TitanInsider Board

I like the idea of mixing it up more. Our old defensive scheme worked great for the first 5 or 6 games of the season, but then the tiny DL got injured and worn out. A scheme that uses 9-technique DEs in it's base DL formation will be horribly inconsistent. It's a feast or fathom defense. The only reason it works for the Colts is because they are always playing to protect a lead, so teams are always throwing on them.

As for the LBs, I think Ayers will most definitely be the SAM LB. There is an outside possibility that Spoon could do it since he's already on that side of the field, but I doubt it. I think Ayers will start at SAM from game one. That leaves Spoon, Tulloch, McRath, and McCarthy. I seriously doubt they'll start two rookie LBs, so McCarthy is out of the picture. He might be used situationally because of his size. If we do any 3-4 looks I'd say we would rotate either him or Shaw in. Regardless, I think Tulloch will start at MIKE LB. He's not particularly great in coverage or all that fast, but he's been very dependable against the run. With Gray's mindset on stopping the run, I think they'll make a big effort to retain Tulloch. Again, there is an outside chance of Spoon starting at MIKE, but it's doubtful. Spoon is too good to bench, so I say he gets moved over to WILL LB. The only real competition here would be McRath. I know the old coaching staff liked McRath a lot, but I haven't heard any of the new guys talk about him. I never really cared for him other than his leadership skills. He's a solid tackler, but seems to be caught way out of position in coverage. He's terrible at setting the edge on outside runs and takes horrible angles. I was never impressed with his speed. I guess we could retain him in a backup capacity, but I don't see him starting for us.

As for DL, I think we'll be doing a lot of 7-technique. Our DEs are very well suited for it. JJ and Klug could definitely be used at 6-technique while Morgan and Hayes line up at 7 as the base DEs. I'd like to retain Ball because of his versatility. He could be the 9-technique pass-rusher or the 7 or 6-technique run stopper like the others. Whatever happens, we are definitely bulking up. DT seems to be the biggest problem now. Brown was perfectly suited for the old scheme, but I don't think he fits very well in Gray's defense. He's pretty small to be a run stopping DT, so I could see his role being diminished to passing downs. He's a great leader, so I don't want to see him go, but his knees aren't getting any better. I think he'll excel in a limited role. We could start Jurrell Casey at one spot since he's a good run stopper and just rotate Brown and Haye. I didn't care much for Haye before, but he did have 6 sacks in Tampa Bay when he was bulkier. If he bulks up he could be a decent run stopper. Then we could rotate him and Brown at the 2nd DT spot. I haven't been very impressed with Marks at all. I don't want to give up on that pick this soon, but I can't say I would be upset if we let him go. Regardless, that is a weak DT group. I think we need to target a good FA to help establish the unit.

The secondary will get much more complex in my opinion. I think we'll shift back to the FS/SS system and put Griff at FS. I haven't heard the new coaches say anything about Hope, but I'm betting he'll start at SS. He looked bad last year, but I think that was a scheme issue. Hope shouldn't have been playing deep safety. He's skilled up close and in the box. He's a great run stopper and has good ball skills over the middle. Griff should be the free roaming safety. Hope can't be relied upon in deep coverage, so just keep him up close where he plays best. I think we'll see more man coverage since our CBs are well suited for it. I'm hoping we don't just stick Finny on the best WR any more. He got caught out of position a lot because he wasn't used to the side of the field he was on and he's too small to take on some of the bigger WRs. I'd rather just match up our three best CBs on the opponent's three best WRs according to how they fit. For instance, I would put McCourty on the bigger WRs because he has the speed and deep ball skills to defend against them. He's not a really physical guy, but he can keep the ball out of their hands. Finny would be better suited for the blocking type WRs like Hines Ward. He can match them physically and wear them down. AV would be better on the short range and intermediate WRs like Wes Welker. Verner is one of the best short range defenders in the NFL in my opinion. Essentially, I'd like to see us not have a number one, two, and three CB, but just have three great CBs who match up against their best rival on the opposite team. It think we'd be much more effective there, especially with the added bulk on the DL. This would prevent our DBs from needing to come up to help the run so much. Griffin shouldn't have over 100 tackles.

Whatever happens, I'm excited for the change.

