Titans Team Report

INSIDE SLANT

Last year, the Miami Dolphins introduced their Wildcat formation to the NFL, a scheme that in reality is a throwback to days of the single-wing or the wing-T of the 1920s or ’30s.

And in a copycat league, other teams have starting using their own versions of the offense for gimmick and gadget plays.

But the Tennessee Titans, since reinserting Vince Young(notes) as their starting quarterback, have gone a different direction, using Young and lightning-fast running back Chris Johnson to run the option.

Normally, NFL coaches and personnel people scoff at the option as strictly a college offense, correctly pointing out that NFL linebackers and defensive backs are too fast and shrewd for it to work.

But when a team has a mobile quarterback like Young, whose legs are sometimes a more consistent threat than his arm, and the fastest player in the league in Johnson to carry it out, then perhaps the option can have a small place in a team’s offense, just as the Wildcat does in Miami and other places.

Johnson, who leads the NFL in rushing with 1,091 and has 495 yards rushing since Young took over, is a believer in the dual threat that has evolved with them both being in the game together.

“It changes a lot. The defense has got to choose. Do they want to stop 10 (Young) or do they want to stop 28 (Johnson)?” Johnson said. “That is what me and Vince say every day. Whichever one you choose to stop, the other one is going to have a good day.”

Fullback Ahmard Hall(notes), whose blocking has been a key to Johnson’s success of late, says having two explosive athletes in the backfield in Johnson and Young gives the Titans the ability to run a formation other teams wouldn’t dare touch.

“Guys are so worried about Vince taking off and running, when you get C.J. on that edge, it’s over,” Hall said. “When you’ve got two phenomenal athletes out there, you can get it done. But you usually don’t have that.”

And it gives opposing defensive coordinators something else to have to work on when they face the Titans. It worked to perfection on one pitch from Young to Johnson in the Titans’ 41-17 romp over the Buffalo Bills.

“It will work if it ain’t game planned. If it’s not game planned, it’s gonna work,” linebacker Keith Bulluck(notes) said. “You might have someone for the edge, but then you don’t have someone for the pitch. You saw they had someone for Vince, but they didn’t have anyone for C.J. I’m sure defenses will look at that, see how effective it was for our offense and plan accordingly.”

It gives the Titans just one more way to get the football into the hands of their best playmaker, Johnson. Not coincidentally, as Johnson’s rushes have risen from 16 carries through the first six games to 25 carries in the past three, the Titans have turned things around with a three-game winning streak after an 0-6 start.

“Once you get the ball in his hand, he is going to make plays. All we have to do as the other 10 guys when we get the ball in his hands is make key blocks down field for him. We just take care of our responsibility and let C.J. be C.J. He is a very special player,” Young said.

Series History:   16th regular-season meeting. Titans lead series 11-4. The Texans came to LP Field in Week 2 and stunned Tennessee, 34-31, as Matt Schaub(notes) passed for 357 yards, spoiling a 197-yard rushing day by Tennessee’s Chris Johnson.

NOTES, QUOTES

—Owner Bud Adams’ obscene gestures and the $250,000 fine he received for doing so after Sunday’s game has been not only the talk around Nashville, but has made national news and late night talks shows.

Both Conan O’Brien and David Letterman referenced Adams’ actions in their respective late night shows during the week, after Adams stuck his middle finger up numerous times both from the owner’s box and the playing field after the 41-17 victory over the Buffalo Bills at LP Field.

• On a different note regarding Adams, the owner is springing for a 50-year reunion of sorts to honor his 1960-61 AFL championship Houston Oilers teams this weekend when the Titans travel to Houston to face the Houston Texans.

Adams is flying in players from those teams, and they will convene for a dinner on Sunday evening, plus as many as are able will attend the game at Reliant Stadium. Those expected to be involved include Hall of Fame quarterback George Blanda and perhaps running back Billy Cannon, who were the offensive stars of those teams.

• A week or so ago, RB Chris Johnson revealed that he promised his offensive linemen he would buy them cars if he reached 2,000 this season in rushing.

After Sunday’s game against Buffalo in which he had 132 yards on the ground, Johnson was asked what sort of cars he would buy for his o-line, as he has 1,091 yards, just under the pace needed for 2,000 yards.

His response: “A gas or a remote-control car.”

By The Numbers:   9-0—The record of Titans punter Brett Kern(notes) this season. Kern was 6-0 with Denver before being waived and is now 3-0 as a Titan. Denver hasn’t won since he left, and Tennessee had not won before he arrived.

Quote To Note:   “I told some guys that it might seem mythical or whatever, but I felt a lot of energy putting the Oilers uniform on. It meant a lot to me because I watched those guys play and I rooted for them.”—FB Ahmard Hall, who grew up near Houston, about wearing the Oilers throwback uniforms.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

The Titans have been juggling the last spot or two on the roster to accommodate positions that have become thin with injuries.

The Titans last week promoted rookie WR Dominique Edison(notes) back to the active roster to fill in for injured Justin Gage(notes). That meant that G Fernando Velasco(notes) had to be bumped off the roster, just one game after he was brought up from the practice squad to help out while David Stewart(notes) and Mike Otto(notes) were sidelined with injuries on the offensive line.

Velasco was added back to the practice squad on Tuesday.

Player Notes  

• RB Chris Johnson is on pace for 1,939 yards rushing this season, and also leads the Titans with 30 receptions after his nine-catch game against Buffalo.

• QB Vince Young threw for 210 yards against the Bills, but got plenty of help from Johnson, who had 100 yards in receiving from screens and checkdowns.

• FB Ahmard Hall has been an unsung hero in Johnson’s standout season, throwing key blocks on a number of Johnson’s longest runs.

• CB Rod Hood(notes) will continue to start in the short-term for injured Nick Harper(notes). Hood, a fill-in signed as a street free agent on Oct. 15, might be hard to remove from the lineup after interceptions in three straight games.

• DE William Hayes(notes) has four sacks and is providing the type of consistent pass rush the Titans had lacked earlier in the season. He is tied with Jason Jones(notes) for the team lead.

Game Plan:   The Titans have to like their chances in this one if they keep playing the way they have played in the past three games. They lost to the Texans earlier this season, but Chris Johnson had a stellar game with three TDs of at least 50 yards (two rushing, one receiving). That effort was wasted because Matt Schaub shredded the secondary for 357 yards. Tennessee’s defense has improved since then, perhaps enough to earn the win, provided the Texans don’t slow Johnson down.

Matchups To Watch:   Titans CB Cortland Finnegan(notes) vs. Texans WR Andre Johnson(notes). Johnson torched the Titans for 10 catches, 149 yards and two TDs in the first meeting in Nashville. Since then, Finnegan and the Titans’ secondary have improved. The Titans are getting a more consistent pass rush and gambling with blitzes, as well as trusting their corners much more by playing them in more press coverage than earlier in the season when wideouts were running free from the line of scrimmage unimpeded into their routes.

Titans LT Michael Roos(notes) vs. Texans RDE Mario Williams(notes). This matchup is always interesting to watch as it pits a pair of Pro Bowlers going against each other. The interesting part of this is that Roos is now protecting the mobile Vince Young in this meeting, rather than pocket passer Kerry Collins(notes). Roos said that is an advantage and disadvantage in protection, because he can’t always know where Young is when the QB scrambles, as opposed to Collins staying in the pocket.

Injury Impact:   WR Justin Gage is likely out again with a back injury, but many believed it was time for rookie Kenny Britt(notes) to get a longer look anyway. CB Nick Harper doesn’t have to hurry back with his broken forearm given the way Rod Hood has filled in for him.