Preseason over for Missouri

It's a perfect analogy to compare Missouri's first four games to the NFL preseason. It was four games long. The offense and defense were learning the schemes of new coordinators. The competition was not top-notch. Heck, the last game even was on a Friday night, just like in the NFL.

For the most part, the announcers last night were annoying. One point Rod Gilmore made that I liked was that young teams usually get better as the season progresses. That's good, because to compete for the Big 12 title, even the Big 12 North, Missouri's going to have to improve.

Here's a two-word reason why they can: Blaine Gabbert. In running the regular offense, it was an evening-long struggle against the fiesty Nevada Wolfpack. This is the same team that's been outscored by 25 points a game to date. Gabbert couldn't get anything going except for three key plays. They were all after the pocket collapsed. In two of those plays, Gabbert flushed to the right. From watching way too many games, I assumed he was setting up to throw the ball out of bounds. Both times he pulled back his arm and threw a deep ball down the sideline right to his receiver. Neither time was the receiver wide open. These are throws that might not work in the NFL. Luckily this is college.

Don't scouts see a little Ben Roethlisberger in Gabbert? Gabbert doesn't have the girth quite yet, but a 6'5 QB with that kind of arm strength who can run a little is an NFL prototype. Since he's running in the so-called gimmicky spread offense, he's going to need some time to develop. Missouri fans can only hope that he hangs around after his junior year.

As for the team, they seem a little green. This could be the set up year for next year's run at a conference title. I'm not afraid of Kansas or Nebraska, although both games are possible defeats. It's the Texas game, and Oklahoma State, that will be the true tests. Last year's upset defeat to OSU, a winnable game, followed by a complete debacle in Austin showed us that sometimes the "veteran" team doesn't always come through. So who knows. OSU may not be as good as last year. Oklahoma's already lost a game. We have no idea how good Texas is. Sometimes the window of opportunity opens when we think we're not ready. A good team goes through regardless.

If it were just based on uniforms, the Titans with their throwback Oiler look should dismantle the Jets in their funky Titan gear. There are few examples where the throwback is worse than the present day look. Heck, the Jets went with a throwback look permanently a few years ago and it works. I hope other teams, like the Chargers, follow suit.

Personality Change

I'm a different person inside LP field. Outside the Titans' home I'm a quiet guy who rarely raises his voice and gets along with everyone. Inside, I'm a maniac.
I let it all hang out when it's game time. I yell, I curse, I tell an entire section of people to make more noise. Why is this? Because so many people are screaming, yelling, and acting like insane people, I can blend in. In most settings, I'm unsure of myself. When I'm cheering for my football team, I'm sure of everything. I know what's happening and can explain every situation.

In a sure sign of maturity or age, last week's game didn't bother me as much as the previous two losses. Perhaps I'm getting to my saturation point in close losses. Honestly, watching the defense struggle like it did does not quite compute. I saw the signs during the Cowboys game. Dallas moved up and down the field with no problems. Of course it was preseason, and the usual party line of "we didn't scheme for them" made perfect sense. I forgot that football coaches are a bunch of liars.
As a sports fan, I always believe that the bottom is going to drop out. I've seen it happen too many times. That's what you get when you've watched so many events. Everything that could happen, happens. I know that great players can become mortal. I've seen seemingly insurmountable leads evaporate. This summer, Titan fans witnessed the bizarre death of one of their heroes.

Perhaps that added to the strange atmosphere. I have to admit, it got very dusty in that humid stadium when they did a tribute to McNair. The giveaway was a black sticker with the blue number 9. That added a pall to the goings on. Is there anything creepier than watching a dead man talk? McNair gave what was the usual retired athletes' speech about how the fans were key to his success and they were the best in the world. Suddenly my feelings on his death became clear. Yeah, it was a tragedy. I think Mrs. McNair deserved an opportunity to confront her wayward husband. It's very possible that they had an agreement, unspoken or otherwise, that his activities were condoned. I don't think that murder-suicide was part of it.
On to the game. Forget what I said earlier, there hasn't been a game like this in NFL history. I keep up with Chris Johnson's tweets. He's a 24-year-old (just a couple of days ago) with extreme athletic talents who can be a little full of himself. Fans were afraid that his transcendent 2008 season was a mirage. The Titans had drafted and drafted running backs, looking for the next Eddie George. We got it. We got the next generation of Eddie George.

