Learning from the Titans

[lightsout]

So I have found myself really pulling for the Titans. I love Lamar Jackson and to see him have success and carry his team to the SB would have been great, but I told a work buddy before the game yesterday that I wanted the Titans to win because I really like the way they play. What do I mean? I mean they are playing the game the way I was taught to play the game by my coaches in high school and college (D3, I wasn't special lol).

I was given The Plan by my high school coach. It was a basic checklist of sorts to ensure maximum potential for wins in football. We recited it after every practice and game. If you adhere to The Plan, you are more likely to win than not assuming the other team is not just vastly more talented than you are. If this was something he came up with or something he got from another coach, I do not know, but it goes like this.

1. Be the most physical team on the field.
2. Be fundamentally sound
3a. Turnovers
3b. Stupid penalties
3c. kicking game
4. Togetherness
5. Don't flinch

Now let me discuss where the Titans excel at The Plan.

1. Being the most physical team on the field is one of the most important facets of winning football games. The Titans are great at this. On both lines, they are more often than not the most physical team on the field. Henry adds another level to this, as do their TEs. While for sure Henry has taken some hard hits and been sat down, he's more often than not the one delivering the blows. On a lot of the key short down and distance situations yesterday, the Titans won with physicality.

2. This seems obvious, but being fundamentally sound is key. You can be strong, fast and skilled, but if you lack in the fundamentals then you will get beat. Look at Donte Jackson. Tons of raw talent, but his lack of using fundamentals results in him getting beat when his athleticism alone suggests nobody should beat him over the top. The Titans execute at a fundamental level. The interception thrown by Jackson on the out route in the 3rd was a great example. Vaccaro makes his drop and without even needing to eye the receiver, he shifts out knowing that the route is not an out and up and jumps the route. The Titans did a good job protecting Tannehill because of good, fundamental blocking techniques and the same can be said for general execution by all position groups.

3a. Titans win the turnover battle in basically every game. Of their 7 losses, they lost the turnover battle only 3 times and finished the year with a +6 turnover differential. That's a solid way to ensure you stay in and win games.

3b. The Titans are middling here, but still end up in the + on the year. 109 calls against, 135 calls for and they net 132 yards on the season through 18 games. I can't speak game to game for them (could but it would take longer than I care to research), but I'm willing to bet that in more games than not, they didn't take stupid penalties that cost them largely.

3c. Big plays in the kicking game is what is meant in The Plan. Don't give them up, try to create some for yourself, and convert on FGs when you attempt them. The Titans did in fact struggle here, only making 44% of their FG attempts. No returns for TDs, but also they never gave up returns for TDs either. They did lose overall on the year for avg yards per return and total yards. Their coverage must improve as all yards are important and can swing the field.

4. Togetherness. The Titans are a quiet team. We haven't heard much out of them in terms of in-fighting or calling out coaching or anything like that. A team that can stay together and not point fingers and play as one is ideal. It's hard to generate this at the pro level, where guys come and go from locker rooms annually. The Titans may or may not meet this point but I'll lean towards them being pretty tight. They certainly appeared to have chemistry and closeness last night.

5. Don't flinch. When things go bad, you can't show weakness. You can't point fingers and pass the blame, you can't mentally checkout and give up. You push through it and keep fighting so you don't lose the mental edge. Again, this is one area the Titans clearly excel. A 9-7 team that just beat the 14-2 Ravens. If this Titans team gave up easily, they'd be at home right now. Instead, they've fought and scratched and knocked out the Patriots and Ravens.



What can we learn? The Titans are playing in a fashion that dictates that they have a chance to win any game. They didn't have a single loss by more than 2 possessions, and the average differential in score of their losses was 8 points while their average score differential in wins was 14.  In the playoffs, 11.5. The Titans are winning by a larger margin than they have lost by and that constant fight all season has led to a tough team that is going to be hard to beat for anybody. Hopefully Rhule can have this team, at minimum, on a similar path moving forward because we have to find our way back to success sooner rather than later.

