2011 Tennessee Titans Predictions

Written by Steve Janus

The Tennessee Titans finished 2010 with an overall record of 6-10. The struggles ended up costing head long-term head coach Jeff Fisher his job, as the Titans have turned to Mike Munchak to try and give this team some new life. Just three years ago the Titans sat atop the AFC South with 13-3 record, but with a brutal schedule and new starting quarterback it doesn’t look great in 2011. Here is a closer look at what the Titans will send to the field on both sides of the ball, plus my prediction on where they will finish the season in the South.

Offense:

The Titans went out and drafted Washington quarterback Jake Locker with their first round pick and then later added veteran Matt Hasselbeck to sure up a position that cut paths with Vince Young and watch Kerry Collins retire. While it appears that Locker and Hasselbeck are in a battle for the starting job, my guess is Hasselbeck will open the season as the starter with Locker eventually taking over. Either way I think it’s an upgrade over Collins and Young, and I really like the future of Locker with this organization.

The biggest concern heading into the season is whether or not the Titans will get Pro Bowl running back Chris Johnson signed to a new deal. Johnson doesn’t figure to end his holdout until he gets paid, and you really can’t argue with the guy for wanting to make what he deserves. Johnson is special player that can carry an offense all on his own. He had 1,609 yards of total offense and 12 touchdowns in 2010, but could see even better numbers if Hasselbeck or Locker get the passing game going.

The Titans are hoping wide out Kenny Britt can overcome off the field problems and really emerge into one of the elite receivers in the game. Britt showed flashes of huge potential in 2010 with 42 catches for 775 yards and nine touchdowns in just six starts. If Britt doesn’t get the job done, the Titans will have to rely on wide outs Nate Washington and Justin Gage, not exactly the type of players that scare opposing defenses. They do have a solid young tight end in Jared Cook, but he too would probably suffer without Britt in the lineup.

The offensive line will have the main starting five back for the upcoming season, and overall this is a pretty solid group. They have two very productive tackles in Michael Roos and David Stewart. The interior of the line played well enough to get the job done, but if they can get the three other starters to show some improvement, the entire offense will be that much better in 2011.

Defense:

The Titans have made it clear that they want to get bigger up front on the defensive line, and they backed it up by drafting two big defensive tackles in Jurrell Casey and Zach Clayton. They also went out and added veteran tackle Shaun Smith, who was a huge part of the Chiefs 3-4 front last year. They get back defensive end Derrick Morgan, who had his rookie season cut short with a knee injury and have added in another rookie in Karl Klug who has impressed so far in training camp.

The Titans also added rookie outside linebacker Akeem Ayers to come in and start on the strong side. They also went out and added free agent Barrett Ruud to start in the middle, leaving holdovers Will Witherspoon and Gerald McRath fighting for the other starting spot on the outside.

While the front seven is expected to see a lot of change in personnel, the starting unit in the secondary returns intact. They really like what they have in free safety Michael Griffin, but his veteran partner Chris Hope needs to play better in 2011. At corner, they bring back a trio of talented players in Cortland Finnegan, Alterraun Verner, and Jason McCourty.

Prediction: 3rd AFC South, 7-9 Overall – I really think the Titans are going to surprise some teams with how much better they are compared to last year. I think we are going to see some big improvements on the defensive side of the ball, and I think Locker is very underrated and will really shine once he gets his opportunity. The problem is the schedule is extremely hard, which I believe will keep them from showing a huge improvement in the win/loss column.

Individual Team NFL Season Predictions

AFC
AFC West	AFC North	AFC South	AFC East
Kansas City Chiefs Predictions	Pittsburgh Steelers Predictions	Indianapolis Colts Predictions	New England Patriots Predictions
San Diego Chargers Predictions	Baltimore Ravens Predictions	Jacksonville Jaguars Predictions	New York Jets Predictions
Oakland Raiders Predictions	Cleveland Browns Predictions	Houston Texans Predictions	Miami Dolphins Predictions
Denver Broncos Predictions	Cincinnati Bengals Predictions	Tennessee Titans Predictions	Buffalo Bills Predictions
NFC
NFC West	NFC North	NFC South	NFC East
Seattle Seahawks Predictions	Chicago Bears Predictions	Atlanta Falcons Predictions	Philadelphia Eagles Predictions
St. Louis Rams Predictions	Green Bay Packers Predictions	New Orleans Saints Predictions	New York Giants Predictions
San Francisco 49ers Predictions	Detroit Lions Predictions	Tampa Bay Bucs Predictions	Dallas Cowboys Predictions
Arizona Cardinals Predictions	Minnesota Vikings Predictions	Carolina Panthers Predictions	Washington Redskins Predictions

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