I made a joke to my dad on the way in that the Titans were predictable on third and long. Run the draw. Most NFL teams do this to get a few yards and more or less throw away the play. It was third and 14. LenDale White was in the game. Had he run the draw, there would have been a punt the next play. After a penalty, Chris Johnson replaced him. He took the handoff, made a couple of moves and was gone. If he gets to the second level, forget about it. Touchdown. It was the first touchdown I had seen in our end zone by our team since December.

Later in the quarter, Johnson lined up wide. In the opener, one complaint was that the Titans didn't throw the ball to Johnson enough. The Titans may have played bad defense last Sunday, but they didn't forget to at least line a guy up against Andre Johnson on every play. No one from the Texans followed Johnson, and every fan in the stadium saw it a second before it happened. In perhaps the easiest 69-yard touchdown in NFL history, Collins immediately threw the ball to Johnson and it was over. There was no doubt that he was going to score. There might be half a dozen players in the NFL who just would have been able to turn on the jets.

The last score was on third and ten from the nine-yard line. Again Johnson replaced White. Do you think LenDale will get another draw play for the rest of the year. Johnson made maybe two moves and was gone for 91 yards. This woke up the fans stunned from watching the team give up 17 straight points in the second quarter. He scored and fans started wondering if Johnson was on the verge of breaking some league records.

He didn't do much for the rest of the game. The lead disappeared and the hopeful game tying or winning drive ended when Collins inexplicably dropped the football as he scrambled. We were silent, but we were not surprised at the result.

I relished in the atmosphere. The silly inflatable helmet from which the defense was announced. The overpriced food. The normal cast of characters in the seats my parents have had for a decade. The pre-game flight. The amazing plays on both sides of the ball. It was a lot of fun. The slow walk up the hill was not quite as fun. Unlike the last walk, on a cold drizzly evening in January, it wasn't the end of the world. It was clearly the end of 2008's magic. Fans had to wonder if the run was finished. 0-2 is a tough spot, although I saw a Titan team start 1-4 and make it to the AFC Championship. Hope springs eternal.

By the time I walked to the truck, I wasn't the maniac anymore. I was tired.

A History of Poor Decisions

I have a position quandary in z34 that has been much discussed but not detailed for the masses. How does a team get to the point that they make the following Week 1 acquisitions that help his WR core?

Free agents picked up: Jerheme Urban. Besides being the first player named Jerheme in the NFL (and white with that moniker to boot), he was the most productive WR4 in the league in 2008. He had five 50+ yardage games. Not only that, he completed one pass. Last year's 34/448/4 line is his best by far in five NFL seasons. As long as Steve Breaston and Anquan Boldin are questionable, he has some value.

Number two guy is Legedu Naane. He's been in the NFL three seasons and already has two numbers. He started as a fullback/h-back type and moved to wideout for the Chargers. Before last week's 5/49 "explosion", his previous receiving high in a game was 39. Do you hear the Rocky music in the background when you think about the former Boise State "star"? Shut up.

My final roster move was to trade for Josh Cribbs. He is a former Pro Bowler, but as a returner. Including last week's 2/10 line, he has 163 receiving yards for a career. This is his fifth year in the National Football League. He returned his seventh career kick for a TD last week and had a few wildcat snaps. He's a desperation start at best. I traded Limas Sweed for him. Sweed may develop into a useable receiver. Those odds just went up since I got rid of him.

You may laugh at my three pickups, but they all scored more week one points than any of the receivers on my roster. How did I get to this pitiful state? We have to go into the way back machine, to a distant year. 2005.

In my initial draft I selected the following players: Torry Holt (3.06), Ashley Lelie (5.07), Nate Burleson (7.06), Donte Stallworth (14.02), Michael Jenkins (22.05), Clarence Moore (stop laughing), Shaun McDonald, and Derick Armstrong (seriously can't remember if he was a WR). In the rookie draft I took Vincent Jackson and Roydell Williams. You see Jackson and think there has to be a happy ending. We are far from through with this sad tale.

Holt was a stud for my team for a while. The rest of the guys, not so much. I added D.J. Hackett and Ronald Curry the first year.

