2017 NFL RANKINGS:#11:Tennessee Titans

[Mike75]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

#11:Tennessee Titans

 

Head coach Mike Mularkey
General manager Jon Robinson
Owner Bud Adams Estate
Home field Nissan Stadium
Record  9-7
Division place 2nd AFC South
Playoff finish did not qualify

Offensive Scheme:Erhardt-Perkins

Offensive Coordinator:Terry Robiskie

Defensive Alignment:3-4

Defensive Coordinator:Dick LeBeau
Offense Rank-PTS23.8(14th);YDS358.0(11th);PASS YDS221.3(25th);RUSH YDS136.7(3rd)
Defense Rank-PTS23.6(17th);YDS357.5(20th);PASS YDS269.2(30th);RUSH YDS88.3(2nd)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2017 Free Agents:

    Alex Tanney, QB (exclusive rights FA)
    Antonio Andrews, RB (restricted FA)
    Marc Mariani, WR
    Tre McBride, WR (exclusive rights FA)
    Mehdi Abdesmad, DE (exclusive rights FS)
    Antwaun Woods, DT (exclusive rights FS)
    Justin Staples, OLB (restricted FA)
    D’Joun Smith, CB (restricted FA)
    Rashad Johnson, FS

 

Free Agency Additions:

    Matt Cassel, QB – re-signed
    Phillip Supernaw, TE (restricted FA) – re-signed
    Eric Decker, WR – released by the Jets
    Eric Weems, WR – formerly with the Falcons
    Tim Lelito, G – formerly with the Saints
    Karl Klug, DT – re-signed
    Sylvester Williams, DT – formerly with the Broncos
    Nate Palmer, ILB – re-signed
    Daren Bates, ILB – formerly with the Raiders
    Demontre Hurst, FS (restricted FA) – formerly with the Bears
    Logan Ryan, CB – formerly with the Patriots
    John Cyprien, SS – formerly with the Jaguars
    Brynden Trawick, SS – formerly with the Raiders

 

Free Agency Losses:

    Anthony Fasano, TE – signed with the Dolphins
    Kendall Wright, WR – signed with the Bears
    Brian Schwenke, C – signed with the Colts
    Chance Warmack, G – signed with the Eagles
    Byron Bell, RT – signed with the Cowboys
    David Bass, OLB – signed with the Seahawks
    Sean Spence, ILB – signed with the Colts
    Antwon Blake, CB – signed with the Giants
    Daimion Stafford, SS – signed with the Steelers

 

Traded For:

    TBD

 

Traded Away:

    TBD

 

Released by Team:

    Al Woods, NT – signed with the Colts
    Perrish Cox, CB – signed with the Seahawks
    Jason McCourty, CB – signed with the Browns

 

 

 

Draft Picks:

1st Round: Corey Davis  WR  Western Michigan

1st Round: Adoree' Jackson  CB  USC

3rd Round: Taywan Taylor  WR  Western Kentucky

3rd Round: Jonnu Smith  TE  FIU

5th Round: Jayon Brown  ILB  UCLA

6th Round: Corey Levin  OG  Chattanooga

7th Round: Josh Carraway  OLB  TCU

7th Round: Brad Seaton  OT  Villanova

7th Round: Khalfani Muhammad  RB  California

 

 

 

Starters:

 

Offense

QB: Marcus Mariota
RB: DeMarco Murray
WR: Corey Davis
WR: Rishard Matthews
WR: Taywan Taylor
TE: Delanie Walker
LT: Taylor Lewan
LG: Quinton Spain
C: Ben Jones
RG: Josh Kline
RT: Jack Conklin

 

 

Defense

DE: Jurrell Casey
DT: Sylvester Williams
DE: DaQuan Jones
OLB: Brian Orakpo
ILB: Wesley Woodyard
ILB: Avery Williamson
OLB: Derrick Morgan
CB: Logan Ryan
CB: Adoree' Jackson
S: Johnathan Cyprien
S: Kevin Byard

 

 

 

 

