2008 Titans Preview



aka: Why The Titans will Win the AFC South



Defense: Just like the Titans... we start with the D... which by the way... is returning every single starter apart from the right defensive end. This unit will be better than last year's. Here's why... Micheal Griffin is going to wreak havoc from his saftey position. He is showing a huge jump from his rookie year. As for the missing Antwan Odom... he's been replaced with a committee that should actually be far more effective. Ford, Hayes, and Kearse will hurt people this year.



On to the Offense... where we'll have to discuss things position by position... to deal with the numerous changes.



Offensive Coordinator: This is the biggest change the Titans made and it is the reason they'll make such a big jump in the AFC South Standings. To put it midly... Norm Chow was in over his head. He simply was incapable of putting our offensive players in good positions. Heimerdinger has been there... and done that. He will give the boys a chance to make plays. He will take advantage of his players abilities. He will out scheme some teams. Norm Chow never had a prayer of such a thing.



QB: Few realize Young was playing all year with a torn quad. He's healthy... and more importantly than that... he has Heimerdinger. Young's footwork has always been an issue... and Dinger's first priority was to fix it. Young responded well. You'll see more accurate throws out of a healthy VY when he has his feat under him. Does that mean VY is going to be a great NFL QB this year? No. To be brutally honest... The Titans don't need him to be. Shocker here... Jeff Fisher has built another Defensive football team that lives and dies by running the ball and stopping the other team. There will be weeks win VY will be the highlight of the week on sportceneter. There will be other weeks when he's going to be horrible... and the Titans can still win those games based on their D and their running game.



RB: Huge addition here. The Titans now have something they haven't had in a long long time... a true home run hitter. Rookie Chris Johnson is a threat to go the distance any time... from any where. He's an excellent reciever... plus he's got pass protection skills. Lendale will still get the majority of the carries... but Johnson will be lined up in the backfield with him... or out wide as a reciever. Johnson is going to make this offense exciting. He'll do what everyone thought Reggie Bush would do for the Saints.



O-Line: We lost both guards... but if you know anything about the Titans you know that they have the deepest, best coached O-line stable in the NFL. This line will be better than it was last year. Its plain nasty.



TE: Another huge addition here... Alge Crumpler has arrived... to finally give VY the safety net that McNair always had in Wychek. He's a huge target... and he's savy.



WR: So far its the Justin and Justin show... but Brandon Jones has really come on in the last few weeks. Frankly this group just isn't that important to the Titans grand scheme. If they make some plays great... but the Titans win with D and the running game. I suspect we'll see some improved production just based on the presence of Dinger.





Conclusion:



The Titans will be better in all phases of the game. They will have an explosive offense coupled with a tyranical defense. When its all said and done in the AFC South... the Titans will be the last team standing.