Practically speaking, no, I don't think benching CJ2K is going to help the Titans. CJ is right, it's more than just him, but saying it is poor leadership and doesn't resolve many of the issues in playLeft Tackle - Mike RoosLeft Guard - Steve HutchinsonCenter - Fernando VelascoRight Guard - Leroy HarrisRight Tackle - David StewartFundamentally part of the problem is that Velasco is performing at a sub replacement level. The other issue is that Harris has played pretty horribly and I think this wasn't a huge secret coming into training camp that he was the big question mark on that line. Generally the advantage that the interior line has is that they can help each other out, in an ideal sense. Well the middle of the line is a sieve. Hutch gives you a lot in terms of intangibles and leadership, but he's no longer a player who can excel to the point of covering up another lineman's limitations. IMHO, Stewart also seems to be struggling a bit and essentially is left on an island with Harris next to him. Harris is simply not a starting guard in the NFL. He does not move well, he has lousy hands (usually the defender gets first contact with their hands), late in games, you can see he cheats a little at the waist so he doesn't get the proper knee position. He's not strong enough to drive back defenders and he's not crafty enough to know when to hold and how to make proper adjustments. Too often IMHO people look at how long a lineman holds and finishes his blocks ( still important) but less so on how quickly and fluidly he sets up. Watch Harris right after the snap in pass blocking, look at how long it takes him to set up compared to everyone else. You can see Harris has physical limitations, but you can also see he's mentally shot by how awkward he moves. This is a guy dependent on help on every snap. This is the guy playing 2nd base hoping the ball doesn't get hit to him. The most damning thing I can say is he is exactly the kind of lineman that Jerry Angelo would draft. It's a credit to Locker, and probably rooting from his Huskie days, that he excels at throwing on the run and is mobile and is used to improvisation behind a dysfunctional line. Velasco might be saved, as center is a much more complex position and I think the transition from Amano ( hurt) to Velasco might need more time. But right now the right side of that line and up the middle is a liability. Jared Cook is a good offensive threat, but he's not a good blocker. That doesn't help. Craig Stevens plays some quasi fullback, but is still a blocking tight end first and pass catcher second. Sadly the Titans need to use Stevens more than Cook. On CJ2K's end, he has to hit the holes he sees with aggressiveness and fight for yardage after the first hit. The line isn't helping him, but he's not helping himself either. The guy is the Erick Dampier of Tennessee, a guy who cashed his check and is content now to coast a little. Chris Palmer needs to make adjustments given this line. Maybe he doesn't have the complete power to do it. Things the Titans can do -A) Run an unbalanced line/tackle over. Get Stewart over to the other side, displace Harris and line up Stevens next to the center. Get Stewart, Roos and Hutch together. B) Move to the shotgun permanently. Spread the field with a no huddle four WR attack, spread Cook and Johnson wide. Force defenses to go into their dime or hybrid packages. If you can't overpower or physically match up in the trenches, your choices are to increase the confusion for the defense by using hybrids and/or increasing the pace of the game and/or try to create more size mismatches at the 2nd level. ( This would probably give Kendall Wright a boost) Give Johnson a chance to get the ball in space and take on smaller defenders. Maybe his mangina won't leak so much if he gets to run over a dime back on occasion. Locker has markedly improved his completion percentage from last season. What positives this O line can give you is going to be from pass blocking and not from the run blocking. Get Locker to do what he does best, use his mobility and his ability to make positive things happen while on the move. IMHO he is a markedly better passer on the move than sitting in the pocket. C) Accept what CJ2K will give you. He will give you something for something, but rarely something for nothing. He's a feast or famine back, even in his prime. Spread him wide. Put him in motion. Have him return kicks. Use the wildcat on occasion. If he's your marquee guy, then get him the ball. Find more ways to get him the ball. D) Get a true full back or use Stevens and accept you'll sell off some snaps or plays simply to hit the defense. Plays designed not for yardage, but for pure bone crushing soul eating violence. Instead of letting the D tee off on a wounded gazelle like Harris all game like a pack of rabid jackels, then mix it up and start punching the defense in the mouth. When in doubt, hit someone. When in doubt again, keep hitting someone. Eventually something good will happen for you. At some point you have to adjust to the personnel you have, not the personnel you hope you have. The Titans need to quit apeing what other franchises are doing ( needing a hotshot young QB thrown into the fire early and trying to supercharge an offense to win over your fans) and do what they used to do well. Be a fundamentally sound defensive oriented team that limited mistakes and focused on developing players in a more practical manner.
Has any RB in the history of the NFL performed so poorly and had such a secure hold on the starting gig?