2017 SCHEDULE:
Sep. 10 Oakland Raiders  1:00pm ET
Sep. 17 at Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00pm ET
Sep. 24 Seattle Seahawks  4:05pm ET
Oct. 1 at Houston Texans  1:00pm ET
Oct. 8 at Miami Dolphins  1:00pm ET
Oct. 16 Indianapolis Colts  8:30pm ET
Oct. 22 at Cleveland Browns  1:00pm ET
Oct. 29 BYE 
Nov. 5 Baltimore Ravens  1:00pm ET
Nov. 12 Cincinnati Bengals  1:00pm ET
Nov. 16 at Pittsburgh Steelers  8:25pm ET
Nov. 26 at Indianapolis Colts  1:00pm ET
Dec. 3 Houston Texans 1:00pm ET
Dec. 10 at Arizona Cardinals  4:05pm ET
Dec. 17 at San Francisco 49ers  4:25pm ET
Dec. 24 Los Angeles Rams  1:00pm ET
Dec. 31 Jacksonville Jaguars  1:00pm ET
 

 

 

 

PREDICTIONS FOR TENNESSEE IN 2017:

 

The Titans finished last season at 9-7 and beat five teams that made the postseason including the Houston Texans,Green Bay Packers,Kansas City Chiefs,Miami Dolphins,Detroit Lions and they also beat the defending Super Bowl champs Denver Broncos. The Titans look to build on last season especially on offense where the Titans rank first in red zone offense. The Titans also have a top five offensive line and running game. With that taken care of the Titans decided to bloster the passing game by drafting WR Corey Davis in first round,WR Taywan Taylor third round and TE Jonnu Smith. There are numerous media publications ranking the Titans inside their top ten however i decided to be cautious putting them right outside the top ten.

[Mike75]

Titans preseason rankings

 

Fox Sports 9th

USA Today 8th

Sports Illustrated 9th

Bleacher Report 9th

Yahoo Sports 13th

[Sharp Square]

It sure looks like the passing game will be improved and this team is becoming fun to watch!   Seems like they are still on the rise and it should be another solid season for the new and improved Titans. 

 

 

Definitely some merit for those rankings above. 

[Mike75]

It sure looks like the passing game will be improved and this team is becoming fun to watch!   Seems like they are still on the rise and it should be another solid season for the new and improved Titans. 

 

 

Definitely some merit for those rankings above. 

 

Yep they just draft two WR and a TE in the first three rounds. So the depth at WR is Rishard Matthews,Eric Decker,Corey Davis,Taywan Taylor,Tajae Sharpe. The Tennessee Titans rank 1st in Red Zone efficiency at 72%. In his two years in the league QB Marcus Mariota has thrown 33 TD and 0 INT during that span in the RZ. Eric Decker is 2nd in red zone TD and receptions so he and Mariota will be a lethal combo in the RZ.

 

 

 

As for the 2016 season in passer rating Mariota 95.6 was 10th,Yards per attempt 7.6 Mariota was ranked 9th,Third down yards per attempt Mariota 8.6 was ranked 3rd,TD percentage Mariota 5.8 ranked 4th,TD/INT ratio Mariota 2.9 was ranked 8th.

 

Only Tom Brady 6.1 and Aaron Rodgers 6.0 have a higher TD rate than Mariota (5.5%) since he entered the NFL in 2015.

 

Eric Decker and Demarco Murray have combined for 89TD in the past five seasons the second most for any pair of current teammates.

 

The Titans scored 35 first half points against the Green Bay Packers the most in one half last season and 47 points was the most against Green Bay since 1986 thirty years before.

 

PFF ranked Titans 4th best O'Line

 

7th rounder Khalfani Muhammad  California was fastest RB in the draft at 4.35

 

Mariota will most likely get a record breaking contract next year that'll be close or more than Carr's contract.

[Sharp Square]

Yep they just draft two WR and a TE in the first three rounds. So the depth at WR is Rishard Matthews,Eric Decker,Corey Davis,Taywan Taylor,Tajae Sharpe. The Tennessee Titans rank 1st in Red Zone efficiency at 72%. In his two years in the league QB Marcus Mariota has thrown 33 TD and 0 INT during that span in the RZ. Eric Decker is 2nd in red zone TD and receptions so he and Mariota will be a lethal combo in the RZ.

