It seems like ever since the Baltimore Ravens bounced the Tennessee Titans from the NFL playoffs, we’ve been talking about how horrid the 2020 defense was and how crucial it is to fix it moving forward. I’m not going to say that isn’t the top priority this offseason, as the Titans clearly need to blow up the pass rush and add a few pieces across the board. But, that doesn’t mean the offense is completely off the schneid. We’ve said it a lot on The Unofficial Titans Podcast this season, but it’s worth repeating – if you can get to Derrick Henry before he finds any space, if you can tackle him before he gets going…you can stop this Titans offense. As was the case in 2020, if you can stop the Titans offense, you have a damn good shot at winning the game.
So, how can the Titans keep that from happening? Like most solutions in football – it’s a little bit personnel and a little bit coaching.
Terry McCormick wrote a solid piece a little over a week ago about the importance of the Titans keeping that offense at an elite level. In it, he touches on the loss of Arthur Smith as offensive coordinator, and how crucial his replacement will be to the sustained success of the Titans offense.
I couldn’t agree more – they have to get this one right. Mike Vrabel cannot afford to ‘Shane Bowen‘ this one. You’ve got a masterpiece cookin’ – don’t drop it on the floor. And, while you don’t want too much about this offense to change, a fresh perspective, and a new wrinkle here and there could help the Titans address this issue. Can a new OC design a scheme to create more space for Henry when teams adjust to him? Can a new OC find a way to use Henry more effectively on third down? In the passing game, maybe? I’m genuinely asking because I don’t know – if I did know, I might be coaching football somewhere instead of blogging about it. Just reiterating that fact for you guys.
Solving those questions might get the Titans through games like that Ravens game. But, there might need to be a little personnel tweaking as well – hopefully, Darrynton Evans can provide that spark behind Henry. He showed flashes in 2020, but we only caught a small glimpse of him due to injury. The Titans could use another play-maker in the receiving corps – one that preferably won’t run into a defender and/or fall down on the most critical play of the game. If you can find more players that can take advantage of the matchup behind the line of scrimmage, when teams load up to clog those running lanes for Henry, you can adjust better.
Ultimately, I don’t think there’s anything about this offense that you want to completely overhaul – but the Titans need just a couple more pieces, and maybe a little more situational creativity from coaches to avoid getting caught by teams that simply sell out to stop Henry and nullify the play-action game.
Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley
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