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So don't look at Kenny Britt's injury as something that ends any chances of salvaging 2011, look at it as an opportunity to make people notice this team for what it is; a group of players who finally have the guidance they need ...
Obstacles are what you see when you take your eyes off of your goal. What we have right now is a group of people who have taken their eyes off the goals of their favorite football team. Obviously, the ultimate goal is to reach the Super Bowl. I don't think any of us here on MCM are ready to crown the Titans yet, and that's a good thing, but there is just so much to be accomplished this year that this team absolutely cannot allow itself to be stopped because of one injury.
Before I go any further, I'd like to point out that as I'm writing this, Britt's injury hasn't been officially announced, so I'm saying there's a chance, but that's literally all I'm saying.
We've discussed at length the implications of a weakened division with the perennial powerhouse being lead by our old pal Kerry Collins (WAIT NEVER MIND IT'S CURTIS PAINTER). Painter is surrounded by various inhabitants of the Island of Misfit Toys as part of his "supporting cast". The Jags are now in full on surrender mode as they have entered a new era of football by starting Blaine Gabbert. At this point, their season appears to be more a developmental year for some younger players at some key skill positions and, of course, for Gabbert. That leaves Houston. Given the Titans' track record against Houston and the Texans' propensity for choking, I wouldn't call it too much of a stretch to say that stealing a win from the boys in red is a real possibility.
There is so much to be gained this year from finishing strong and not falling into a tailspin at the end of the year. This is going to require the team to regroup after a serious injury to their best and most consistent player so far. We all saw what happened when Britt went down last year; the offense just never had the same rhythm it did when he was in. Now that we're sure that last year was no fluke, it's easy to see why. Matt Hasselbeck has the luxury of just chucking it up somewhere and feeling at least somewhat confident that his guy is going to come down with it for the first time in his career. Britt just has that impact on teams this year. He's been impossible to game plan for because teams still fear Chris Johnson (as they should.) more than they fear him.
Something that may give fans hope is the fact that Hasselbeck was able to spread the ball around to eleven different receivers today. That's nothing new either. Nine players caught passes against Baltimore and eight caught passes against Jacksonville. If anything, he's getting even more comfortable with all of his receivers which is an incredible luxury that I didn't think we'd have early on in the season from a new quarterback. Even though Hasselbeck has been great about getting the ball to all of his receivers, look now for Nate Washington to continue to step it up. He seems to have eliminated drops from his game which is a huge development. However, with Nate moving on over to be the number one, someone has to step up and fill the void that he leaves as the second option. I'm hoping that it's Damian Williams, but I feel my confidence in him wavering a little bit after some unsteadiness early on.
In any case, offensively things look a lot less exciting than they did early on in the season without Britt in the lineup, but here's hoping that someone can come in and at least do their job well enough to keep the passing game afloat.
Defensively speaking, has there been a more pleasant surprise all year? I mean, wow. This unit looks solid. I could definitely go for some more turnovers, but just when I was about to crown the linebackers as least impressive unit on the team, Will Witherspoon jumps in and saves the day with a game ending interception. Oh, this was also one play after he sacked Kyle Orton to set up a third and long. Talk about having a day. The secondary did their thing today and shut down the Bronco passing game. I was especially impressed with how Brandon Lloyd was manhandled all day long. The NFL's leading receiver from a year ago was held to four catches and 38 yards. A far cry from the mind-numbingly frustrating numbers he put up against basically the same unit last in last year's game.
The defense as a whole just played an incredible game. The Broncos ran two more plays than the Titans and ended up with almost 100 fewer yards. That's pretty impressive. And how about that goal-line stand there at the end? Amazing individual effort from Derrick Morgan on that one.
Today marked one of the ugliest wins ever, but still there are just so many positives to take away from it. This is the kind of stuff that marks Cinderella seasons. Bad teams lose these games. You may be thinking that really good teams would never have been in a game this close against the Broncos, but I digress, this was a heck of a win today from a team that never quit. I threw around the word "destiny" a lot in the game thread today near the end there, and now I'm starting to believe that this team may have it. Not this team in particular, I don't expect the 2011 Titans to make a lot of noise in the playoffs, but this organization has set itself up quite nicely to really do some damage down the road.
So don't look at Kenny Britt's injury as something that ends any chances of salvaging 2011, look at it as an opportunity to make people notice this team for what it is; a group of players who finally have the guidance they need to be successful, with or without their best player.