 

 

 

As for the 2016 season in passer rating Mariota 95.6 was 10th,Yards per attempt 7.6 Mariota was ranked 9th,Third down yards per attempt Mariota 8.6 was ranked 3rd,TD percentage Mariota 5.8 ranked 4th,TD/INT ratio Mariota 2.9 was ranked 8th.

 

Only Tom Brady 6.1 and Aaron Rodgers 6.0 have a higher TD rate than Mariota (5.5%) since he entered the NFL in 2015.

 

Eric Decker and Demarco Murray have combined for 89TD in the past five seasons the second most for any pair of current teammates.

 

The Titans scored 35 first half points against the Green Bay Packers the most in one half last season and 47 points was the most against Green Bay since 1986 thirty years before.

 

 

 

If they can maintain that redzone efficiency and add the ability to stretch things just a bit more than they could last season they could really be a force on the offensive side of things.  Gotta like the good mix of veterans and rookie potential they have on that side of the ball heading into this season.

 

Def a team to keep a close eye on! 

[Mike75]

If they can maintain that redzone efficiency and add the ability to stretch things just a bit more than they could last season they could really be a force on the offensive side of things.  Gotta like the good mix of veterans and rookie potential they have on that side of the ball heading into this season.

 

Def a team to keep a close eye on! 

 

I'm cautiously optimistic. The Titans will be celebrating their 20th anniversary in 2018 and although they have only been around twenty years they have been close to winning it all several times. In '99 they are 13-3 and made the Super Bowl,In '00 they are 13-3 with NFL best record again but fall short to the Ravens in the postseason. In '02 they are 11-5 and make the AFC Championship but lose to the Raiders.In '03 they are 12-4 and would've made it back to the AFC Championship had WR Drew Bennett not dropped a critical pass but lose to the Patriots 17-14.In '08 they were 13-3 best record in the NFL but two very critical turnovers in the red zone doom the team in a 13-10 loss to Baltimore. In 2011 and 2016 the team has 9-7 record but both times but fall short of postseason.

 

From 2012 through 2015 the team had a lean period where things went wrong mainly because of poor drafting by a bad GM in control of a mediocre roster that included QB Jake Locker who was a bust. Before departing the GM did one thing right he drafted QB Marcus Mariota.

 

In 2016 a new GM Jon Robinson arrived and the Titans finally had a good QB and GM to steer the team in the right direction. Both men come from winning traditions Robinson spent 2002-2013 a decade in New England under Bill Belichick the team won 135 games and lost 34 games during that span. Mariota spent 2012-2014 with Oregon and the team won 36 games and lost 5 during that span. Both were used to having winning seasons as well as winning a high percentage of games.

 

 

In his very first draft Robinson traded the Titans first pick to the Rams for a boatload of extra picks including an extra first round pick in 2017. With those picks he set about rebuilding the roster. He drafted RT Jack Conklin,RB Derrick Henry,S Kevin Byard,WR Tajae Sharpe,CB LeShaun Sims these picks along with free agents RB Demarco Murray,WR Rishard Matthews,C Ben Jones,etc. They went 9-7

 

The next year 2017 will be year two of the Robinson/Mariota regime. Robinson's first order of business was to upgrade the special teams signing Daren Bates,Brynden Trawick,Demontre Hurst,Eric Weems,etc. Next he signed CB Logan Ryan from the Super Bowl champ Patriots,DT Sylvester Williams from the prior Super Bowl champ Broncos,S Johnathan Cyprien then in the draft he picked WR Corey Davis,CB Adoree Jackson,WR Taywan Taylor,TE Jonnu Smith,ILB Jayon Brown,RB Khalfani Muhammad fastest RB in the entire draft as well as two offensive linemen who will be possible depth in Brad Seaton OT and Corey Levin OG. This season will be a step above the prior year.

