Thursday Football Afterword: Titans vs Colts

Former 1st round draft pick Donald Brown had a career day, rushing
for 80 yards and two touchdowns in Indy's win on Thursday.

Cory Puffett

After one of their worst performances since the 2011 season, the Colts needed bounce-back game. They got just that, and it could not have come at a more critical time.

Visiting their AFC South rivals, Indianapolis held a two-game lead over Tennessee entering Thursday. With another matchup with the Titans coming in Week 13, the Colts could ill afford to give up a game in their division race.

The Titans got off to a booming start. Chris Johnson talked during the week about wanting to gain 100 yards on the ground in this game after failing to do so in each of Tennessee’s last five tangles with the Colts.

He certainly got off to a good start, rushing for 70 yards and two touchdowns on eight carries on the Titans’ first two possessions.

But Tennessee got away from the run game and Johnson only saw the ball ten more times the rest of the game, nine times on the ground and once through the air, and finished with just 84 total yards.

Still, trailing 17-3 early in the second quarter and 17-6 at halftime, Indianapolis was looking far too much like the team we saw last week against St. Louis. The offensive line was not blocking well in any aspect of the game, and though the defense settled down after the first two Tennessee drives, it looked like those scores might be enough for the Titans.

But the Colts flipped the switch in the second half. Indy got the ball to start the second half, and Andrew Luck went 5/5 for 42 yards along with a 13-yard scramble that led to a six-yard Donald Brown touchdown run.

Tennessee return man Devon Wylie fumbled the ensuing kickoff and after tossing a nine-yard completion, Luck scored on an 11-yard scramble to give the Colts a 20-17 lead.

In all, the Titans ran just seven plays for eleven yards in the third quarter.

The Titans did a better job of stringing plays together and keeping their defense off the field in the final quarter, but the damage was already done and the Colts rode their momentum swing to a big victory that gives them a three-game lead in the AFC South and a 3-0 division record.

This win also protected a long-standing accomplishment for Andrew Luck. He has not lost consecutive games since his redshirt freshman year at Stanford.

The Colts have divisional games every other week for the rest of the season with matchups at Arizona, at Cincinnati and at Kansas City in between.

At 4-6, the Titans’ playoff hopes are slim. Their next move is a three-game road trip. They get a long week to prepare for Oakland, and then they play in Indianapolis with Thursday’s loss fresh in their minds. They will finish this road trip in Denver. If they lose either of their next two games, that will be a must-win for Tennessee.

Final Score:

Indianapolis Colts – 30

Tennessee Titans – 27

2013 Offseason Update, Week 18

Jake Locker is entering his third season in the NFL, viewed by most as
the most important year in a young quarterback's development.
Photo credit to USA Today.

As of yesterday, we are now eight weeks away from the 2013 Hall of Fame Game in Canton, featuring the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys.

Jake Locker Entering Important Season

Last week I talked a little about the AFC East, focusing on the Dolphins and Patriots. The AFC South appears pre-determined with the Texans leading the way, the Colts close behind and the Titans and Jaguars bringing up the rear.

But the Titans have an opportunity to surprise some people and it starts with Jake Locker, who is entering his third season, typically and important one in the development of an NFL quarterback.

Locker showed great potential at times last season and now needs to become more consistent. High draft picks are expected to break through in their third seasons, and those who don’t tend to flame out soon after. Locker has some solid targets, especially with Delanie Walker coming from San Francisco. If Kenny Britt can stay healthy and out of trouble, Locker has the opportunity to lift Tennessee to the number two spot in the division.

JaMarcus Russell Bears Workout

Russell’s NFL comeback attempt landed him in Chicago on Friday. His accuracy was reportedly erratic at times, but he gained positive reviews overall. The Bears also worked out Trent Edwards and Jordan Palmer, so it doesn’t seem likely that they will sign JaMarcus, but his workout could land him some other opportunities around the NFL, and will certainly boost his standing among CFL teams if it comes to that.

