Titan Sized » Josh Gunnels

Tennessee Titans: Weekly Links

Josh Gunnels — Wed, 22 May 2013 10:00:16 +0000

Here’s your weekly dose of Tennessee Titans grubbage from around the Web.

Oct 21, 2012; Houston, TX, USA; Baltimore Ravens safety Bernard Pollard (31) tackles Houston Texans tight end Owen Daniels (81) in the first quarter at Reliant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Here’s some links from around the web on this weeks Titans’ news:

Ruston Webster says that the Titans still aren’t finished making moves this off season. They still have a bit of cap room, and if they feel someone out their can help the team, they won’t hesitate to make the move.

Kendall Wright has apparently lost 14 lbs. this off season by eliminating junk food from his diet. I never thought of him as having 14 lbs. to lose. Wright played great last year but stood out with his figth for extra yards after contact. Will this make him even better?

MCM put out an article on why Jake Locker needs a strong camp. I agree with the last point completely. The offense has the pieces, now they just need to gel and have confidence more than anything.

David Climer at The Tennessean says that the Titans would be wise to follow Bernard Pollard’s lead. This is absolutely correct. Between Williams and Pollard, the attitude of the defense should change dramatically.

Paul Kuharsky talks about the expectations of the defensive end position for the Titans. The defensive end argument has finally been beaten to death IMO and we won’t know until the season if the Titans have played their cards right.

The NFL continues to float ideas out there about how to change up the Pro Bowl. I personally don’t mind the Pro Bowl, but wish they would move it back to after the Super Bowl. Bringing back the skills competitions would be fun as well. As far as game show gimmicks during the game, can’t say I’m enthused.

Got any other links to share or cool articles you’ve read? Post below.

You can follow me on Twitter @gunnelsj

Tennessee Titans: Sacks Don’t Equal Wins

Josh Gunnels — Mon, 20 May 2013 10:00:02 +0000

Why The Tennessee Titans Haven’t Strongly Pursued A Defensive End

September 16, 2012; San Diego, CA, USA; Tennessee Titans defensive end Derrick Morgan (91) and linebacker Kamerion Wimbley (95) celebrate after a sack during the second quarter against the San Diego Chargers at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Currently the only gripe Tennessee Titans fans have after an eventful free agency and draft, is the lack of obvious upgrade at the pass rusher position. The Titans decided to address other positions early in the draft, and have yet to sign a marquee veteran defensive end in free agency.

One may say that the Titans don’t really need pass rush help, although Derrick Morgan and Kamerion Wimbley did play 80% of the snaps last year which is way too much. The addition of Gregg Williams, combined with the likes of Bernard Pollard, lends credence to the idea that the Titans will be more inventive in finding ways to get to the quarterback. The evolution of Akeem Ayers as a pass rusher could play into that same vein as well. Ayers and Pollard could rush out of 3-4 sets and Ruby packages respectively. The addition of 330 lb. Sammie Lee Hill in the middle of the line is expected to have a large effect as well. Morgan and Wimbley both were able to get close to the quarterback on a number of occasions last year, only to have the opposing signal caller step forward into a clean pocket to evade the outside rush. Putting Hill next to Jurrell Casey and Mike Martin on the interior of the line, should make that a lot harder on the opposing teams.

Image courtesy of ESPN.com

All this is well and good, but what fans need to realize is that the sack total of a team doesn’t translate very well to wins. As much as fans bemoan the Titans edge defenders, the team ranked 9th in the league last year, with a total of 39 sacks.

To put that in perspective, the Superbowl Champion Baltimore Ravens had 37 along with the always enviable New England Patriots. The other team in the Superbowl? The 49ers had 38.

The Seattle Seahawks, another playoff team, finished 18th in the regular season for sacks. The Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts both tied for 23rd ending up with a mere 32 sacks, while the mighty Atlanta Falcons with coveted John Abraham only ended the season with 29.

Yes, the Broncos, Texans, Bengals, Packers and Vikings finished in the top 10, but so did the Titans, Rams, Dolphins, Bears and Panthers.

I’m not saying sacks aren’t great and admit they do turn momentum in a game. Only they seem to be a bit overrated when it comes to a measure of a teams success.

The Titans defense had much larger problems than it’s quarterback pressure last year. Such as covering tight ends, blown assignments, and an inordinate amount of missed tackles. If those issues are addressed first and foremost, I won’t worry about the sack total so much.

Follow me on Twitter @gunnelsj

Tennessee Titans Hire Luke Steckel

Josh Gunnels — Fri, 17 May 2013 11:37:56 +0000

The Tennessee Titans Are Still Making Moves Up Top

*picture courtesy of ClevelandBrowns.com

Apparently the Tennessee Titans aren’t finished making moves on the non-player side of operations as well this off season. According to @footballscoop, Luke Steckel has joined the Titans staff in a role yet to be known.

We hear the Titans have hired Luke Steckel who was with the Browns the past 4 seasons. Bright young coach, well liked in the profession

— FootballScoop Staff (@footballscoop) May 17, 2013

Luke Steckel has been with the Cleveland Browns organization for the past four years. His most recent job title was Assistant To The Head Coach under Pat Shurmer. He acted as a go-between for Shurmer and the rest of the coaching staff to all other departments in the Browns organization. According to ClevelandBrowns.com, he also was involved on the defensive side of the ball, where he assisted in “playbook composition, scouting reports, film breakdown, and practice drills”.

Luke Steckel’s father is Les Steckel, the former offensive coordinator for the Houston Oilers from 1997-1999.

I’m not sure what the Titans have planned for Luke. From digging around it seems this is much more than a hey-your-dad-worked-for-us hire. His responsibilities at the Browns were vast and it seems that the Titans organization isn’t finished improving this year. They’re not just bringing in fresh faces and competition on the player personnel side, but on the management side of the operation as well.

You can follow me on Twitter @gunnelsj