 

As of now since taking over the team as GM in 2016 in two offseasons there are only a few players left pre-2016 they are QB Marcus Mariota(2015),LT Taylor Lewan(2014),WR Harry Douglas(2015),WR Tre McBride(2015),TE Delanie Walker(2013),TE Phillip Supernaw(2015),G Quinton Spain(2015),DE Jurrell Casey(2011),DE Karl Klug(2011),LB Derrick Morgan(2010),LB Brian Orakpo(2015),DE Daquan Jones(2014),DE Angelo Blackson(2015),S Da'Norris Searcy(2015),LB Avery Williamson(2014),LB Wesley Woodyard(2014),K Ryan Succop(2014),P Brett Kern(2009),LS Beau Brinkley(2012).

 

So the 53 man roster only has around 20 players left before 2016 when GM Robinson arrived. The bulk of the roster a good 35 players are from 2016/2017 i think WR Tre McBride and WR Harry Douglas are likely cuts with an upgraded WR Depth that looks like WR Rishard Matthews,Eric Decker,Corey Davis,Taywan Taylor,Tajae Sharpe. They will have really good talent at WR.

 

So 35 players on the team came along 2016 or 2017 and only 18 or so are pre 2016.

[mike499]

Not sure there is a easy win until Cleveland it will be interesting to see how Tennessee starts

[Mike75]

Not sure there is a easy win until Cleveland it will be interesting to see how Tennessee starts

 

Tennessee always starts slow. I do think there is a good chance that Tennessee starts out 2-3 or something similar. But as the season wears on they will start wearing teams down they are a very physical team. There are two early games i am very interested in and thats Oakland and Seattle. The last two seasons Oakland has beaten Tennessee in the final minute in both games and last year Taylor Lewan went crazy and jumped on a Raider player causing Tenn to be penalized when the Titans were about to score. We would've had the momentum headed into OT. As far as Seattle i think our offense against their defense will make for an interesting game.

[Brock Landers]

Their D is not great

 

Almost lost and blew a huge lead to a terrible bears team last year.

 

They must earn it

[Balco]

S

[Mike75]

Their D is not great

 

Almost lost and blew a huge lead to a terrible bears team last year.

 

They must earn it

 

You are correct on that matter. In fact i expect the next offseason to be dedicated to strengthening the defense.

 

Two people are responsible for the Titans resurgence the GM Jon Robinson and QB Marcus Mariota.

 

2014--2015 was the lowest point in Titans history so far. 2 wins in 2014 and 3 wins in 2015 mainly due to a bad GM and scouts all of whom were let go once Robinson was hired in January 2016.

 

Robinson has done a major overhaul in the past year and a half from January 2016 through July 2017. Helped set up a major deal in the 2016 draft where the team got multiple picks for the first pick. He has hit on a lot of free agents as well as draft choices.

 

Only 1/3 of the roster is made up of players that were here before 2016.

 

Only Tom Brady 6.1 and Aaron Rodgers 6.0 have a higher TD rate than Mariota (5.5%) since he entered the NFL in 2015.

 

Eric Decker and Demarco Murray have combined for 89TD in the past five seasons the second most for any pair of current teammates.

 

The WR Depth is the best in the Titans nearly 20 years Rishard Matthews,Eric Decker,Corey Davis,Taywan Taylor,Tajae Sharpe.

[Mike75]

I recently found an article about how NFL teams that are stuck mired in mediocrity can overhaul the franchise and end up strong as well as a contender.  The article pointed out Oakland and Tennessee as teams that were doing poor and were able to change for the better and start a winning tradition once again.

 

The main reason franchises get better is changing GM's as well as QB's. The GM is the main man who brings in the players and leads the team off the field and the QB is the main player who leads the team on the field. The GM and QB are the two main figures with the head coach coming in third.

 

For a solid decade the Raiders were a terrible 63-165 from 2003 through 2015 thirteen straight losing seasons overall the worst period ever for what was a proud winning franchise but they fell hard. What changed things is getting a good GM Reggie McKenzie in 2012 as well as a franchise QB Derek Carr in 2014. McKenzie was also able to draft LB Khalil Mack in 2014 so that draft brought the team their leader on offense Carr and defense Mack. The next year they got WR Amari Cooper.

