The Titans started the season brilliantly, going 8-1 through 10 weeks. But then disaster hit and they simply could not recover.
It started with a tough loss to the Jaguars followed by another close loss to the Raiders. The Titans staff and players believe those were legit games and have no trouble accepting those losses. However, when week 13 arrived and the Titans came out playing great football against the Jaguars and suddenly technical difficulties appear, and they lose, those are the games this team is upset about losing. The Titans experienced these technical problems in weeks 13 and 14. They also came out firing on all cylinders in both games before the technical difficulties hit. The team claims there was interference on their radio frequencies and that the coaches were unable to communicate with the leaders on the field. The Titans ended up losing those games to the Jags and the Jets.
The team still had a chance to recover in the last three weeks, but it was a huge task to ask as they played three good teams, two of which were playoff teams. The Titans went 1-2 in that stretch and had some things just simply go against them in both losses, but that's football sometimes. As a result, the Titans finished 9-7, third in the AC South, and missed the playoffs on a tiebreaker. They feel that if either of the week 13 or 14 games had been played without technical difficulties, they would have won and been in the playoffs, but what's done is done is done and there is no sense in dwelling on the past.
Here is little of what Coach Mal said in his last interview of the season:
Well, that's a tough way to end a season, isn't it. We started so well, but we just couldn't finish. Sure, we could bring up those two games with technical difficulties as an excuse, but the truth is that we had other chances to make the playoffs and simply failed. We can't afford to keep focusing on the past. From here on we will look forward. We have a lot to do in this offseason. W have a lot of draft picks that we need to figure out how to use them. Free agency is also coming up so we'll see if we can make improvements there, but it looks unlikely. We already have a good team, but we're inconsistent. Maybe next season we can fix that. I just want to thank our fans for sticking with us through this tough stretch. It means a lot to the players and myself. We look forward to not disappointing you next season.
Well, there you have it. Coach Reynolds is disappointed by how they finished, how the Titanic sunk, but is looking forward to the future and improving the team.
The Titans did indeed attend a feast held by the Jaguars ... as the main course. The Jags defeated the Titans 34-24.
Full game: http://www.twitch.tv/spreadtorun/v/18731542
The Jaguars exploited a weakness in the Titans defense early, hitting Michael Crabtree for a 47-yard TD reception to open the scoring. Ryan Nassib then made a mistake by throwing in the direction of Brandon Browner who picked him off. The Jags spotted the sam weakness again and Vernon Davis caught a 71-yard TD to go up 14-0. (Maybe the Titans learned a lesson here.) Finally the Titans would answe back with a 5-yard TD run by Christine Michael. The Jags would score again and then each team would hit a FG before haltime, making the score 24-10 at the half.
The Titans started strong in the second half with a drive that ended on an 18-yard TD run y Jeremy Langford. Robert Blanton would then make an interception on the ensuing Jaguars possession. But the Titans would fail to make anything of it and then James Jones scored a 7-yard TD to make the score 31-17. The Titans would continue to sputter on offense as Ryan Nassib threw another of his 5 INTs (they can't ll be highlights), this time it was Deone Bucannon making his 2nd INT. The Jags would kick a FG then the Titans would score another TD in garbage-time to make the score more a respectable 34-24 losss.
Titans coach Malcolm Reynolds was not pleased with his team's performance:
We made way too many mistakes out there today and they took advantage of those mistakes. This is The Sim League. If you make mistakes, you expect your opponent to capitalize on them and they did. Fortunately, they were things we can fix, mental mistakes. We'll work on those this week and come out next week with them fixed hopefully.
The Titans will look forward to meeting the Jags at home in 2 weeks, but next week the Titans face a 6-4 Raiders team that is fighting for it's playoff life.
The Titans won a hard-fought victory vs the Panthers, barely escaping defeat.
