|
Game 5 Grades: Titans @ Ravens
By Phil Montana
Oct 6, 2008 - 7:44:06 AM
With the Titans traveling for only the second time this year, they
tried to keep their four game winning streak alive against their nemesis,
the Baltimore Ravens. This is definitely a game when both teams should
have two chin straps and where emotions can run high.
Let's look at the grades.
Quarterback: D+
If not for the one drive at the end of the game, this grade would have
been an F. Kerry Collins was 17/32 with one touchdown and two
interceptions. Collins had another pick where there was no WR visible,
but it was offset by a defensive holding penalty. I'm still not sure
why he decided to pick on Chris McCallister early in the game when
Samari Rolle was out of the game and Fabian Washington, an Oakland
cost-off, was starting in his place. With that said, he did make plays
when the team absolutely needed them.
Wide Receiver: D+
The same situation as the QB grade, if not for one guy stepping up and
making plays when they were a must, this group would have received an
F. Brandon Jones had three receptions for 54 yards while the rest of the
group had 1 catch for 10 yards. Jones did drop one that was thrown
behind him, but he did get both hands on the ball. Justin McCariens
continues to be a non-factor who tripped over the DB's feet and
couldn't track down the ball.
Running Back: C-
The best thing the backs did in the game was not fumble the ball. Chris
Johnson had a few runs when he had some space and showed nice speed to
hit the corner on an early run, but he was a non-factor out of the
backfield. Defenses are starting to guard the swing pass that worked so
well in the pre-season. If Mike Heimerdinger wants to get him the ball
in space, he might have to be a bit more creative about it. Lendale
White was a non-existent. He finished with three rushes for four yards with a
long of five. I'd still like the see Ahmard Hall get some more touches.
Tight Ends: A-
Bo Scaife had his most productive, consistent game of the season with seven
receptions for 72 yards. He made clutch catches when we needed first
downs late in the game and broke tackles to gain extra yards. Alge
Crumpler scored his first TD as a Titan, and it was a big one. The
reason this group did not get an A is the lack of edge blocking. I
thought the Titans would be able to run the edges a lot better than
they did, especially at Terrell Suggs.
Offensive Line: C+
Kerry Collins has been kept clean against some pretty fierce defenses
and that continued this week. For the most part, he had a clean pocket
to step into and only had to scramble a couple times. The run blocking,
on the other hand, was sub-par. The Ravens' Defensive linemen did a
great job of tying up blockers and not allowing them to get to the
second level.
Defensive Line: C-
With the expectations this defensive line has set, this performance was
pretty average. Zero sacks for the first time this season and little
pressure was applied to the QB. Dave Ball lost contain on an end around
to Mark Clayton. With that said, the Ravens did only average 3.1 YPC
and for the most part were held in check on the ground.
Linebackers: B
A solid but unspectacular outing for this group. I think David Thornton
has become our best linebacker. He seems to be making a lot more plays
than Keith Bulluck and has been stronger at the point of attack.
Stephen Tulloch had a couple of tackles for a loss and was also matched
up man-to-man with the Ravens' backs a few times. I don't remember Ryan
Fowler being used in that capacity.
Secondary: A-
I think this group showed today they they're not just a product of a
good defensive line. Michael Griffin did a great job of breaking on a
late pass and Nick Harper held on to one that was air mailed to him to
seal the game. Chris Hope made a great tackle on Willis McGahee late
for a loss of one and has been the most active in the box of the two
safeties. Cortland Finnegan did not play as poorly as you would think.
If you watch a version of the game without all of the personal foul
penalties, he played as well as he's played all season.
Special Teams: A
I don't want to see Michael Griffin returning kicks. He's too valuable
on defense and he carries the ball very loosely. Craig Hentrich did a
good job of flipping field position while Rob Bironas made converted
all of his attempts and had three touchbacks. The coverage units have
improved each game thus far and this game was no different. Chris Carr
had two very good returns and if he had better speed he would have
taken both of them to the house.
© Copyright goTitans.com
|
