What is Up With The Titans and Jordan Babineaux?

Seriously, what in the heck is going on with the Titans and "starting" safety Jordan Babineaux? The 9th year player signed a one year deal with the Titans as a free agent right before the 2011 season and quickly became one of the team's better defensive players. He played in all 16 games, 14 of them as a starter,and lead the team with 117 tackles. He also  had 7 passes defended and a 97 yard interception return for a touchdown. Dubbed "Big Play Babs" during his tenure in Seattle, he showed Titans fans why he earned that nickname.

According to Rotoworld, on 3/13/2012 he signed a two-year, $3.2 million contract that included a $400,000 signing bonus. There is another $1.8 million is available through incentives. His salaries are 2012: $1.2 million, 2013: $1.6 million, and 2014 he is a free agent.

Despite being one of the team's better more reliable players, Babineaux spent the better part of training camp watching 2nd year safety Robert Johnson get the load of the snaps and being touted as the next starting safety. The team was always careful to say the team had 3 starters and used 3 safeties, which it does, but from all appearances Johnson was on the coaches radar to get the bulk of the snaps. That experiment quickly turned sour and Babineaux again became the "starter" at free safety.

During the Titans' game against the Buffalo Bills, Babineaux was benched during the second half allegedly for missing a tackle and failing to make plays. While there is some truth to this statement, and not calling out anyone specifically, but he was certainly not the only defensive back who missed making tackles and/or making plays. Al Afalava came in and played well in relief, but late in the 4th quarter Babs showed again why he is such a good player by coming through on defense, batting away a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass and putting pressure on the Bills quarterback on a safety blitz causing him to misfire on a throw to Stevie Johnson.

After the game, Babineaux quickly deflected any questions regarding the benching and said he wasn't perfect and just needed to continue to make plays. I'm not sure who is driving the train in regard to the defensive back situation, but I have to question why the team is quick to pull the plug on one of its better defensive players. This situation is inexplicable to me and I really have to question why the team seems to have a different standard for Babineaux than it does for the other defensive backs.

Notes from Titans -vs- Steelers - Defense

I have written extensively on how I thought the Titans defense was unfairly criticized and it was nice to see a game where my confidence is validated. The Titans were facing a banged up Steelers offensive line and the carnage continued as the defensive line wreaked havoc against them. With consistent pressure the secondary played well for the most part. So without further ado let's take a closer look.

More about the defensive line. It bears repeating again that the Titans have great rotation at defensive tackle and not so much at defensive end. Still, the group as a whole plays to the end of the whistle and every single guy on the line runs to the ball and you have to love that attitude.

Jurrell Casey is having an All Pro year and I will be devastated if he doesn't get the recognition he deserves.The guy is simply a beast and impossible to contain. When he is healthy the line plays at an entirely different level.

Rookie defensive tackle Mike Martin just gets better and better. He finished with 6 tackles, 2 solo, 1 tackle for a loss and 1 QB hit. Just an outstanding game from the rookie.

I thought Derrick Morgan had one of his better games as a Titan. He has definitely slimmed down from last year and looks to be recovered finally from his ACL injury. He and Kamerion Wimbley were incredibly active all game and made life generally miserable for Ben Roethlisberger. I know the Steelers offensive line was thin and got a lot thinner but I still think these guys are very good and are getting better as they play more snaps together as a line. He finished with 3 tackles, 2 solo, 1 sack, 2 tackles for a loss and a pass defended.

I especially think Kamerion Wimbley is getting more comfortable in the role he is now playing and I expect a breakout performance from him sooner rather than later. He is also one of the harder working guys on the team and he is always around the ball.

It was also great to see middle linebacker Colin McCarthy back on the field. He is most definitely the leader of this defense and as a unit they play more in sync when he is on the field. He played very well until roughly late in the 3rd quarter when you could see the toll from his ankle sprain begin to take effect. He clearly slowed down but was still overall effective. Let's hope he continues to recover as this defense needs him on the field. He finished with 8 tackles and 3 solo.

I really like Akeem Ayers and I think he can be a playmaker but you have to crawl before you can walk and he lacks focus on his fundamentals. He simply must tackle better. He is too talented a player to miss like he does. I was particularly disappointed in the spear and late hit that he got flagged for against the Steelers.

