firedup24
All-Star
2016 Team Stats:
Offense - Team Total Yards per game – 11th / 358.0 Defense – Total Yards per game – 20th / 357.5
Offense - Passing Yards per game – 25th / 221.3 Defense – Passing yards per game – 30th / 269.2
Offense - Rushing Yards per game – 3rd / 136.7 Defense – Rushing yards per game – 2nd / 88.3
The 2016 Tennessee Titans knew how to run the ball and how to stop the opponent from doing the same. While the Titans ranked in the lower 3rd in passing offense, that’s not as much of a concern to how they were unable to stop the opponent. The Titans “Exotic Smashmouth” was working and as long as that’s the case, they won’t be looking to throw the ball for high numbers. They are a run-first team; with a young underrated offensive line and the duo of Murray and Henry, why wouldn’t they be? With that being said, Lebeau doesn’t want to see his pass defense as one of the worst in the league and unfortunately, in 2016, they were absolutely horrid. The Titans finished the season at 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the 8th consecutive season. This team appears to be primed and ready to take the next step and battle for the AFC South title. So, what did the front office do to help take that next step? Let’s take a look.
Free agency:
CB Logan Ryan and S Jonathan Cyprien were brought in to greatly improve the look of the secondary.
DT Sylvester Williams was the other big signing on the defensive side of the ball. He will add depth to an already stout defensive line.
On the offensive side of the ball, they welcomed in veteran WR Eric Decker. He will provide Mariota with another big target, especially in the red zone.
Draft:
1st round, pick 5 – WR Corey Davis
1st round, pick 18 – CB Adoree Jackson
3rd round, pick 72 – WR Taywan Taylor
3rd round, pick 100 – TE Jonnu Smith
5th round, pick 155 – LB Jayon Brown
6th round, pick 216 – OL Corey Levin
7th round, pick 227 – LB Josh Carraway
7th round, pick 236 – T Brad Seaton
7th round, pick 241 – RB Khalfani Muhammed
Schedule:
Week 1 - vs Raiders - Last year the Titans lost a heartbreaker to the Raiders when Taylor Leywan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct inside the five yard line as the Titans were attempting a last second comeback. Both Carr and Mariota are making their first start since suffering season ending broken fibulas last season.
Week 2 - At Jaguars - These teams split the regular season last year but the Jags win in week 16 eliminated the Titans from playoff contention.
Week 3 - vs Seahawks - A rematch of the PX1 Summer League Super Bowl where the Titans were pretty much dominated on the way to a 34-6 loss.
Week 4 - at Texans - These teams also split last season but the Texans were resting most of their starters in the week 17 Titans win. The big question for this game will be who is at QB. Will Watson be the starter?
Week 5 - at Dolphins - The Titans defeated the Dolphins 30-17 last year in Miami.
Week 6 - vs Colts - This will be a huge Monday Night division rivalry game. Andrew Luck has still yet to lose to the Titans.
Week 7 - at Browns - The Titans defeated the Browns in Cleveland last year in Cleveland 28-26. But this will be a totally revamped Browns team so look for this to be a tough battle.
Week 8 - Bye
Week 9 - vs Ravens - Been several years since the Titans faced their former AFC Central rival.
Week 10 - vs Bengals - Just like the Ravens, it has been since 2014 that these teams last met.
Week 11 - at Steelers - Another former central rival, the Steelers still have all the weapons in place to be a top offense and super bowl contender.
Week 12 - at Colts - This is the first of the three final division games with each having a big impact on the division overall.
Week 13 - vs Texans - See above
Week 14 - at Cardinals - With a top offense, the Titans will have their hands full with the Card’s weapons.
Week 15 - at 49ers - It has been 4 years since these teams have met.
Week 16 - vs Rams - These teams have met 3 times since the Super Bowl in 99 with the Titans winning the last two.
Week 17 - vs Jags - Nothing like a division rival for the last game of the year.
2017 Preview:
The Titans addressed their biggest weaknesses by focusing the off-season on adding more weapons for Mariota and almost completely rebuilding the secondary. With one of the best offensive lines in the league, a solid running duo and Mariota coming into his third season, the offense seems ready to have a very good season. The biggest question for this season will be can Mariota stay healthy for an entire season. He has yet to play all 16 games in his first two years in the pros. Let’s look at the offense from each position group perspective.
Offensive Line - This line starts with the two tackles, according to PFF, Conklin and Leywan rank as the 5th and 6th best tackles in the league. They didn’t give up a sack until week 11 in 2016 so obviously a repeat of this will be crucial in keeping Mariota on the field. Overall, PFF ranked the 2016 Titans line as the number ranked line in the NFL.
Running backs - DeMarco Murray led the AFC with 1,287 yards on 293 carries for a 4.4 yards per carry average and Derrick Henry had a solid rookie season with 110 carries for 490 yards. Look for this to be more of a split this year to limit the wear and tear on Murray.
