Titans a lock for playoffs now? (1 Viewer)

[Tau837]

I'm not sure what comparing White to other runners really shows. He gets the ball disproportionately in short yardage situations (goal line, 3 and 1). If you're suggesting a short-yardage back gets lower yards per carry than the average runner, I guess you won't find too many people surprised by that.

Sure, Lendale isn't a great back, but he's good for what they need him to do, particularly since CJ has come into his own.

On 1st down with 8-10 yards to go, White has 32/84/0 (2.6 ypc) rushing for the season to date. That's more than half of his 64 carries.In situations with up to 2 yards to go (1st down through 4th down), White has 11/11/5 (1.0 ypc) rushing. It seems that if you need one yard in a short yardage situation, he's your man. But aside from those 11 short yardage carries, he has 52/154/0 rushing (2.96 ypc).

Is that "good for what they need him to do?"

 

[Tau837]

The Ravens have faced three teams other than the Titans:Cincy - Chris Perry is averaging 2.8 ypc on the seasonCleveland - Jamal Lewis averaged 4.7 ypcPittsburgh - no Willie Parker; Mendenhall, Carey Davis, and G Kendall Simmons hurt during gameThe Jaguars have faced four teams other than the Titans:Buffalo - held Lynch to 3.1 ypcIndy - Addai averaged 4.9 ypcHouston - held Slaton to 3.3 ypc on 10 carriesPittsburgh - Moore averaged 5.8 ypcThe Vikings have faced three teams other than the Titans:Green Bay - Grant averaged 7.7 ypc with a lame hamstringIndy - shut down Addai (1.3 ypc)Carolina - shut down Williams & Stewart (2.7 and 2.1 ypc)IMO this is collectively a mixed bag. I see 4 games where opposing RBs had great ypc, 4 games where these teams collectively held some good RBs to low ypc totals, and a couple games where the result is good but yet not impressive due to the circumstances. In particular, I think Baltimore's run defense is overrated based on small sample size and shutting down some unimpressive runners thus far.Consider what White averaged against those teams, compared to what they have allowed to other runners:JAX allowed 2.7 ypc to White, 4.5 ypc to all other runnersCIN allowed 3.3 ypc to White, 4.6 ypc to all other runnersHOU allowed 3.1 ypc to White, 4.8 ypc to all other runnersMIN allowed 1.2 ypc to White, 3.1 ypc to all other runnersBAL allowed 1.3 ypc to White, 2.9 ypc to all other runners White is not good.

White is not really the main ball carrier in TEN, so I'm not sure why this argument is relevant...

That is true, though he is on pace for 202 carries. That's a lot of lousy running.The main reason why it could be relevant is that it shows that in addition to their lousy pass offense, it isn't the entire running game that is successful, it's Chris Johnson. As long as he stays healthy and doesn't hit a rookie wall, no problem.

 

[Bri]

I'm not sure what comparing White to other runners really shows. He gets the ball disproportionately in short yardage situations (goal line, 3 and 1). If you're suggesting a short-yardage back gets lower yards per carry than the average runner, I guess you won't find too many people surprised by that.

Sure, Lendale isn't a great back, but he's good for what they need him to do, particularly since CJ has come into his own.

On 1st down with 8-10 yards to go, White has 32/84/0 (2.6 ypc) rushing for the season to date. That's more than half of his 64 carries.In situations with up to 2 yards to go (1st down through 4th down), White has 11/11/5 (1.0 ypc) rushing. It seems that if you need one yard in a short yardage situation, he's your man. But aside from those 11 short yardage carries, he has 52/154/0 rushing (2.96 ypc).

Is that "good for what they need him to do?"

I think you're expecting a big play from a more dynamic player like so many teams have( and have had for as long as I can remember). Aside from Chris Johnson, they're getting a few yards, lining up, getting a few again. Very deliberate, boring and vanilla but methodical. They'd be fine with 3 yards on 1st, 3 yards on 2nd, 3 yards on 3rd, 1 yard on 4th...do it again. If you expect some 8-12 yard slant on 3rd down, that's not happenning often here. If you had another "oh my that's boring" offense to compare to that'd be one thing but, of course they'll always come out near the bottom if they are not even trying to make a big play. The method is working though. "Just enough" to get a first down, keeps the drive going and they're 5-0.Someone repeated an old quote recently about them and I think it fits well-The only reason they play offense is to rest the defense.

