Well, that was not optimal.
There are many good articles out there about all the things that went wrong for the Titans yesterday. I don’t want to rehash it all because it’s too frustrating to write about. Instead, I’m going to focus on what can be done to fix it. These Action Steps might not work, but anything is better than what we are seeing so far in 2019.
1. Fire O-Line Coach Keith Carter.
This needs to happen today. I don’t like to call for people to lose their jobs but the NFL is a production business and his unit is not producing. In fact, they are under producing at an alarming rate. GM Jon Robinson spent a lot of money and draft capital on the Offensive Line and it is not paying off at all. Could he be a poor talent evaluator? Sure. But, considering that many of this players have produced at other times and places in their careers, the obvious cause for their poor play is their current scheme and coach. That’s Keith Carter. Mike Vrabel needs to make that call right now. If he doesn’t, he is showing the same sort of blind loyalty to his guys that got his predecessor fired. That’s not a good thing.
2. Bring in Offensive Mentor for Arthur Smith
I have no idea if Smith will eventually turn into a good Offensive Coordinator. The early returns say no. The Titans have been held scoreless in the first half four times this season. That is incomprehensibly bad. Smith has consistently failed to attack opponent’s weaknesses. He has failed to get his best players involved. (See: Derrick Henry’s two carries in the 1st half against one of the worst run defenses in the league.) From all appearances, he is in over his head and is drowning right now. Get him some help. I’m not calling for his firing, yet, but something has to change. I’m certain their are offensive coaches out there who could come in to be a sounding board for him. It’s unorthodox, but repeatedly doing the same thing that has not worked for most of the season is clearly not the answer. What do they have to lose?
3. Accountability
The Titans had 11 penalties yesterday. They turned the ball over multiple times. They were undisciplined and sloppy. That starts at the top but it is the players who are making those mistakes. They need to be held accountable. If Taylor Lewan gets two awful penalties in a row, something has to be done about that. I have no idea what would get his attention but the coaches should know, and they should do it. You can’t have your All Pro Left Tackle making rookie mistakes. The same goes for everyone involved. Be better. Do better. Clean up the mistakes and this team immediately is more competitive.
Final Thoughts
That’s all I have for now. One last observation: I hope fans are starting to realize that this offense has far greater problems than who is starting at QB. I still believe Tannehill is the better option this season, but neither QB will flourish with the way things are being run right now. And, I still believe either QB could win if the offensive system was better. How’s that for a depressing final thought?
- The Playoffs Start Now - January 1, 2021
- Podcast: Episode 4 - October 17, 2020
- Podcast Episode Three - October 13, 2020
