2012 Tennessee Titans Preview

2012 Tennessee Titans

The Jake Locker era is officially underway for the Tennessee Titans. They have named him their starting quarterback for the season opener, and they are going to see what they have in their former first round pick. Unlike Blaine Gabbert from last post, I am a big fan of Jake Locker and his potential in this league. I think that he will be the second best quarterback from the 2011 draft when everything is all said and done (behind only Cam Newton), and I think that his success will start as soon as this season. After a surprising 9-7 season with Matt Hasselbeck under center, this Titans team is now a sleeper to make the playoffs, and possibly even compete for a division title if Houston falters. However, they have a very tough schedule, so I think the big jump for this team is one year away. The most likely scenario is that Tennessee will be competitive, lose some games close, and finish with a pretty solid record that bodes well for the future. We’ll see if that will be the case.

Offense

I’m really looking forward to see how Jake Locker will perform this season, and obviously I expect a lot from him. He’s a mobile QB with a good arm, but has accuracy questions. If he ever figures those problems out, we could be looking at a top 10 quarterback in the league. But those days are far away. For now, Locker will simply be looking to make nice strides in his game, and get as many wins as possible. His job might be easier if he gets a bounce-back season from...Chris Johnson. CJ2K, as he would like to be. Johnson struggled mightily last year but did turn it around somewhat by the last few games. The only reason why people are disappointed in him is because the expectations of him were so high in the first place. How do I think he will play? 1,300 yards and 10 touchdowns with about 400 more yards receiving sounds like a pretty good prediction. He’ll be a top 5 running back if he stays healthy. He’s got that kind of talent, anyway. He will absolutely be at least top 8. But his ceiling is high, and he should be in for a big year. The wide receivers are also solid, and deep. First round pick Kendall Wright won’t put up huge numbers as a rookie but he’s the kind of player who can definitely make a few huge plays that change games this season. I absolutely love Nate Washington this year as an under-the-radar guy. He’ll be the best receiver in the division this year. You heard me, Andre Johnson fans (I’m one myself, but he won’t play all 16 games). Tennessee’s tight end Jared Cook might also be in for a breakout season. he played big the last few games of 2011, and he has a freakish body and talent that could bring more of the same. He’ll probably lead the team in touchdown receptions. Finally, the wild card for the Titans, as always, is Kenny Britt. He’ll be suspended the first game, and has spent his career either injured, or arrested. When he’s been on the field, he has produced like a star, but he hasn’t been able to do that consistently. If he can stay on the field, the Titans can push for a playoff spot. Watch out. They are my very early pick to win the division next year.

Defense

The Tennessee defense has seen better seasons than 2011, but they were not shabby by any means. There is talent on this defense, and they are young, so they have room to grow. They have two young defensive ends and a potential breakout middle linebacker Colin McCarthy (Out of? The U!) This unit finished 18th in yards per game allowed last year, but that number should drop to about 12th or 13th this year if things go right. Look for this defense to have its shining moments, but I still don’t think they are a good enough group to move up into the upper echelon in the league.

Schedule

The Tennessee Titans finished strong last year to end at 9-7, but it was too little, too late for a playoff spot? However, the fact that they had a winning record shows that this team is primed to win now, or at least soon. The only question is how fast it takes Jake Locker to mature and take control of this team. I don’t think it will happen this year, because Locker still has to show that he can play over a 16 game schedule, and also because their schedule is very difficult to maneuver. Let’s see how things shake out.

Week 1: L vs NE

Week 2: L at SD

Week 3: W vs DET

Week 4: L at HOU

Week 5: W at MIN

Week 6: L vs PIT

Week 7: L at BUF

Week 8: W vs IND

Week 9: W vs CHI

Week 10: W at MIA

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: L at JAC

Week 13: W vs HOU

Week 14: L at IND

Week 15: W vs NYJ

Week 16: L at GB

Week 17: W vs JAC

I think that the Tennessee Titans will finish 8-8 under their first season under Jake Locker. One game worse than last year’s record, but I think that the Titans will be fine sacrificing one game on their record this year for many more wins with Locker down the road. Unfortunately, 8-8 will not be good enough to make the playoffs unless this division suddenly pulls an AFC West and is absolutely mediocre. Be excited, Titans fans! Your time will come soon enough. After my bold prediction, I’m going to try to tackle the incredibly average AFC West, starting with the Denver Mannings, uh, I mean Broncos. Will a team finally get back to 10 wins? We’ll see. Also, here’s a recap of the AFC South.

Bold Prediction: Jake Locker will have a total of 30 touchdowns, but the most important number will be the 8 wins he racks up. Also, Nate Washington will put up 70/1,100/9 and be a top 15 wide receiver. Similar to my other boy, Torrey Smith.

AFC South recap:

HOU: 12-4

TEN: 8-8

IND: 5-11

JAC: 4-12

• The Texans will run laps around defenses
• Jake Locker will have a solid first year starting
• Andrew Luck will be shaky, but show signs of things to come
• The Jaguars will suck