Titans fall to Dolphins at home, are they ready for Jaguars

by James Boswell ProFootballFanatics.com owner/publisher

From the initial kickoff, you knew something was up in Nashville, and it wasn't the Titans.

Joe Nedney kicked a 63-yarder to the Miami 30-yard line to open the game, and Brock Marion returned it 55-yards to the Tennessee 30. That return resulted in the first score of the game, a Mare field goal that made it 3-0.

When the Titans took over after the Dolphins kickoff on their own 23, their first drive ended up just like eight other drives of theirs that night (punt 42-yards, punt 30-yards, punt 37-yards, punt 49-yards, punt 40-yards, punt 43-yards, punt 39-yards, punt 36-yards).

We also witnessed an array of incomplete passes and interceptions from the Titans quarterbacks. Steve McNair threw 14 incomplete passes and one interception (a pass intended for Kevin Dyson was intercepted by Sam Madison at Miami six-yard line). Neil O'Donnell threw 10 incomplete passes and two (almost three) interceptions. A pass intended for Derek Mason was intercepted by Brian Walker at the Miami 42 and returned 18-yards to the Tennessee 40. Tennessee challenged and it was reversed. Another pass intended for Mason was picked, again by Walker at the Miami 41. The next pick was a pass intended for Erron Kinney and was intercepted by Zach Thomas on the Tennessee 34 and returned for a touchdown.

In addition, both quarterbacks had their share of trouble in the backfield, each being sacked once for losses of nine-yards each. As McNair released a 29-yard touchdown pass to Mason in the third quarter, Dolphins DT Jermaine Haley hammered McNair and drove his shoulder into the turf. He'll be out for a while.

The Titans did have their bright spots on both sides of the ball, but if you ask me, they were few and far between. Eddie George, the workhorse of the Titans offense, had only 49-yards rushing on 18 attempts (2.7-ypc).

The loss of Denard Walker to free agency, and later to the Denver Broncos, revealed a big chink in the armor of the Titans pass defense. The Dolphins keyed on DeRon Jenkins and the Titans' left cornerback position and other teams in the league are certain to do the same. Now that Dainon Sidney is out for the rest of the season with a knee injury (torn anterior cruciate ligament) during the Miami loss, Jenkins and Donald Mitchell (Mitchell had a similar injury last season) will have to step it up as they will be marked men. Fiedler and Gadsden torched Jenkins twice. First for 31-yards and then for a 23-yard touchdown. How do you think Brunnell and Smith will do?

As far as the Dolphins go, there's no need to talk about their gameday stats. This team was on a mission to destroy the Titans and that's exactly what they did. A very focused and determined team that should go deep into the playoffs if they can maintain this level of play.

Week 1 Analysis: The Titans new offensive game plan is not condusive to the talent they have on the field (i.e. their quarterbacks and receivers). Use the pass to complement the run, not the other way around. We saw an example of this before in the first half of the Super Bowl against the St. Louis Rams. They shifted gears at half time during that game but it was too late. Much was the case against the Dolphins. Why change a team from what they're good at to try to make them something that they are not? Eddie George was not as effective without a fullback. Why they got rid of Neal with no qualified replacement in mind is beyond me. George is a north/south runner and he needs that big man leading the way. At least try to use Alexander and see what happens.

Week 2 Outlook: Against the Jaguars they'll be playing a big divisional rival, on the road in a hostile environment and without McNair. The last time these two teams met was in Jacksonville last Nov. 26th and with no time left on the clock, Mike Hollis nailed a 38-yard field goal for a 16-13 Jacksonville win. In Week 1 in Jacksonville, the Jaguars handled what was supposed to be a tough Steelers team with relative ease. Cruising to a 21-3 victory with Brunnell throwing for 198-yards and three touchdowns (two to Smith and one to Jones), Smith had 126-yards receiving and two touchdowns and Taylor had 24 carries for 96-yards (4.0 ypc). In addition to holding the Steelers offense to only three points, the Jaguars defense held TheBus36.com to only 28-yards rushing. If the Titans are to win in Jacksonville, they'll have to get gut it up and get back to basics. A heavy dose of Eddie George and an aggressive, consistent defense. Without a fullback and being soft at the left CB spot, winning this one may be difficult.

James Boswell owns and runs ProFootballFanatics.com, where he covers the Tennessee Titans, as well as provide commentary on the NFL.