Read More: Brandon Lloyd (WR - DEN), Nate Washington (WR - TEN), Matt Hasselbeck (QB - TEN), Kerry Collins (QB - IND), Kyle Orton (QB - DEN), Will Witherspoon (LB - TEN), Curtis Painter (QB - IND), Kenny Britt (WR - TEN), Derrick Morgan (DE - TEN), Damian Williams (WR - TEN), Blaine Gabbert (QB - JAC)
by ltknick on Sep 26, 2011 6:43 AM CDT reply actions I couldn't agree more, next man up. The way the D is playing, this could be the start of something special. Special not involving wins or losses, but fight and determenation! Munchak?s calm and stern leadership is about to take center stage.
by MexicanTitanFreak on Sep 26, 2011 6:46 AM CDT via mobile reply actions i agree. but man, not being able to watch KB tear it up feels like having your halloween candy taken away, but who knows, nate looked very KB yesterday. maybe someone else will step up.
by stetix01 on Sep 26, 2011 7:03 AM CDT reply actions I feel like you had to write this after completely jinxing Kenny Britt to get injured haha. But seriously, where is Jared Cook? If he was more involved in the passing game this wouldn?t be as big of a blow.
by jollyrogerwilco on Sep 26, 2011 1:07 PM CDT up reply actions i think it may be the thing that develops the young recievers They need playing time, well, here you go, earn your spot, we can?
by Grimerz757 on Sep 26, 2011 8:19 AM CDT via mobile up reply actions Sight Beyond Sight Looking into the future, I believe we should grab a wr in the next draft to shore up Kenny Britt. All the other pieces are coming into place. I?m thinking the beast that is Alshaun Jeffery out of SC.
by zero defects on Sep 26, 2011 9:38 AM CDT via mobile reply actions All I have to say is.... if Britt IS out for the season then we give our WRs two weeks for someone to show a strong presence on the field if not then we will need to go sign someone like T.O, because we need a physical presence on the field at wideout! That is one of the key elements that KB brings to our offense!
by ronburgundy7427 on Sep 26, 2011 9:48 AM CDT reply actions 2 recs Gotta be prepared for the worst! (I almost cried when Britt went down!) That?s bad!!!!
by datboybevans on Sep 26, 2011 9:50 AM CDT reply actions Good write up Dreese... It?s a good opportunity for the guys to step up. You?re right, as ugly as the game was yesterday, it brought to light a lot of positives. If Munchak can get these guys disciplined that would go a long way. We have a great bunch of players and we can see a ton of potential. We won the game even though Britt was out, and Johnson wasn?t doing too well.
It won?t stop me from saying that I am worried about Britt. It?s not for the time being, it?s for the long term. He is an incredible reciever and it would be horrible for him to be hindered by injuries. I am praying for him though.
by Los Blancos Chicca on Sep 26, 2011 9:52 AM CDT reply actions well written i expect Mariani to be the one who?ll step up. hope he gets the PT.
How do you see that? Mariani is the top returner and he has gotten a couple of looks at WR (mainly screens and an end around last game).
It will be interesting to see which of the other WRs step up?D Will, Hawk, or Mariani. If Britt is out for the whole season, then I do expect them to sign somebody but I don?t know who can step up and replace Britt.
But, I think an injury to a WR is much easier to overcome on offense than an injury to other positions (although Britt?s injury is pretty bad).
Because he hasn't shown much at WR and the return game (especially kickoff) as become almost a moot point. We have guys that can return kicks and play WR. Mariani needs to step it up and beat out DWill for a receiver spot (and this shouldn?t be hard given the suckitude that currently is DWill).
Mariani also returns punts And, we all saw what happens when you don?t prioritize the return game (see Chris Carr leaving in free agency and being replace by Ryan Mouton).
Plus, I think Mariani has shown a few things at WR but he hasn?t had too many plays at WR in the regular season as he has been down on the depth chart.
by shawneriksmith on Sep 26, 2011 10:13 AM CDT up reply actions Not necessarily. Not if the league revisits this kickoff rule at the end of the year.
by rothbard on Sep 26, 2011 10:22 AM CDT up reply actions I think it'll be at least looked again because of how much it's disliked. Who knows if they?ll actually change it or not though.
by J3G77 on Sep 26, 2011 10:32 AM CDT up reply actions Britt mostly like done for Season With nothing to do now he needs to stay in TN and out of NJ get him involved in all things about the team. He could be come a disaster for himself. Us hope stay on the straight and narrow.
by rone on Sep 26, 2011 10:00 AM CDT reply actions First Justin Hunter, now Kenny Britt. The football gods do not want the state of Tennessee to have an explosive offense.
But much like they did yesterday, I hope the defense and Hasselbeck can carry us to more wins. And if CJ and the O-line ever get their running-game mojo back, our offense will still be tough to contend with.
"Do the Titans have a miracle left in them in what has been a magical season to this point? If they do, they need it now. Christie kicks it high and short. Gonna be fielded by Lorenzo Neal at the 25; he dishes it back to Wycheck; he throws it across the field to Dyson. 30, 40, 50, 40, 30, 20, 10, 5, endzone...touchdown, Titans! There are no flags on the field! It's a miracle! Tennessee has pulled a miracle! A miracle for the Titans!"
by bullrider73 on Sep 26, 2011 11:36 AM CDT up reply actions The one thing that gives me hope is that Hasselbeck has been spreading the ball around 11 different receivers caught balls yesterday.
by asbestos_man on Sep 26, 2011 12:34 PM CDT up reply actions Best player on offense Matty Iceberg?(Love that little playoff of Matty Ice). He?s playing great. I would love to see Jared Cook get some more looks since Britt is out. He?s a matchup nightmare.
by Seal Clubbing on Sep 26, 2011 12:47 PM CDT reply actions Who made this guy a Contributor? Seriously cause I can?t thank them enough?You?ve been putting up great posts!
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