Rapid Reaction: Tennessee Titans vs. New England Patriots
Sep 09, 2012; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak watches his team play against the New England Patriots during the second half at LP Field. The Patriots beat the Titans 34-13. Mandatory credit: Don McPeak-US PRESSWIRE
This will be a weekly column looking back at the previous game, and looking ahead to the future. Be sure to come back!
Week 1 for the Tennessee Titans is in the books, and unfortunately it was an ugly one. The Titans struggled to put points on the board and couldn’t make big plays on defense consistently.
Here’s a look back:
– Michael Griffin played terrible. He was signed to a new deal this offseason and is expected to be a play maker in the secondary. Griffin had too many missed tackles and also got burnt by the double move multiple times. After the game he did acknowledge his poor play. Hopefully we can expect to see improvement as the season moves forward.
-Jake Locker looked good. Outside of the fumble there weren’t too many complaints. His pick was a result of Nate Washington slowing up on the route too early. He showed off his legs and strong arm multiple times. Locker seemed to have good chemistry with the wide receiving core with multiple throws to Wright and Cook especially.
-The offensive line has to take a look in the mirror. They consistently allow penetration in the back field and fail to get a push to free Chris Johnson. Michael Roos got smoked by rookie Chandler Jones. There was no answer for Vince Wilfork and this showed by the inability to get the running game going. *Side note: I believe C.J. looks fine, the offensive line is just that bad against the run RIGHT now.
-INJURIES. The injury bug bit the Titans in week 1 with three starters (Locker, McCarthy, and Washington) not being able to finish the game. Looking forward Locker appears to be fine. The real question will be if Colin McCarthy will miss significant time with an ankle injury.
Looking ahead:
-Are the Titans injuries serious? Hopefully Locker, McCarthy, and Washington can all return next week against the San Diego Chargers. Locker and McCarthy are both captains, and Washington is a leader of a young Titans receiving core.
-How effective will Kenny Britt be in his return to the Titans offense? Britt tore his ACL/MCL early last season, and was suspended the first week of the this season so he couldn’t play in the week 1 loss to the Patriots. He is a true no. 1 if he can stay healthy and out of trouble. He would also free things up for the rest of the Titans offense.
-Can Chris Johnson and the running game get going? Johnson was effective in the receiving game, but could only manage nine yards on the ground. Much of the blame needs to go to the Titans offensive line and their run blocking woes.
-Can the Titans make more plays on defense? Many players were solid, but more big plays need to be made. The Titans had no answer for Gronk and Hernandez. Can they play better against the former All-Pro Antonio Gates? Look for the Titans to make an effort to be more aggressive on defense against the Chargers in an attempt to force some turnovers. 34 points is unacceptable.
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