Wide Receivers / Tight ends - When things are going well for the Titans, these guys are not going to put up huge numbers. This offense is built around the running game. But with new weapons in place to go with the vets, teams are going to have to respect the pass and not stack the box as much. Rishard Matthews led the WR group last year with 65 receptions for 945 yards with 9 TDs and Delanie Walker came through with 65, 800 and 7 TDs. The new additions this year are rookies Corey Davis, Teywan Taylor and TE Johnnu Smith and reliable vet, Eric Decker. The team is very excited for this group in 2017.
Quarterbacks - Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way…. If anyone but Mariota plays in anything other than mop-up duty, it’s a very bad thing. The backup will be Matt Cassell who can do fine if Mariota needs to come out for a few plays for a uniform malfunction or something but not to win games for us. Mariota has still yet to throw an interception inside the red zone and showed improvements in almost every area until the season ended in week 16 to a broken fibula.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans severely struggled at times to stop the pass but had a very solid run defense. Here are the position groups.
Defensive Line - Jurrell Casey is probably one of the most underrated players in the league. He is in the prime of his career and is ready to lead the way on the defensive line. With the addition of Sylvester Williams from Denver to go along with veterans DaQuan Jones, Karl Klug and Angelo Blackson the Titans expect another solid year from this group.
Linebackers - Veterans Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan combined for 20 sacks last season. In the middle Avery Williamson led the team with 104 tackles alongside veteran teammate Wesley Woodyard.
Secondary - As stated before, this unit was almost completely revamped. New additions Logan Ryan and Adoree Jackson have high expectations at the cornerback spots to go along with LeShawn Sims. The interesting thing here will be who will be at the outside and who will play the nickel. Jonathon Cyprien and his hard-hitting playstyle should go along well with veteran strong safety DaNorris Searcy. 2nd year player Kevin Byard also looks primed to take the next step and hopefully find his ball hawking skills he showed in college at MTSU. Not sure how they will be used but look for all three to see plenty of play time.
There is a lot of hope in this team but plenty of questions as well. The Summer League PX1 Titans were able to find a way to get to the Super Bowl so now the question is, "Can the Madden 18 version keep the momentum?" The AFC South appears to be one of toughest divisions in PX1 so the task is going to be extremely difficult. So the time is finally here.....TITANUP!!
Offense - Team Total Yards per game – 11th / 358.0 Defense – Total Yards per game – 20th / 357.5
Offense - Passing Yards per game – 25th / 221.3 Defense – Passing yards per game – 30th / 269.2
Offense - Rushing Yards per game – 3rd / 136.7 Defense – Rushing yards per game – 2nd / 88.3
The 2016 Tennessee Titans knew how to run the ball and how to stop the opponent from doing the same. While the Titans ranked in the lower 3rd in passing offense, that’s not as much of a concern to how they were unable to stop the opponent. The Titans “Exotic Smashmouth” was working and as long as that’s the case, they won’t be looking to throw the ball for high numbers. They are a run-first team; with a young underrated offensive line and the duo of Murray and Henry, why wouldn’t they be? With that being said, Lebeau doesn’t want to see his pass defense as one of the worst in the league and unfortunately, in 2016, they were absolutely horrid. The Titans finished the season at 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the 8th consecutive season. This team appears to be primed and ready to take the next step and battle for the AFC South title. So, what did the front office do to help take that next step? Let’s take a look.
Free agency:
CB Logan Ryan and S Jonathan Cyprien were brought in to greatly improve the look of the secondary.
DT Sylvester Williams was the other big signing on the defensive side of the ball. He will add depth to an already stout defensive line.
On the offensive side of the ball, they welcomed in veteran WR Eric Decker. He will provide Mariota with another big target, especially in the red zone.
Draft:
1st round, pick 5 – WR Corey Davis
1st round, pick 18 – CB Adoree Jackson
3rd round, pick 72 – WR Taywan Taylor
3rd round, pick 100 – TE Jonnu Smith
5th round, pick 155 – LB Jayon Brown
6th round, pick 216 – OL Corey Levin
7th round, pick 227 – LB Josh Carraway
7th round, pick 236 – T Brad Seaton
7th round, pick 241 – RB Khalfani Muhammed
Schedule:
Week 1 - vs Raiders - Last year the Titans lost a heartbreaker to the Raiders when Taylor Leywan was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct inside the five yard line as the Titans were attempting a last second comeback. Both Carr and Mariota are making their first start since suffering season ending broken fibulas last season.
Week 2 - At Jaguars - These teams split the regular season last year but the Jags win in week 16 eliminated the Titans from playoff contention.
Week 3 - vs Seahawks - A rematch of the PX1 Summer League Super Bowl where the Titans were pretty much dominated on the way to a 34-6 loss.