I did not add a receiver in the 2006 rookie draft. I did trade my second round rookie pick for Michael Clayton. Can you make this crap up? I don't think so. The only good thing that came from picking up Clayton was that I turned him around for Chris Cooley and a draft pick. Yes, Cooley needed a trade kicker when grabbing the powerhouse that is Michael Clayton.

Prior to 2007, I was still a trading fool. I got Deion Branch, T.J. Duckett, and a 2007 3rd round rookie pick for Cedric Benson. For a while, this was a lose-lose deal. Branch has been injured at least for two seasons since, and I'm about to release him for good. I also got rid of Larry Johnson after his "career" year. Part of my return was Chris Chambers. Gosh, he's really paid off. I think I started him once last year.

I acquired Bernard Berrian at some point. He may have been a free-agent addition. My 2007 rookie "haul" included Sidney Rice and Jacoby Jones. Still waiting for one of the two to "ripen".

I made a series of moves to capitalize on Ben Roethlisberger's career year in 2007. I traded him for Donovan McNabb and a first round pick. Then I turned around McNabb for the another first-round pick. Sadly the trade "kicker" in this deal was Vincent Jackson, the year of his own career year.

LImas Sweed was my second consecutive 2.01 rookie pick before the 2008 season. I just traded him for a kick returner. I also picked up Adrian Arrington (2009 practice squad) and Hank Baskett (twice released and picked up this week by the Colts).

With a beyond horrid set of receivers and the 1.02 pick, I had to wheel and deal for a starter, right? I turned down offers for Ochocinco and Randy Moss for the pick. Instead, I took Michael Crabtree. I also drafted Hakeem Nicks and Mike Thomas, who scored about two points last week. Nicks is injured. My big free agent pickups included David Clowney (didn't see the field in week one) and Steve Johnson (released for Mr. Urban).

Torry Holt led my receivers with 4.7 points last week. He's a stone-cold lock as a starter this week and probably for most of the rest of the year. I will now put my head through a plate-glass window. At least through this exercise I see how many, many deals have led me to this point. I have made the wrong decision about 30 times in a row in regards to this position. The rest of my team is fine. I have top 30 players at every other position. It's just one that really really sucks.

Opening Day

I am sitting at the Funk Sports Bar and Grill, drinking a Tap Room Amber Ale with a Belgian Ale via Maine called Allagash in the bullpen. Four pounds of chicken wings are cooking. It's game time. I don't know which game we will watch first. There are plenty of fantasy options. I'm wearing my Lions visor in honor of Kevin Smith. I decided to start Smith over Cedric Benson and Philip Rivers over Donovan McNabb. I'm trusting my starters and my instincts this week. If I suck, then it's time to re-evaluate. Like the Titans, I can't judge an entire year based on one game. It's a long season. I need some wings before I drink any more beer.

I'll be back early and often. Go NFL.

Breaking Down a Defeat

Here's why Titan fans should feel optimistic after an eerily familiar 13-10 overtime loss to the Steelers:

Kerry Collins is as solid as he was last year. He hit receivers on the numbers all night. Whether they caught those passes was another issue.

The run defense was ridiculous.

The front four got pressure on Roethlisberger for most of the game. Note that in the game-tying fourth quarter drive that the Steelers ran a no-huddle, shotgun attack. The defense was gassed after that.

Kenny Britt looks like a playmaker. Yeah, he should have broken up the interception in the first quarter, but he made good breaks and caught everything thrown his way.

Michael Griffin's strip of Hines Ward was one of the most clutch plays ever made by a Titan.

Then there were the issues:

Bironas stunk up the joint. That's three missed field goals in the last two games.

Finnegan probably shouldn't be returning punts. His main job is just to catch the ball and he failed on that once.

When Finnegan made the half-ending interception, he should have found a way to get to the house. All he had to do was beat a couple of offensive linemen and he ran out of bounds.

Justin Gage caught a tough pass to help beat Pittsburgh last December. He dropped a sure touchdown in the second quarter and couldn't hold onto a couple of critical third-down passes. He can't be the Titans' number one target.

The D line got no pressure on Roethlisberger in the fourth quarter and overtime. Even the few blitzes attempted did not succeed.

What we learned:

Roethlisberger is a gamer. The Steelers try to develop late-round guys in their offensive line because he's so good under pressure. He's not a fantasy stud but he is a real-life game-changer.

Chris Johnson is still fast. He had one great run and not much else.

