The Good, The Bad and The Ugly - Titans Edition

[JoeyFlex5]

The biggest difference between the first and second half defense was this...

tannehill was actually hitting targets in the second half. He was HORRIBLE in the first and consistently missed wide open receivers on third down, he made those throws at the end

 

[rmcjacket23]

The biggest difference between the first and second half defense was this...

tannehill was actually hitting targets in the second half. He was HORRIBLE in the first and consistently missed wide open receivers on third down, he made those throws at the end

Yes. I was about to comment the same.

Our secondary was bad yesterday. They play-faked us to death and our man coverage was atrocious. It was just amplified in the second half when Tannehill started hitting targets instead of missing them. We got lucky on several occasions in the first half.

 

[A1A]

OK, but "coming from behind multiple times" is a reflection of being behind to begin with. That, at least somewhat, is a reflection of coaching, as well.

Playing better earlier in games would seem to be the route to go there.

Remember, this is the same Titans team that actually did blow a 13 point 4th quarter lead against Jacksonville (at home), blew not one, but two, 14 point leads against Houston (at home), and got blown out on the road by Cincinnati.

Ok so would you be proud of your team for the heart they have and never folding?? Or do you like to see your team look defeated as soon as a team goes up on them? Old saying here buddy...its not how you start but how you FINISH.

As for Tannehill looking better in the 2nd half...well we kept giving the ball back to him. BROKEN RECORD HERE....RUN THE BALL! We kept our defense out there banging away at Henry shutting him DOWN!

 

[A1A]

Until he finally started breaking those runs...THEN AND ONLY THEN IS WHEN WE STARTED MISSING TACKLES.

 

[rossihunter2]

I really don’t think Lamar played bad today. He had his hits and misses but I think it was more the former than the latter. I blame both Jackson and Duvernay on the INT because Jackson threw it a little deep over Duverynay but it also looked like Duvernay stopped running his route too. The sack was just terrible though and those sacks Jackson has taken this year have really been hurting us and I think are a huge difference maker between this year and last. I don’t feel like he was taking those kind of sacks last year but this year it’s almost like he’s trying to stay in the pocket but he really can’t stay there.

I think the offensive play calling has been hit or miss too and I think that goes also with the OL. Some areas are OK while others aren’t. Ingram is just done man and it’s so obvious yet for some reason we keep throwing him out there. He honestly isn’t worth dressing anymore and I would rather just give his active spot to some other guy.

The DL has an excuse because they’re so banged up there and missing key components. I think Clark had a bad game today too and so did some of our other guys in the secondary. Peters and Humphrey both had a stinker.

I don’t think you can blame these losses on any one person but the truth is our players are playing well and the coaches are also not always putting them in position to succeed, specifically Roman. I’m not bothered or worried about the defence but the offence is still an issue. We just aren’t creative on offense and I think that is also hurting us too.

I can’t blame people who say we won’t go anywhere and our season is done. I don’t think that is necessarily true but man we do not look like a contender at all.

you're 100% right on Lamar - he had 1 bad decision which led to an INT and 1 or 2 other bad throws (thinking specifically of the miss to Andrews and the out to Hollywood) but otherwise I think he played pretty well again - I think he's had 2 or 3 games where he's moved an awful offence consistently up and down the field in fact if you take away the turnovers in the steelers game we were rolling up and down the field on that defence too

really not sure what you wanted Lamar to do about that sack though he had absolutely no chance to do anything with that football the OL just didnt deal with a pretty basic stunt

it's gone unnoticed because we've been losing and the OL and WR corps has become a shambles but I really don't think Lamar's been playing badly at all the last few weeks

in terms of playcalling there are moments where I think we're not creative enough on 1st down but in terms of actual designs and stuff I've had very few complaints the last 4 weeks or so with what we've done offensively schematically - and Roman's actually done pretty well adjusting in the 2nd half to counter what the defence is showing us - Roman certainly hasnt been the issue the last few weeks - and in fact the Andrews TD was a beautiful route combo - up until the bye i think there was an issue with our playcalling and designs - i don't think it's been an issue since then tbh

 

[rossihunter2]

Another note... Malik Harrison can sure shine on some plays. I feel like he has at least a few each week where he stands out and does something big, and the screen he blew up today was great. He has some ugly moments as well but I really feel like we've got a gamer in him if he can be more consistent. So many special qualities in that kid.