[ForJimmy]

Toughness and fundamentals seem to be Rhule’s foundation for a team. His ideas seem to lead to a similar path. Hopefully he will be able to execute them on this level.

[TheRumGone]

I agree their lines are good but Henry really is on another level. I mean Tannehill had 88 yards total. And they won. You need a back that can do what Henry does and there is only one of those in the league right now. He’s a more athletic and faster Lagarrett Blunt.
 

A LOT of their success is simply because Henry is a goddamn freak of nature. He can control the game. The defense played great against the Ravens on crucial 4th down stops. But winning a game when your qb throws for 88 yards doesn’t happen unless you have an extremely special defense( they’re not) or an extremely special running back (they do). Also it’s a bit of luck tbh. Everyone gelling at the right time reminding me of that 9-7 giants team that won it all.   

[The Huddler]

sometimes it just comes down to chemistry and straight up momentum.  

 

and the timing of that is crucial for the playoffs

[Panthera onca]

Actually investing in the offensive line pays dividends. Who knew?

[punkpanther]

A competent head coach sure doesn’t hurt. They play with no fear and don’t let off the gas when they get a lead . 

[Ship]

Yesterday showed us two reasons to go O-line at #7 this year:

1. Bosa and the 49ers D-line need to be stopped and

2. Derrick Henry getting support to break other teams.

Panthers have to get back to playing tough big boy football on the lines. We’ve lost our edge up there and we need some young blood to bring it back.

[Untouchable]

The Titans were a terrible matchup for the Ravens. On offense they are built to run the ball, Ravens D is built to stop the pass. On defense they are built to stop the run, which is what drives the Ravens offense.

[cmichd]

35 minutes ago, lightsout said:

So I have found myself really pulling for the Titans. I love Lamar Jackson and to see him have success and carry his team to the SB would have been great, but I told a work buddy before the game yesterday that I wanted the Titans to win because I really like the way they play. What do I mean? I mean they are playing the game the way I was taught to play the game by my coaches in high school and college (D3, I wasn't special lol).

I was given The Plan by my high school coach. It was a basic checklist of sorts to ensure maximum potential for wins in football. We recited it after every practice and game. If you adhere to The Plan, you are more likely to win than not assuming the other team is not just vastly more talented than you are. If this was something he came up with or something he got from another coach, I do not know, but it goes like this.

1. Be the most physical team on the field.
2. Be fundamentally sound
3a. Turnovers
3b. Stupid penalties
3c. kicking game
4. Togetherness
5. Don't flinch

Now let me discuss where the Titans excel at The Plan.

1. Being the most physical team on the field is one of the most important facets of winning football games. The Titans are great at this. On both lines, they are more often than not the most physical team on the field. Henry adds another level to this, as do their TEs. While for sure Henry has taken some hard hits and been sat down, he's more often than not the one delivering the blows. On a lot of the key short down and distance situations yesterday, the Titans won with physicality.

2. This seems obvious, but being fundamentally sound is key. You can be strong, fast and skilled, but if you lack in the fundamentals then you will get beat. Look at Donte Jackson. Tons of raw talent, but his lack of using fundamentals results in him getting beat when his athleticism alone suggests nobody should beat him over the top. The Titans execute at a fundamental level. The interception thrown by Jackson on the out route in the 3rd was a great example. Vaccaro makes his drop and without even needing to eye the receiver, he shifts out knowing that the route is not an out and up and jumps the route. The Titans did a good job protecting Tannehill because of good, fundamental blocking techniques and the same can be said for general execution by all position groups.

3a. Titans win the turnover battle in basically every game. Of their 7 losses, they lost the turnover battle only 3 times and finished the year with a +6 turnover differential. That's a solid way to ensure you stay in and win games.

3b. The Titans are middling here, but still end up in the + on the year. 109 calls against, 135 calls for and they net 132 yards on the season through 18 games. I can't speak game to game for them (could but it would take longer than I care to research), but I'm willing to bet that in more games than not, they didn't take stupid penalties that cost them largely.