The transition from veteran Will Witherspoon to rookie Zach Brown at weak side linebacker appears to be complete and I paid particular attention to his performance and frankly I was impressed. He was quite good in coverage. I thought he did a particularly great job saving a touchdown in the endzone defending against Heath Miller. A tough assignment there for the rookie and he passed that test well. I would like to see him be a bit more physical but I am really liking what I see from the rookie. He finished with 4 tackles, 3 solo, and 1 pass defended.

I haven't written as much about cornerback Jason McCourty mostly because I thought he was playing well but could be playing better. I saw the performance I expected from him against the Steelers as I thought he particularly played well. His interception of a pass intended for Antonio Brown was just textbook and beautiful. He finished the game with 5 tackles, 2 solo, 2 passes defended and the interception.

If it seems like I am always talking about how great Jordan Babineaux is well you are probably right. He is great and one of my favorite players on this team. He is the hardest working player on this defense and it shows. Equally great in coverage and run defense he led the team in tackles with 9 tackles 7 of them solo.

Also, he didn't play much but Al Alfalava but he made just an outstanding defensive play in the endzone particularly since he doesn't play much and is a rookie to boot. I am definitely going to keep an eye on him.

One of the funniest moments in the game came when Robert Johnson whiffed on a tackle leading Jerry Gray to throw his headset.

LMAO

Lastly, Tim Shaw showed once again why he is so great on special teams and a captain. That blocked punt was just stellar, lead to a touchdown and probably won this game for the Titans. The special teams as a unit have played extremely well.

The Titans played a well balanced game and relatively penalty free game. It was the full team effort needed and a performance that can hopefully give the team a lot of confidence going into the remainder of the season.

P.S.

Since I already mentioned Jerry Gray let me say this is the best performance out of the coaching staff I have seen this season. The coaches in general seemed more animated and involved in the game and I think it showed in the overall performance. (Gratuitous photo's of Munch to follow)

Who Are These Vols? Vol-atile or Vol-tastic

The 2012 Tennessee Volunteers sit at 3-3 midway through the 2012 season and at this point I think it's fair to ask ourselves what this football team represents. The team that looked so promising early on in the season has gone 0-3 in conference play and the schedule doesn't really get any easier. The unranked Vols play at home Saturday for the proverbial "Third Weekend in October" Game versus consensus #1 ranked Alabama. The slaughter very well could be on as Bama must see blood in the water.

I really question at this point what this team is all about. At times this team has looked very electric and exciting. At other times it has looked like a team on the brink of implosion. I have blogged extensively on my view of individual and group play and I think it's time to take a good hard look at the coaching staff.

Third year coach Darek Dooley has yet to defeat a ranked opponent and his win percentage is subpar to say the least. There is no doubt he walked into a royal mess and had a dearth of talent in which to operate. There is also no doubt he had a challenge to face in changing a culture that needed a serious attitude adjustment. In that regard he has succeeded in my opinion and I certainly do think the program is once again pointed in the right direction.

I have been one of Dooley's staunchest defenders and I still think it was the right decision. I also still think Dooley needs 1 if not 2 more years to reorganize the program and make sure the directional changes aren't superficial and that the program is indeed on the upswing. Stability is not overrated and the Volunteer football program has been in dire need of stability, not only in regard to recruiting but in terms of the players and their college careers and possible professional careers.

Let's face it a revolving door in coaches can kill a player's chances of success and can really make or break a career unless the player is an incredible talent capable of surviving multiple coaches and different schemes. Do the Volunteers have such a player? At this point it is really hard to tell. The defensive players do not appear to be adjusting very well to the change from a 4/3 base defense to a 3/4 base defense. The offense is continuing to struggle at times.While the run game has improved Tyler Bray has regressed.

It's fair at this point to ask whether these struggles are really all the player's fault. The change in defense may ultimately work out but the transition has been brutal at times and comes at a time when this team needs to win. The fanbase is calling for the coaches head and is just plain tired of losing. How the "powers that be" feel about the situation remains to be seen but clearly they must want the win percentage to improve sooner rather than later.

Ultimately the question boils down to whether Dooley is a good coach. I think the jury is still out if you will pardon the lawyer joke. The coaching staff in general makes head scratching mistakes like not being able to count players or get in the right scheme at crucial points. That this is still an issue is concerning. We also seem to have a remarkable inability to capitalize on opportune situations.

