Hard to see Titans winning seven more

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by NewsGrabber, Nov 13, 2008.

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  1. NewsGrabber

    NewsGrabber Guest

    Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

    It's deep enough into the season that I don't buy into any thinking that dismisses the Titans' 9-0 record because they haven't played anyone.

    The Titans, topic of this week's Hot Read, have beaten some good teams, they have beaten teams that were supposed to be good (and aren't, at least in part, because they lost to Tennessee) and they've beaten teams that have beaten good teams.

    I don't see any reasonable rationale for denying they are the best team in the AFC, and I don't think that changes even if they lose Sunday in Jacksonville.

    Still, I don't see them going undefeated this season.

    Too much has to line up perfectly for a team to be perfect, and while the Titans, fairly, say they've not yet played their best, they also have not yet played their worst.

    I suspect there'll be a game or two where they finally turn the ball over a couple times, where a defense or special team scores against them, where a receiver's drop fails to extend a crucial drive.

    But if you've been reading the AFC South Blog, you know I hardly qualify as Nostradamus. I suspect I'll be in the press box for most of it, and if I'm wrong, it'll sure be fun to watch.

    Here's a look at what they have left:

    Sunday at Jacksonville -- The Jaguars and Titans are big rivals and no team would take more pleasure out of handing Tennessee its first loss.

    Nov. 23 vs. Jets -- The Titans have managed only 26 points in two games against Eric Mangini's team, splitting two games in Nashville.

    Nov. 27 at Detroit -- Undefeated or not, the Titans will want to give thanks for a second chance to impress on national TV.

    Dec. 7 vs. Cleveland -- The Browns have new issues, but will still remember that it was the Titans who grabbed the last AFC playoff berth last season when they came so close.

    Dec. 14 at Houston -- There is always a bit of extra juice when the former Houston Oilers return to owner Bud Adams' city.

    Dec. 21 vs. Pittsburgh -- The Steelers may be the AFC's second-best team, but can they keep the Titans' D-line off their quarterback?

    Dec. 28 at Indianapolis -- The same game last season meant nothing to the Colts and everything to the Titans. Might we see it in reverse?



    More...
     
  2. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    14-2 works for me. It guarantees home field throughout.
     
  3. onetontitan

    onetontitan Marioto

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    I think we'll lose to the Colts, and every other game is a toss up
     
  4. Aday25

    Aday25 TITANSDAY

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    I think if we lose it'll be the Jets, Pitt or Indy.

    We'll come to play this week for sure. While every game makes me feel so uneasy and makes me worry I have faith that they'll pull this one out.
     
  5. nate42104

    nate42104 Camp Fodder

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    per nsawins.com this week's Superbowl winning odds are the following (for those not familiar with reading these terms, simply drop the last two 0's and it's that number "to 1" So the Patriots at +1500 = 15:1 . And the Titans at +500 = 5:1. The only team ahead of us is the Giants at 3:1.

    1 PATRIOTS NA NA +1500
    2 COWBOYS NA NA +1800
    3 COLTS NA NA +1400
    4 PACKERS NA NA +3300
    5 CHARGERS NA NA +1400
    6 GIANTS NA NA +300
    7 JAGUARS NA NA +6500
    8 STEELERS NA NA +1200
    9 VIKINGS NA NA +2400
    10 EAGLES NA NA +1800
    11 SEAHAWKS NA NA +50000
    12 BRONCOS NA NA +3800
    13 BEARS NA NA +3500
    14 BENGALS NA NA +50000
    15 BROWNS NA NA +20000
    16 CARDINALS NA NA +2000
    17 SAINTS NA NA +6000
    18 BUCCS NA NA +2400
    19 TITANS NA NA +500
    20 REDSKINS NA NA +1600
    21 RAMS NA NA +50000
    22 RAVENS NA NA +1500
    23 PANTHERS NA NA +800
    24 TEXANS NA NA +50000
    25 CHIEFS NA NA +50000
    26 DOLPHINS NA NA +3600
    27 BILLS NA NA +5000
    28 LIONS NA NA +50000
    29 49ERS NA NA +50000
    30 JETS NA NA +1800
    31 RAIDERS NA NA +50000
    32 FALCONS NA NA +3000

    ps, if you're wondernig why the crazy order just as I was at first...from top to bottom, this was the pre-season list meaning Pats & Boys were the odds on favorite and Raiders Falcons dead last. I'll try to find those preseason odds as well and post if i find.
     
