For the first time in years, the Tennessee Titans enter an upcoming NFL season with a ton of hype. Can Mike Mularkey’s bunch live up to lofty expectations?
Every year, there is at least one team in each conference that seemingly everybody is high on. Last fall in the AFC, it was all about the Silver and Black with Jack Del Rio’s Oakland Raiders. Heading into 2017, the AFC hype team has to be the Tennessee Titans.
In a matter of three years, the Titans went from the worst team in football to arguably the favorite to win the AFC South. Tennessee seems to have the right coaching staff in place with the likes of head coach Mike Mularkey, the ageless Dick LeBeau at defensive coordinator and wide receiver-whisperer Terry Robiskie as offense coordinator.
The Titans have drafted well the last two years under general manager Jon Robinson. Seemingly overnight, the Titans emerged as having the best offensive line in football. With guys like Jack Conklin, Ben Jones and Taylor Lewan, it’s not that hard to visualize.
But let’s be real for a second here. The biggest reason that the Titans are a legitimate playoff contender is that they have found the answer at quarterback in third-year signal caller Marcus Mariota. Some questioned if the Titans made the right choice with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015. Mariota won the 2014 Heisman Trophy at Oregon, but it was debatable if he was a product of Chip Kelly/Mark Helfrich’s up-tempo system in Eugene.
After a trying first year in the league where the 2015 Titans went 3-13, Tennessee nearly made the AFC playoffs a year ago at 9-7. Had Mariota not broken his leg on Christmas Eve against the division rival Jacksonville Jaguars, it might have been the Titans that were hosting the Raiders in the AFC Wild Card round in Nashville.
Overall, this team has more going right for it than it does not. Tennessee will have to win between the hash marks again, as the Titans will look to pound the rock with Mularkey’s acclaimed Exotic Smash Mouth attack. It helps having two powerful tailbacks that feed off each other in Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray.
Tennessee has a sneaky-good pass rush, but hangs its hat defensively on its ability to stuff the run. The Titans overhauled the secondary by signing Johnathan Cyprien and Logan Ryan in free agency. They also used a first-round pick on a track star in the defensive backfield in USC’s Adoree Jackson.
In an effort to get better in the passing game, Tennessee used its first-round pick via the Los Angeles Rams on Western Michigan wideout Corey Davis. Sure, the Titans overdrafted Davis at No. 5, but he was sensational the last two years for the best 2016 team out of the Group of 5.
They also were able to pick up former Denver Broncos and New York Jets possession receiver Eric Decker in free agency. He’s playing with a boulder-sized chip on his shoulder after being cut by the atrocious, rebuilding Jets. Decker gives the Titans’ passing game in the middle of the field even more bite to pair with excellent tight end Delanie Walker.
While the rival Houston Texans have the best defense in the AFC South, one can argue that Tennessee has the best offense in the division this year. Jacksonville will be more defensively driven with issues at quarterback. Indianapolis could be in for a very rough year with their lackluster roster and coaching staff.
The Titans will have to presumably duke it out with the Texans for the division crown. Houston has won the division the last two years with rancid quarterback play. The Texans might have found their heir apparent to Matt Schaub in rookie Deshaun Watson out of Clemson. Mariota might be the best quarterback in the division, especially if Colts signal caller Andrew Luck continues to rapidly decay before our eyes.
Frankly, this Titans team can be as good as they want to be this year. They could win the division in a cake walk if Watson or Tom Savage aren’t ready to win on Sundays for the Texans. This is a year for the taking for Nashville football fans. Anything less than .500 out of this team would be considered a massive disappointment. There’s too much talent on both sides of the ball for this to not be a playoff contender in the AFC South.
Where Tennessee needs to get better is two-fold: create a tough home environment and do better in AFC South play. When was the last time the Titans beat the Colts? Back when Luck was starring in the then Pac-10 for the Stanford Cardinal. Tennessee cannot be swept by the Colts if the Titans want any shot of winning the division.
It all really starts with the Titans ability to make Nissan Stadium situated next to the Cumberland River a raucous road environment. If the NHL’s Nashville Predators can have the best home ice advantage in hockey, why can’t the Tennessee faithful Titan Up and get the energy back to where it was during the late Steve McNair’s prime?
