Tennessee Titans: A Season In Review
The Tennessee Titans finished the year with a lot more questions than answers. Their 3-13-0 record and last place in the AFC South offer no hiding places but there are some bright spots in all this gloom. The Titans might have a new quarterback of the future, they had a better defense than people gave them credit for and there are some young building blocks on both sides of the ball.
The team started off the year with Jake Locker under center and Shonn Greene as the starting running back, both of these would be different by the end of the season. Greene was pulled in week 8 for rookie Bishop Sankey, who struggled behind an offensive line with some glaring holes.
Locker lasted a little longer, remaining the starter until after his 10th game but he made way for 6th round pick Zach Mettenberger. Whilst Mettenberger didn't set the league on fire with his play he was a significant improvement on Locker and managed to go 3-3-0 as a starter. The flashes from Mettenberger were enough to give the coaching staff hope that he may carry on next season and beyond as the starting quarterback.
Between a lackluster Locker and a rookie the passing game struggled all season with no receiver managing to pick up over 700 yards. The most consistent member of the receiving corps was tight end Craig Stevens who led the team with 70 catches. Second year receiver Justin Hunter came on strong near the end of the year, leading the team with 4 receiving touchdowns. Kendall Wright suffered through nagging injury issues that limited his playing time and his effectiveness.
On defense the stand out player was linebacker Wesley Woodyard who led the team in both tackles and interceptions, taking advantage of good coverage over the middle. Both Akeem Ayers and Jurrell Casey managed quite well getting to opposing quarterbacks but as a whole the team was not able to generate anywhere near enough pressure and the turnovers suffered as a result.
The less said about the Titans' special teams the better really, apart from some good return work by specialist Marc Mariani, the team suffered from poor play all year, losing some close games by virtue of a shanked punt or missed field goal.
Overall the Titans go into the off-season with questions about almost every aspect of the ball. They are a team that is in desperate need of some direction, else they could find themselves at the bottom of the pile for a long time to come. Hopefully with the 2nd pick of the draft and pieces like Mettenberger and Sankey the team is able to pick themselves up and forge ahead.