Week 11 Preview
Meet the Titans
After making a playoff
appearance in 2002, the Tennessee Titans have continued to struggle in recent
years. 2006 has been no different, as the Titans are currently 2-7 so far. The
Titans have had a rough schedule this year though, dropping games against the
likes of
The Titans will come into
In the most recent NFL Draft,
the Titans had the third pick overall and made the difficult decision to draft
QB Vince Young from University of Texas over Matt Leinart
of USC or Jay Cutler of Vanderbilt. Young was an attractive choice given his
mobility and his ability to stay cool under pressure. One may remember the
remarkable game he had against USC in the Rose Bowl last year. Young has
predictably struggled this year given his rookie status, but he has still shown
flashes of what will make him a great QB in the years to come. So far this
year, Young has thrown for 5 TDs, 973 yards, and 8
INT. Most impressively, Young has done a great job moving with his feet rushing
for 3 TDs and an average of 22 yards a game.
The Titans will certainly try
to run the ball quite a bit against the Eagles given the weakness of their
passing game. The Titans have a proven stud at center in 6 time pro-bowler
Kevin Mawae. At running back they have former Buffalo
Bill Travis Henry. Henry has had a disappointing year, but is still very
capable of doing good things when given protection at the line. To back up
Henry is the big man from USC, Lendale White. Both RBs have struggled, but are capable of shortening the game
and keeping the ball moving if given the chance. Young’s weapons through the
air include WRs Brandon Jones, Drew Bennett, and TE
Ben Troupe. All of their numbers are not too impressive, thus explaining why
the Titans are 2-7.
The area the Titans have
really struggled this year is defense. The Titans are ranked dead last in yards
allowed per game with 374.3. This is rather perplexing because the Titans have
some very good players on defense. At DE, the Titans have Kyle VandenBosch along with disgraced DT Albert Haynesworth on the line. At LB, the Titans feature a stable
LB in David Thornton. Their strength is clearly their secondary. At strong
safety, the Titans picked up former Pittsburgh Steeler
Chris Hope to compliment two very good cornerbacks in Reynaldo Hill and Adam “Pacman” Jones. These guys can play the game and will
challenge the Eagles offense.
What to watch for on Sunday
Injuries will not be a factor
for the Eagles. There are 4 Eagles on the list, but are all listed as probable.
The Titans however, have 7 people on their injury list, one of which is out and
the other 6 listed as questionable. Most notably, CB Reynaldo Hill is listed as
questionable. Keep an eye out on the sidelines. Last week, Andy Reid revealed
that offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg called
the plays in their win against the Redskins. It will be interesting to see who
calls the plays for the Birds. This is a game the Eagles should be able to win
before their big showdown against the Indianapolis Colts. The Birds have to
take this game very seriously and come away with a W while remaining healthy
before they head to Indy though.
When the Eagles have the ball
In last week’s rainy win
against the Redskins, the Eagles showed how dominating of a team they can be on
both offense and defense. Most impressive was the dedication to the run
displayed throughout the game as RB Brian Westbrook had a career day in rushing
attempts and had over 100 yards on the ground in week 10. The Eagles offensive
line should be able to continue their good play against the Titans D-Line in
this one, however the Eagles success will come down to their playcalling and ability to establish the run. It will be
important for Brian Westbrook and Correll Buckhalter to have good days running the ball on 1st
and 2nd down to give the Eagles a small amount of yardage to go for
on 3rd downs. Also, they will have to protect the ball against a
sneaky Titans linebackers group.
A key matchup
to watch in this game will be WR Reggie Brown against CB Pacman
Jones. Jones is more known for his off the field antics, but that should not
overshadow his ability to be a shutdown corner on the field. Besides his great
speed, Jones is an electrifying, physical corner who could very well make
things difficult for Brown. As in weeks past, Donovan McNabb will have to
spread the ball around to his TEs and WRs to make keep the Titans secondary on their toes. Keep
an eye out for the “big play” which the Eagles have done so effectively this
year. Lastly, WR Donte Stallworth
will be looking to have himself another great game following his great effort
against the Redskins last week. It can be expected that McNabb will try to get Stallworth the ball early and often.
When the Titans have the ball
Scrambling QBs such as the Titans’ Vince Young have been known to give
the Eagles defense nightmares, but Sunday could be different. Young is a rookie
unlike Drew Brees of the Saints or David Garrard of
the Jaguars and will make bad decisions if pressured. That said, the Eagles will have to learn from previous mistakes and
keep a linebacker as a QB spy (something they failed to do against Garrard).
Chances are, that man will be either Matt McCoy, Shaun
Barber, or Dhani Jones if the Eagles do chose to put
a man in the QB spy to keep Young from scrambling. The Eagles secondary should
be able to match up quite well with the WRs of the
Titans.
There are two match ups to
watch when the Titans have the ball. The first is Eagles DT Mike Patterson
against Titans C Kevin Mawae. Mawae
is a proven rock on the offensive line, making the pro-bowl multiple times. If
Patterson wishes to get to Young, he will have to patient and smart, not
falling victim to holding penalties because of the great blocking that comes
with Mawae. The second match up is between Titans RB
Travis Henry and MLB Jeremiah Trotter. Trotter had a great game last week
against the likes of Clinton Portis and will be asked
to have a similar game against Henry. Henry has had issues with fumbling
through his career and will really have to secure the ball tightly when going
up against the hard-hitting Trotter or Brian Dawkins depending on the
formation. Henry’s running of the ball is what sets the table for Young and he
will need to be kept in check.
Special Teams
Titans have a bit of a
situation at the position of kicker. Rob Bironas is
listed as questionable with a groin injury but will probably play. On the year,
Bironas is 9/12 on FGs with
a long of 47. K David Akers is healthy and has been consistent for the Birds
this year. Returning kicks again for the Eagles will be Reno Mahe. For the Titans, Pacman
Jones will return punts and will needed to be watched
carefully.
Prediction: Eagles 28 Titans 10