Tennessee Titans (0-5) at New England Patriots (3-2)

Time: 4:15 EST
Where: Gillettle Stadium in Foxboro, Massachusetts
TV: CBS
Radio: 98.5 FM – The Sports Hub

The Patriots are coming off a disappointing loss to the Broncos. Currently, New England is sitting even in the AFC East with the New York Jets with a 3-2 record. Every week, the Pats have seen an unbeaten team, but now they are looking at a different scenario. For the first time this season, New England will face a winless opponent in the highly disappointing Tennessee Titans.

Meet the Titans

Last season they were the talk of the town. Coming out of nowhere, the Titans were the top team in the NFL with a 13-3 record, including starting the season on a ten-game winning streak. Everything was going fine, until they lost to the Ravens in their first playoff game. Since then, Jeff Fisher’s team has struggled out of the gates and has lost its winning ways.

Kerry Collins is the de-facto leader of the offense. Last season was one of the finest in his fifteen season, earning him his second Pro Bowl appearance. However, it’s not smooth sailing in Tennessee anymore. Collins is second in the league in interceptions, behind only Jake Delhomme, and he has one of the worst passer ratings in the league. The Titans offense comes from it’s running game. What was supposed to be a one-two punch has turned into an uneven attack. Chris Johnson does it all, including a 197-yard rushing game against Houston, which featured a 91-yard rush. He is one of the best runners in the league and is already just shy of 500 rushing yards. However, all the offseason talk was on LenDale White, who was supposed to be in the best shape of his life following his no-tequila diet. However, he has yet to show any of the running back we saw last season, which puts all the pressure on Johnson’s shoulder.

When Albert Haynesworth left for Washington, everyone thought the Titans defense would be hurting, but no one expected this. Tennessee’s defense ranks towards the bottom, giving up 363 yards a game. Stephen Tulloch and Keith Bulluck have kept the linebacking unit stable, but the defensive line and especially the secondary have been struggling. Several wide receivers, including Houston’s Andre Johnson and Jacksonville’s Mike Sims-Walker, have made big plays and burned the secondary. Considering that the secondary will be without Cortland Finnegan and Nick Harper this week, it is just another Titans weakness that can be exploited. The Titans need their former Pro Bowlers Kyle Vanden Bosch and Javon Kearse and fellow linemen Tony Brown and Jason Jones to get going and take pressure off the secondary, for the Titans to have a shot at their first win.

Five Things The Patriots Have To Do:

Simple: Go Deep, Go Often

New England has not had a pass over 40 yards this season. Tennessee has allowed those long passes and ranks 31st in the league against the pass. All those signs point to one thing: go deep. With Nick Harper and Cortland Finnegan out for the Titans, this is the perfect opportunity for Randy Moss to add to his touchdown total on the season (he has just 1 TD). With a stellar linebacking unit, Wes Welker’s slot receiving role might be reduced and instead look for New England to finally let loose and go deep.

Of course, that only goes as far as Tom Brady is willing. Everything was expected to be fine since his return, but in five games this season, Brady has a season-best completion of 36 yards. Going deep might be a good strategy, but consistency is more important. Brady was 5-14 in the second half against Denver last week. If he has too many misses, the Patriots offense won’t have enough time to do anything productive.

Stop Johnson at All Costs

There’s no secret to the Titans offensive success this season, Chris Johnson. His 197 rushing yards again Houston were spectacular, but considering that Tennessee still lost the game, it shows where this team stands. He has the ability to stop and go at any pace, and the speed to burn any one in the NFL. If you can not stop him at the line, then he will tear you up for big yardage.

That is why the defensive plays an important role this week, especially the linebackers. It was nice for New England fans to see Jerod May return last week. His six tackles were a great sign of recovery from someone who had an MCL injury just a few weeks ago. Another great sign will be the return of Junior Seau. Even if he doesn’t suit up, his role on the sideline might be enough to mentor men like Gary Guyton to step up and play harder. Johnson’s running lanes need to be plugged by Mayo, Guyton, Adalius Thomas and Pierre Woods, or else they will be seeing a lot of Johnson’s backside while he runs towards the end-zone.