That's hard to wrap your head around when your daydreaming up Reggie Wayne and Peyton hooking up for a TD, or Brady to Moss deep, or Adrian running all over a D etc.

 

[Bri]

White is not really the main ball carrier in TEN, so I'm not sure why this argument is relevant...

That is true, though he is on pace for 202 carries. That's a lot of lousy running.The main reason why it could be relevant is that it shows that in addition to their lousy pass offense, it isn't the entire running game that is successful, it's Chris Johnson. As long as he stays healthy and doesn't hit a rookie wall, no problem.

Chris is on pace for 1219 yardsI think Lendale is on pace for 208 carries but that's picking nits.

 

[Andy Herron]

With they way the Titans play defense, and with Collins playing QB to keep opposing defenses honest. I would say it is a "lock" the Titans make the playoffs.Tenn is looking at an 11-5 season at worst right now, possibly much better.

I tend to think you are correct.I kind of wonder if it would be going this well (5-0) if Vince were still at the healm. I have to imagine not, but it is really hard to say.

Not hard to say at all. Vince Young being out of the lineup and off the field is a HUGE reason they are 5-0, if not the sole reason altogether.As Da Guru said, Collins is keeping defenses honest. Young is not capable of that, let alone bringing any kind of passing threat at all.All this team has needed is a QB. Now they finally have somebody on the field that can play the position.I wouldn't call them a "lock" to make the playoffs just yet, but as long as they keep Young off the field they have a great shot.

 

[Tau837]

White is not really the main ball carrier in TEN, so I'm not sure why this argument is relevant...

That is true, though he is on pace for 202 carries. That's a lot of lousy running.The main reason why it could be relevant is that it shows that in addition to their lousy pass offense, it isn't the entire running game that is successful, it's Chris Johnson. As long as he stays healthy and doesn't hit a rookie wall, no problem.

Chris is on pace for 1219 yardsI think Lendale is on pace for 208 carries but that's picking nits.

White has 63 carries in 5 games. That is 12.6 carries per game... over 16 games that scales to 201.6 carries.I assume from your comment on Chris Johnson you are agreeing with me...

 

[Ghost Rider]

The Titans are the classic example of a team that wins ugly. The stats are not always pretty, but they find a way to win. That is Jeff Fisher's M.O. In 1999, the year they went to the Super Bowl, they were 13th in total offense and 17th in total defense. However, they were 2nd in Takeaway/Giveaway ratio. And guess where they are in T/G ratio this year thus far? 1st.

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

 

[Bri]

Yes, the Titans are 11th in first downs. But they're 2nd in carries. Don't you think that's the reason why they rank as high as 11th in first downs?Take note: the Titans are 26th in total offensive first downs per game. That's a much better indicator of how their offense is doing. And their offense is doing really badly.

Not sure I follow 11th and 26th above...They have the best D in the league though based on yardage allowed and scoring. Of course, they only have to score more than their opponent.They give up 11.2 points per gameMost INTs in NFL (2 per game)2nd most sacks (3 per game)Most forced fumbles (8 total in 5 games)Not only are teams having trouble moving the ball against them, they're wreaking havoc on D creating opportunities for the O.

self-post bump in hopes to chat some about the D.

 

[Weapon of Mass Instruction]

The D is really good. Not Ravens 00 or Bears 85, but really good. Mainly, I'd say they are good because they do NOT rely on 1 or 2 people with the possible exception of Haynesworth.

-- I expect to see Haynesworth playing somewhat fewer snaps down the stretch. Enough for his incentives, but less snaps to reduce injury possibility and to increase his effectiveness when out there.

-- I was a little disappointed in the front 4 not getting to Flacco more.

-- We do have a tendency to give up the big running play every once in a while, a la AP and Slaton. This, however, is a byproduct of our aggressiveness. One was Tulloch taking a bad angle and one was Griffin getting out of position.

-- The aggressiveness leads to a lot of turnovers, though, and sometimes the offense doesn't have far to go.

-- I see the special teams beginning to turn the corner. Carr looked really good vs the Ravens and has indeed been doing better game by game.