I think you'll see Ayers start right away. For right now, Witherspoon and McRath are both in a fight to hold on to their spots. I would think that McRath probably holds on to a starting job since he is younger and has the upside. Witherspoon is a guy that might move to the middle if Tully doesn't re-sign. Don't count out McCarthy making a run at a starting spot either.

The secondary is interesting in that this is rare that they didn't draft a lot here. Verner and Finny would appear to be locked in. Not sure what the new regime thinks of Fuller, but the Fisher/Cecil group had soured on him somewhat. At safety, Griffin is on the spot to step up and lead and play well. A veteran option could still be signed to challenge Hope, or they could pray that Robert Johnson finally steps up and shows why he was drafted.

On the d-line, as for moving Jason Jones to end, the reason Wash never did much of that was because it neutralized his quickness. He could either be a fast DT or a slow DE and they liked him inside. Will be interesting to see if Rocker feels the same way. I got the indication that he will stay at DT but maybe bounce out to end at times. Guys like Babin and Ford might not have much future in Gray's system, and might not be re-signed except as situational players. Babin probably won't accept such a role and may go elsewhere for more money. Ford has already been in that role pretty much, so he might return to it.

It's going to be an interesting off-season, if there is an off-season to be had.

I wouldn't be surprised if the starting MLB for the Titans ended up being a free agent addition. Unless the league implements 2010 rules with RFA I can't see Tulloch on the roster. He's at best a two down LB who will likely want to be paid like a nickel LB. And for being a two down LB he's not particularly strong at the point of attack when defending the run anyways (pursuit / effort guy who racked up tackles behind Washburns DLine).

I imagine that Witherspoon, McRath and Curran will fight it out for the WLB position while McCarthy will back up all three positions. Unless Witherspoon can hold his starting job I could see him being cut as Curran and McRath are young and effective special teamers.

There could be a scenario where they move Witherspoon inside but I have the impression that he may not exactly fit Grays plans.

Your posting may be minimal pro but it's always quality. I would agree that the Titans would want/need a veteran presence in the linebacker corp and also couldn't see them moving Witherspoon unless they had a solid veteran to take his place (which may not happen). My main concern is that Witherspoon's greatest value is probably at the WLB position and unless he can takes that position in camp over McRath or Curran, I don't know what the team would do with him. Witherspoon played the MLB position in 2009 well enough to get released by the Eagles. That may or may not be indicative of his ability at that position but it certainly doesn't bode well for his future.

I feel that the Colin McCarthy selection really devalued Witherspoon's stock with the team because McCarthy comes in as a key reserve who can play all three positions and a special teamer with the potential to develop into a starter in time.

He may not make much in the Football world ($2.5m this year, $3.5m next) but between his and Hope's salary the Titans can free up almost $9m in 2011 by cutting an older potential reserve player and a declining vet. That gives the Titans some flexibility (along with eliminating VY and Collins contract) in addressing the MLB and Safety position in free agency.

Ultimately it may come down to who's available and how much the Titans want to spend (probably not much). The MLB FA pool is awfully weak (if the RFA tenders stick) and unless the Titans target Ruud, they're probably likely to just give Witherspoon a chance at MLB. It will be interesting to see what happens.

Know this about Witherspoon. There are some in the organization who have hinted to me that Witherspoon may have hit the "David Thornton wall" sometime last year and that he may be in a bit of decline. That is only natural for a 30-something player in the NFL. If there is a competition, don't discount McRath's youth and upside being a factor.

I think it would depend on how much Jerry Gray values the LB positions. As you know, the Fisher regime didn't value the Mike spot very much, even though Tully stayed in in nickel situations and McRath came off the field. They ran a lot of nickel. But I would think that Gray would value linebackers who can pass cover. As for McCarthy, I wouldn't pencil him in as an immediate starter, but he will get a fair shot in camp and preseason. He is supposedly a smart guy in the Peter Sirmon mold who picks things up quickly. Plus, he is also older (had a sixth year of medical hardship granted) than most rookies coming into the NFL.

Personally I think Curran could be a very solid WLB but it's hard to know whether the coaching staff sees his size as a serious limitation. He has deceptive speed, impressive instincts and can really lay the wood. He might have to come off the field on third down (if the Titans have a 3rd down MLB) but I could really see him holding down the weakside and limiting cutback lanes for running backs.