Get to Collins

Although the Patriots only have ten sacks on the season, tied for 14th, they are good at getting pressure on the quarterbacks. However, when they sit back and relax, things get bad. Denver’s Kyle Orton was able to crush the Patriots last week, going 35 for 48 for 330 yards. Do not expect a repeat this week. Pressure on Kerry Collins usually causes the quarterback to make costly mistakes. The Titans offensive line can be beat and Ty Warren, Vince Wilfork, Mike Wright and Tully Banta-Cain need to keep the pressure coming to cause some guaranteed Collins’ errors.

However, those mistakes need to be capitalized on, and that’s where the secondary comes into play. Most of the Patriots top tacklers are from the secondary. Brandon Meriweather, Brandon McGowan, Shawn Springs, Leigh Bodden and James Sanders are all in the top nine for tackles on the season. However, their two interceptions are tied for a league worst. Last week, the Patriots handed Kyle Orton his only interception on the season, but it was caught by Randy Moss on a hail mary play at the end of the first half. It’s nice that New England secondary ties receivers up, but every now and then, those receivers break away for big plays, ala Brandon Marshall last week. Should Collins throw one up for grabs, it needs to be the Patriots secondary coming down with the errant pass.

Keep the Running Game Running

He might have not played last week, but Fred Taylor is still the Patriots leading rusher with 201 yards. In his absence, Sammy Morris had his best game of the season with a dismal 68-yard performance, but it was against a strong rush defense of the Broncos. With injuries to Nick Kazur and Steven Neal, and Matt Light also expected to be out, it would be the logical choice for the Patriots to abandon the running game and just look for those deep passes.

However, those deep routes only open up with the presence of a running game. The Titans defense is third in the league at stopping the run, giving up only 75 rushing yards a game. With Tom Brady’s inconsistency, the best way to keep the clock moving is to get one running back moving, should it be Laurence Maroney or Sammy Morris. Sure Chris Johnson has more rushing yards then Maroney and Morris, combined…and then doubled, but that doesn’t mean either back can’t perform enough to keep the chains moving and help the Patriots control the time of possession.

The Battle Through the Air

It would be nice to say that the Patriots have the better receivers outright, but that isn’t necessarily the case. Kenny Britt is the Titans top receiver and can be a dangerous deep threat for the team, but he isn’t the only Tennessee weapon. Nate Washington and Justin Gage are two receivers who can also step up and make big plays when needed. Washington had a streak of three straight games with a touchdown broken last week, but he will be looking to start a new one on Sunday. Tight ends Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife both have over 100 yards receiving and Chris Johnson rounds out the dangerous receiving lineup, with 126 receiving yards of his own. The Patriots defense will worry about them, but the NE offense has also few weapons of their own.

Randy Moss has to be disappointed. He was the league’s top receiver a few weeks ago, but has since dropped to seventh after two unproductive weeks. He knows this Tennessee secondary can be burned and expect him to have a career day should he see the ball. Wes Welker seems to be getting back into routine, and is improving each week. He will have to step up his game if he wants to have a third straight 100-reception season. The biggest surprise could be Benjamin Watson, who is third on the team in receiving yard (187 yards), but first in touchdowns (3). The man to watch, however, is Kevin Faulk, who is five receptions away from being the 26th running back in history with 400 catches. Knowing that the Titans run defense is strong, the receivers need to pull everything in and make the big plays down the field.

What to Expect

New England has to make it clear they will not give up on the run this week. By maintaining a running game, the Patriots can allow their receivers to see single coverage, except Moss who is most likely to be doubled all game. On the other side of the ball, the key is rushing Kerry Collins. The Pats need to cause him to make mistakes to the point where the Titans might finally resurrect the Vince Young era. By keeping the ball out of Chris Johnson’s hands, and in Collins’, New England should cruise to their fourth victory of the season. Prediction: New England 28, Tennessee 13.

© Teddy for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | One comment
Filed under: Featured, Patriots, Top Story.

