Titan Thoughts Week 7 - The I Can't Wait to See the Power Rankings This Week Edition

My Beloved Titans are now 5-2 after toying with floundering for three quarters and then coming alive and spanking the Eagles 37-19. Before I get started, a few observations, linkage and assorted stuff:

Brett Favre is very likely done with football. If he were anybody else, he'd have been done once some gal accused him of sending her pics of his schmeckel over the phone. I haven't commented on that because, as much as I despise Favre, I won't pile on this kind of story until it's proven. It's too easy to target famous people these days. If it is true, I'll have to put my comments below the fold, because they most definitely will not be safe for work.

Tony Romo and the Cowboys are done for the season. Romo and company were about the only team picked to beat us so far this year, mainly because they are, and have been, one of the most overrated teams this decade. I used to like the 'Boys, but Jerry Jones has passed Al Davis as the biggest owner/hindrance to his team. He's almost another Dan Snyder.

Now, the Titans blog post title of the week: From Spunky Underdogs to Title Contenders (CJ Smiles
 That says in a nutshell, why I can't wait to see the Power Rankings this week. Sure, it's all BS, and more of a gauge on how the sportswriters respect us than anything else, but still, I want to see what they say.
 
As for last Sunday's game, I have to say, right off the bat, I didn't think we were going to win that one. The offense was flat, the run game wasn't working, and Collins was taking too much time to throw the ball, and wasn't getting the protection he needed.

Don't get me wrong, Kerry was the best option for that game, as Vince was still hobbled and wouldn't have been able to elude the rush the Eagles were throwing at us. They were blitzing constantly, not respecting the passing game whatsoever.

That worked fine for the half, but something happened in the second - Kenny Britt happened. Make no mistake, it was all Britt, all the time. Collins just had to get it close and Britt would haul it in. The Eagles, a franchise around since the 1930's, had never given up as many yards to a receiver as Kenny got that day.

So, what does that mean for our future opponents? It means they'll have to add Britt to their growing list of players to be concerned about. Not only will this open up the running game, but it will also open up other receivers. They can't spy Vince, CJ and double team Britt all at the same time. If they do, it leaves either Nate Washington of Bo Scaife wide open.

Sounds good to me.

One more thing, that bodes well for us going forward: We haven't even put a complete game together. The secret to going to the Super Bowl is peaking at the right time. The Steelers proved that a couple years ago by winning the Super Bowl from the Wild Card Slot. Granted, doing that is not as unusual as it used to be, but it shows that hitting your peak at the right time is paramount. The flipside of that coin would have to be the Patriots, who lost the Super Bowl after going undefeated the entire season. Peaked just a tad too early.

One the defensive side, it was nice to seen Marks back in the rotation, and it was doubly nice to see Finnegan get his first INT of the year and return it for 6. It's also nice to see that Alterraun Verner keeps making plays. Even better, ATV making plays results in Dave Ball making statements:

“He (Verner) is like a little ferret,” DE Dave Ball said. “There’s a hole he dug into and came up on the other side and he was able to grab it.”

From the same post, this:

“They’ve got a really good scheme to protect the quarterback. Some plays it’s like running through a hedge maze. You’ve got a clown popping out on the right side, a BMW on the left side. Then you have to run over the sprinklers. It’s hard trying to get there.”

Nutty-quote go-to guy, indeed. Although, in my experience, clowns and BMW's do show up together from time to time.

Not much to say about special teams this week, as both kickers were booting into and through the endzone all game long. Mariani did fine on punt returns, and did break off one long one. He's a stud returner.

Off to San Diego next Sunday. Those guys usually give us a hard time, we'd best not take them lightly.

Cross posted at Music City Miracles.

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