Titans join Chiefs, Bills as one of four teams with perfect continuity

More than just the players

In that clip of Warren Sharp talking about continuity, he actually lists a few things that lead to a carryover of success on offense. Let’s look at that list and why it isn’t just about the “Jimmys and Joes” or the “Xs and Os”, you need both.

Head Coach: Mike Vrabel (1/1)

-As much as I didn’t like some of Vrabel’s early-season decisions, the biggest thing in his favor is that this team is completely bought in. Even if the Jurrell Casey trade might have made a negative impact, that was quickly remedied when they brought back Tannehill and Derrick Henry.

OC: Arthur Smith (1/1)

-I don’t know how much of it is strictly Arthur Smith, but when Ryan Tannehill took over and was confident enough to make checks at the line of scrimmage, this offense went into 5th gear.

QB: Ryan Tannehill (1/1)

-I could talk for a long time here, but he was the perfect QB for the offense last year and he helped the Titans reach historic efficiency.

OL (projected): Taylor Lewan, Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Nate Davis, Dennis Kelly (5/5)

-Now, you might say, “But Will, Jack Conklin isn’t here? How is that 5/5?” I am going to tell you that I don’t have a perfect grasp on which offensive lineman started for every team in the NFL last year, but there is a helpful tweet I am using:

That is a list of the projected starters on the offensive line for every team in the NFL and due to his high snap count in recent history and the fact that he was trusted to start at LT last year while Taylor Lewan was suspended, Dennis Kelly qualifies as continuity.

Overall: 8/8

So far so good, but is that really specific for every team or just a good rule of thumb? I guess what I am asking is, how does that quantify the impact of Derrick Henry?

Let’s take a quick look at where the Titans stand around the NFL in terms of these 8 positions, and then we can talk about the bonus continuity that Tennessee has.