Tennessee Titans
Head Coach: Ken Whisenhunt
2014 Record: 2-14
Postseason: N/A
Odds to win Division: +2500
Odds to win Conference: +11000
Odds to win Super Bowl: +40000
Season Wins: Over 5 (-105); Under 5 (-115)
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The Tennessee Titans did not win fans many chances at half off Papa Johns pizza, but Titans fans’ patience is wearing thin for far deeper reasons, as it is. The good sign is there is some real hope arriving from the NFL draft.
When a team finishes with just two wins, all it can do is cue change, and that was certainly the case for the Tennessee Titans. The fanbase is trying to cling to hope as management is, placing a lot of that inspiration on the shoulders of No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota.
On the surface he appears to have franchise-defining talent, something that the (now retired) Jake Locker never came close to showing. It was easy for the Titans to turn elsewhere in hopes of success. Mariota experienced plenty of success at Oregon and the Titans are hoping he brings some of those ‘Ws’ with him to a team desperately in need of it.
Mariota is a dual-threat absolutely replete with all the gifts that make a great NFL quarterback. The season opens against the Tampa Bay Bucs, who had the fortune of landing No. 1 overall Jameis Winston. The opening day matchup will feature the top-two talents in the draft, hopefully for both teams painting a picture of brighter days to come.
Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt wants to turn to Mariota from Week 1, too, saying “We play to push him and challenge him.” Few doubt he will be up to that challenge.
However, it is not all about one position, one player, and the Titans must put a better supporting cast around its vaunted rookie. The team struggled on both offense and defense last year, as would be expected of a horrible football team. Fans stopped coming, the TV was neglected too, as faith wilted in a fanbase desperate to have something to cheer about.
The Titans added some new talent on both ends of the ball, and while the team certainly is not dreaming of the postseason it is definitely hopeful of achieving some semblance of relevance.
The Titans may have a much different look on offense, mostly due to Mariota and what his skill set represents. He’s capable of destroying teams on the run and also possesses the arm to air it out. The running game has to improve to balance the Titans attack, and just having some stability at QB will be a big plus to help achieve that.
Locker did little more than battle injury his entire time in the NFL, and that, along with being terrible, is a pretty good reason to hang it up. Titans fans won’t miss him.
The Titans expect Mariota to be a quick learner and if he needs time, the Titans will use Zach Mettenburger appropriately as a backup. But all eyes are on Mariota and the things he is capable of doing on the gridiron. Teams with rookie QBs do not typically fare well, but just having some excitement in Nashville is the start to winning back the fanbase.
In the backfield the Titans moved away from long-time stalwart Chris Johnson, whose productivity was zapped by father time. Johnson’s lack of productivity and the fact he still had $8 million a season coming made it rather easy for management to move on.
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Bishop Sankey led the team in rushing with just 569 yards in his rookie season. The year of experience should help Sankey become a bigger threat, but to be real this entire roster is in the process of being turned over in the next few seasons, so if he does not produce there is little guarantee that he will remain a Titan.
The Titans drafted David Cobb to be the No. 2 back behind him, and he is a tough physical back who should be good for short-yardage until he develops into a bigger play threat. Jalston Fowler will also get his looks as a rookie this season. The backfield is young and inexperienced, but it is not bad. It will just take time before these young talents develop into major NFL threats.
The WRs, like the entire offense really, are pretty mediocre. Kendall Wright’s numbers took a big hit in the turmoil of last season after having put up a really nice 2013. He certainly has the talent to be a good No. 1 option for Mariota, though, and he very well may get back on track for another 1,000-plus yard season this year. Justin Hunter has the chance to deliver, but needs to be more consistent.
The Titans wisely added some veteran leadership to the core by signing ex-Falcons receiver Harry Douglas and Hakeem Nicks (of Colts and Giants fame). Dorial Green-Beckham was taken in the draft and at 6’5” 237 pounds he has the size to be a major threat in the red zone, and the Titans needed a lot of help in red zone scoring (obviously so maybe).
Tre McBride has a chance of doing things too, so keep an eye on him if he is able to get some time this year. Last season TE Delanie Walker led the team in receptions with 63 and the team also added TE Anthony Fasano.
The OL should improve a good bit this year, if only because the Titans drafted a monster in Taylor Lewan, No. 11 overall in 2014. It seemed like a reach, but this is an OL in need of major help, so it was really needs-based drafting, notwithstanding that Tennessee likely could have traded down a little and still got the guy it wanted. Lewan will start at LT this season and he showed enough flashes last year as a rookie to believe he can make this unit far better.
RG Chance Warmack is also a pretty solid player and he had a good second half of last season, his second year in the NFL. The rest of the line is really replacement-value or worse, however, and the unit will have to grow together to be much more than average. An average anything probably sounds good to most Titans fans, though, so this season will largely be about forming some cohesion while growing as a team.
Defensively the Titans still have a long way to go, to be sure. It was particularly poor at defending the rush, ranking second-to-last in the NFL by allowing 137.2 yards per game (by comparison Tennessee generated even less, averaging just 90 yards per game and ranking No. 26 in the league). It is hard to call the Titans any better than mediocre on the DL, the LBs, or the secondary.
DLB Jurrell Casey is capable of making som big defensive plays and he made the switch from a 4-3 tackle to a 34 end last season as the Titans changed schemes. The added comfort of that year’s experience should help him return to form. He had just five sacks last season after racking up 10.5 in 2013.
The Titans added some DL talent in the draft and there are some quality players in the defense, but most are unproven and this is a good chance for some guys to make a name for themselves on a rebuilding team.
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The Titans are not going to be good this season, but they can definitely be better. Maybe that goes without saying. While the team has a fairly soft schedule, the AFC South is better this year too. Mariota may eventually help carve this into an effective offensive unit, but there will be plenty of bumps in the road for the rookie QB as he learns the ropes. While the Titans may not win many games this year, there will be more excitement, and hope, for a fanbase desperately in search of both things.
The Titans won its first preseason game and Mariota looked good in the pro-style offense, showcasing his ability to run while also being a good pocket passer. He had just eight passing attempts on three drives in the game, and the Titans won 27-14 over the Atlanta Falcons. That’s a good start to what could still be a somewhat frustrating season.
Prediction: 4 wins
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