Overall, the defense looked good. Giving up only 13 points on the road against the defending Super Bowl champ is as much as you can ask of the unit.

The Titans still can't close out good teams in critical games.

It's tough being a Titan fan. In the past decade, only Eagles fans could have more complaints about their franchise being a big tease.

In 2000, the Titans opened at Buffalo. This was the year after the Music City Miracle. The Bills won with a game-winning drive led by then-backup and now-OC Alex Van Pelt. The Titans went on to win seven in a row and 13-3 overall. Then came the Ravens.

Countdown

The NFL season starts in less than eight hours (and at the Funk Sports Bar and Grill). For the first time ever, the Titans are part of the opening game festivities. I can’t decide if I’d rather see the Titans always as a small-market, in-the-weeds kind of franchise or if I’d like them to have a larger national footprint. Tonight’s game is huge in that regard. Most prognosticators, in all of their anti-boldness, have picked the Titans to be a Wild Card team at best. The Colts still cast a large, shall I say Manning-sized, shadow over the division.

The Titans being an underrated franchise isn’t new. After making the playoffs in 2007, they were relegated to fourth place in the AFC South by some. No one knew that Kerry Collins would take over and play well, and Chris Johnson was just a fantasy sleeper. The defense was a given. The season unfolded in a way that few predicted.

It’s the same for the rest of the league. There are more people paid to be experts, yet the truth is we know nothing and only will know a little after this weekend.
I want to be overconfident about the game tonight. The Titans are good enough to beat the Steelers. I’d be more nervous if the Titans were playing the Patriots, or the Ravens, and maybe even the Colts.

The final score in last year’s game was 31-14, which looks like a blowout. It was not. With 9:41 to go in the third quarter, the Steelers led 14-10. On third and 20, Kerry Collins hit Justin McCareins (surprisingly out of work this fall, I say sarcastically) for a 19-yard gain. It was fourth and one. Normally, Jeff Fisher kicks the field goal. He went for it. Chris Johnson took the wide pitch, broke one tackle and scored easily. Jason Jones, an unknown when he was drafted out of Eastern Michigan in the second round, made 3.5 sacks. These were the players unconsidered before the season. When it was time to make plays, they were made.
One of the keys to the 2008 team was that when they were down, they immediately responded. After the Steelers took the lead, the Titans scored on the next possession, picked Roethlisberger off, and scored a near game-clinching touchdown. It’s impossible to tell if this team has a similar makeup.

Jared Cook will likely miss the game. That’s too bad. Scaife and Crumpler are fine, but they are not matchup problems for the Steelers. Nate Washington will be limited. They’re going to need him all year, so another ten days to rest seems like a good idea. He may get in the game for a few plays. Everyone else seems healthy. Early season health can’t be taken for granted.

I won’t make any game-time predictions. If the Titans hold on early while the Steelers feed off the emotion of the night and the home crowd, it’s going to be a great game. I wonder if Collinsworth will say “Boom!” just once, for nostalgia’s sake.

Here’s an interesting article from Football Outsiders. The Titans are projected to have the 6th best defense, 5th best offense (not sure about that) and the 32nd best special teams (could be true). If I could decipher the numbers better I might be able to tell you how a team with a top-six offense and defense finishes third in their division (although they think that’s good enough for the playoffs).

I’ll be at the Funk Sports Bar (Grill is closed tonight) this evening with a Belgian Ale. It will be good to see my old friend football again.

Next in line

I started watching today's Missouri/Illinois game with some trepidation. A bad defense from 2008 had six new starters. New guys would have to step up and replace Chase Coffman and Jeremy Maclin. And Chase Daniel, the "field general" for the past three years, was waiting to see if he'd make the Redskins practice squad.

Blaine Gabbert was the key. Daniel had a bit of an internship in his freshman year, getting a series in the second quarter of almost every game that Brad Smith started. Daniel led the team to an overtime victory. Gabbert played a little his freshman year rather than redshirt. If the experience helped, we wouldn't know.

I guess it helped. I knew that Gabbert was bigger than Daniel. I thought he might have a stronger arm. I didn't know that he was a faster runner. A few early runs helped push away the first-start jitters. A long TD pass to Wes Kemp officially broke the ice.

