Playoffs - Titans Ever On

The Playoffs Start Now

There is no tomorrow. Today is all the matters. The playoff run starts this Sunday.

I realize the title of this article is not exactly accurate. I don’t care. As far as I’m concerned, the playoffs start on Sunday for the Tennessee Titans. There really is no other way around it. Obviously, the Titans could still make the playoffs with a loss against the Houston Texans, but I think we can all admit backing into the playoffs is not the best approach for a team that has been a .500 club over the last 10 games.

Did you catch that? Over the last 10 games, the Tennessee Titans are 5-5. For a team that started 5-0 and showed such early promise, the majority of the season has been average at best. True, they have some big wins but they also have some inexcusable losses. (I’m looking at you, Bengals.)

Yes, the offense has been spectacular throughout the season, with only a few hiccups along the way. I’m not going to hit them too hard for a few missteps. (The first Indy game and the recent debacle in Green Bay come to mind.) Taken as a whole, the offense has been better than any fan could have hoped for. Tannehill, Henry, Davis, Brown, and company have created the best offense Titans’ fans have ever seen. It’s been impressive, to say the least.

But (you knew it was coming), the defense has been equally as bad. Maybe worse. I’ve been watching Tennessee Titans’ football since Day One, and I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a defense this pathetic or inept. Sure, I’ve seen defenses equally as bad, but those had zero to little talent. This squad has talent. You will never convince me otherwise. Perhaps we all overvalued the talent on the roster, but I firmly believe the talent is mostly there, outside of edge rushers. Virtually no one on the defense has played up to their talent. Most have had career worst seasons. It’s mindboggling and exasperating. And I see no scenario where is gets much better this season.

So, it’s been a mixed bag. Offensively, this should be a 12 or 13 win team. Defensively, it should be a 1 or 2 win team. It’s miraculous this team has clawed it’s way to 10 wins so far. But, with the way last season ended and the historic firepower of the offense, fans have a right to expect great things from this team. Losing to Houston on Sunday and missing out on the playoffs and the division are not part of the plan.

The playoffs start now. The Titans have no business losing on Sunday to a depleted Houston team. The Titans have the talent to win 11 games, win the AFC South, and host their first playoff game since 2008. This is not a throwaway game. This is a game that will set the tone for the remainder of the season, one way or another. If the Titans win, they have the potential to make another run, maybe all the way to the Super Bowl. (Yeah, I think they are good enough to hang with anyone on any given Sunday.) If the Titans lose, the could miss the playoffs entirely and the fan base would have every right to be more than a little disappointed. Missing the playoffs with this roster and this offense, would be a lower point than anything in the Mularkey era.

The playoffs start now. Titans, go down to Houston this weekend and establish your dominance. Take control of the game from the opening kick and never let it go. Crush the will of the Texans early and keep crushing it until they cry “Mercy!” The playoffs start now and your fans will accept nothing less than a win, a division title, and trip to the playoffs. We’ve stuck through the lean years. There needs to be a payoff for all the suffering. Make it happen.

The playoffs start now.

Five Titans Season Predictions

I might as well go big for my first real article on Titans Ever On. These predictions are not for the faint of heart. I will be pulling no punches. Fortunate favors the bold and all that. So, buckle up and hold on tight. (I’m all out of cliches…) Here are my five Titans season predictions.

1. The offense will share the load.

In the Return of the King, one of the most iconic scenes is when brave and loyal Samwise Gamgee carries Frodo up the slopes of Mount Doom. (If that sentence has you questioning whether this is a sports’ article or the musings of a nerd, the answer is both. You might as well come to terms with that now.) Frodo is completely worn down by the weight and power of the ring he is carrying. (Seriously, if you don’t understand this reference, I’m not going to re-tell the entire story. Go watch the movies or read the books.) Sam realizes he cannot carry the ring – its power would consume him as well. So he decides to carry his friend instead. It’s an amazing and powerful moment in a film full of amazing and powerful moments.

I’m All-In on “Team Mariota” – Here’s Why

“Marcus, Marcus, he’s our man! If he can’t do it, no one can!”

I’ve written a lot about Marcus Mariota. In case you missed all those pieces, here is a quick recap about my feelings on the 5th year quarterback:

1. I was not convinced he was the right choice when the Titans drafted him.
2. I quickly became convinced that I was completely wrong about point 1.
3. I would adopt Marcus Mariota if he needed a family. (Marcus, if you need a Middle Tennessee family, we are here for you.)
4. I believe he can lead the Titans to a Super Bowl.

That sums it up. I am well aware what his detractors say. There are a surprising number of Titans’ fans who are ready to move on from Mariota. I can’t say I agree with that perspective, but I am aware of it. When I listen to Nashville talk radio, scan Titans Twitter, or talk to fans, I encounter many naysayers.

I get it. After two seasons, Marcus Mariota looked like an up-and-coming franchise QB. Marcus Mariota was everything the team could want, both on and off the field. He put up fantastic numbers that second season; Marcus was nearly unstoppable in the red zone. He was great in the final minutes of a game. Mariota was unflappable, poised, accurate, and his numbers in the second half of that season were as good as any QB in the league. He was special.

Wild Card Round Preview (The NFL on REO)

It’s playoff time! Here is your preview for the Wild Card Round – picks included.