For the record I like this coaching staff and I think first year defensive coordinator Sal Sunseri could make the new defensive scheme successful. Yet I still question the change and we make no effort to try and adjust to make the transition easier for the players. I also like Jim Chaney but like the defense his offense seems to have regressed. Regression is not a sign of a good coaching staff. Nor is undisciplined play and we have amazing moments of lack of discipline.

Ultimately what the fans think or want will not matter. What exactly do the money people think? This writer certainly doesn't know. I doubt they are happy with losing either but do they think Dooley is the right guy? How much time are they willing to give Dooley and company to prove themselves? Only time will tell.

Notes from UT vs UGA - Defense

We took a look at the offense from the Georgia game here Breathe If You Love Football: Notes from UT vs UGA - Offense http://breatheifyoulovefootball.blogspot.com/2012/10/notes-from-ut-vs-uga-offense.html?spref=tw. Now let's turn to the defensive side and see how the Volunteers fared.

Let's start with the defensive line, primarily the nose tackle position where the "competition" seems to be between Darrington Sentimore and Daniel McCullers. Sentimore, at 6' 2" and 288 isn't the physically demanding presence of McCullers at 6' 8" and 360 but he is getting the bulk of the snaps and in my opinion rightfully so. Sentimore is just the better athlete with better technique. Having said that, I don't mind seeing McCullers get more snaps as I believe there is clearly room for both to play and play well.

Individual statistics are readily available for college players but I did pay close attention to their play against Georgia. One thing that sticks out in my mind is that McCullers was the nose tackle on the quarterback sneak on 3rd and about half a yard. Murray gained a yard for the first down and they scored a play later. Finally, the left side of the defense seemed to struggle in this game. Most of the long runs came from that side.

Our linebackers remain an enigma to me. After a good start in my opinion the play has become questionable. I am struggling to determine the root cause be it personnel or scheme or both. I don't think there is any doubt that Herman Lathers is our best linebacker. He had a sack that forced a fumble and was generally a force.

I love AJ Johnson and I think the guy is a beast. I just wonder if he is suited for the MLB role in our new defense. He gets taken out of the play a lot and sometimes I question his ball awareness. A middle linebacker needs to be a ball hawk and have good awareness of where the ball is located.

Furthermore, our defensive scheme creates a soft spot between the middle linebacker and the defensive backfield which Georgia exploited several times and it led to at least one touchdown. Johnson wasn't able to cover the receiver and the safety ended having to try and contain from a mile away. Its just a recipe for disaster that has to be corrected and let's hope it can be corrected.

I apologize for the poor quality of these photo's but I think you see the problem.

Likewise with Curt Maggitt. I lost count how many times you saw him chase Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall on their way to a long run for a touchdown. Also, the linebackers seemed to bite a lot on play action and generally had poor recognition in this game.

For the record, Georgia rushed for 282 yards and Marshall was the leading rusher with 164 yards on 10 carries and 2 touchdowns. He had a long run of 75 yards. Gurley added 130 yards on 24 attempts and 3 TD's with a long run of 51 yards. Our defensive backfield, particularly the safeties, were simply unable to stop him. Our linebackers were also completely unable to stop the sweep and that killed us early in the game. Byron Moore was the only defensive back with any success taking Georgia's backs down and even he struggled.

Again, I have no access to snap counts but every time I see Willie Bohannon in the game the guy is making a big play. I really do not understand why he doesn't get more playing time.

Finally, the defensive backfield is full of young talented guys who I believe can play much better. Again, I wonder if our scheme has a lot to do with the struggles you see there. Easily our best DB is Byron Moore who intercepted an Aaron Murray pass and returned it for pick six.

He is an athletic guy with good coverage skills and you have to love a lot about his game. Which is why I hate to seem like I am picking on him but he needs to tackle better. Its really the only flaw you see in his game.

This is how you do it baby

You also would like to see him challenge the receiver more often and I wonder if that is simply coaching/scheme versus player. In fact, none of our defensive backs seem to challenge the wide receivers very much. One final note on Moore he missed a block on special teams that led to a blocked punt and didn't even seem aware that he had created a problem. Now, I think he is a great player and could be elite but elite players don't make those mistakes.

Brent Brewer struggled early on but he settled down a bit. The TD play was the linebacker's responsibility but you would like to see Brewer make that tackle and prevent the touchdown. Brian Randolph made a really nice play late in the game to help force a punt.