Illinois looked as prepared as Oregon did on Thursday night. Missouri's offense stagnated a few times but a 16-3 lead at the half was good to me. Thanks to previous second-half near collapses I wasn't confident, not even when the lead extended to more than two touchdowns. Juice Williams just didn't show up. Arrelious Benn got injured early and the announcers used his absence as a convenient crutch for their demise.

Let's talk about the new stars. Gabbert had 313 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also had 54 yards rushing and a score. Hmm. . . maybe I left my college fantasy league one year early. The rushing game overall wasn't great, but it was good enough. Danario Alexander had nine catches, reminding everyone that before a wrist injury in 2007 he started over Jeremy Maclin. Alexander's had some bad injury luck, with a broken wrist, an ACL tear and a second tear of the replacement ligament. He looks like the go-to receiver. Veteran Jared Perry was solid and sophomore Wes Kemp had his first touchdown.

It's not the victory that's huge, it's the way it happened. The defense was more bendy than solid, but they got turnovers when necessary. Illinois scored 76 points the last two years, so this should be considered a quasi-shutout. I think the better Big 12 offenses won't struggle as much to move the ball.

Let's not forget Grant Ressel. The walk-on kicker made three field goals in three attempts. Jeff who?

I'm just surprised that there's so much college-worthy talent in Missouri. Most of the key players in the game were from Missouri. The only way for the Tigers to stay a top 25 team is to lock the borders and get some "sleeper" prospects from Texas and California.

Let's not forget that Blaine Gabbert initially committed to Nebraska. I'd rather have him than Nebraska's empty season-opening slot in the top 25.

I'll conclude with a quick recap of the Titans' final preseason game. Vince looked better in each game. I'd be petrified if he started, but I wouldn't completely slump my shoulders in defeat. Is that progress? Dominique Edison looks like a long-term prospect at WR. It's about time the Titans developed a wideout, regardless of draft position.

I'm surprised that Chris Henry made the final roster over Quinton Ganther. He has NFL talent, but the instincts are lacking. Keeping five wideouts means that they must be considering signing Matt Jones. If Washington misses the opener, does that mean Britt starts? I'd put Jared Cook in the slot.

To finalize my z34 roster, I traded waiver-wire LB Joe Mays for Jon Kitna. I got Kitna to back up Tony Romo. Mays is the starting MLB for the Eagles while Stewart Bradley recovers from his knee injury. He may or may not be a three-down guy. It's not the kind of deal that wins championships, that's for sure.

Titan Worries: Part Two

Part one has been somewhat relieved by me reading that Jason Jones is back in practice and will play tomorrow night.

Part two will be about what has to be the Titan franchise's Achilles heel. The wideout position. Derrick Mason is the only Titan wideout to make the Pro Bowl, and he was a kick returner.

Do we have 2000 words to talk about Titan misfortunes with free agent wideouts? Yancey Thigpen and Carlos Pickens were big failures. David Givens ended his career with a knee injury. Nate Washington signed with the Titans, hoping to finally break through as a starter. He injured his hamstring and might not play in the opener.

Starters could be Justin Gage and Kenny Britt. Britt overcame some hamstring issues of his own. Depth is shallow. Lavelle Hawkins hasn't showed much other than choosing Tyrone Calico's number. Paul Williams hasn't been worth the third-round pick in 2007. Dominique Edison is a rookie who played for Stephen F Austin last year. That's why Matt Jones is in town.

At least Justin McCareins isn't visiting.

Titan Worries: Part One

Every team has issues and questions heading into the regular season. I'm going to write about what specifically worries me about the Titans heading into 2009. Today is part one.

Where is Jason Jones? Most 2009 prognostications have Jones as a key member of a Titans' defensive line that has to be more than the sum of its parts. There are some great parts, but there's no Albert Haynesworth, who commanded the attention of an offense. Haynesworth's one of those guys who is so talented that he only has to turn it on some of the time, and Redskin fans will see this soon enough. Jovan Haye, the new free agent, feels more like a pash rusher. Tony Brown will start and play the most, but is he really a blue-chipper as Mike Lombardi attests? Sen'Derrick Marks is a rookie and probably won't play much. Mitch King is probably a practice squad player at best. Kevin Vickerson will play serious minutes. Without Jones, the Titans don't win last December. They're going to need him to play 50% of the defensive snaps at a high level to expose the Steeler offensive line.

Next on my list: Wide receiver. It's always a perceived issue. Will it really be an issue this fall?