Tennessee Titans: The case for worst to first
By Luke Sims
The Tennessee Titans finished in the basement of an abysmal AFC South in 2015, but they have an opportunity to be one of the rare “worst to first” teams in the coming season.
Worst to first is a relatively rare feat in the NFL. It happens on occasion and it’s always a welcome surprise, especially if the team can make a strong push through the playoffs.
In 2016, the Tennessee Titans could be one of the teams to go from worst to first.
Like so many things in the NFL, it all starts at quarterback. To say that rookie Marcus Mariota had an impressive year is an understatement. Completing 62.2 percent of his passes, throwing for 7.6 yards per attempt, and tossing 19 touchdowns to 10 interceptions, Mariota did everything asked of him and then some.
Supposed to be a bit more of a project coming out of Oregon, Mariota showed that he had far more polish than initially anticipated. He has three games with a QB rating over 100 and one perfect game (158.3) in his career already. If Mariota can even come slightly closer to consistent performances like that, the Titans will be well set to be competitive in 2016.
Similarly, the weapons that Mariota has for the coming season are impressive.
Now boasting DeMarco Murray in the backfield – a player Spin Zone’s John Laird thinks will regain form – and rookie back Derrick Henry as well as an impressive group of wide receivers, the Titans are in a position to be the more ferocious unit on the field when the offense takes snaps. A couple of people to keep an eye on are wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (who may have a breakout year according to NFL.com’s Nate Burleson) and rookie Tajae Sharpe who is already looking like the best wide receiver on the roster according to The Tennessean’s Jason Wolf.
The offense should be formidable for the Tennessee Titans in 2016, giving them the opportunity to win games after failing to score more than 20 points in 10 of their games in 2015. Expect that to change, possibly drastically, going forward.
It isn’t all about the offense, however.
Dick LeBeau’s presence as defensive coordinator should continue to warrant attention. The living legend will certainly scheme things up to play to the Titans relatively limited strengths. The defense isn’t completely devoid of playmakers, of course, but with LeBeau heading up a group of players that don’t exactly jump off the page, the Titans should remain at least moderately competitive in games.
For the AFC South, that may be all it takes. The Jacksonville Jaguars and Indianapolis Colts should feature top offenses, but if the Titans can at least keep it close, the offense could score some wins.
At this point it isn’t certain just how the AFC South will shake up. All four teams are expected to be better and all four teams are expected to be competitive against each other. Titans fans should be asking themselves, “Why not us?” at this point because, frankly, the AFC South was quite bad in 2015 and probably won’t send multiple teams to the playoffs in 2016 either.
With a plethora of options on offense and a defense headed by a certified mastermind, the Titans are well poised to be one of the rare teams that do make the jump from worst to first. 9-7 may be enough to win the division again and while 10-6 may be a long shot, it could also get them the crown.
For more Titans: DeMarco Murray will rebound
Keep an eye on the Titans, because they could become something special before anybody even begins to notice. Stranger things have happened. (for all you pessimists out there, you can look at a more reasonable 6-10 prediction from ESPN’s Paul Kuharsky)