Tennessee Titans one thing to watch today: Offensive line
By Will Lomas
This could be a career changing game for the Tennessee Titans offensive line.
It is crazy to think that just two years ago (with a much better position coach) the Tennessee Titans offensive line looked like it was going to be a force to be reckoned with for years.
Looking back, I don’t think we appreciated how good of a job Russ Grimm did that year and we all owe him an apology for that.
Now every week fans pray for the disappointing group to only let Marcus Mariota get sacked three times per game because we know that would be a good day for them.
“But Will, some of those sacks are on Marcus Mariota!” I hear you, but you are wrong. For every time that Mariota holds onto the ball too long, there is a play where he makes a free rusher miss. So before you throw stones at one of the two good players on this Titans offense, understand that those narratives about him taking unnecessary sacks go both ways.
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On top of that, the offensive line is one of the worst in the NFL in terms of opening up any holes in the running game. The Titans are 29th in the NFL in rushing yards per attempt and a large part of that blame goes to an offensive line that gets buried by bad defensive tackles.
This group is bad, especially in the middle of the line. I’m afraid that we are going to see the same unit out there today and if that is the case then we are probably stuck with them next week as well.
However, a(nother) bad day today could mean that a backup starts to get some reps. While I think kicking Jack Conklin inside to right guard and bringing in Dennis Kelly at right tackle is the best bang for your buck, that isn’t the only move they could make.
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Probably the easiest move the Titans could make would be to bring Corey Levin in to play right guard. That replaces your worst player with your most athletic backup who has a lot of upside.
If Kline lets the team down again, then it is time to start giving Levin reps at right guard so that in two weeks you can see if he is potentially the answer there long term.
The worst thing you can have on your team is question marks, and right now that is what Levin is. Is he good or is he bad? That is the question the Titans need answered and if they aren’t trying to figure that out in live game situations then its one of the first big negatives I will have with the Mike Vrabel coaching staff.