A lot of these issues can be fixed simply with better fundamentals. I think also players are still adjusting to the new scheme and Georgia is the best offense this defense has faced to date. You have to like a lot about what you saw and just hope that the problems are able to be fixed. There is a long way to go and we are too talented to continue to give up so many plays and points. This defense has mental toughness and fight which goes a long way.

Notes from UT vs UGA - Offense

Coming off a rather baffling Akron game and a troubling loss at home to Florida where many questioned the Volunteers effort and fortitude, eyes were on the team as they traveled to Athens, Georgia to face the number #5 ranked Bulldogs. Not all those questions were answered, particularly regarding a defense that oftentimes fails to execute fundamentals. Could the Volunteers find a successful running game? How would often criticized junior quarterback Tyler Bray respond to a troubling Florida loss? Let's dive in and look for answers, starting with the offensive side of the ball.

Let's start with Tyler Bray who really had a better game than he is getting credited. Bray finished the day 24 of 45 and 281 yards of passing with 2 TD's and 3 INT's. There were two dropped passes that should have gone for touchdowns however.

Bray and Hunter also seemed to have some communication issues early on the pass where he threw a tad bit behind Hunter I think was more an issue of lack of Hunter continuing to come back from an ACL and Bray misreading his speed coming out of the break. Hunter really came off fast, much faster than I have seen this year. Another pass to Hunter was incomplete because the defensive back slipped but managed to trip Hunter up just enough to throw off the timing. One thing is for certain, despite complaints of locking onto receivers, he is not afraid to spread it around,  hitting 8 different receivers in this game for positive yards.

Furthermore, while the offensive line has made significant process particularly in the run game, Bray was under pressure most of the night.

A lot has been made of Bray's mechanics but really he throws a beautiful football and generally his mechanics are pretty sound. The only real issue I have is that sometimes he does have a tendency to throw low. A lot has also been made of his decision making but in my review of the game he only made two really bad decisions one of which was early in the game and insignificant and the other which happened late in the game which really hurt.

This throw to Bartholemew was incomplete when he had Cordarrelle Patterson wide open to the side on a screen didn't affect the outcome.

He threw a bad interception with 5:57 left to play in the game which was just a bad decision, but again the only one that was a game changer.

Finally, Bray needs to work on protecting the football. You can tell he wants so badly to make a play and lead his team but he can't fumble the football like this play at the end of the game.

Overall, his performance was actually good and he was clearly not the reason why this game was lost.

Despite the drop, Cordarrelle Patterson rebounded I thought pretty well from a lackluster Florida performance. I love the way we are creative and use him too. He finished the game with 3 rushes for 55 yards and a touchdown. He had 2 receptions for 31 yards.

Zach Rogers had a really fabulous game as well. He finished the day with 6 receptions for 51 yards and a touchdown pass. He is fast becoming a go to guy in the receiving corp and a good compliment to Hunter and Patterson.

Finally, Mychal Rivera is simply an intimidating force and a nightmare matchup in most situations and we simply must get him the ball more.

Officially listed at 6' 3" and 244 lbs he plays far bigger than advertised. He was also the leading receiver in the game finishing with 3 receptions for 82 yards.

I have to give a ton of credit to how much this offensive line has improved particularly in the run game. James Stone I thought had a very good game as did our tackles against a very tough Georgia defense. Having said that, Rajon Neal deserves volumes of credit for the work he has put in and how much he has improved and if forced to choose he would get my game ball.

He finished the game with 23 rushes for 104 yards and a touchdown. It was his second 100 yard rushing game having rushed for over 100 against Florida. He was also a force in the passing game with 5 catches for 53 yards and a touchdown.

What a solid and reliable guy he is becoming and it is a pleasure to watch. Marlin Lane and Devrin Young are nice compliments and also had some good plays. Most importantly there were no fumbles among any of the running backs.

The kicking game continues to be an area of concern. We simply must get it fixed or it could be a very long season in conference play.

Michael Palardy now only does kickoffs and and was called upon once to hit an extra point which was successful. Derrick Brodus is a great story but he missed a relatively easy field goal and an extra point. He hit one field goal of 34 yards and was 4 of 5 on extra points.

Overall, there is a lot to like about the offensive performance in this game and the areas of concern appear to be fixable. One thing you cannot question is the team effort and the desire to win this hard fought battle.