Donté Stallworth

Back in March, Stallworth and his girlfriend were in a hot-air balloon that hit some power lines. Both were shaken up and sustained some injuries, but both recovered and Donté was cleared to resume his NFL career in May.

A few days ago, the Redskins invited Stallworth to participate in their veteran minicamp next week. If they end up signing him, it would be his second stint in Washington after playing in 11 games for them in 2011.

Stallworth suffered an injury last year after playing in just one game for the New England Patriots, but in that game he scored on a 63-yard touchdown pass. So, if healthy, he can bring some explosiveness to an offense that already has plenty of it in Washington.

If I am missing anything important, or if you just want to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

2013 Offseason Needs: AFC South

This week and next, between Tuesday and Friday, I am going through the NFL division-by-division, writing about what each team needs to address this offseason. I have covered the bases in the AFC East and AFC North, so today I move on to the AFC South.

I won’t pretend to know every detail of what each team needs, but am open to comments from those who may know better what their teams need.

Houston Texans

I like Houston in 2013. J.J. Watt stepped up in a huge way this year and I expect more of the same. Brian Cushing will be back, too, so I have no doubts that the defense will be ready to carry this team at least as far as it went this year.

The offense is what concerns me. Arian Foster is a premier NFL back, and they have one of the best receivers in the NFL in Andre Johnson. Matt Schaub just does not look good when they go up against anything better than a mediocre defense. Cincinnati’s defense, which was little more than ‘up-and-coming’ this year, made him look incompetent in the postseason.

There is no expectation that Schaub could be out in Houston, but he needs to find his mojo, which he lost sometime around 2010, because this is a Super Bowl contender doomed for Divisional Round exits if he doesn’t step his game up.

Indianapolis Colts

The Colts underwent a total overhaul last offseason and found themselves in the playoffs, so they have to be feeling very good about what just a few changes could bring in 2013.

Bruce Arians is out as he takes over head coaching duties in Arizona, but the Colts were quick to bring in one of Andrew Luck’s coaching from Stanford, so we shouldn’t see the loss of Arians affect him too much next season.

The big name among Indy’s free agents is Dwight Freeney, but losing him won’t be as big a blow as fans want to think it will be. Freeney is getting older and isn’t what he was during the mid-2000’s when the Manning Era looked like it may never end.

The offense is just about set, all Indy needs is a lineman or two who can protect Luck better than the unit did in 2012. On defense, the pass rush was a weak point for Indianapolis this season, but mostly because receivers were getting open too quickly down the field. The top priority needs to be the secondary, then the Colts can look to add a linebacker and replace Freeney if he does, in fact, leave.

Jacksonville Jaguars

I’ll tell you right now, the Jaguars will not be turning any heads in 2013. This team looks hopeless right now, and teams that look like that don’t turn things around in one offseason. Nobody likes to hear this, but what Jacksonville needs to do is treat this process as a multi-season thing. If they look for a quick fix, not only will it fail but it will make the process of turning this team into a contender take much longer than it has to.

The Jaguars have the second pick in the draft, and they need players on defense. They need offensive weapons, too, but defense was their weaker point this season. Of course, drafting that pick could help more because then they can add players on both sides of the ball.

Gabbert needs to be Jacksonville’s man, and they need to get him the offseason work he needs. They have to make sure Maurice Jones-Drew is fully recovered and they might want to get a decent backup, because they didn’t have anything this season once he went down.

The defense needs a total overhaul, each part needs to be replaced or refurbished. If the Jaguars can do enough to notch six wins in 2013, then next offseason could hold brighter tidings in the crystal ball.

Tennessee Titans

Chris Johnson needs to get back in his groove next season to take the pressure of Jake Locker, who came on strong this year but is still too young to trust as much more than a game manager.

Offensively, I like where Tennessee is going. They are slowly looking more and more like the Titans of the late 90’s, a team I thoroughly enjoyed watching.

Defensively, the Titans need work. The line and secondary are clearly the biggest areas in need of improvement, depth at linebacker is important, too. They lost Colin McCarthy, a very good young linebacker, to ankle and concussion injuries for most of the 2012 season and nobody was there to step into his role.

