The Tennessee Titans improved to 9-0 today with a hard-fought victory against the Chicago Bears in the frigid weather at Soldier Field. This was, as most Titans games are lately, a physically BRUTAL contest, pitting two of the top defenses in the NFL against one another. However, the Bears' plan to sell out against the run and bring 8- and 9-man fronts against Tennessee's "Slash and Dash" RB combo of Chris Johnson and LenDale White was ultimately a failure: Kerry Collins, looking more like the Carolina Panther gunslinger of the 90's than the graybeard Titans backup of 2008, passed for 280 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions, proving that the Titans can beat you offensively through the air as well as on the ground. As usual, the Titans' defense came up big as well; though Chicago rookie RB Matt Forte had a good day, they held the bears to only 14 points, and QB Rex Grossman was under duress all day.
So have I hopped on the bandwagon? YES! When you live in a football-crazy town like Nashville long enough, you either wind up HATING their team, or some of the love starts to rub off on you. I'm the latter example. I LOVE the way this team plays football. Punishing defense, pounding ground game, and the ability to put it in the air when needed. The coaching staff is just amazing: Head Coach Jeff Fisher is an amazing motivator, offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger is an exceptional play-caller, and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz always seems to make the right adjustments to shut down the opposition when it counts the most. Though really devoid of any superstars, the Titans have some of the BEST players in this league: DT Albert Haynesworth is a BEAST, and the best defensive lineman in the NFL. CB Courtland Finnegan has a nose for the ball and will knock the CRAP out of you every chance he gets, as will S Michael Griffin. RB Chris Johnson is absolutely EXPLOSIVE, and his backfield partner White is a touchdown-scoring MACHINE. But the best part of this team is it's offensive line. Featuring perrenial All-Pro's such as Jake Scott and Kevin Mawae, they are equally adept at pushing the pile on running plays as they are at creating a PERFECT pocket for Kerry Collins to throw from. This team does EVERYTHING RIGHT, and hopefully my Cowboys are looking at them to see how it SHOULD be done! It's not about, flash, drama, egos and superstars; it's about TEAM CHEMISTRY, COACHING and PHYSICALITY, very similar to what the NY Giants do. In fact, I'm going to make a prediciton for the Super Bowl: the Tennesee Titans will defeat the NY Giants. Your read it here first!
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