Titan Up! Season 2

[firedup24]

The off season began with coaching changes on both sides of the ball and a relatively quiet free agency period. Don't get us wrong, moves were made but the team primarily concentrated on depth at positions that needed it. The only starting positions we see filled through free agency are possibly at MLB with the loss of Williamson and the addition of free agent Todd Davis and new kicker Andrew Franks. Davis brings veteran leadership to the position and we expect him to be the starter at the start of the season. Franks replaces longtime kicker Ryan Succop. He has a strong leg but we will have to see if he can bring the consistency that we are accustomed to with Succop.

Let's move on to the draft It didn't take long to realize where the Titans wanted to focus their attention as the first three picks were all on the defensive side of the ball. The Titans are now going to a 4-3 so training camp and the pre-season will be interesting to watch and see where the first two picks end up. We are going to discuss each pick and give our predictions on how things will shake out.

1st round - Arden Key / LSU / DE / 6-5 238

This guy is a freak athlete who has played everywhere from DE to OLB throughout his time at LSU. With his long frame and quick acceleration, he brings the perfect frame to excel as a 4-3 DE. According to Pro Football Focus, he was the #2 edge rusher in the draft. The fact that the Titans got him at 22 was a shock to say the least. New defensive coordinator Travis Jones told us that he was a nervous wreck the few picks leading up to their pick and couldn't believe when he was still there. He also admitted that Key was 2nd on their draft board overall. With Morgan and Dodd starting at the DE positions respectively, we see Key as a critical part to the rotation and especially think he will excel in pass rush situations. His only weakness in college was run defense so that will be something he can work on until he eventually takes over as a starting DE long-term.

2nd round - Ogbonnia Okoronkwe / OK / OLB / 6-0 240

This was an interesting pick to us. Knowing that the Titans recently moved to a 4-3, it was a surprise to see them take an OLB who played as a 3-4 edge rusher from Oklahoma. Upon further investigation, we started to see what the Titans saw in him. At 6-0, 240 he has a solid frame and is a very consistent tackler. We aren't sure if the team will play him in the middle or on the outside but we expect to see an immediate impact from him wherever they do decide to play him. On a little side note, Coach Jones was a big reason the Seahawks drafted Bobby Wagner in 2012 who came in at a similar 6-0 240 lbs. Jones was able to turn him into one of the best MLBs in the game so we are excited to see his plans with Okoronkwe. Not saying he's Wagner but if he can come close, it will be an excellent pick to say the least.

3rd round - Duke Dawson / UF / CB / 5-11 208

Duke Dawson in the 3rd round. All we can say is wow! This guy was rated as many as the #1 cover CB in the draft. Here are a couple of notes according to PFF:

• Florida CB Duke Dawson, a native to the Sunshine State, forced an incompletion on 31.0 percent of his targets last season, the highest mark of any draft-eligible cornerback.

• A former four-star recruit, Dawson also far exceeded expectations when defending the run in 12 games (seven starts) last season, as he ranked No. 3 in total run stops (6) among returning SEC cornerbacks with less than 200 snaps in run defense. He earned a 76.1 grade against the run for his efforts.

With Logan Ryan and outstanding 2017 rookie Adoree Jackson playing on the outside, we see Dawson as a great fit in the nickel. The nickel is more important than ever with teams running 3 wide set as much as they do so Dawson's role will be a critical one. He is a tough, versatile cover corner who should make an impact from day one of the season.

4th round - Mark Walton / Miami / HB / 5-9 195

With bruising backs Murray and Henry, Walton offers a nice change of pace to the team. We believe this guy is another steal in the 4th round. He would probably have been a 1st round pick if not for a season ending injury after 5 games in 2017. He has completely recovered from his injury and looks ready to go in the Titans offense. With new O/C Lombardi and his strong HB pass game, we see a role for Walton to be a real difference maker. Here are some notes from PFF:

• University of Miami (Fla.) junior RB Mark Walton led all returning ACC running backs with 36 missed tackles last season, pushing his career total to 64 missed tackles on 338 carries.

• In addition to making people miss, Walton excelled at running through tacklers in 2016. He averaged 3.4 yards after contact per attempt last season, the highest mark of all returning ACC running backs with at least 60 carries.

• What Walton lacks in size (5-foot-9, 205 pounds), he makes up for in speed and agility. He totaled 21 carries of 15 yards or more, which ranked T-No. 2 among returning Power 5 running backs with less than 270 carries.

• Walton added six more missed tackles to his total on 27 receptions, which ranked T-No. 7 among that same group of running backs.

We can't wait to see this guy on the field.

5th round - Christopher Herndon / Miami / TE / 6-4 254

At 6-4 254 lbs, Herndon is an excellent run blocker. In Miami, he wasn't used as a receiver very often. He often lined up in the backfield and split as a TE but either way, was well known for excellent blocking and making a hole for guys like the 4th round pick Walton. Even though he wasn't used as a receiver often, when he was, he showed excellent hands and was a very serviceable route runner. We think he will have an important role as the team's 3rd TE.

6th round - Trey Quinn / USM / WR / 6-0 198

Trey is a surprise for several reasons. He was originally a 4 star recruit who was signed by LSU. But after the lackluster LSU passing game offered few opportunities, he decided to transfer to USM. In 2017, he excelled with over 110 receptions and decided to enter the draft as a junior. Only the most die-hard fan knows of Quinn but this guy is a very crisp route runner with exceptional hands and surprisingly good speed. He can also serve as a special teams player with good kick return abilities. We will have to wait and see how he adapts to the NFL and may end up spending his first year on the practice squad.