Apologies to anybody who picked up Darren McFadden solely based on my advice. All he did was carry the ball six time for -3 yards. Ouch! Sorry, but he was facing Houston. I thought he’d at least manage a decent 70 yds or something.

This just goes to prove that nobody on Oakland should be employed on your rosters. They are young, and inexperienced. The combined age between their starting WR’s, QB, and RB is 22.5 years old.

Here are the sleepers for Week 5. Trust me, no Raiders will be here for a long time.

Week 5 Sleepers

Kerry Collins (QB), Tennessee Titans

As we saw last season, the Titans were a run-first team featuring the two-headed monster known as Chris Johnson and LenDale White. This of course was based on the fact that their defense was among the best in football.

With their secondary depleted with injuries, the Titans have become a joke at stopping the pass. They currently hold the worst pass defense in football (282 pass yds allowed per game) and they just let David Garrard destroy them for 323 yds and 3 TD. Needless to say, when Peyton Manning gets a chance at them this Sunday, the results will be catastrophic.

What does that mean for Collins? Well, it will clearly mean that the Titans will be playing from behind all game and will have no choice but to throw it. The Colts have a decent pass defense with just over 200 pass yds allowed per game. But that number was improved when they faced Chad Pennington in Week 2 and David Garrard in Week 1.

Collins is averaging 228 pass yds per game and the Colts won’t have safety Bob Sanders for the whole game due to injury. Collins has no choice but to throw, and Indy’s secondary can be beat.

Ahmad Bradshaw (RB), New York Giants

If Eli Manning doesn’t play, then New York’s running game will be what drives the offense. Even if he does play, he won’t be throwing it as much as he usually does. In either case, Bradshaw is a great play this week, especially against Oakland.

The Raiders allow over 140 rush yds per game, and with Manning not throwing it too much, both Bradshaw and Jacobs will be huge plays this weekend.

Bradshaw averages 5.6 yds per carry and may get up to 20 carries on Sunday. What’s not to love?

Mohamed Massaquoi (WR), Cleveland Browns

After an impressive breakout game where he caught 8 passes for 148 yds on Sunday, and now with the trade of WR Braylon Edwards to the Jets, Massaquoi has been shot up the depth chart to #1 WR in Cleveland.

Massaquoi only had two catches on the season prior to last Sunday’s game, but as soon as QB Derek Anderson stepped in, the men seemed to develop a chemistry. I dare say that you can compare it to David Garrard and Mike Sims-Walker over in Jacksonville.

Anyway, Week 5 looks favorable as the Browns face the Buffalo Bills. Buffalo has allowed 226 pass yds per game. They have also allowed a staggering 150 rush yds per game as well. So Cleveland may give the ball to RB Jerome Harrison a lot.

However, the Browns allow 226 pass yds and 176 rush yds per game. The game may turn into a very surprising shootout.

Matt Cassel (QB), Kansas City Chiefs

Why is a 63 million-dollar-man being called a sleeper? Well, Cassel has not exactly been off to an All-Pro start this season. First he had a sprained MCL, and then over the past few weeks, he has had to deal with some really tough matchups (Eagles and Giants), and lastly, he has head coach Todd Haley repeatedly telling the press that backup QB Brodie Croyle is going to take his job.

Over the past two weeks, Cassel has thrown 4 TD’s and zero INT’s. OK, the yardage is small (217 yds), but he isn’t making mistakes and the defense isn’t doing him any favors by allowing almost 380 total yds per game.

That being said, I like Cassel against the Cowboys in Week 5. Since the Chiefs’ defense will roll over again for Tony Romo and Dallas, Cassel will be throwing as much as possible. The Cowboys have the fourth-worst pass defense in football with over 256 pass yds allowed per game. If you can let Byron Leftwich throw for 276 yds against you, then you have problems.

Whether it is the bad defense he is facing, or fear of losing his job (for no damn reason!), Cassel will finally step it up this week.