 

2016 Oakland went 12-4 and look poised to be annual threats to win the division and make the postseason.

 

Tennessee in 2011 made a bad mistake signing Ruston Webster as GM who went on to draft QB Jake Locker a bust. For the next four years 2012 through 2015 Tennessee were bad because Webster sucked at drafting and free agency and Locker plain sucked. What changed things was the drafting of QB Marcus Mariota in 2015 and signing of new GM Jon Robinson in 2016. Robinson got rid of a lot of the organization including the main scout who had been with Titans nearly 20 years. He found out this scout was a big reason that Titans drafted Locker as well as other miscues.

 

2016 Tennessee was 9-7 and look poised to be annual threats to win the division and make the postseason as well.

[Mike75]

The Titans defense should improve.

 

Tennessee upgraded at SS, upgraded at CB and drafted a legit NLB.  For depth should have a healthy LB Dodd (2016 first rounder) an upcoming Adoree Jackson('17 first rounder).  Also signed an upgrade at NT in Williams.

 

Both LB Derrick Morgan and Brian Orakpo had double digit sacks apiece last year. Dodd was hurt early but played well in his one full game getting a sack.

 

Secondary they signed Johnathan Cyprien top safety vs run last year already have Kevin Byard going into year two. Cornerback LeShaun Sims a rookie last year had a key interception in the end zone when the Chiefs threatened to score that momentum helped TN pull off a comeback last second win. CB Logan Ryan was signed from the Patriots. CB Adoree Jackson was drafted first round.

 

Bottom line is we are talking about just a few points difference on each side of the ball in being a legit contender.  Were already the #10 team on offense (Yards per game) and got two upgrades at WR and a TE.  Gave up 23.6 points per game last season.  If, with the inprovements on offense and defense (not to mention Special Teams four from various teams were signed) we can reduce that closer to 20 points and be a top 10 to 15 defense pretty quickly.  Tennessee was ranked second vs the run last year. Still a work in progress but I really like the direction we are going.   The pass rush was actually pretty darn good so getting guys covered up better will just help that.

[Mike75]

Kevin Dodd, OLB

 

There’s a real chance for Dodd to be a difference maker for the Titans defense this season.

 

Tennessee had one of the most disruptive pass rushes in the NFL last season– they tied for sixth with 40 sacks– and most of that was without the former Clemson standout. Dodd dealt with a foot injury that kept him out for most of last year and the team’s offseason workouts this year. All signs point to him being ready for training camp though, and that’s great news for the Titans defense. Dodd is an extremely talented pass rusher who won’t supplant a starter, but he can be a productive player situationally. If he can get on the field regularly in passing situations this season, we expect Dodd to finish somewhere around eight sacks.

 

 

Brian Orakpo, OLB

 

Orakpo is one of the unquestioned leaders of the Titans defense and the primary producer in the pass rush.

 

He led the team with 10.5 sacks last season, following up a 7.0-sack campaign with the Titans in 2015. Orakpo has been remarkably consistent throughout his career when he’s been healthy. He’s never finished with fewer than 7.0 sacks in a full season in his eight-year career. The pass rush is going to be an essential element for the Titans defensive success this season and Orakpo is going to need to be the tip of that spear again. He’ll do his part if he can tally somewhere around 10 sacks again while providing consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks.

 

 

 

Jurrell Casey, DT

 

The list of guys who would be in the top three most important players on every defense in the NFL is short, but Jurrell Casey is on it.

 

Casey has flown pretty far under the radar given the Titans’ battle with NFL obscurity over the last few seasons. However, he’s been very quietly morphing into one of the elite disruptive forces among interior linemen. Casey has posted 27.5 sacks over the last four seasons. He’s also an imposing presence against the run. He’s the full package for an interior defensive lineman and the Titans defense will go as he goes.

[Sol Aristatel]

Mike,

 

Futures are back up at Bovada now.  Titans are listed at 40-1.  I put $5 on it for you.  Free $200 if Tennessee wins the Super Bowl.  

 

Go Titans.  

[Mike75]

Mike,

 

Futures are back up at Bovada now.  Titans are listed at 40-1.  I put $5 on it for you.  Free $200 if Tennessee wins the Super Bowl.  

 

Go Titans.  

 

Thanks!!!  