3c. Big plays in the kicking game is what is meant in The Plan. Don't give them up, try to create some for yourself, and convert on FGs when you attempt them. The Titans did in fact struggle here, only making 44% of their FG attempts. No returns for TDs, but also they never gave up returns for TDs either. They did lose overall on the year for avg yards per return and total yards. Their coverage must improve as all yards are important and can swing the field.

4. Togetherness. The Titans are a quiet team. We haven't heard much out of them in terms of in-fighting or calling out coaching or anything like that. A team that can stay together and not point fingers and play as one is ideal. It's hard to generate this at the pro level, where guys come and go from locker rooms annually. The Titans may or may not meet this point but I'll lean towards them being pretty tight. They certainly appeared to have chemistry and closeness last night.

5. Don't flinch. When things go bad, you can't show weakness. You can't point fingers and pass the blame, you can't mentally checkout and give up. You push through it and keep fighting so you don't lose the mental edge. Again, this is one area the Titans clearly excel. A 9-7 team that just beat the 14-2 Ravens. If this Titans team gave up easily, they'd be at home right now. Instead, they've fought and scratched and knocked out the Patriots and Ravens.



What can we learn? The Titans are playing in a fashion that dictates that they have a chance to win any game. They didn't have a single loss by more than 2 possessions, and the average differential in score of their losses was 8 points while their average score differential in wins was 14.  In the playoffs, 11.5. The Titans are winning by a larger margin than they have lost by and that constant fight all season has led to a tough team that is going to be hard to beat for anybody. Hopefully Rhule can have this team, at minimum, on a similar path moving forward because we have to find our way back to success sooner rather than later.

I wonder how we beat this team.  They battered the Ravens all game.  Did this game wear us out know we were just darn lucky.  Good writing.

[TheRumGone]

1 minute ago, cmichd said:

I wonder how we beat this team.  They battered the Ravens all game.  Did this game wear us out know we were just darn lucky.  Good writing.

They barely ran Henry against us for some extremely weird reason.

[Jay Roosevelt]

The Titans are a good team, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. They're on the kind of playoff run we see from time to time; similar to the Giants in 2007 and 2011. We're not talking about a burgeoning Titans dynasty here or anything.

They're not doing anything revolutionary or noteworthy; they're just playing better than their opponents.

[Davis83]

Not a pro by any means, but did play LT on a run 1st team.  OL really is the key to virtually any offensive success.  If you can't perform the basics of blocking on a consistent basis - it won't matter who your QB or RB is over the long term.  Do not have to be 1st round picks either - just have to be good at the fundamentals and smart enough to learn and adapt.

 

[lightsout]

Just now, TheRumGone said:

I agree their lines are good but Henry really is on another level. I mean Tannehill had 88 yards total. And they won. You need a back that can do what Henry does and there is only one of those in the league right now. He’s a more athletic and faster Lagarrett Blunt.
 

A LOT of their success is simply because Henry is a goddamn freak of nature. He can control the game. The defense played great against the Ravens on crucial 4th down stops. But winning a game when your qb throws for 88 yards doesn’t happen unless you have an extremely special defense( they’re not) or an extremely special running back (they do). Also it’s a bit of luck tbh. Everyone gelling at the right time reminding me of that 9-7 giants team that won it all.   

I'll agree. Tannehill doesn't have to do a ton. They're a remarkably unremarkable team in every category except for rushing offense really, but the fact that as a team they execute in the areas I mentioned that can go unnoticed in a league where QB stats and large point totals seem to be an indicator of success for the team is what I enjoy about them. They're not flashy, but they get it done. Plus everybody likes an underdog story.

[lightsout]

13 minutes ago, Jay Roosevelt said:

The Titans are a good team, but let's not get ahead of ourselves here. They're on the kind of playoff run we see from time to time; similar to the Giants in 2007 and 2011. We're not talking about a burgeoning Titans dynasty here or anything.

They're not doing anything revolutionary or noteworthy; they're just playing better than their opponents.

Exactly my point. Just found it noteworthy and interesting how they've played this year as it relates to an old coach's philosophy.