Marcedes Lewis (TE), Jacksonville Jaguars

Lewis has proved to be a reliable asset for David Garrard. Lewis is third on the Jaguars in receptions (11) and has caught two of Garrard’s five TD’s.

A matchup against Seattle may lead to another cheap TD reception for Lewis. With Seattle’s rush defense in shambles (124 rush yds allowed per game), Jacksonville may elect to just hand it off all day to Maurice Jones-Drew.

However, Lewis has showed that he is a target against really bad pass defenses (62 yds and a TD against Arizona; 76 yds and a TD against Tennessee). So if MJD stalls in the red zone, Lewis will be targeted.

Super Shocker Sleeper Pick

Tim Hightower (RB), Arizona Cardinals

After Week 1, Hightower was the leading receiver in the NFL. Now, it seems as if he has fallen back into his old groove of short yardage carries. Against the Texans, Hightower should be productive again.

Houston has the fourth-worst rush defense in football with 164 rush yds allowed per game. Yes, they stopped Darren McFadden last week by letting him rush for -3 yds. However, the Raiders (lack of a) passing game, headed by JaMarcus Russell, wasn’t exactly spreading the field and putting up a threat. Essentially, this just meant that Houston could stack eight or nine men in the box and stop the run.

Now this week, Houston can’t do that against Kurt Warner, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin. Well, not unless they want to allow 500 passing yds.

So, the running lanes will be open for Hightower this week. Plus, if they aren’t, Hightower has proven to be a reliable pass-catching RB with 20 receptions in three games.

© Pete Rampino for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Fantasy, Featured.

You have to hand it to the NFL; they know how to put on a show. The NFL Kickoff Special had it all: fireworks, huge musical acts, and a hard fought, old-fashioned game of football.

The Steelers and Titans duked it out in what was a battle of the defenses. There were four Titans sacks, touchdowns separated by less then a minute, Troy Polamalu leaving with an injured MCL, blocked field goals, a goal line fumble which put the game into overtime and almost a 100-yard interception returned to the house. Eventually, Pittsburgh beat Tennesse 13-10.

However, it was more then just a game. The National Football League has turned it’s opening weekend into an all out extravaganza. It was a celebration for the game and a hell of a way to start the 2009 NFL season.

Here are ten things learned from Thursday’s events:

1. The Steelers Have a New Go-To Wide Receiver:

Santonio Holmes has a new accomplishment. He scored the final points of last season and the first points of the new one. With the Steelers moving into a two-minute offense, Santonio caught two deep balls including a 34 yards touchdown pass through the heart of the Tennessee defense. He was all over the field and making great plays left and right.

On the other hand was former MVP Hines Ward, who despite racking up 103 receiving yards, he was not Big Ben’s go-to guy. Included in that was a crucial play in the fourth quarter. With time winding down, a pass through the middle was hauled in by Ward. Instead of falling within the 20, he went for the home run and in the process, was stripped and fumbled the ball. It could have sealed the game for Pittsburgh, but Ward was looking for a play to take the focus off new sensation Holmes.

2. The Titans Were No Fluke Last Season:

No one has given the Titans a chance to succeed this year after having the league’s best record the last time around. With Indianapolis the hands on favorite and people picking the Texans to be a sleeper, the Titans have been expected to finish with a mediocre 8-8 record and miss the playoffs.

However, do not count Jeff Fisher’s squad. They are disciplined and Kerry Collins looked just as good as last year, if that’s a good thing. Include a fantastic running combination of Chris Johnson and LenDale White and their offense is good enough for another strong season.

Considering that they play the AFC East, which has weak teams other than the Patriots, and the NFC West, which is horrible all around, the Titans could easily run the table with those teams. Winning half their division games puts them around, or over, 10 wins. However, considering that last year the Pats were 11-5 and didn’t make the playoffs, the Titans could be good without playing in January.

3. That Black Eyed Peas song “I Gotta Feeling” Will Be Everywhere:

The Peas started the kickoff with their new release “I Gotta Feeling” and it has become clear that this song will be played to death by the NFL, NBA, MLB, MLS, Youth Hockey, Professional Racquetball League, etc. It will probably replace Phil Collin’s “In the Air Tonight” as the song you don’t know why they continue to play at stadiums. It’s catchy and if you close your eyes, you can see highlights being aired with this song in the background.