Tomorrow I will go through the AFC West, looking at each team’s offseason outlook just like I did for the AFC South today. Keep up with new posts as I publish them by ‘liking’ my Facebook page and by following me on Twitter, @cpuffnfl.

2013 Offseason Update, Week 1

Gregg Williams has a new look that we can only hope corresponds to a
new motivational philosophy. Photo credit to titansonline.com.

We are now a full week into the offseason and I’m already having dreams of pre-season starting, a sure sign I’m going through withdrawal.

I’m not sure yet what I will write about for the rest of this week, but today I am just going to cover a few of the big stories from last week that some of you may not have seen.

Because I took the past few days off from writing, my flow may be a little off today.  Forgive me while I get back into the swing of things.

Anquan Boldin Done?

Joe Flacco’s upcoming contract has been over-covered and over-analyzed since winning MVP for Super Bowl XLVII. The problem with his raise is that either Jacoby Jones or Anquan Boldin may not get new contracts because of cap limitations. Boldin said last week that if he does not get a new contract, he will retire. He says he will never put on a uniform other than that of the Ravens.

Michael Vick Remains an Eagle

This one just came in today. Vick signed a 1-year contract that could be worth up to $10 million, though I would assume too many fumbles and interceptions would cost him on payday.

Gregg Williams Returns

Williams was banned from the NFL indefinitely after news of his involvement in a bounty system with the New Orleans Saints. The ban was lifted a few days ago and Williams joined the Tennessee Titans’ coaching staff as a senior assistant defensive coach.

Giant Changes

While the Yankees were fairly quiet during the offseason, being unusually frugal, the Giants are going about a similar quest with a different philosophy. The Giants have released a few big names, including running back Ahmad Bradshaw and defensive tackle Chris Canty as they look to free up cap space for the offseason.

If you would like to hear my thoughts on any other offseason news from the past week, feel free to contact me via my blog’s Facebook page or my Twitter account, @cpuffnfl.

Monday Night Football Afterword: Titans vs Jets

Chris Johnson hand-wrote the names of all the Sandy Hook
victims and had a 94-yard TD run, a franchise record, in them.
Photo credit to Yahoo! Sports.

For once, I actually find myself offering some defense to Mark Sanchez after a 14-10 loss to Tennessee in which he threw four interceptions.

Tim Tebow was given a possession to run for the first time all season. It came in the middle of the second quarter, the play calling on the drive was bad, and it just was not the time to do something like that. Mark Sanchez came back in and was completely out of rhythm, which is what happens when you come out in the middle of the game.

Later interceptions seemed to be more a product of frustration, but it all comes back to poor coaching decisions by the Jets.

Chris Johnson hit a home run with a 94-yard touchdown run in the second quarter as he has quietly rushed for over 1,100 yards with two games left in the season.

The Jets, meanwhile, were eliminated from playoff contention with their narrow loss in the Music City. After the game, Rex Ryan said he was not ready at the time to say who would be the starting quarterback next week or the week after. I think it needs to be Mark Sanchez. I don’t like him, I don’t believe in him, but he’s the quarterback until they make a decisive move for someone more able, whether it’s in the draft or free agency. So unless they actually think Tim Tebow could be their full-time starter in 2013, he should not be starting the rest of the way this year.

Jake Locker was less of a factor than I thought he would be in last night’s game. He threw for less than 150 yards and no scores, but he did run the ball several times for nearly 50 yards and a touchdown to compliment Johnson’s 122 yards and a touchdown of his own.

Thursday Night Football Afterword: Titans vs Steelers

Steelers fans packed Heinz Field LP Field well before the game even began, but their support apparently wasn’t enough as the Steelers came off an important win against Philadelphia with a 26-23 loss to the Tennessee Titans.

It is easy to point the finger and lay the blame on Ben Roethlisberger’s interception near the end of the first half when the Steelers were threatening to score, which allowed the Titans to drive back and extend their lead to 16-10 at halftime with a field goal. But it isn’t as simple as that; it never is.