Week 4 - at Texans - These teams also split last season but the Texans were resting most of their starters in the week 17 Titans win. The big question for this game will be who is at QB. Will Watson be the starter?
Week 5 - at Dolphins - The Titans defeated the Dolphins 30-17 last year in Miami.
Week 6 - vs Colts - This will be a huge Monday Night division rivalry game. Andrew Luck has still yet to lose to the Titans.
Week 7 - at Browns - The Titans defeated the Browns in Cleveland last year in Cleveland 28-26. But this will be a totally revamped Browns team so look for this to be a tough battle.
Week 8 - Bye
Week 9 - vs Ravens - Been several years since the Titans faced their former AFC Central rival.
Week 10 - vs Bengals - Just like the Ravens, it has been since 2014 that these teams last met.
Week 11 - at Steelers - Another former central rival, the Steelers still have all the weapons in place to be a top offense and super bowl contender.
Week 12 - at Colts - This is the first of the three final division games with each having a big impact on the division overall.
Week 13 - vs Texans - See above
Week 14 - at Cardinals - With a top offense, the Titans will have their hands full with the Card’s weapons.
Week 15 - at 49ers - It has been 4 years since these teams have met.
Week 16 - vs Rams - These teams have met 3 times since the Super Bowl in 99 with the Titans winning the last two.
Week 17 - vs Jags - Nothing like a division rival for the last game of the year.
2017 Preview:
The Titans addressed their biggest weaknesses by focusing the off-season on adding more weapons for Mariota and almost completely rebuilding the secondary. With one of the best offensive lines in the league, a solid running duo and Mariota coming into his third season, the offense seems ready to have a very good season. The biggest question for this season will be can Mariota stay healthy for an entire season. He has yet to play all 16 games in his first two years in the pros. Let’s look at the offense from each position group perspective.
Offensive Line - This line starts with the two tackles, according to PFF, Conklin and Leywan rank as the 5th and 6th best tackles in the league. They didn’t give up a sack until week 11 in 2016 so obviously a repeat of this will be crucial in keeping Mariota on the field. Overall, PFF ranked the 2016 Titans line as the number ranked line in the NFL.
Running backs - DeMarco Murray led the AFC with 1,287 yards on 293 carries for a 4.4 yards per carry average and Derrick Henry had a solid rookie season with 110 carries for 490 yards. Look for this to be more of a split this year to limit the wear and tear on Murray.
Wide Receivers / Tight ends - When things are going well for the Titans, these guys are not going to put up huge numbers. This offense is built around the running game. But with new weapons in place to go with the vets, teams are going to have to respect the pass and not stack the box as much. Rishard Matthews led the WR group last year with 65 receptions for 945 yards with 9 TDs and Delanie Walker came through with 65, 800 and 7 TDs. The new additions this year are rookies Corey Davis, Teywan Taylor and TE Johnnu Smith and reliable vet, Eric Decker. The team is very excited for this group in 2017.
Quarterbacks - Let’s just go ahead and get this out of the way…. If anyone but Mariota plays in anything other than mop-up duty, it’s a very bad thing. The backup will be Matt Cassell who can do fine if Mariota needs to come out for a few plays for a uniform malfunction or something but not to win games for us. Mariota has still yet to throw an interception inside the red zone and showed improvements in almost every area until the season ended in week 16 to a broken fibula.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Titans severely struggled at times to stop the pass but had a very solid run defense. Here are the position groups.
Defensive Line - Jurrell Casey is probably one of the most underrated players in the league. He is in the prime of his career and is ready to lead the way on the defensive line. With the addition of Sylvester Williams from Denver to go along with veterans DaQuan Jones, Karl Klug and Angelo Blackson the Titans expect another solid year from this group.
Linebackers - Veterans Brian Orakpo and Derrick Morgan combined for 20 sacks last season. In the middle Avery Williamson led the team with 104 tackles alongside veteran teammate Wesley Woodyard.
Secondary - As stated before, this unit was almost completely revamped. New additions Logan Ryan and Adoree Jackson have high expectations at the cornerback spots to go along with LeShawn Sims. The interesting thing here will be who will be at the outside and who will play the nickel. Jonathon Cyprien and his hard-hitting playstyle should go along well with veteran strong safety DaNorris Searcy. 2nd year player Kevin Byard also looks primed to take the next step and hopefully find his ball hawking skills he showed in college at MTSU. Not sure how they will be used but look for all three to see plenty of play time.
There is a lot of hope in this team but plenty of questions as well. The Summer League PX1 Titans were able to find a way to get to the Super Bowl so now the question is, "Can the Madden 18 version keep the momentum?" The AFC South appears to be one of toughest divisions in PX1 so the task is going to be extremely difficult. So the time is finally here.....TITANUP!!