4. The Steelers Can Not Afford to Lose Troy Polamalu:

During the first half, and without doubt, Polamalu was the game’s MVP. He was running ten yards out to stop runs at the line of scrimmage. He made a one handed interception while falling backwards. He had six tackles, all solo, and they were all over the field. He was covering ground like no one else and delivering painful hit after painful hit. Then with the second quarter waning, the Steelers blocked a field goal. Attempting to recover the ball was Polamalu, who ended up being crushed by a Titans player, spraining his MCL. The injury could have him out for three to six weeks and that could hurt the Steelers hard.

On the Titans next drive, Kerry Collins made three throws: a wide open Kenny Britt drop, another play Britt hauled in and went 57 yards, and a Justin Gage touchdown. Pittsburgh’s secondary was picked apart and they desperately missed Polamalu. The Steelers will have to step up to make sure the next three quarterbacks, Jay Cutler, Carson Palmer and Philip Rivers, don’t have monster games.

5. The Titans Will Not Miss Albert Haynesworth:

Haynesworth left for D.C. with a monster contract and left Tennessee with some questions. Who will replace him? How will they get pressure on quarterbacks? All questions were answered on Thursday. Jason Jones, who replaced an injured Haynesworth last season, had a great game putting pressure on the Pittsburgh offense. Along with Tony Brown, Tennessee now has two guys to play the line and get to a quarterback.

Several times the Steelers had third and short and every time they were stopped. Kyle Vanden Bosch and Javon “Freak” Kearse anchored the line in only allowing 36 rushing yards. The team combined for four sacks, including a monster free shot to Roethlisberger courtesy of Kearse. During the offseason people were critical of the Titans D, now it appears that heads will turn.

6. Ben Roethlisberger is a Bonafide Leader:

Some love him, some love to hate him, but in the end he is one of the top quarterbacks in the league. With all the offseason talk on Tom Brady, Thursday’s game was Big Ben’s moment to shine. In the midst of a sexual assault accusation, Roethlisberger put all his troubles aside and stepped up his game. With a running game going nowhere, Big Ben threw for 363 yards on 33-43 attempts. His clutch plays were outstanding and if not for a Hines Ward fumble, he could have led Pittsburgh to a game-ending drive. Instead, he did it in overtime.

There were a couple of faults that the Titans were able to take advantage of. Roethlisberger is one of the most sacked quarterbacks in the league, mainly due to him standing in the pocket too long and not throwing the ball away. When he tries to scramble, he tends to backtrack and gave up some large yardage losses in the process. He also tried to force balls where he shouldn’t. He was picked off twice for throwing a ball he shouldn’t have and one was returned 80 yards and almost taken to the house by Christian Finnegan.

7. Cris Collinsworth is no John Madden:

By no means was I ever a Madden fan. My head hurt from some of his sayings. (He’s playing like a bologna sandwich, he’s just sitting there!) But gosh-darned-it he was great. You listened in case he said something stupid and loved when he drew all over the teleprompter, admit it. Putting him with Al Michaels, one of the greatest sports broadcasters of all time, was a stellar combination and made Sunday Night Football great.

Now, NBC put in Collinsworth. He is annoying, pompous, and not entertaining. He was a former Cincinnati Bengal during their short heyday, then part of the worst broadcast teams in recent memory, FOX’s ABC (Troy Aikman, Joe Buck, and Collinsworth). Wasn’t there someone else NBC could have replaced Madden with? Jerome Bettis? Tiki Barber? Dennis Miller? Ok, not really Miller, that didn’t work out too well. For now we’re stuck with Cris, but here’s hoping for another former coach that says ridiculous things to make his way to the booth. I’m talking to you, Ditka.