Not saying Music City Miracle, Part Deux is on the horizon, as the lousy Buffalo Bills aren’t making the AFC Playoffs in 2017, but an electric home atmosphere can help make the Titans a 10 to 12-win team if everything goes according to plan.
On the other side of the coin, there is always one hype team that disappoints annually. Last year it was Jacksonville, as the Jaguars plummeted to 3-13. The other NFL team that has a ton of up-start buzz around it is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While both teams can definitely win big this fall and get back into the playoffs, there is a good chance only one will thrive while the other disappoints. Will it be Tennessee or Tampa Bay?
X-Factor
A good choice for the Titans’ x-factor this year might be Decker. As stated previously, he is coming to Nashville with a big chip on his shoulder. After being a reliable receiving target for Peyton Manning in Denver, it didn’t pan out as well as he would have hoped in that money grab with the Jets.
Yes, that’s what it was, as New York wasn’t overly competent in the passing game in 2016. Decker has to realize that the Titans are the last team that will view him as a viable NFL starting wideout. If he struggles to move the chains as a possession receiver, under Robiskie of all coaches, it might be the end of the line for Decker’s NFL prime.
That being said, he can absolutely reel in a bunch of catches with the accurate Mariota tossing him the pigskin. Together, they can make the Titans’ passing game more dynamic and capable of orchestrating a deep playoff run in the AFC. If Decker and Mariota have a good rapport, it could indicate a great season for the 2017 Titans.
Best Case
The amount of optimism around this Titans team is incredible. If it all goes right, Tennessee wins the AFC South at 11-5 or 12-4 and has the No. 3 seed in the 2017 AFC Playoffs. Depending on how the Pittsburgh Steelers do, the Titans could be in line for a first-round bye as the No. 2 seed in the AFC after only New England.
Tennessee is able to secure a division title and a first-round bye after Week 16, giving the Titans an opportunity to rest a few starters in Mularkey wants to in the second half of their Week 17 game. Presumably Pittsburgh gets upset in the No. 3 vs. No. 6 AFC Wild Card Game and the Titans matchup favorably versus some good, but not great AFC West team.
The Titans win their AFC Divisional Round game and get to play in Foxborough versus the Patriots in the AFC Championship. Tennessee is a massive road underdog to New England, but covers to two-score spread. With Jimmy Garoppolo taking over at quarterback in New England for Tom Brady in 2018, Tennessee emerges as one of the six or eight teams that can win Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta.
Worst Case
For it to go bad on the professional gridiron in the Music City, it has to start with a down year from Mariota. He doesn’t feel comfortable on his healed ankle this fall. His mechanics go in the toilet like 2016 Blake Bottles in Jacksonville. The offensive line suffers a few key injuries and the Exotic Smash Mouth offense becomes bland.
Tennessee essentially anchors the AFC South to remaining the worst division in football. The offense lacks dynamism and Mularkey finds himself on the hot seat. Furthermore, Tennessee cannot hold its own in the AFC South, going a miserable 2-4 or 1-5 this fall. The Titans somehow find away to get swept by Chuck Pagano’s Colts again. At least the Titans beat Jacksonville at least once.
Tennessee is something like -10 in turnover differential and people have tremendous buyer’s remorse from hopping on the Titans’ hype train at the start of the year. This team plays a flat brand of football, resembling a three-day old 2-liter bottle of Coke. The Titans have zero buzz heading into 2018 and the AFC South now firmly belongs to Watson’s Texans.
Final Word
This looks to be the year for Titans football. The coaching staff is underrated, the general manager is solid, ownership is not as chaotic as it was and Mariota is on the path to being the next great quarterback in the AFC. Tennessee emerges as a worthy adversary of the Raiders as the next two powers in the AFC.
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The Titans finish well over .500 and get into the AFC Playoffs. They’re not afraid of the challenge ahead. As an underdog in their first game, the Titans find away to win a thrilling Wild Card Weekend game and finish the season as one of the eight-best teams in football. The Super Bowl is within reach…next year.