The scoring was started by Matt Forte with a 34-yard TD run to put the Panthers up 7-0. The Titans answered with a FG then got an interception by Kavell Conner when the Panthers reached the redzone. The Titans would then drive down the field including a 24-yard grab by Brian Hartline to setup a 4-yard TD reception by LaDarius Green. But the Panthers would bite back with an 80-yard TD catch by Emmanuel Sanders. The Titans would fight back though with a 21-yard grab b Brian Quick that would lead to a 15-yard TD reception by Antonio Brown to put the Titans up 17-14 before halftime.
The second half started with a Panthers FG to tie the game at 17. Then Jeremey Langford performed a spin move and went 72 yards on a TD run for the Titans. Later on in the 4th quarter, down 17-24, the Panthers' Zaviar Gooden made a beautiful intercepotion. That would be followed by a 23-yard Marques Colston TD grab on an extended play to tie the game once again. After the ensuing kickoff, the Titans had just 1:25 left to score and just 1 timeout. Ryan Nassib and company orchestrated a nice drive to get in FG-range where Jason Myers would kick the game-winner.
Coach Mal spoke with us after the game:
Wow! What a game! This is why we love football, games like this, exciting games! Both teams played well today and I'm just glad we came out on top. We had several guys step up in big moments today and that is a great thing to see. Hopefully we can keep that trend going.
The Titans face the Jags next in a matchup that used to be a fierce rivalry based on mutual respect, but the rivalry has faded in recent years. Will the fire be rekindled next week?
The Titans continued their impressive run as they beat the Saints 36-14.
The Titans offense got off to a nice start with a 37-yard reception by Antonio Brown. Later on, Brian Hartline would make a beautiful 24-yard grab. That Hartline reception would lead to a 1-yard TD run by Jeremy Langford.
The defense also played well, as shown by Chris Culliver’s interception. That pick created a drive that featured a spectacular catch by Albert Wilson and a 3-yard TD run by Christine Michael.
The Saints had a couple impressive plays too as they attempted to mount a comeback after trailing 17-0 at halftime. One such play is a 28-yard TD run by Charles Sims. Erick Decker had a 24-yard reception on a drive that would end with a 13-yard TD reception by Charles Sims. Koa Misi would then intercept Ryan Nassib to keep their hopes alive while trailing 20-14. Decker then would make another great grab for 20 yards.
But it was too little too late for the Saints as Brian Quick scored a 53-yard TD reception and then Drew Brees would fumble then throw a pick-6 to Akeem Ayers.
The full game is viewable at https://youtu.be/DnAD_PyOoqs?t=0m0s.
The Titans face the nathers next in what could very well be a trap-game for them.
The Titans were able to defeat their division rivals, the Houston Texans, by coming back from an early deficit to eventually win 27-20.
The Texans jumped out to early lead thanks to a 75-yard screen pass to Joique Bell that went for a TD to put them up 10-0 early. The Titans failed to get anything going on the next drive and had to punt, but forced Cam Newton to fumble on the next Texans drive. The Titans drove down inside the Houston 10-yard line where Ryan Nassib made the worst pass of the day, missing a wide open LaDarius Green. Fortunately, the Titans weren't punished for Nassib's mistake as Usama Young read a play and ran all the way from the other sid of the field to intercept a ball that was tipped not once, but twice! This led to a 22-yard strike from Nassib to Antonio Brown to make the score 10-7 Texans. Scoring would slow down in the 3rd quarter as it would be 13-13 to start the 4th.
The Titans scored quickly in the 4th with a 12-yard touchdown reception by Brian Quick to go up 20-13. The Titans were able to stop the Texans' next drive and quickly got to work with a 42-yard Brian Hartline reception that setup a 9-yard touchdown run for Alfred Blue. Juwan Thompson would then return the following kickoff 94 yards for a touchdown to make the score 27-20 Titans. The Titans would fail to do anything on their next drive and had to punt. Chris Culliver then picked off Cam Newton on a bit of a crazy play to seal the game.