8. Titans Running Backs Will Combine for Over 2000 Yards Again:

86 rushing yards is not a lot for a team in a game. However, considering that is against one of the best defensive units in football, that is a good showing. The running back tandem of Chris Johnson and LenDale White is a strong one-two punch; speed and power that can drop it on a team at moments notice. Johnson is one of the fastest guys in the league and was able to break through for a 32-yard run in this one, and he could have went longer if not for Polamalu. White is a bruiser who will be great on goal line and short yardage gains.

A year ago, many of the teams the Titans will play this season were allowing over 100 rushing yards a game. Considering the Colts, Texans, Bills and the entire NFC West are on the Titans schedule, expect a big dose of running coming from Tennessee. The running backs are the heart of this offense and both Johnson and White could be competing against each other for a trip to Hawaii this season.

9. Kicking Mean Everything

Rob Bironas is one of the best kickers in the league. He is accurate and lethal as the range increases. Bironas makes 83 percent of his kicks and is as clutch as clutch comes. However, last night he was the difference between a Titans win and their eventual loss. On his first two attempts, Bironas shanked one and another was later blocked. Punter Craig Hentrich also hit a punt off the side of this foot in the final minutes of the fourth, giving the Steelers a great opportunity to win the game, before a Ward fumble.

For Bironas, his counterpart Jeff Reed was near perfect. Reed went 2-2 on his kicks, one being a game-tying kick with under three minutes remaining, and the other being an overtime game-winner. Pittsburgh punter Daniel Sepulveda also played his position perfectly, netting four punts inside the 20, including a few inside the five. In a game where kickers and punters get no respect, the Steelers made a difference with their feet.

10. The NFL Knows How to Put On a Show:

There is no other league that can put on a spectacle quite like the NFL. You will never see the Black Eyed Peas and Tim McGraw opening the MLB season. There were fireworks from all over Pittsburgh; from the bridges to the rivers and the buildings, the entire city was encompassed by Steelers pride. Even with the Penguins winning the Stanley Cup, it is obvious the Pittsburgh is a football city, as is the case with other NFL hosting cities.

Baseball might be the pastime, but Football is the present. A half hour musical celebration kicked off the season; the second act was a great game featuring two teams that will be competing for that Super Bowl. Whoever wins the big game this year, it is clear that their Kickoff Celebration will up the ante. The season is now underway, and this was one way to kick it off.

© Teddy for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments
Filed under: Featured, News, Opinion, Patriots.

According to recent research, apparently from teenage girls across the country, Tom Brady is only the eighth best looking quarterback in the NFL. At least BC alum Matt Ryan tops the list, with a 99.82% symmetrical face, compared with 99.14% for Brady. But, does it really matter at all? Beauty is only skin deep, and we all know personality is what matters (which is why Michael Vick would somehow come in at ten millionth on a real list that only involved 32 teams).

So, who else is above Brady?

1. Matt Ryan
2. Brett Favre of Minnesota, who is old enough to have seen evolution is at #2. Stick with the blue jeans commercials and being John Madden’s idol, Favre.
3. Aaron Rodgers of Green Bay, who was Favre’s #2 comes in at #3.
4. Then comes Matt Hasselback of Seattle; GREAT job last season.
5. Ditto for Kerry Collins’ playoff performance with Tennessee.
6. Ben Roethlisberger of Pittsburgh is at #6. It’s good to see he recovered enough from his motorcycle accident, which was caused by him trying to remember how to spell his name while driving.
7. Shaun Hill of San Francisco is just above Brady; let’s just say Nick Green would make a better quarterback. For all we know, he’ll probably be playing the position soon enough.
8. Tom Brady

But in all seriousness, it really doesn’t matter where you rank quarterbacks; you could pretty much rank them in the order you pick their names out of a hat and still have an accurate list. Besides, good looking faces don’t matter in the least when you have the ability to throw the ball and lead your team to victory. The last time someone tried catching something with their face, it didn’t work out too well for Fabio. Besides, as most of us have seen, people will do anything to be around the hottest thing since the sun, Tom Brady.

© John for Sports of Boston, 2009. | Permalink | No comment
Filed under: Featured, Now!, Top Story.