They won't go undefeated by any stretch:

@KC 6-0

INDY 7-0

GB 7-1

@CHI 7-2

@JAX 7-3

Jets 8-3

@DET 9-3

CLE 10-3

@HOU 11-3

PIT 11-4

@IND 11-5

Honestly, I think they'll win 1 of the last 2, just not sure which one. I also think they probably win one of the 3 in that 3 game slide I show but then lose a game somewhere out there that I have as a loss.

I see them at 12-4 and winning the division.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

 

[TitusIII]

The D is really good. Not Ravens 00 or Bears 85, but really good. Mainly, I'd say they are good because they do NOT rely on 1 or 2 people with the possible exception of Haynesworth. -- I expect to see Haynesworth playing somewhat fewer snaps down the stretch. Enough for his incentives, but less snaps to reduce injury possibility and to increase his effectiveness when out there.-- I was a little disappointed in the front 4 not getting to Flacco more.-- We do have a tendency to give up the big running play every once in a while, a la AP and Slaton. This, however, is a byproduct of our aggressiveness. One was Tulloch taking a bad angle and one was Griffin getting out of position.-- The aggressiveness leads to a lot of turnovers, though, and sometimes the offense doesn't have far to go.-- I see the special teams beginning to turn the corner. Carr looked really good vs the Ravens and has indeed been doing better game by game.They won't go undefeated by any stretchKC 6-0INDY 7-0GB 7-1@CHI 7-2@JAX 7-3Jets 8-3@DET 9-3CLE 10-3@HOU 11-3PIT 11-4@IND 11-5Honestly, I think they'll win 1 of the last 2, just not sure which one. I also think they probably win one of the 3 in that 3 game slide I show but then lose a game somewhere out there that I have as a loss.I see them at 12-4 and winning the division.

 

[FantasyTrader]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

Chase, you keep hammering home this 3rd and 2 point, so I went back through the drive summaries of the Titans 5 games this year and I come up with LenDale rushing the ball 3 times from that down & distance and converting one of them. I could be seriously miscounting. Where did you get the info that he's ran for 8 yds on 8 3rd and 2 attempts?

 

[KnowledgeReignsSupreme]

I believe the '95 St. Louis Rams (maybe they were still LA then) starting off 5-0 or 5-1 and finishing 7-9. (can't remember the year) Eagles coached by Rich Kotite started off 7-2 and finished 7-9. Who knows what will happen? They are in the best position to get HFA in the AFC this year and they need to keep playing hard. Something about this team bugs me though and I can't quite put my finger on it.

Beatpaths.com has Tennessee ranked pretty low, based on their SOS so far. It's an interesting site that takes the "A beat B and B beat C, therefore you can make a case A is better than C (until they play each other), for purposes of determining rankings".

OTOH, footballoutsiders at TEN ranked 4th going into last week and Sagarin has them 3rd as of Sunday's games.

 

[Chase Stuart]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

Chase, you keep hammering home this 3rd and 2 point, so I went back through the drive summaries of the Titans 5 games this year and I come up with LenDale rushing the ball 3 times from that down & distance and converting one of them. I could be seriously miscounting. Where did you get the info that he's ran for 8 yds on 8 3rd and 2 attempts?

I'm having troubule seeing what my error was. Now I am coming up with 7 carries on 3rd or 4th and 1 or 2 yards, with four conversions.Either way, that's still not very good, and a far cry from Lendale getting you three yards when you need it.The guy isn't very good.

 

[Tau837]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

Chase, you keep hammering home this 3rd and 2 point, so I went back through the drive summaries of the Titans 5 games this year and I come up with LenDale rushing the ball 3 times from that down & distance and converting one of them. I could be seriously miscounting. Where did you get the info that he's ran for 8 yds on 8 3rd and 2 attempts?

I'm having troubule seeing what my error was. Now I am coming up with 7 carries on 3rd or 4th and 1 or 2 yards, with four conversions.Either way, that's still not very good, and a far cry from Lendale getting you three yards when you need it.The guy isn't very good.

In situations with up to 2 yards to go (1st down through 4th down), White has 11/11/5 (1.0 ypc) rushing. It seems that if you need one yard in a short yardage situation, he's your man.