With this win the Titans became the outright leaders of bothe the division and the conference at 6-1. Also, Coach Reynolds seems pleased with how his team has performed so far this season:
We're having a good season so far. The guys are playing hard and making plays when we need them to. Ryan has made a few mistakes here and there but his QBR remains over 90 so far I think, which means he is really playing well. And the WRs, the TEs, and the RBs are all making plays to help him out. The defense is also playing well as a unit. It really is a beautiful thing to see when they are hitting on all cylinders.
Next up the Titans hope to continue their winning ways vs a 4-4 New Orleans Saints teams that has shown potential in recent weeks.
The Titans face an Atlanta Falcons team who came off a short week, and it showed in the 24-7 final score in favore of the Titans.
The Titans dominated the whole game, but there weren't many highlight-worthy plays. But here are a few:
Malcolm Jenkins had a nice interception in the third quarter.
In a play that really defined the Falcons on the night, a pass hit Julio Jones in the foot.
Great coverage led to a sack by Damon Harrison.
The Titans put in a strong performance versus the Falcons and Coach Mal was glad to see his team continue to play well:
Our defense played exceptionally well tonight. We covered guys well and stuffed the run. These are things we need to do every week. The offense also played well. We noticed early on that [the Falcons] were blitzing the middle a lot, and it really hurt our inside runs, so we ran outside a lot tonight and it worked. We also did some quick passes to get the ball out before the blitz arrived and we saw success there too. So, that was nice.
The Titans face the 6-1 Houston Texans next week in what is sure to be hard fought game for the lead in the division.
The Titans were able to put together an all-around good performance when they faced the Dolphins and it resulted in a good win by a score of 24-9.
The Titans jumped out to an early 7-0 lead. The Dolphins drove down the field, largely due to a 39-yard reception by Eddie Royal on a play that Malcolm Jenkins misread; I'm sure he though he was going to get an interception. That led to a 25-yard touchdown run by Demarco Murray, but the PAT was missed, leaving the score at 7-6. Towards the end of the first half, Antonio Brown made a nice catch by simply going up higher than the CB and setup another TD. In the second half, Brandon Coleman had a nice catch and run for 46 yards. However, the Dolphins did not lay down. They would cause Nassib to fumble near the goal line on that same drive. Fortunately, the defense would bail him out. Malcolm Jenkins got an interception, then Desmond Trufant secured a pick, and finally Malcolm Jenkins would seal the win with his 2nd INT.
Coach Mal was gakd to see his men fo so well:
The men were great today! Great defense and good offense. Hopefuly we can do it again next week.
The Titans play th division rival Texans next.
The Titans came out of the bye week and won a nail-biter against the Bills by a score of 15-20. Quarterback Ryan Nassib was sacked 7 times but hung in there and was able to lead the team to victory.
The Titans fell behind 3-0 in the first quarter and struggled to get anything going offensively. Fortunately, the defense was stout and forced a couple of turnovers, including a first quarter interception by Brandon Marshall. That interception setup a big 33-yard grab by Antonio Brown and culminated in an 11-yard touchdown reception by LaDarius Green.
The Titans then lead until about 3 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, when the Bills took a 15-14 lead. Things weren't looking good as the Bills' Aldon Smith sacked Nassib for the 4th time and forced the Titans to go 3-and-out. However, the Bills were a bit too greedy on the next drive, which resulted in Robert Blanton making a huge interception to keep the Titans' hopes alive! Antonio Brown would make another big catch to put the Titans in scoring range, this time for 31 yards. Christine Michael would then run in the game-winning TD!
We caught up to coach Mal after the game:
Whew! What a game! The men really pulled it together when it mattered today. Those last few minutes, they nearly gave me a heart attack. Leading for so long and then going behind that late in the game, a game that was very defense-oriented.
Here's what he had to say about Antonio Brown's performance:
He was tremendous! He made grabs that you expect top wide receivers to make. And he made them in big moments. It was a beautiful thing to see.
