NFL Preview: Tennessee Titans

Last season was not one to remember for Tennessee fans. The 2011 Titans aren’t exactly shaping up to be much better. Al Dannity breaks down their prospects.

The players
I have long defended Vince Young. His attitude off the field may not have been great but all he did when he got on was complete most of his passes and win a lot of games. The same couldn’t really be said for the other quarterbacks competing with him for the starters’ job in Tennessee. Kerry Collins isn’t back either. Instead the Titans have given Matt Hasselbeck an overly generous contract and drafted a potential bust-in-the-making in the shape of Jake Locker. Not that Locker won’t necessarily work out, the signal caller has the physical tools but there are lots of question marks about his decision making on the field, which is where it really counts.

The biggest loss however was not at quarterback. Jason Babin, one of the many free agents to sign with the Eagles, leaves a big hole on the defensive line. Babin was the #10 ranked defensive end in the NFL last year, according to ProFootballFocus, and the Titans haven’t made any significant moves to replace him. Then there’s the matter of Chris Johnson’s holdout which the Titans need to fix fast.

Mark your calendar
For all the players lost, there are still some winnable games on the Titans’ slate. Road games at Jacksonville and Cleveland, and a home game with the Broncos, all present realistic opportunities for victory in the season’s first four weeks.

The Titans come off the bye with big division games at home to Houston in Week 7 and the Colts in Week 8. The Bengals and Panthers should both be beatable in Weeks 9 and 10, although the trip to Buffalo in December could prove tougher than it appears on paper. The final three weeks of the season see the Titans play all of their divisional rivals.

The verdict
It’s not good but given the off-season this team endured, it could be a whole lot worse. Matt Hasselbeck has been given a situation he can work with early and, with a little luck, the Titans might put together a respectable season. Don’t go looking for Tennessee to even remotely challenge for the playoffs but they could piece together six wins. With a roster weak enough to go 2-14 in other circumstances, that wouldn’t be a bad result by any stretch.