The punch heard round the world….at least that is how we think of Legarrette Blount in the football world.  But what if that punch never occurred?  What if Blount played and finished his last season with the Oregon Ducks?  Would he have been a top running back coming out of the draft? Blount is a 6’2″, 240 pound mirror image of Brandon Jacobs (and we all know what a bulldozer HE is).  Blount had 19 TD’s on 159 career collegiate touches, calculating out at just over 1 touchdown scored per 8 touches; numbers that any NFL run game would die for.  So again I ask the question, what if he didn’t throw that punch?

I’ll tell you what would have happened.  Blount would have been a highly sought after goal line and short yardage specialist.  He has a nose for the end zone and a love for contact.  He would have been drafted within the first 3 rounds as a perfect compliment to any shifty non-contact track star scat back.  However, he did throw that punch and was suspended for all but one game during his senior year at Oregon.  It cost him any chance he had of being drafted, resulting in the loss of millions of dollars.  But the Lord works in mysterious ways, and that punch might have been the best thing that ever happened to young Legarrette Blount.  He wasn’t drafted, but he has been signed by the Tennessee Titans, maybe the best place in the world for the former Duck to do what he does: fly under the radar, move the chains, and score touchdowns.

Every NFL enthusiast knows the Titans struggle with the pass.  But, with the addition of this bruising RB, it doesn’t matter. Tennessee can rely much more heavily on their run game and implement an unstoppable play action pass game that even Vince Young can’t mess up.  I can easily see Blount getting 10 rushing touchdowns this year. If overrated and overweight Lendale White can do it, Blount should have no problem at all finding the end zone on a regular basis.

It’s all about the touchdowns, a lot like in one of Gridiron Experts other fantasy strategy articles “The Gambler”… 1 TD equals 60 yards rushing (or close depending on your scoring system), so while your 1^st round running back is grinding away for 120 yards but gets no scores, your opponent has started the sleeper goal line monster that comes in and grabs two 1 yard TD’s and now ties the score at 12 points each… not to mention you can get Blount late in your fantasy draft and I mean late, like 10^th round.

5 foot 10, 200 pound running backs are a dime a dozen; I could walk to the grocery store and find an average sized, average skilled running back.  But big, athletic, hardnosed, smack you in the mouth running backs like Blount are hard to find.  Which is why Tennessee had the steal of the draft and he wasn’t even drafted.

Chris Johnson’s elusiveness and Blount’s power is like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich; it’s just meant to go together… If Legarette can put in the work on the practice field and in the film room while checking his attitude and ego at the door, I can see him carving out a perfect role for himself in this run happy Titans offense… that is, of course, if Blount can keep his hands in his pockets during post game.

Vince Young’s Amazing 99 yard Drive
Week 12 had more than a few games come down to the wire, but none more impressive than Vince Young’s amazing comeback against the Cardinals. Young improved to 23-11 in his career by driving the Titans 99 yards on 18 plays in the final 2:37.

Pack your bags Kerry Collins, Vince Young looks like he has given the Titans season hope while growing into the quarterback that can lead this team to more than an early playoff exit. With help from other Wildcard teams losing on Sunday, the Titans find themselves back in the race and actually have a  shot to go to the playoffs.

Vince Young’s career-high 387 passing yards were the most by a Titans QB since Billy Volek had 492 on Dec. 19, 2004 vs. the Raiders.

While the world celebrates the accomplishments of Peyton Manning and Drew Brees, the lights shine just as much on Kerry Collins and Vince Young. Only, for Collins and Young, it’s a different light.

Yep, the two Titans’ quarterbacks are battling in an old-fashioned quarterback controversy, but in reverse. Most of the time, a team studies two quarterbacks, grills them, tests them, to see which of the two good quarterbacks can become great. In this case, both failed at one time or another- while shining at other times- and they are being tested to decide which one of them can at least become adequate enough to lead the team out of the 0-fer column.

After three days of mulling, Tennessee Coach Jeff Fisher named VY the starter for this week’s match-up against Jacksonville, with the apparent aid of Titans owner Bud Adams. Adams openly stated that he wanted to see more of Young, the 2006 Offensive Rookie of the Year.

And while starting Young seems to be the best decision for the team (Collins sunk to an all-time low on Oct. 18 when he completed just 2 of 12 passes for minus-7 yards), let’s not forget that Young has seen his own share of downward spiraling.

In fact, the culmination of VY’s descent to the bench came against this week’s opponent in 2008. Young was picked off twice and sprained his knee in the season opener against the Jaguars. Not exactly what the Titans were looking for after a dismal 2007 season in which he threw only 9 TD’s and was intercepted 17 times. Furthermore, Young was quoted as saying after his rookie season in 2006 that he’d already thought about quitting professional football altogether.