there was another play where on the broadcast Nantz and Romo praised how well the DL were stopping the Titans OL and Henry at the LoS then showed the reverse angle and it was Clark and Harrison filling that gap where the play got clogged up with Harrison making the tackle

he has been as advertised - he's been everything he showed on tape at Ohio State which had some people seeing him as a 2nd round type talent

 

[A1A]

People trashing Humphrey smh you guys are something else...I forget yall be some goldfish fans. I still think its hilarious when yall bashed me for wanting Tannehill here. Wow look at him own us now! Lol I got bashed for saying we should draft a RB in the 2nd as well...then we did! Lol same goes for suggesting we move on from Ozzie years ago got bashed for it..now yall super happy with EDC. I have no problem ever admitting when I'm wrong...whatever I'm venting cause my team is exactly where I thought they'd be. Pathetic.

 

[rossihunter2]

Exactly. I think Roman and Harbaugh and nearly all of the coaches are part of the problem, but the players also are not executing. So many pre-snap penalties. So many miscommunications. Just not getting the job done at all levels of the organization right now. And hopefully these struggles make them stronger.

we can blame the coaches all we like but the common theme on almost every mistake or bad play on offence has been awful execution and mostly on the OL with pre-snap penalties, pointless post-snap penalties, missed blocks etc. etc. etc.

 

[A1A]

I truly believe a competent Madden video gamer could have won the SB with that team last year. Like fr.

 

[A1A]

we can blame the coaches all we like but the common theme on almost every mistake or bad play on offence has been awful execution and mostly on the OL with pre-snap penalties, pointless post-snap penalties, missed blocks etc. etc. etc.

They're not prepared. I mean it happens every game. The only reason Skura was benched is because coach was feeling the heat.

 

[rmcjacket23]

Ok so would you be proud of your team for the heart they have and never folding?? Or do you like to see your team look defeated as soon as a team goes up on them? Old saying here buddy...its not how you start but how you FINISH.

As for Tannehill looking better in the 2nd half...well we kept giving the ball back to him. BROKEN RECORD HERE....RUN THE BALL! We kept our defense out there banging away at Henry shutting him DOWN!

I'd like to see neither. I'd like to see a team that goes up by double digits on somebody finish the game and continue to play with the same intensity and passion that they showed to take the lead to begin with. Like its cute to praise them for their "never give up" attitude, but that attitude should also apply from the first step on the field, not from the last.

So a team that comes out flat is a reflection of poor coaching, and a team that quits after falling behind is a reflection of poor coaching. But somehow, a team that gets out to a lead and then lets their opponent come back is all of the sudden NOT a reflection of poor coaching. RIIIIIGHT.

As for your "we kept giving the ball back to them" thought, that's just not factually accurate. Like the reality of the game doesn't support your claim.

1. Titans had the same number of drives (4) in the second half as they did in the first half (4).
2. In the first half the Ravens ran 32 offensive plays (ignore the two at the end of the half) and the Titans ran 31 offensive plays. Number of plays run were balanced, and TOP was pretty much balanced. Ravens had the ball for less than one minute longer than the Titans in the first half.
3. In the second half. The Ravens had 29 offensive plays, and the Titans had 33. Extremely comparable to the first half as well. The TOP was slightly skewed in favor of Tennessee, but they still had the ball for less than 17 minutes in the second half, so by no means overwhelming.

The problem wasn't that we kept giving Tennessee the ball. It was that our defense couldn't get off the field when they had it. Outside of the opening drive in the half, Tennessee's last four possessions, including OT, were FG, FG, TD, TD. And the Ravens had multiple 7+ play drives that ate up over 3 minutes of clock AND an OT rest period, which is more than sufficient rest for the defense.

 

[Militant X 1]

we can blame the coaches all we like but the common theme on almost every mistake or bad play on offence has been awful execution and mostly on the OL with pre-snap penalties, pointless post-snap penalties, missed blocks etc. etc. etc.

The Ravens got punked the moment that the Titans players stepped onto the Shield at the 50-yard line and started jaw jacking with the players and Harbaugh. They were through then!

 

[rossihunter2]

he's 100% right - we have so much speed on the field but everything looks like it's happening in slow motion

 

[rmcjacket23]

They're not prepared. I mean it happens every game. The only reason Skura was benched is because coach was feeling the heat.

I put 80% of preparation on players as it is, so I put no stock in this.

As the old saying goes... you can lead a horse to water...

 

[rmcjacket23]

he's 100% right - we have so much speed on the field but everything looks like it's happening in slow motion

Every pass play we run looks difficult. Like multiple reads, no easy pitch and catch throws, etc.

