Tennessee Titans 2009 Preview: Run, Run and Run Some More

Training camps have wrapped up, the NFL season is right around the corner, and it's still hot as sin outside. But instead of cooling you off with a warm island song, FanHouse break out ye old heat check for our 2009 NFL Season Previews. " We'll rate each club in 5 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Let's rewind back to March 2008: I joined a couple buddies of mine for a Spring Break excursion to Las Vegas. We had an outstanding time, and the day we were to leave, we headed down to the sportsbook to lay down some futures bets. One of my friends had an interesting wager. His Super Bowl bet? The Tennessee Titans.

"Really?" I asked.

"Really," he replied.

And then they went 5-0 before their bye week. And then they followed it up with another five wins to start the season 10-0. As we know, they fell short of the Super Bowl, but the team really gave their fans a lot to be excited about heading into 2009.

Offense: With veteran Kerry Collins at the helm, make no mistake: this is a run-first offense. Last year, Tennessee was one of only seven teams to rack up 500 rushing attempts. Their 24 TDs by land ranked second only to Carolina. If all goes well in 2009, the gameplan will be more of the same. Second-year running back Chris Johnson leads the charge after enjoying a wildly-successful rookie season in which he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and scored a total of 10 touchdowns. Playing T.J. Duckett to his Warrick Dunn is LenDale White, a big bruiser that scored 15 times last year. The club also did well to bring in Michigan State alum Javon Ringer. The key to the offense is the line, which remains intact, and if it can remain as healthy as it did last year, this rushing attack will be tough to slow down. With that facet of the offense cruising, the Titans did their best to beef up the air attack. Kenny Britt was drafted out of Rutgers to be a big target, and he'll immediately be the most talented receiver Tennessee has had in a long while. Jared Cook was also selected to create mismatches at the tight end position, and he's been wowing teammates and coaching staff alike all preseason. Once the team gets free-agent acquisition Nate Washington back on the field, the Titans could become one of the most explosive offenses in the AFC. Heat Index: 7


Defense: Rushing attack aside, this was the biggest reason the Titans were able to dominate in the regular season in 2008. Along with the Steelers, Tennessee was one of only two teams to allow less that 15 points per game -- if not for that historically great season by the Steelers' defense, this unit would get a lot more credit. Unfortunately, it's not all coming up roses this year, as lynchpin Albert Haynesworth struck out for riches elsewhere. Tony Brown and Jason Jones both played well in the interior last year, but how will they hold up without Haynesworth's presence? The team signed Jovan Haye from Tampa Bay and drafted Sen'Derrick Marks to help in the defensive tackle rotation. At defensive end, Kyle Vanden Bosch is in a contract year and will look to improve on an injury-laden, five-sack season. Keith Bulluck is the veteran leader on the defense, though he's not his former dominant self. With no new blood ready to step in and take over, this linebacker unit could hold the defense back should injuries strike. Cortland Finnegan had a breakthrough year to establish himself as an elite cornerback, while Nick Harper, Michael Griffin, and Chris Hope round out an excellent secondary. I don't forsee the Titans as a top-ten rushing and passing defense like they were in 2008, but there's more than enough talent here to weather the loss of Haynesworth. Heat Index: 8

Special Teams: Kicker Rob Bironas earned himself a new four-year, $12 million contract this offseason. Widely considered one of the league's best kickers, Bironas has hit close to 90 percent of his field goal attempts in the last two years. After it looked like he'd retire, Craig Hentrich returns for one last go-round. With Chris Carr out of town, Mark Jones will take over as the main kick returner and punt returner. Carr leaves mighty big shoes to fill, as he contributed to the Titans' league best kickoff return unit. Heat Index: 8

Coaching: You don't get much better than Jeff Fisher as your head coach. Currently the longest-tenured head coach in the league, Fisher has led the Titans to six playoff appearances in the last 10 years. Even when the team was stuck in a rut, combining for only nine wins in 2004 and 2005, Fisher was given the opportunity to right the ship, which he did admirably winning eight games in 2006, 10 in 2007, and 13 last year. Defensive guru Jim Schwartz left the team to be the head coach of the Detroit Lions, and the team promoted defensive backs coach Chuck Cecil to fill his space. Expect Cecil to not miss a beat. This coaching staff gives the Titans a clear advantage, and if I were starting a team and could steal away any coach, Fisher would be near or at the top of that list. Heat Index: 9

Intangibles: With the Pacman show out of town, this is more or less a distraction-free team. But can Kerry Collins make it through another season healthy, and if not, is Vince Young capable of running the offense? Being a Texas Ex, I'm about as big a supporter of Young as you'll find, but even I'll admit he has a long way to go before we can consider him an NFL-caliber quarterback. On that note, the Titans as a team were remarkably healthy last season. What happens if a few players succumb to injury? While their offensive line is stellar, it's not a very deep group. To me, this team has a few more questions than I would expect from a 13-win group. Heat Index: 5

Total Heat Index: 37/50 Steering clear of injury and distraction will land this team in the playoffs yet again, but will they be one-and-done for the third straight season? With such a good coaching staff in place, I wouldn't count on that happening. With four of their first six games on the road, and then a Week 7 bye, the Titans are set up to tear through the league in the second half. It might take another Pro Bowl season from Collins to reach the promised land -- does he have it in him? An intriguing sleeper last year, the Titans aren't sneaking up on anyone in 2009.