20 Titans come flying in within 0.02 of a second. The 2008 Tennessee Titans are locked in. You can’t use the italics forcefully enough. The Titans seem hungry to me.C. After being initially confused with Chris Johnson’s erratic playing time (after all, he’s clearly their best back and looks like the next Marshall Faulk), I finally figured out what Fisher is doing there: He doesn’t want to burn out a rookie runner who might play 19-20 games this season, so he’s spotting him early, wetting his feet and saving him for later in the season. That has to be it. They’re keeping his touches around 15-17 a game and setting us up for one of those Dr. Evil-like, “Release the Fembots!” moments in a big November game. Smart move.D. You probably can’t win a Super Bowl with Kerry Collins, but you can definitely make it to one. In fact, it has even happened.(That sound you just heard was all the Giants fans slamming their heads against the desk.)"
Read the article in it’s entirety here.
Have a great Saturday folks. And get some rest tonight, we’ve got a big game tomorrow…