Notes from Titans -vs- Bills - Defense

The Titans defense has been much maligned this year with some reason but the bottom line is that this group really came through when it counted against the Bills. I have written about my feelings regarding the team's handling of safety Jordan Babineaux previously http://breatheifyoulovefootball.blogspot.com/2012/10/what-is-up-with-titans-and-jordan.html so I won't rehash that situation. Babs was part of a group of players that made big plays at the end of the game, and the defense held down the stretch and contributed to a great team victory.

As always, let's start with the defensive line. Once again we have such great rotation at defensive tackle. Jurrell Casey was banged up and didn't record many tackles but he still made his presence felt. Sen'Derrick Marks only recorded 1 QB hit, but he also made his presence felt all. He and the other defensive lineman got some pretty consistent pressure on Bills quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

I continue to be very well impressed with rookie DT Mike Martin. That guy is going to be special. On the last Bills drive with 43 seconds left to play on a 2 and 4 he dropped back into coverage and laid the smackdown on TE Scott Chandler. It was just an outstanding play by the rookie.

I wrote about how Derrick Morgan has simply a great game against the Steelers and he continued to make plays against the Bills. He finished the game with 3 tackles, 2  passes defended and 2 quarterback hits. He consistently got into the mix of things and got consistent pressure.He also recovered a fumble that defensive end Kamerion Wimbley caused.

Speaking of Kamerion Wimbley, if you read the blog you know I'm a fan. He had his best game in my opinion as a Titan, also getting pressure on Fitzpatrick and he is always in the mix of things looking to make a play. His motor paid off against the Bills as he recorded 6 tackles, 4 solo, 1 sack, and 1 tackle for a loss. This is all in addition to the fumble he caused. I was particularly impressed with how he was able to break free and make a tackle at 9:23 left to play even with his jersey being held.

Middle linebacker Colin McCarthy is still struggling to recover from a high ankle sprain and 6 year man Zach Diles started in his spot and played well until he was injured at 5:48 in the first quarter. Following the game it was determined he had suffered a broken leg and he was subsequently placed on injured reserve.

Diles was replaced by veteran linebacker Will Witherspoon, who had initially replaced McCarthy as the MLB spot when he was injured early in the season. I am a fan of Witherspoon but he easily had his worst game as a Titan. One of the hardest things to watch is age catch up with guys and it appears Father Time has had his way with 'Spoon. Perhaps he has some ailment or injury that hasn't been disclosed but from all appearances he has slowed down and he was generally ineffective. He began splitting snaps with 5th year man Tim Shaw in the 2nd quarter and Shaw played the bulk of the snaps the remainder of the game.

I thought Tim Shaw had a good game at MLB. He finished the game with 4 tackles, 3 solo, and 1 tackle for a loss. He also was active and I was  particularly impressed with how Shaw chased Fitzpatrick down at 6:56 left in the 4th quarter.

Youngsters Akeem Ayers and Zach Brown are coming along nicely. Ayers had 4 tackles, 3 solo and 1 quarterback hit. However, it was Zach Brown who really caught my eye when he made a great play at 6:56 left in the game when he reads the screen play to CJ Spiller and immediately zooms in to make the stop for a 5 yard loss. Just a great read and reaction by the rookie linebacker.

The defensive backs overall played fairly well. Alterran Verner just very quietly does a pretty good job of locking up his man and he very seldom gives up big  plays. Nickel defensive back Ryan Mouton had a very active game and ended up as the 2nd leading tackler with 9 tackles, 7 solo and 1 tackle for a loss. I would like to see him work on his tackling skills.

Jason McCourty let Stevie Johnson get by him on a big play with 6 seconds left in the 3rd quarter but he also had no safety help as Griffin had run in to press the line. I'm not sure what happened there perhaps Griffin read that as a run play or perhaps it was designed as a safety blitz. Regardless, the play went for a 27 yard touchdown. McCourty would later make up for that  play with a Fitzpatrick interception on a 3 and 7 with 3:00 left in the game to get the Titans the ball back and allow them to score. It was McCourty's second INT in two games and the Titans don't win the last two games without them.

Going into this game the Titans had allowed 72 points in the 4th quarter so it was nice to see that trend end. While Stevie Johnson did score at the end of the 3rd, the Titans defense did not allow a score in the 4th quarter against the Bills. One stat you don't like to see though is that the Bills did not punt until late in the 4th quarter.

Finally, I apologize for thinking 3rd year man Al Afalava was a rookie but I am not sorry for pointing out  how well he has played. He recorded 4 tackles in this game, 2 of them solo. He has 61 career tackles, 2 sacks, 7 passes defended and 1 forced fumble. He recorded  the majority of his stats prior to joining the Titans in 2009 during his first year with the Chicago Bears. He is a hard hitting guy and I think we will continue to see him get playing time.

Notes from Titans -vs- Bills - Offense

The 2 and 4 Tennessee Titans traveled to Buffalo to take on the 3 and 3 Buffalo Bills. Coming off a strong  victory against the ailing Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday Night Football. The Steelers win was a big one for the Titans as the team put forth its first balanced effort of the season. The offense finally got on track and Chris Johnson had one of his better games of the season. How did the Titans fare in Buffalo? Let's take a look.

Obviously, the big news is CJ's big day so we might as well begin there. CJ had his best game of the year, racking up 195 yards on 18 rushing attempts for a 10.8 YPC. I know the Bills have the worst run defense in the league but it was still nice to see CJ back in form and running well.

The run I liked best from CJ came late in the 4th quarter with 2:09 left to play. CJ quickly hit the line and then it was off to the races. The run gained 27 yards and put the Titans in a position to win the game. It was all CJ too but one thing I did notice was quarterback Matt Hasselbeck coming in from behind to try and make a block if needed. This kind of team effort can really define a team and the Titans seem to be on the verge of creating that type of special atmosphere. It's nice to see.

Speaking of quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, let me just say I love the guy and I am so thankful he is a Titan. Having said that, I really wonder what in the heck we were doing on the last two drives of the game. First there was a delay of game penalty at 10:25 left to play and then we checked down to Nate Washington twice neither of which was enough for a first down forcing the Titans to punt. He almost threw a pick to George Wilson who just let the ball hit him in the chest. It did lead to some fantastic Mike Munchak gif pictures however.

For the record I am not hating on Hasselbeck or Nate Washington, who had just an incredible game and who caught the game winning touchdown pass. I have written before about watching Washington come into his own and this season has shown how much that is true. Washington was the leading receiver against the Bills, finishing the game with 6 receptions for 43 yards and a touchdown. The touchdown was just a beautiful thing to watch and not just because it won the game. Also I thought Matt had one of his most efficient games as a Titan, registering only 2 sacks and no interceptions with the 1 touchdown pass. He was 22 of 33 for 205 yards.

Third year wide receiver Damien Williams also had a nice game and was the second leading receiver with 3 catches for 38 yards. While these numbers seem small they were huge in the game when you consider how many rushing yards Chris Johnson racked up.Williams had just a stellar catch at 13:28 left in the 4th quarter to move the chains and keep a drive alive.

Everyone knows I love me some Jared Cook but he has to be better about making the tough catches. This pass at 3:56 in the 4th quarter wasn't particularly well thrown but Cook has to make this catch. That's what really good tight ends do.

Overall, I thought the offensive line did a pretty good job. I was particularly proud of David Stewart for walking away from a tussle and keeping his cool in the 4th quarter.

Finally, Fernando Velasco is fast becoming one of my favorite players. How can you not smile when you see how happy he was after the team victory?

Much love to the Titans offense for finally get back on track. Let's hope the trend continues.

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.