An awkward situation for the Tennessee finally resolved itself after the 2010 season with an interesting twist. Head coach Jeff Fisher, the longest tenured coach in the league, and quarterback Vince Young were at odds with owner Bud Adams seemingly on Young’s side. When it was announced that Fisher was not returning in 2011 it was believed that Young had finally won out. Six months later, Young also found himself being shown the door and was cut. This season should be a very interesting one in Nashville with a lot of new faces.
Although Jake Locker was drafted in the first round to be the franchise’s quarterback of the future, he will not be thrown into the fire immediately. Taking over the vacated quarterback spot will be former Seahawk Matt Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck struggled the last couple of years with injuries and poor play. The help of one of most electric running backs in the game might help him out. With Chris Johnson able to break a touchdown run off from anywhere on the field, defenses won’t be able to hone in on stopping the quarterback. Hasselbeck enjoyed some of his most successful seasons on a run-first team in Seattle with Shaun Alexander. Receiver Kenny Britt has had his share of troubles off of the field, particularly during the lockout when he was arrested several times. His poor behavior led to a meeting with Commissioner Roger Goodell although no suspension was handled down. With that being said, Britt is loaded with potential and could be in store for his best year yet with the veteran QB feeding him the ball. Nate Washington will also start at wide out, but is decent at best. The team is high on second year receiver Damian Williams and hopes he is ready sooner than later to make an impact on the field. Tight end Jared Cook is also in his second year and could be a huge receiving threat as Hasselbeck loves to utilize his tight end in the passing game. The main issue on offense for the Titans will be their line play. To help in that area, former iron man and franchise hero Bruce Matthews was made offensive line coach.
The Titans defense under the watch of Jeff Fisher was extremely physical from front to back. Fisher especially left his mark in the secondary, where he played himself, with Cortland Finnegan, Michael Griffin, and Chris Hope dishing out hits week in and week out to opposing teams. Jason McCourty is the final remaining starter in the secondary. He is not as physical as the other 3 and struggles due to a lack of ball skills despite being a good athlete. The linebackers in Tennessee have the potential to be good, but there are question marks. Rookie Akeem Ayers has no experience and limited range on the strong side. Weakside backer Will Weatherspoon has been a bit of a journey man the past couple of years and is undersized at the position. Middle linebacker Barrett Ruud comes over from Tampa Bay where he had started 95 out of 96 possible games the past 6 years. He was solid during his time with the Bucaneers so it is puzzling why they chose to not re-sign him with boatloads of cash available. There are even bigger questions on the defensive line. The line is filled with inexperienced starters Jacob Ford, who has the potential to be a very good pass rusher, rookie Karl Klug, William Hayes, and Shaun Smith. The Titans lost defensive line coach Jim Washburn, arguably the league’s best, to the Eagles. Washburn was responsible for instilling the edge the Titans linemen consistently played with. Keeping that edge could be the difference in having a good and bad season for the team.
The results for the 2011 Tennessee season will be determined by the battles in the trenches. Can the offensive line open up holes for Chris Johnson and protect Hasselbeck? Can the defense line continue their ways of penetrating and wreaking havoc in the backfield without Washburn in charge? Expect mediocre results on both sides that will hinder the team throughout the season. Despite a possible absence from Peyton Manning and the underwhelming Texans on the schedule twice, the Titans will not be able to compete for a division title.