Robert Blanton also played a big role in the win:
Rob played well the whole game. That last interception though, that was huge. Without that, we probably lose. So, we're really glad to have himl.
He also mentioned Nassib:
Ryan did great. He was under a lot of pressure today and hung in there, stayed composed enough to deliver the ball to Antonio for big gains. That was key. I'm proud of my young quarterback. Having said that though, we have to do a better job protecting him,.
The Titans will face a surging Dolphins team in week 6 and will look to build off this close victory.
The Titans have fallen from the ranks of the undefeated. They lost to a Colts team that played a near flawless game, not getting anywhere close to turning the ball over. However, the Titans turned it over several times, including 2 interceptions by Pernell McPhee who is known for rushing the passer, not playing coverage.
There were a few bright spots for the Titans though as Brown had a quiet bur productive game including a beautiful catch deep down the sideline. Brandon Coleman also had a good outing in his first start, including a long catch shortly after Brown's. These two catches helped setup the Titans first touchdown by Christine Michael. Brian Hartline also scored a touchdown on a good read by Nassib. All of this was moot when Ray Rice put his team up by two touchdowns.
Is this the iceberg that we feared would come? Coach Mal doesn't think so:
We didn't play our best today and need to really clean up those mistakes. So, this is a setback, but there were some good things too. Antonio played well. So did Coleman. So that's good to see. Ryan has things to clear up though. He made some bad decisions, but he knows it, he'll get them fixed.
The Titans now go on their bye week. How will they respond when they face the Bills in week 5? Only time will tell.
Only two weeks into the season and the Titans have equaled their win total from last season.
The Titans defeated the Browns 26-17 with a strong display from HB Christine Michael as he carried the ball 22 time for 102 yards. Ryan Nassib played ok by avoiding interceptions as he went 12 of 26 for 165 yards and 2 touchdowns, including 1 to Antonio Brown as he rolled to his right to avoid pressure. The defense contributed by picking off Aaron Rodgers three times (Culliver, Blanton, and Trufant) but allowed HB Mark Ingram to get loose for a 57 yard TD as he ended the day with 18 carries for 148 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Is this turnaround due to Coach Malcolm Reynolds or to all the new players? Some of the players seem to think both played a role. Derrick Morgan, an OLB who has been with the Titans his whole career had this to say:
Yeah, there's a lot of new guys here, talented players. But that doesn't mean much if the coach can't get them to play well. Coach Mal has created a great environment for us here and we're all just real comfortable being ourselves. We're just having fun. Coach Mal is great.
The players call Coach Malcolm Reynolds "Coach Mal." He seems to really like it too, like it reminds it him of something he loved.
Coach Reynolds says he is looking forward to his first divisional rivalry game as the Titans coach as they take on the Texans next.
Can the Malcolm Reynolds-led Titans continue to perform this season? We can only find out by watching.
The Titans started the season by sinking the Buccaneers by a score of 33-3. The game started slow as the offenses for both teams struggled to find any rhythm.
The Titans offense finally started to move the ball late in the first quarter as they jumped out to a commanding lead by halftime.
The Titans stasrted the second half like they finished the first. On the opening drive, Alfred Blue took a screen pass 55 yards, breaking three tackles on his way to the endzone.
When the Buccaneers got the ball on the ensuing possession, they were desperate to score, and it showed. Carson Palmer through a deep pass to speedster Breshad Perriman, but it was knocked out of his hands by Chris Culliver, then intercepted by Logan Ryan.
In his interview after the game, coach Malcolm Reynolds said the team made too many mistakes and really needs to clean those up. He also said:
It's always good to start with a win, but we did this last year too. Sure, this was a Titanic win, now we just have to make sure we avoid the same fate as the Titanic and our previous season.
It sounds like Coach Reynolds holds no delusions even after beating the Bucs by a score of 33-3 week 1. Can the Titans sail to a great season or will they sink like the Titanic?