BOLT ANALYSIS: FORGET THE TITANS

Total domination. Rarely have we uttered those words in the vaunted halls of the ANALYSIS...especially when we were referring to the Bolts. Yesterday’s smackdown had all the pieces....all the characteristics...of a real win. It was the kind of win that makes you sit back and say, “Does that other team even belong in the NFL?”. Consider the stats:  43 minutes of possession!, 9 first downs by the Titans, allowing only 1 third down conversion while converting 60% of their own third downs. This is the game that Norval watches on his deathbed when they ask him what he wants to spend his last couple of hours doing. It got so silly in the 4^th quarter I thought the replacement refs were going to call the Pop Warner mercy rule.

Before we all start chanting “We’re Number 1!, We’re Number 1”...let’s remember that the Titans might be really, really bad. They were fleeced by the Patriots in Week 1 (who then inexplicably got punked by the Cardinals) and they came in to our home opener with a young quarterback, a banged up receiving corps, and a bit of a no-name defense.  Their once-amazing running back, Chris Johnson, was held to 20+ yards, underscoring again that amazing drop off that so many running backs face. Think about LT..one year he is amazing..the next...ouch. Their line could not block, their receivers could not get open, and they could not catch the ball. So, before we start calling AJ a genius again, let’s remember that last year we were (based on that prophetic ANALYSIS quote) the “Worst 4-1 team in Football”.

OK. Caveats and ass-covering aside, yesterday was a good one. Once again, I must give props to Norv and the coaching staff. A very nice set of play calls in the first quarter had us moving the ball despite the utter absence of a running game. Quick hitters, moving Philip (I know it’s oxymoronic) around in the pocket, finding seams. Moving the chains. Some nice pressure on Jake Locker led to an interception and just like that we were up 17-0. Easy as can be. The Boyz went into a bad kind of cruise control in the second quarter and three possessions in a row were weak..including a true head-scratcher of an interception by Philip and a fumble that he was lucky was recovered by a friendly face. The second-half, however was pretty darn impressive. We had LONG drives...the defense pummeled their foes...and suddenly Jackie Battle came from out of nowhere and gave us a running game. The only Titans score in the second half was courtesy of a big special teams kickoff return and a few quick plays...other than that...nothin’. Yesterday was a fitting tribute to Junior Seau, as they retired his number. He would have been proud of the swarming, tenacious defense we provided.  

The defense was great all day. Good pressure up the middle from the big boys up front....great pursuit by linebackers on the running game. Did not sack Locker much but certainly got in his face. Once again, I thought Shawn Phillips and Donald Butler stood out. Very active and sure tackling. Cason was strong as was the safety tandem of Weddle and Bigby. Never heard Jammer’s name called, which was a good thing considering he broke his thumb last game and had a big ol’ cast on. The defense was hyped all game...mainly because they had so much rest. They were never on the field.

Offensively, the Bolts had absolutely zero running game for three quarters and yet still were just awesome on third down. When the news that Gates would be out hit...I’m sure all you fans out there cringed...”not again!”. But, the three backups were pretty crazy. Three touchdowns for Dante Rosario! Former Oregon Duck and picked up mainly to block and provide depth...he showed us some nice skills. Add in some great catches by Randy McMichael and a nice debut 31 yard catch from rookie Ladarius Green and we look pretty solid at the position. Malcom Floyd also had his second good game, making clutch catches all over the field. I think he is the guy who should have received a 4 year deal like Robert (Cloak of Invisibility) Meacham. Where the hell is our #1 receiver? Once he shows up....maybe we really will be dangerous in the passing game. As far as rushing the ball...we are trying. I love Brinkley’s toughness and attitude. And I think Ronnie Brown also tries hard. But these guys are just not that good. When Jackie Battle came in, it looked like a different team. Fierce runs, pummeling linemen, picking up yards.  I have to believe it was a tired and beat down Titans defense. But, maybe it was just a good fresh runner who has some juice to break tackles. We really need Ryan Mathews back...but at least you know we have some depth.

So, what next? Well, the Falcons come to town. This will be the first real team we play. They play tonight against the Denver Mannings, so we shall see what they are made of. But, our first two opponents are 0-4, so the Falcons should provide some big challenges, especially for our defense.

Taking the pulse of this team after week two, I am cautiously optimistic. One thing that is different from last year is depth. We have it. We are not a one-trick pony on either side of the ball. We are improving and running a lot of different personnel through plays...which will only help as the year goes along. Getting Gates and Mathews and Antonio Garay and (someday) Jared Gaither back will only make us better. I see a lot of good decision-making out there, good positioning, and good judgment. Aside from a couple of Philip brain-freezes, we have poise on both sides of the ball. Again, this will be tested next Sunday. We really have not been stretched by a team yet. We have not played a team that can actually get the ball downfield. The Falcons can do that. They will try to expose the weakness of our running game as well. But, if we can take another step forward...there is no reason to think we cannot continue to roll. One game at a time.