  6. Ubiq

    Ubiq BAMF

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    Personally, I think we smoke the Jets. We'll be able to get Favre rattled.

    Houston, Cleveland, and Pitt are the teams that give me the most worries. Houston always plays us well, and I'm not convinced they're as bad as their record. If you catch Cleveland on a good week, they can beat just about anybody in the league, but we should be able to do as we please against their secondary (like Cutler did). And Pitt's D is just nasty, but I do think we'll feast on their o-line, or the lack thereof.
     
    • High Five High Five x 2
  7. MJTitans

    MJTitans Chris Whitley look him up

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    We can easily lose any week... even the mighty 2007 Pats had to get some very, very friendly calls to keep their regular season undefeated. But I happen to believe this Titans team might actually be better built to go undefeated than last year's Pats. We play carefully on both sides of the ball... don't press for yards and don't press for points. Critics see that we're not winning by 20, so they think we have less room for error. But the fact is the style of play itself is what leaves us more room for error. High percentage passes, keep the ball on the ground as much as possible, on defense keep everything in front of you, trade yards for clock, and once they hit the redzone we can press tighter without the risk of getting burned deep and force field goals or turnovers.

    On top of that, I haven't seen a team that plays with so much discipline in a long time. Miscommunications are virtually non-existent. They tackle they way you are supposed to tackle. No one over-reaches to try to make a play - they trust the scheme, trust each other and just play their responsibility. On top of that they are fundamentally sound... good footwork, they use their hands well, have a good feel for position, don't lose track of where they are on the field, don't lose track of the clock.

    It's just hard to rely on this team making a mistake when that is what makes them so good. They don't beat you with complex schemes or overwhelming talent - they just beat you with patience, stamina, communication and smart play. Those things are more habits than anything, and are less likely to break down as the season wears on. Really, an injury is the thing most likely to trip them up, and so far we've seen that the depth of this team is really impressive. Wouldn't shock me if we tripped up here or there, but the Giants are the only team I see that should be able to go toe-to-toe with us. And I think the Titans play as a unit better than the Giants, even though I'd say the Giants individually might just out-do us talent-wise.
     
    • High Five High Five x 3
  8. 10ECTyrant

    10ECTyrant What! Tip Jar Donor

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    We will probably have 6 Pro Bowlers this year.......Id say we have a fair amount of talen. But great post!
     
  9. Childress79

    Childress79 Loungefly ®

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    Seems like Kuharsky is feeling a little supersticious & trying not to jinx us.I don't believe in any forms of supersticion.

    We're not playing with our so called relentless front four pressure with KVB out.Yet we're still getting it done.

    We haven't had him since & including the Chiefs game. Whenever he comes back our D will be ramped up a notch & games will actually get easier.

    Also the more we keep finding different ways to win it becomes harder for teams to figure out a way to stop us.

    Having a perfect record is fun but until recently I've thought that we need to lose a game before the playoffs to get a wake up call. Now I don't think we need one.The team seems to have their feet on the ground.

    In 2000 we were the best team in football yet it meant nothing in the playoffs.Any given Sunday is always true but given the inconsistency of the most of the teams we have face a perfect regular season is far from fantasy.

    Whatever happens & however far we go this season it's a fun ride that I'm savouring.
     
  10. Soxcat

    Soxcat Pro Bowler

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    I love the fact this team is undefeated but we should be realistic. The team is no where near as good as the Pats last year. Also, when we get to the playoffs every team we play will be our equal IMO unless the team we play happens to have a rash of injuries. Heck, if we aren't healthy we might be lucky to win a playoff game.

    Bottom line is the entire AFC is very mediocre this year. There isn't a slivers worth of difference hardly in the top teams. Getting home field will help and is very important.
    Heck, the Bills could come in here and give us a real tough game. NE could as well. I'm not sure the Ravens aren't maybe a little better if fully healthy and they have a rookie QB who won't be a rookie at that stage of the season.

    The key is to play like heck until we get home field wrapped up and then maybe don't take our foot completely off the peddle but maybe consider giving guys like AH and KVB a week off assuming we clinch before the last game. I wouldn't rest guys the last game too much because we will have a week off and we don't want to get rusty.

    Maybe the best team in the AFC if healthy right now is the dreaded Colts. They are a team we may end up playing to go to the SB. WOuldn't that be something if we played the Ravens in the first game and the Colts in the championship game. It would be fun but it wouldn't easy for sure.
     
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