[barman]

BUMP

 

I have decided to really like Titans for AFC Conference Final

 

Their combo of very strong rushing game + very strong rushing defense and a nicely evolving MM really add up. And I like the general schedule which has them facing Bortles twice; whoever HOU rolls out in two games and yes Andrew Luck but I also perceive Colts as about a 6, maybe 7 win team.

 

Final three weeks opponents are LAR, SF and JAX....so if they can get thru Week 14 8-5 they could enter the tournament on a valid roll

[Mike75]

BUMP

 

I have decided to really like Titans for AFC Conference Final

 

Their combo of very strong rushing game + very strong rushing defense and a nicely evolving MM really add up. And I like the general schedule which has them facing Bortles twice; whoever HOU rolls out in two games and yes Andrew Luck but I also perceive Colts as about a 6, maybe 7 win team.

 

Final three weeks opponents are LAR, SF and JAX....so if they can get thru Week 14 8-5 they could enter the tournament on a valid roll

 

Yep, Titans have a great chance to take the division for two big reasons.

 

One is every team in the division has weaknesses like Jax not having a good starting QB,Houston has the same issue along with a bad offensive line and Indy's issue is a bad roster plus Luck not being healthy.

 

Two is that Tennessee has built the best roster in the division. They have a top ten QB,one of the best offensive lines,a top five running game and this year the main weakness WR has turned into a major strength as they signed Eric Decker,drafted Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor to go along with Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe. Also have a top TE Delanie Walker.

 

As far as the defense they had the second best ranked run defense with Jurrell Casey,Brian Orakpo,Derrick Morgan,Sylvester Williams,Wesley Woodyard,etc. Their safety Kevin Byard is becoming one of the best young talents in the league plus Johnathan Cyprien are gonna be ok its the cornerbacks that were the big issue ranked 31st and both CB Perish Cox and Jason McCourty were let go.

 

So they drafted CB Adoree Jackson in the first round and also signed free agent Logan Ryan but they also have two cornerbacks drafted last year fifth rounder LeShaun Sims who won the game vs. KC with a big interception and seventh rounder Kalan Reed who was one of PFF top corners last week in preseason week one. Both Sims and Reed along with Jackson and Ryan should improve the secondary as all are new.

[Mike75]

Titans rookies and youngsters big factor in win vs Jags 37-16 at Jax.

Rookie CB Adoree Jackson had a big punt return that set up a TD,rookie WR Taywan Taylor caught a long bomb from Mariota setting up a score,TE Jonnu Smith scored on a catch,rookie Jayon Brown recovered a fumble,second year RB Derrick Henry ran all over the Jax defense.

What’s next: Another high-profile home game for the Titans to show their worth against the NFL's elite teams. The Seattle Seahawks travel east in what should be a good test of what the Titans' offense truly will be this season. The Seahawks will be easily the best defense the Titans have faced so far.

[Mike75]

[Mike75]

Marcus Mariota threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns,Demarco Murray ran 75 yards on one play for a TD and the Tennessee Titans scored 21 straight points in rallying to beat the Seattle Seahawks 33-27 Sunday.

 

 

[Mike75]

NFL Research‏Verified account @NFLResearch 13h13 hours ago

DeMarco Murray is the 1st player with a 75+ yd run against the Seahawks since 2009 (Frank Gore)... pre-Pete Carroll & the Legion of Boom

[Mike75]

[Mike75]

For the third time this season, QB Marcus Mariota guided the #Titans on a game-winning drive in the 4th quarter/OT.

 

12 plays. 73 yards. And the game-winning TD vs Cincy to pull the Titans to 6-3 on the season and first in their division.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

6-3 Tennessee Titans at 7-2 Pittsburgh Steelers this Thursday Night

[Mike75]

BUMP.....

 

Kevin Byard a second year safety had two interceptions vs Jax and now has 8 and Byard ends year with most INT in the NFL.

 

The Titans swept Jax this season and were 5-1 in division and were 9-7 overall.

 

Mariota prevented a late season collapse putting the team on his back as he and RB Derrick Henry who scored on a 67 yard pass play along with Kevin Byard with two interceptions and the defense helped the Titans defeat Jax 15-10 to make the postseason.