 

[Militant X 1]

Lamar is holding the ball too long because it seems like passing routes are taking too long to develop. It's painful to watch and then you see other teams seemingly move the ball with ease in their passing game.

 

[rossihunter2]

Alright trying to look at the positives.

Most strikingly, we seemed to learn from the Pat's game and kept Henry in check despite being depleted on the DLine. I thought Wolfe in particular had a great game. I hope when Calais and BWill are back we are only further improved. Finally on defense, I think Malik Harrison and Yannick had good games. If we can continue to get something a little more out of them that should also be really good for us. Our defense is good when healthy and I can at least plausibly see a situation where it can continue to get better. The growth of Queen and Harrison, and Yannick getting completely up to speed.

On offense I was also somewhat encouraged. It was really awful when Mekari false started us with the early snap at the end of the game, but I "think" the center play this week was better than last. Something subtle was I didn't hear Ben Powers' name or really notice him much. So I guess that could have been worse. Someone let me know if you were paying closer attention to him. I am also really encouraged by the benching of Skura. Not that I thought the move was incredibly necessary, but rather I'm encouraged by the team at least trying to make changes that will help us. I think this was also clear in a severely diminished workload for Ingram and increased workload for Dobbins. That kid looks special. Finally, Dez Bryant looks good to me for his situation. He's been out for 3 years off of a major injury and has only been here a few short weeks. I think there is only one way for him and that's up. In contrast, Miles Boykin has 1 catch for 11 yards over the last 3 games. Hard to even call him a wr at this point. Finally, Proche had a nice little grab and hopefully we can incorporate him a little more too.

Hoping that we can get healthy and learn from this. I'm just so scared of a losing attitude entering the locker room. As always, let's go Ravens!

can't say for sure until I can access the coaches film but I think Ben Powers will probably grade out the best of all the OL on Sunday (maybe Orlando might have been better) but he looked pretty solid to me at first glance

 

[rmcjacket23]

can't say for sure until I can access the coaches film but I think Ben Powers will probably grade out the best of all the OL on Sunday (maybe Orlando might have been better) but he looked pretty solid to me at first glance

At a macro level I thought the Oline was fine yesterday. Penalties still a bit of a problem but they didn't stand out as a doing a poor job to me, though the Titans Dline isn't nearly as problematic as it usually is.

 

[rossihunter2]

The Ravens got punked the moment that the Titans players stepped onto the Shield at the 50-yard line and started jaw jacking with the players and Harbaugh. They were through then!

idk that you can say that - it felt that way when that happened then we went 3 and out and then they scored a long td drive

but then we rallied and took a decent sized lead - hard to say we were over-awed and not up for it from the very beginning at that stage

 

[Charm City]

So while I agree, my problem is that motion like this works when your receivers can run full route-trees and are threats from anywhere on the field. Our guys are not.

Hollywood Brown is really not that difficult to defend, as teams are figuring out. Lamar won't throw to the perimeter unless he's scrambling that way, so if you have the middle of the field flooded and can cover deep, you're fine long term.

The only thing that matters with Lamar, to me, is that he needs to be more accurate with ball placement, and he needs to spend every single second of January (whenever we lose) through July doing nothing but throwing the ball outside the numbers. He shouldn't even practice having a receiver run any other route combination other than him throwing outside the sticks.

Like I'm not trading Lamar for Flacco obviously, but there are a LOT of throws that Joe Flacco can still make that Lamar can't, won't, or simply chooses not to. The Derrick Mason route tree was a thing of beauty, because he could just use the boundary to his advantage and create space via actual route combinations.

I would love, love, love, love to see Lamar, on multiple instances in a game, stand in the pocket, step up, and throw a 15 yard out or curl to the sidelines. I'm not even sure I care if it gets picked off. I just want to physically see him do it.

To be honest... if I were an NFL team, I'd never play man against the Ravens. I'd use a Cover 1 zone scheme, and just give up everything outside the numbers. Flood the middle of the field, keep one safety deep for the 2-3 times we go deep a game, and pack it in against the run.

I'd feel extremely confident in my ability to slow down this offense with using, what would basically be, an extremely vanilla, base-level defense.

I meant using motion more to aid in run plays. The few times we've actually handed it off on a sweep we get at least 3 or 4 yards. I don't know why we don't do it more. Against the patriots I believe we also ran an RPO out of a fake sweep with slants over the middle. Using it in that regard would ideally help give Lamar an extra yard or two in his throwing window over the middle until he learns to throw outside.