7th round - Mike White / WKU / QB / 6-3 215

With Mariota at only 24 this pick was a surprise for us. But White appears to be another steal in the 7th round. According to Draft scout. he is the 10th ranked QB in the 2018 class. Here are notes from PFF.

• Western Kentucky quarterback Mike White enters the 2017 college season as a Day 2 projection for the 2018 NFL draft, and among the top quarterbacks in the preseason PFF NFL draft guide.
• White ended the 2016 season with a passing grade of 85.5, the fourth highest grade among 130 qualifying quarterbacks, and his overall grade of 85.7 ranked 10th of 150 quarterbacks.
• He has shown composure and patience in the pocket, and has the ability to make plays while facing pressure. In 2016, he earned a passer rating of 107.4 when he was under duress, the third highest mark in college football.
• He showed good accuracy last season as his adjusted completion percentage of 78.2 percent ranked third among 87 quarterbacks with at least 350 drop backs. His accuracy translated downfield as well, as he earned the highest adjusted accuracy percentage (60.5 percent) on throws of 20 or more yards. His passer rating of 122.3 on deep throws was the third highest in college football.

White should be a very solid backup to Mariota and hopefully will learn the system and enter the regular season as the #2.

 

[firedup24]

So we at TitanUp decided to wait a couple weeks to complete our season preview. We told you about the coaching and scheme changes and talked about the new draft picks but we just didn't know what to expect from the team this season. And....honestly, after two weeks, we still aren't sure.

Week 1 welcomed the 2017 Super Bowl runner-up Texans to Nashville for a week 1 divisional showdown in which the Titans came out on top 17-13 in a hard fought defensive struggle. Mariota did enough to get the win while not turning the ball over and eventually led the team to a game winning TD with 22 seconds left on the clock. This game showed the importance of not turning the ball over to really good teams. While we certainly felt this was an important win, we still saw the struggles from the offense to make big plays. The defense looked great shutting down the run game and sacking Watson 4 times to hold on to the slim win.

Game Winning Drive:

In week 2, the Titans came out extremely sluggish and the INT prone Mariota rared its ugly head again. The Titans fell behind 21-3 in the first half and looked completely out of sync from the start. Mariota led the team to a FG drive in the final seconds of the first half to make the halftime score 21-6. After the half, the Titans defense once again stepped up and completely shut down the Colts offense the entire 2nd half. The Titans eventually went on to win 22-21 but still has much to improve on moving forward. Mariota threw a couple of costly picks but luckily the offense was able to do enough to get the win. At 2-0, things are looking good but there are still several questions left to be answered offensively.

 

[firedup24]

After 6 weeks into season 2, the PX1 Titans have had plenty of ups and downs. Most recently, it's been mostly downs but we'll get to that in a moment.

Week 3 saw the Titans play turnover free football while rushing for 215 yards en-route to a 44-24 victory over the Giants. Two rookies had big games and both scored their first NFL TD. HB Mark Walton on a 52 yard scamper and Pass coverage specialist LB Okonronkwo had his first one on a pick 6 early in the game. This win had the Titans looking good at 3-0....That was until the Jags came to town.

In week 4, The Jags pretty much dominated the Titans from the start and took advantage of the many Titans turnovers on the way to a 44-17 win. Mariota threw 3 INTs and the team fumbled another 3. This game was ugly from start to finish but hopefully games like this are done for the year.

Week 5 was a very back and forth game vs the Steelers with the Titans holding on for a 24-17 win. We did lose Delanie Walker for 4 weeks in this game.

Week 6 saw one of the better games of the year overall vs the Chiefs. On the very first play of the game, the Titans lost Mariota for 4 weeks. This led to 7th round pick Mike White making his NFL debut. With Mariota out, KC focused on stopping the run and it most certainly worked as the Titans had only 70 yards on 40 carries. The game was full of momentum changes and eventually went to overtime. KC moved the ball across midfield and the defense stiffened and forced the Chiefs to punt. The punt was heading towards the sideline and Jackson ran for it and attempted to catch it. It bounced off of his shoulder and went straight to a Chiefs player at the 1. One play later, ball game.

The Titans now stand at 4-2 and have went from division leader to out of the playoffs in the last two weeks. The Colts are up next followed by a much needed bye week to hopefully get healed up for the stretch run.

TitanUp!

 

[firedup24]

In week 7 Titans 7th round pick Mike White gets his first start and leads the Titans to a 39-31 victory as he goes 17-25 for 324 yards in the win. This was an impressive debut for the rookie out of Western Kentucky. Mariota hopes to be back after the bye week.

In week 9 the Titans faced the Dolphins in a high-scoring affair with both teams clicking on all cylinders. Mariota throws for 4 TDs and the Titans hold on for the 44-41 win.

Week 10 saw Mariota throw for 7 TDs in the victory over the Redskins 59-14.

Week 11 may just be the game of the year in the PX1 VIP league. Mariota once again is injured after the 2nd drive of the game so Mike White will have to find a way to lead the Titans to the win. The Jets #1 run defense does not disappoint as they shut down the run all day. With the backup on the field, down by 13 with 3:07 left in the game, the Titans found a way to come back from certain defeat. We have made a highlight clip of the game starting in the 4th quarter.