Tennessee at Kansas City

by Michael Lytle

The Tennessee Titans are big underdogs in the Wild Card match up with the Kansas City Chiefs.

This is not surprising. The Titans are without their starting running back, they have played poorly on offense for most of the season, and they are short on playoff experience. The Chiefs, on the other hand, have an explosive offense, a very successful head coach, and are playing at home. Even as a Titans fan I admit that it makes sense that the Chiefs are a 9 point favorite.

Two Tales of One City (The NFL on REO)

Updated Power Rankings a look at sports in Nashville. (1,505 words)

Power Rankings

I got some help this week for the NFL Power Rankings from fellow REO contributors Gowdy Cannon and Mike Lytle. I asked them to rank their top 15 teams. We then assigned a point value to each team based on where they were ranked and then added those points together to get the final product – The NFL on REO Top Ten. (Example for the ranking: A 1st place vote receives 15 points, a 2nd place vote receives 14 points, and a 15th place vote receives 1 point.) I’ve listed the total point value for each team so you can see how this all came together. For the tie-breakers, I listed the rationale for why one team was placed above the other.

1. New England – 45

Back when the Patriots were 2-2 with what was by far the last place team in defensive points given up, it looked like the rest of the league may have had a prayer of not having to deal with this constant playoff juggernaut this year. It was a testimony to how incredible the offense is that they were 2-2 since most teams would have been 0-4 giving up 38 points every week.

Random Musings (The NFL on REO)

We say goodbye to a Nashville Sports Radio host, analyze Marcus Mariota’s play, and talk playoff outlook. (1,312 words)

Goodbye Fitz!

Earlier this year, a few of us from the Rambling Ever On (REO) staff worked on a Power Rankings for Nashville Sports Talk Radio. We assigned points to every show in four categories. We took the averages of each of those ratings. Then we used that data to come up with our final rankings.

Before we had a chance to finalize the article to present our rankings, one of the major radio stations in Nashville made some major changes to their lineup, which obviously rendered our previous rankings pointless. We decided to go back to the drawing board, allow the new iterations of shows some time to come into their own, and then re-rank everyone.

Sadly, that delay is costing us again as one of the local shows. Braden and Fitz on 102.5 The Game is coming to an end. Jason Fitz is moving to a nationally syndicated show with ESPN Radio, and Braden Gall will probably be part of whatever show 102.5 The Game puts together once Fitz departs.

The NFL on REO: Dominance

This week’s column contains more Gowdy Cannon zaniness and our first Power Rankings of the season. Number 3 will blow your mind! (1,741 words)

The Insane Ramblings of Gowdy Cannon

On to 2017…

Yes, I’m the guy who wrote a 2500-hundred word counseling session on how Tom Brady is the most overrated quarterback of all-time. But don’t let that keep you from reading what I’m about to write. You should appreciate it primarily because I wrote the Brady article.

While players can be overrated or underrated to team success I do not think there is any way to get around claiming team superiority in an objective way. For example, we could argue all day whether Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Matt Ryan was the best QB in the NFL last year, but we cannot argue that New England was the best team. That was objectively settled on the field.

The NFL on REO: Five Predictions For the Upcoming Season

Five big predictions for the NFL season. (786 words)

Here at Rambling Ever On (REO), we are in a constant state of evaluation and evolution. We do this because we want to create the best content possible for you, our readers. A few months ago, we launched The NFL on REO as a more comprehensive and complete look at the game of professional football. So far, it has been a successful decision on our part.

But, we are not content to just let things remain the same and grow stagnant. We want The NFL on REO to be as informative, entertaining, and thought-provoking as possible, so we have decided to change things up a bit. Instead of this being just one man’s perspective, we felt it would be a benefit to our readers to include more voices and more perspectives. So, from this point on, The NFL on REO will include contributions from many of the REO writers. We hope you enjoy the tweaked format.

Titans Tuesday: Pride

How I am feeling right now about the Tennessee Titans.

One thing my 33 faithful readers will know¹ is that I fully expected the 2016 Tennessee Titans to exceed most expectations. I would wager that the majority of the national sports media would have had them finishing with no more than four or five wins this season. I think their 9-7 record goes beyond exceeding expectations. It shatters them. And I am unbelievably proud of the Titans for that accomplishment.

I did not address the horrible loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Christmas Eve for a few reasons.

One, I was on vacation with my family for Christmas and I did not want interrupt it.

Two, where we were staying, there was no WiFi access so I was effectively shut out from the internet world. That ended up being a good thing. I didn’t want to write about that loss. The grief was still too near.

It was 32 for a long time, but I finally convinced one of my good college friends, Matt, to start reading. ↩

Titans Tuesday: Dear Santa

My Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa,

It’s been a pretty good year. I really don’t have anything to complain about. Things are good. But, I believe with a little help from you, things could be even better. Perhaps even great. So, here is my Christmas wish list:

It would be so great if the Tennessee Titans made the playoffs this year.

It’s been way too long since this fan-base has seen their team in the postseason. Eight years, to be more specific. And that playoff appearance is especially painful to remember because the Titans lost to the stupid Baltimore Ravens…again. Man I hate the Ravens! Sorry! I’ll try to control my emotions. It’s just that the Ravens are so dumb. They are just the worst team ever.