We all know that this year the Tennessee Titans are going to run the ball…a lot. And honestly they should. Marcus Mariota was absolutely lethal last year on play actions, and if you project into next year it is easy to see why the team wants to get him on the edge and force a defender to choose whether to stop him from running or cover one of the best tight ends in the game, Delanie Walker.
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However, for whatever reason people still sort of think that the Tennessee Titans drafting Derrick Henry was a mistake. They complain about needing wide receiver, well Tajae Sharpe seems to be starting now so it looks like Jon Robinson knows how to find talent late in the draft.
Cornerback is another common theme there, but what do you want? The Tennessee Titans think they have their slot cornerback in Brice McCain (who they got for nothing essentially). On the outside, the Titans have Jason McCourty who is very good when healthy, and Perrish Cox who should have less on his plate now that he has a better cornerback playing opposite him.
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Jon Robinson hasn’t seen McCourty (one of the Titans most well regarded and highest paid players) play yet, and didn’t see any great value so he took someone else instead: Derrick Henry.
The Tennessee Titans are aiming to be one of the league leaders in rushing, which is great. It takes the pressure off of the quarterback, limits his hits, chews up clock, and gives the defense more time to rest.
Most importantly though, they are doing it to ease the stress on Marcus Mariota, and to find a way to use his athleticism on the edge. Look at what top running games did for other quarterbacks around the league.
Buffalo Bills- Tyrod Taylor
Taylor was a career backup that never really did anything in the NFL, but despite that a top rushing attack of the veteran LeSean McCoy (i.e. Murray) and Karlos Williams (i.e. Henry) made them one of the top rushing tandems in the league.
In fact, once you put in Taylor’s rushing numbers, they actually were the best team in the league. It helped Taylor in more than just the rushing stats though, he finished the season with over 63% completion percentage and 24 touchdowns, despite missing two games.
Carolina Panthers- Cam Newton
I won’t harp on this because we all know how great Cam Newton was last year, I mean he won MVP. However, it is important to note that once that running game took hold he was a completely different quarterback. When it was taken away in the Super Bowl he showed why getting pressure off the QB is key.
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Seattle Seahawks- Russell Wilson
The player I think that Marcus Mariota has the most in common with is Wilson. While the Seahawks QB has a stronger arm and Mariota is much more explosive as a runner, their accuracy, intelligence, pocket mobility, and demeanor are all very similar.
Every year since he has been in the league, Wilson has had a good/great defense and an outstanding running game. That is what the Titans are trying to build in Tennessee, and in fact the team the Tennessee Titans have this year should have a better offensive line than the Seahawks have ever had which could make the running additions even more important.
Those three were the top three rushing teams in the league, and all of them share the commonality of a mobile quarterback who thrives off of play action of their great ground game.
Now, I could go on about how strong running games helped ease the pressure off of Teddy Bridgewater, Jameis Winston and Alex Smith last year (the QBs of the teams with the 4th, 5th and 6th rushing attacks) and how they are all only scramblers at best, but it is pretty evident that the Tennessee Titans don’t want to be top-6. They want to be 1st.
Not only do they want that identity, but they have the personnel to do that with a pretty good offensive line (on paper right now), three very good tight ends, the best young fullback in the game, several wide receivers over 6’2″, and now two tough running backs that can explode in the open field. Just sit back and enjoy the ride because we might just be seeing the next great ground game being developed in Tennessee if everything goes the right way.