Evan Silva slightly optimistic on Titans?

For years now, Evan Silva has been brutally honest with his opinions of the Tennessee Titans roster. He has been strongly against most of the moves, and has had them in the basement in many of his projections much to the chagrin of many Titans fans.

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Well, as much as it might pain you to read this: he was right. For all of the optimism we as a fan base have tried to exude over the last two years, it was right not to be all in on the Titans.

Call it pessimism or call it realism, but either way you slice it Evan Silva has had a pretty good idea on what moves would and won’t work for the Titans in the past. So, when I read his recent article on the Titans fantasy (and actual) outlook for 2016, I was obviously bracing myself for a look at the short-term future of the Titans with no sugar coating involved.

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So, you can understand why I was surprised when Silva was not only complementary, but overall optimistic that the Tennessee Titans could be poised to overachieve in 2016. Here is how he summarized the team as a whole compared to what their projection is for the season:

“While I’m not close to crowning the Titans a Wild Card contender, I think there is some value on the over for their 5.5-game Win Total. Tennessee’s ball-control approach won’t be sexy, but it can keep games close if executed properly and the defense “fresh” by limiting their number of snaps. Mariota showed playmaking ability and made good decisions as a rookie, and the Titans have a solid, fairly deep cast of weapons. Dick LeBeau‘s defense was passable before OLB Derrick Morgan‘s season-ending shoulder injury last year, holding its first 11 opponents to 23.4 points per game (16th in the league) before allowing 30-plus points in each of the final five weeks. I think the Titans have the personnel necessary to play above-average defense versus the run and pass. Their quarterback has a chance to be special, and they should be able to run the ball well against weaker teams. I like the Titans’ odds of surprising with 6-8 wins this year.”

He really hits all of the issues on the head. While they won’t blow you away during a highlight reel, this team could be very good. We should get to see Marcus Mariota even more efficient than he was last year, and he should finally be able to set his feet without worrying about taking a big hit.

The Titans are deep enough at the skill positions with talented players like Derrick Henry, Tajae Sharpe (or Dorial Green-Beckham), Anthony Fasano, and Kendall Wright all having rotational or niche roles in this offense. Compared to the past that is some very impressive depth for a team that has never really been able to spare playmakers.

On the other side, Dick Lebeau will finally have full control of the defense and they should be able to reclaim that early season form. They will have a much deeper group of cornerbacks, and they should be much better with Jason McCourty as the #1.

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At edge rusher, they will get Derrick Morgan and Deiontrez Mount back from injury and they have added Kevin Dodd who should pay dividends early.

Finally, don’t think that the Tennessee Titans haven’t been noticing how small the defenses in the AFC South are getting. All of that speed in Jacksonville is great until you have to go against a running back who can run over your linebackers and who is very hard to catch in the open field, and that isn’t even including the rookie that looks like he should actually be a starting linebacker for the Jaguars in Derrick Henry.

I think this team will be fun to watch for Titans fans who haven’t seen a team sustain back to back drives in what feels like a decade, and Evan Silva seems to agree too. Maybe that means that Titans fans aren’t just seeing things through rose tinted glasses, maybe this team is actually taking a step in the right direction under Jon Robinson.

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