But on the flip side, the majority of Young’s success has come with his team apparently left for dead. When he stepped in for Collins in 2006, the Titans were off to a 0-2 start, which extended two more games to 0-4. From there, VY guided the team to an 8-4 finish, just one win shy of a playoff berth.

At times, Young has shown the ability to become a true dual-threat quarterback. Of course, an emphasis will always be placed on his running legs, as he doesn’t seem to be able to consistently throw for more than 200 yards a game. But Young’s ability to escape pressure or run by design opens up a whole new playbook for a team that averages just 14 points per game.

Topping it all off for Young is the fact that his boss (Adams) has publicly campaigned for him to become the starter. So the job should remain in Young’s hands for the remainder of the season, and this should mark the end of Collins’s career as a NFL starter. Collins turns 37 at the end of the year, and he’s proven to be no Brett Favre. At best, Collins could prove to be a fairly decent backup, just not in Tennessee.

From where the Titans sit, it’s VY or bust. If Young can’t take this second chance as a gift and run with it, then Tennessee must look to free agency or next year’s draft.  Neither of those options seem as appealing as watching the man who single-handedly won the 2006 Rose Bowl and National Championship with the University of Texas, in one of the most dominant performances ever in any sport.

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The Tennessee Titans now sit at the bottom of the AFC south with a 0-5 record. Quarterback Kerry Collins has been doing an adequate job, averaging 216 yards per game, with 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions, however all of the talk surrounding the water cooler is in regard to Vince Young taking snaps.

Should Vince Young get the start for the miserable Tennessee Titans, or should they keep rolling with Kerry Collins the “seasoned vet” ? A more in-depth look at the Titans season will help make this decision easier.

The Titans offense has been a middle of the pack unit when it comes to picking up yards, ranking 17th in the NFL with 336 yards per game, they also rank 24th in the league in scoring with 16.8 points per game. It’s fair to say that this offense is struggling in comparison with its tremendous success last season, but is it fair to say that Kerry Collins has been the reason?

The issue in Tennessee is a defensive issue. Allowing 27.9 points per game (ranked 29th in the league) the Titans are simply defeating themselves. Losing the time of possession battle in any football game is a sure way to give your opponent a better shot at a victory. This once absurd defense is having trouble forcing offenses off the field giving them an average of 35 minutes per game.

Placing an inexperienced quarterback in this situation may not be productive for this squad. Vince Young has proven a knack for winning but also a knack for interceptions, careless decisions, and poor judgment, more or less he has proven that he may not be able to hack it in the NFL.

Young is an exciting player but he only brings with him an average of 146 passing yards per game. He is not the answer to the Titans woes as a starting quarterback, although it couldn’t hurt to see him get involved in his once beloved offense. Expect Young to stay glued to the bench for the next few weeks unless Collins gets flattened or surprisingly pulled. If however the Titans cannot achieve a victory against the Patriots, Jaguars, or 49ers over the coming weeks, the season is definitely over and the only person worrying about who to start is Jeff Fisher as it could cost him his job.

Terrible Towels Win Despite Terrible Run Game

Not exactly what people were expecting for a season opener, but who cares! This defensive battle had viewers on the edge of their seats. Very odd to see the Steelers struggle so badly with their running game, but that only made for a couple exciting drives lead by Roethlisberger. Here are a few observations on a very strange Steelers win:

• Who would have thought that losing Albert Haynesworth would improve the Titans run defense?

The Steelers were supposed to have fixed their poor offensive line and running game but things seem even worse. One reason might be the early season rust, but my first impression was that the Titans defense looked like an impenetrable wall of white and blue. This wrecked our prediction about a quiet day for Holmes and the Steelers passing game, but an extra drive in overtime will do that.

• What a performance from rookie Kenny Britt!

While Gage made more catches, Kenny Britt was the number one target for Kerry Collins on many key plays of the game, and he looked poised despite being up against one of the leagues most intimidating defenses.

• Stop smiling and hang on to the ball Hines Ward.

I understand Ward is a future hall of fame player and one of the greatest blocking receivers in the NFL, but even seconds before he had his last minute catch stripped, you could see a big dumb grin on his face. I’m glad that play didn’t cost him the game, but seriously, focus and hang on to that ball.

• Troy Polamalu is an animal but spains MCL

Despite only playing half a game, Polamalu made a lightning quick unbelievable tackle in the backfield on Chris Johnson and a left handed circus interception. The game changed drastically after he left, and with early indications of the injury becoming more serious, the Steelers defense might be in for a wake up call. Polamalu suffered the injury late in the first half of the Steelers’ 13-10 overtime victory when Titans tight end Alge Crumpler fell on him as Pittsburgh defensive end Aaron Smith blocked Rob Bironas’ 31-yard field-goal attempt. Polamalu was attempting to pick up the ball.

Gridiron Experts 1-0 straight up and 1-0 verses the spread.

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