 

[FantasyTrader]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.

* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

Chase, you keep hammering home this 3rd and 2 point, so I went back through the drive summaries of the Titans 5 games this year and I come up with LenDale rushing the ball 3 times from that down & distance and converting one of them. I could be seriously miscounting. Where did you get the info that he's ran for 8 yds on 8 3rd and 2 attempts?

I'm having troubule seeing what my error was. Now I am coming up with 7 carries on 3rd or 4th and 1 or 2 yards, with four conversions.Either way, that's still not very good, and a far cry from Lendale getting you three yards when you need it.

The guy isn't very good.

In situations with up to 2 yards to go (1st down through 4th down), White has 11/11/5 (1.0 ypc) rushing. It seems that if you need one yard in a short yardage situation, he's your man.

JWB - that stat is garbage. If those 11 attempts almost half of them were 1, 1, 1, 1, and 2 yd TD's. The most he could run on 5 of the 11 attempts was 6 yds total.

 

[waylander]

As for the thread topic, I think it is very likely that the Titans make the playoffs.

As for the current discussion, there are two things that I don't think have been brought up. The Titans rushing attack has produced 7 TD's, thats tied for 2nd in the league. Yardage seems to be the stat most refer to, but I think points have to weigh heavily when judging this team. Not to mention don't they lead the league in takeaways? I bet their average starting field position is near the top of the league, thus them needing to gain less yards to score. (which I don't know where to look up so a link would be great)

 

[Steeler43]

One of the worst 5-0 teams ever, but yeah, they'll make the playoffs.

 

[Tau837]

In situations with up to 2 yards to go (1st down through 4th down), White has 11/11/5 (1.0 ypc) rushing. It seems that if you need one yard in a short yardage situation, he's your man.

JWB - that stat is garbage. If those 11 attempts almost half of them were 1, 1, 1, 1, and 2 yd TD's. The most he could run on 5 of the 11 attempts was 6 yds total.

Garbage? I am pretty certain I posted factual data there. Furthermore:

aside from those 11 short yardage carries, he has 52/154/0 rushing (2.96 ypc).

Is that garbage too? Actually, I think it is garbage... so perhaps you are right.

 

[FUBAR]

The Titans rank 26th in YPC. They're second in touchdowns and they're second in carries, but this is hardly a great running game. There are 10-20 teams with better rushing attacks.

Chase, fwiw, they've played the Jaguars, Ravens and the Vikings to make up 3/5 of their stats. The Ravens and Vikings allow 2.8 and 2.9 YPC respectively.

60% (or so) of the carries have been vs. top tier rushing defenses.

Something we also need to account for is that 5 of LenDale's 64 attempts on the year have been 1, 1, 1, 1 and 2 yd TD runs. I realize that doesn't make a huge difference, but when one out of every 12.5 carries the MAX you could possibly run for is 1-2 yds, that certainly doesn't help the average.

"Lendale sucks"...yet he has 5 TDs. Lendale is what he is. Paraphrasing the old quote: "If you need 1 yard, he'll get you 3. If you need 3 yards, he'll get you 3. If you need 5 yards...he'll get you 3."-- The Titans are 5-0 even though the defense KNOWS they are going to run it most of the time.* I said in a post in August or early September that they'd be 5-0 at the break. I can't find that thread -- anyone better at searching than me?

If Lendale White will give you 3 when you need one, why is he so terrible on 3rd and 2s?

Chase, you keep hammering home this 3rd and 2 point, so I went back through the drive summaries of the Titans 5 games this year and I come up with LenDale rushing the ball 3 times from that down & distance and converting one of them. I could be seriously miscounting. Where did you get the info that he's ran for 8 yds on 8 3rd and 2 attempts?

I'm having troubule seeing what my error was. Now I am coming up with 7 carries on 3rd or 4th and 1 or 2 yards, with four conversions.Either way, that's still not very good, and a far cry from Lendale getting you three yards when you need it.The guy isn't very good.

4/7 first down conversions when the defense knows exactly what's coming is pretty good. I don't like White, but he is pretty good at what he does.

 

[enfuego]

One of the worst 5-0 teams ever, but yeah, they'll make the playoffs.

Wrong...defense wins championships...once again....

 

[Bri]

bump