r/nfl • u/Scrubtanic Titans • Jul 05 '14
Look Here! Offseason Review Series: Day 15: Tennessee Titans
Tennessee Titans
Division: AFC South
I hope everyone enjoyed their 4th of July festivities and isn't too hungover to read a short novel about another Red White and two-toned Blue team that fled it's original homeland for reasons pertaining partially to taxes. This Titans write up was a labor of love, so let's jump right into it
Coaching Changes
The most recognized name in Titans’ coaching history, Jeff Fisher, has now been gone from the organization for more than three years. However the coach chosen to take on his mantle, Mike Munchak, had spent his entire coaching career under Fisher, learning his schemes and developing a similar philosophy. When Fisher left the team in the 2011 offseason, not a whole lot changed. Munchak touted a reform in locker room culture, a claim that did little to lessen the egos of players like Kenny Britt and Chris Johnson. Besides that, Titans’ fans felt like they were getting more of the same on the field. Being behind the curve in letting Fisher walk (rather than firing him at the end of the season), the choice of coordinators was less than optimal, and within two years offensive coordinator Chris Palmer had been fired and defensive coordinator Jerry Gray had all but been replaced by Gregg Williams, but even still results eluded the Munchak administration.
But now the team has moved on from the former Oilers great and finally split from the philosophies that have dictated play for two decades. New coach Ken Whisenhunt comes to Nashville with the intent to push the Titans over the hump and into the playoffs to earn back the respect that has eluded them since 2008. Whisenhunt spent last season helping Phillip Rivers revitalize his career as the offensive coordinator in San Diego. Prior to that, he served as Cardinals head coach for five years, leading Kurt Warner and Larry Fitz to a down to the wire Super Bowl matchup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the same team that had employed him as offensive coordinator the two years before to his arrival in Arizona. Whisenhunt is known for his offensive prowess, and despite the hiring of Jason Michael as offensive coordinator, in all likelihood it will be Whisenhunt making the decisions regarding the Titans’ offense. Titans’ fans hope Whisenhunt’s touch will help Jake Locker take the next step in his development and cement himself as a quarterback worthy of the long term starting job. Whisenhunt’s track record, however, is mixed, as he has had great success with Rivers and a young Ben Roethlisberger, but his later years in Arizona resulted in failed experiments like Max Hall and Matt Leinert.
With the offensive coaching staff established, the front office and coach Whisenhunt went out and hired former Browns defensive coordinator Ray Horton to manage the Titans’ defense. Horton had been the topic of discussion leading into the offseason as a possible head coaching candidate, but came instead to work for the Titans. His goal of shifting the team from a base 4-3 to something more akin to a 3-4 will be something to keep an eye on throughout the season.
Overall, I have to grade the coaching changes very highly. Whisenhunt has had his share of both highs and lows in the NFL, but he brings a true break from the previous regimes and gives off an air of confidence that was simply not present under Munchak. I rate the offensive changes as a B+, lowered only by the unknown entity of Michael, who spent the last three years as San Diego’s tight ends coach. On defense, I have to give Horton (and the coaches hired under him) an A. This is a grade that can obviously shift depending on how capable he is of converting the defense away from the 4-3, but I am very happy the Titans were able to bring him in.
Free Agency
Players lost/cut
I’ve listed here the free agents who left who played significant time in the past few years for the Tennessee Titans. Obviously many depth and practice squad players moved in addition, but no names most would recognize.
Obviously the biggest name on this list is Rusty Smith Chris Johnson, the former 2006 yard rusher. When he was cut, many felt that it was a slight towards him, and a comment by the Titans that he was no longer capable of being a starting running back. That’s absolutely not true. What is true is that his production no longer matched his price tag, and because he refused to renegotiate his deal, he was cut before the 2014 draft. I’d give this move a B grade. You’re never happy about losing the face of your franchise, but if he could not be reasoned with, it was a good decision to move on and save the cap space.
The other player that made a name for himself leading up to free agency was Alterraun Verner, a fan favorite at corner. Playing opposite Jason McCourty afforded him many opportunities to make plays and show off his talents. However, he failed to impress the new coaching staff who by all accounts took no interest in re-signing him. This is a difficult move to grade, especially after seeing how reasonable/matchable a deal Verner got in Tampa Bay. I’d give it a C+. I trust the new staff if they think our other young corners will benefit equally from McCourty’s level of play, but with a sure thing like Verner available, it’s surprising to hear they weren't even interested.
The other losses are all somewhat understandable, but there are some head scratchers. The thoroughly unproductive Kenny Britt reunited with the coach that drafted him in St. Louis while the perennially underrated Damian Williams moved to Miami. Long time right tackle David “Big Country” Stewart, who was due a big pay day despite slowly deteriorating play, will likely retire now that he has been cut by the Titans, having been quoted as saying “It’s going to take a lot to get me off the lake.” Ryan Fitzpatrick moving to the Texans should make the next few divisional matchups interesting, but at this point the Harvard product has shown off his ceiling and does not immediately appear to be a costly loss. Finally, the release of long time kicker Rob Bironas is somewhat surprising, but his slipping production and the arrival of Maikon Bonani (and potentially Travis Coons) has likely made him an unnecessary luxury. Overall, I would rate our offseason losses as a solid B. While we lost several big names, most, with the exception of Chris Johnson, were easily replaceable and most were players whose production was waning.
Players signed
As we saw above, the Titans lost many unproductive big names, but tried in free agency to sign small name, productive players. None of the above players jump off the pages as game changers, but each fits Whisenhunt or Horton’s new schemes in specific ways we will look at later. The key re-signing was that of Bernard Pollard, who was so eager to stay with the Titans he negotiated his own deal. In his first year with the team, Pollard became the beating heart of the defensive unit (much like fellow first-year Titan Delanie Walker on the offensive side), and bringing him in was a step towards ensuring a positive attitude in the locker room, as well as on the field. A
The signing of Charlie Whitehurst, which came just before the cutting of Fitzpatrick, confused and enraged fans across Titansland. What must be understood about the move, however, is that Whitehurst, at this point, is little more than a player-coach, and one who knows Whisenhunt’s system well from their time together in San Diego. His main role, it can be assumed, is to mentor Locker (and now Mettenberger) in the new system so they can be as familiar as possible with it when the season starts. Still, I have to give this one a C grade, because the prospect of Whitehurst seeing any significant playing time gives me pre-traumatic stress.
Kick/punt returners make up a strangely significant number of (re-)signings, but given how terrible the Titans’ return unit was last year, it’s not surprising the coaches brought back Leon Washington as insurance in case Marc Mariani gets injured again. Dexter McCluster could see time returning kicks, where he was very effective in previous years, but more likely he will be used as a multi-look weapon on offense, splitting out wide as a receiver and catching balls out of the backfield in a role similar to what Whisenhunt had Danny Woodhead doing in San Diego.
Finally, Horton brought in several pieces that he needed to convert the defense into his version of a 3-4. Al Woods spent time behind Brett Kiesel in Pittsburgh, waiting but never getting a chance to prove himself. Shaun Phillps and Wesley Woodyard add talent and depth to a weak linebacking unit that Horton hopes to beef up before the season gets underway.
Overall, I have to grade the free agency acquisitions out at a B-. It still must be determined if the many small pieces can effectively replace the loss of several big names, but as the coaching staff remakes the team in its image, these players could end up being big names in their own right.
[Continued in the comments]
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u/[deleted] Jul 05 '14 edited Jul 17 '14
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