"Thursday... Night... Football, folks, it's the opening game of the 2014 NFL season..."
Start of the season and the start of my descent into Titans-land. I have my laptop propped up in front of me, fantasy football on the screen, a bowl of chips by my side, and the Seahawks-Packers game up on the big screen. And I am seriously PUMPED for this season.
All training camp long, I'd been reading mixed reports about the Titans—they'd only gone 1-3, but everyone knows the preseason is not about winning or losing. Before I give you my thoughts about it all, let me show you the roster and ESPN's breakdown of it.
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Quarterbacks: Jake Locker (S), Ryan Fitzpatrick
Titans only go with 2 QBs here in the hope that former 8th overall draft-pick Jake Locker can find a groove, or at least a wide receiver. If not, the former Harvard grad is there to back him up. Grade: C
Runningbacks: Shonn Greene (S), Jalen Parmelee, Bishop Sankey, Darius Reynaud
One has to figure that the Titans will have an RB committee, which is not a good sign when your quarterback is Jake Locker. Greene will presumably start, Sankey will mature, and Reynaud will return kicks and punts. Interesting that the Titans decide to keep four runningbacks, taking a spot from elsewhere. Grade: C+
Fullback: Craig Stevens
I guess the Titans liked Stevens enough to keep him on a roster along with 4 RBs. Grade: C
Wide Receiver: Kendall Wright, Nate Washington, Derek Hagan, Justin Hunter, Michael Preston
Again, not the best cast of wide outs here. Interesting to note that Marc Mariani was cut-- looks like Derek Hagan impressed enough coaches to stick around in Tennessee. Wright and Hunter are poised for breakout seasons while Washington is a rare veteran presence. Grade: B-
Tight End: Delanie Walker (S), Taylor Thompson
Walker is a good fit for the Titans here, in that he's versatile, a good blocker and he can catch. Thompson may be a back-up fullback and a second tight end—that’s it. Grade: B-
Offensive Line: Michael Roos, Andy Levitre, Brian Schwenke, Chance Warmack, Michael Oher, Taylor Lewan
And now we’re talking. This is the Titans biggest strength: these maulers up front are a good mix of skilled youngsters and capable vets. I see a trade of either Oher or Roos to open up a spot at Tackle for Taylor Lewan.
Grade: A
Defensive End: Kamerion Wimbley, Lavar Edwards, Karl Klug, Mike Martin, Marcus Dixon
Well, they're more like placeholders than anything else. A relatively unknown group that’s likely to give up as many big plays as big stops they make. That's ok though... Grade: C+
Defensive Tackle: Jurrell Casey, Sammie Hill, DaQuan Jones, Ryan Pitoitua, Casey is the big name here, as well he should be; following a break-out year, the DE/DT is bound for greater things. The Titans have very good, and more importantly BIG depth at DT.
ILB: Moises Fokou, Zaviar Gooden, Wesley Woodyard, Colin McCarthy
ER... Grade: D+
OLB: Akeem Ayers, Shaun Phillips, Derrick Morgan, Patrick Bailey
This is an OLB group best0suited to rushing the passer, which is a good asset to compliment the Titans’ mediocre set of DE’s. Grade: C+
Safety: Michael Griffin (FS), Bernard Pollard (SS), George Wilson
Another deep group here, and it's a pretty hard-hitting one. Griffin and Pollard should make a good combo, and Wilson is a good ball hawk in a nickel set. Grade: B+
Cornerback: Jason McCourty, Alterraun Verner, Blidi Wreh-Wilson, Khalid Wooten, Coty Sensebaugh
Another deep group, and the top two are pretty good. This defense should be a top-half defense, unlike the sub-par offense. Grade: B
Despite being a huge homer, I had to admit the grades were pretty fair. Just have to hope for better.
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Next update: Opener @ Pittsburgh