The Steelers scored on each of their first three possessions in the second half, giving them a 23-16 lead. Their defense fall apart on the next Tennessee drive, giving up first downs on 2^nd & 10, 3^rd & 8, and 3^rd & 10. Then, on 3^rd & goal, they gave up a touchdown pass from Matt Hasselbeck to Kenny Britt that tied the game.

The Steelers began their drive with a little over four minutes left in the game. They picked up a few first downs, but after stretching the field for the first time all season in the first half, the Steelers tried to be too methodical down the stretch. Short gains ultimately stalled the drive with just under a minute to play and an opportunity to take the lead on a 54-yard field goal by Shaun Suisham, who was perfect on the year but had never made a field goal of over 52 yards, which he had matched earlier in the game.

His kick was perfectly on line, right in line with the middle of the crossbar, but wound up about a yard or two short. Hasselbeck and the Titans took over on their own 45 and easily drove to the Pittsburgh 25 and with three second left Rob Bironas knocked in a 40-yard field goal to win the game.

During the game, Roethlisberger passed Terry Bradshaw for the Steelers all-time passing yards record, but I’m sure he would have traded that in for a win. With the loss, Pittsburgh is now two games behind the Ravens and a game behind Cincinnati, both of whom can gain an extra half-game with wins over Dallas and Cleveland, respectively, on Sunday.

Tennessee didn’t help their cause all that much with the win, they are still way behind the Texans and have two more losses than the Colts, but we’ve seen teams catch a spark after beating a good team, and the Titans are not as terrible as some people would think. This is probably the most dangerous ‘bad team’ in the AFC, and Thursday night was not the first time we’ve seen that this year.

As always, thank you for reading. My next post will be on Monday when I publish both of my Sunday Football Afterwords. Follow me on Twitter @PuffontheNFL and show your support for my blog by liking its Facebook Page.

Also, keep track of various sports updates with The All-Sports Crew and listen to us live on WMUC Sports Wednesdays and Fridays from 7-8pm unless otherwise announced (e.g., our show is being preempted for a Maryland sporting event and will not air live tonight).

Have a fantastic weekend!

2011 Offseason: AFC South

Today’s posts are for the teams in the AFC South.

Houston Texans

2011 Offseason: Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

2011 Offseason: Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

2011 Offseason: Jacksonville Jaguars

Tennessee Titans

2011 Offseason: Tennessee Titans

Thanks for reading and check back tomorrow for posts on the AFC West teams.

2011 Offseason: Tennessee Titans

It was funny reading the ‘Exit Interview’ for Tennessee on NFL.com because at the time it was written, Jeff Fisher was still the head coach. That, of course, has changed. But the things the Titans and new coach Mike Munchak will need to address this offseason remain pretty much the same.

Bud Adams will likely ‘give’ Munchak a rebuilding year (i.e. some leniency on getting this team back on track). But I don’t think the Titans will definitely need it. They might, but I don’t think they are doomed to another dismal year at the bottom of the AFC South.

The Titans need a quarterback. Young is gone, Collins is not the answer, so who is? I think this is the team that most needs to look at getting Kevin Kolb. The Titans need a veteran quarterback. Kolb may not be the prototypical ‘veteran,’ but he has the skill set an AFC South quarterback needs, and the desire to start for an NFL team. Where there is desire, there is work ethic, and I think Kolb would insert himself nicely into this new Titans team.

Tennessee will also need to find a way to get Chris Johnson running effectively again. After an incredible second season, gaining over 2000 yards on the ground, Johnson gained only 4 yards/game more than he did his rookie season during the 2010 campaign. In the final game of the season, against the Colts, he gained only 39 yards, and the Colts rush defense wasn’t particularly impressive this year.

I think the Titans do need to part ways with Cortland Finnegan. Yes, I’m a little biased on the subject and really don’t care for Finnegan much, but even bias aside I think Tennessee needs to part ways with the cornerback. A new coach should bring with him a new atmosphere, one of more discipline. Unless Finnegan can clean his act up he should not be on the squad next season. He is a talented player, but not a player the Titans should be holding on to with a new coach in town.