The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard! I have been kind enough to post a Titans 2021 schedule on this page. Where my Titans fans at? You better believe this is the year we “boom shaka laka” the opposition and take what is long deserved—the Lombardi trophy!
Ha ha, alright, I got a little excited to start the article off, but why not? I mean, this Titans team has so much potential and so many beautiful storylines. We can start with the King! That’s right, the magnificent King Henry of Tennessee, a man of character, the stiff-arm beast who will attempt to lead the NFL in rushing yards for a third straight season. Henry will be destroying folks once again in 2021 with that beastly 6-foot 3-inch, 240-pound frame. Fun fact: That’s the exact same size as President Trump. Beastly! I won’t get too political this time, but Joe Blow Biden, what a mess that buffoon has been. That’s all I will say!
Back to football and beautiful storylines. The Tennessee Titans have an opportunity to blow up the NFL on offense in 2021. It’s not even a debate— the Tennessee Titans have the most talented duo of receivers in the entire league. The Julio Jones addition paired with A.J. Brown locks the Titans up with two top-10 overall receivers. If Julio stays healthy and gets into form, he gets back into that G.O.A.T. discussion for the 2021 season.
It is a very exciting time to be a Titans fan. I was sad to see Corey Davis and Jonnu Smith leave Tennessee even though it was probably the right move. They are two very good players who both received big-time contracts with other teams: Corey with the Jets and Jonnu with the Pats. I am very excited to see if Anthony Firkser can take over and become a star at tight end. I think he has real potential as a pass-catching tight end and so do many of his teammates. Tennessee legend Delanie Walker has stated as much.
All in all, the Titans have retained an offense that honestly has the potential to push at breaking NFL records. Fun fact: Since Tannehill took over in 2019 no team has scored more touchdowns (93) than the Titans. That’s at least 10 more than any other team during that time. Sorry Packers, sorry Chiefs, Titan up!
Don’t discredit the importance of Ryan Tannehill since taking over. Ryan accounted for 40 of those TDs last season and has been playing like a top 10 signal-caller since he landed in Tennessee. Having a back like Henry certainly helps, but—unlike Marcus Mariota—when Tannehill took over, this offense started clicking. This offense is deadly in the run, deadly in the play action, and will be extremely deadly on the edges now with wide receivers like Julio and A.J. If this team stays healthy it’s not even an overkill comment to say that very few teams in the NFL will be able to keep up regardless of how bad the defense is in 2021.
On that point, let’s talk defense. Regarding the Titans’ 2020 defense, they were horrendous on third-down defense, last in the NFL, giving up the first-down conversion over 50 percent of the time. Another bad stat, the team had only 19 sacks in the regular season. That is an NFL record low for a team that somehow managed to make the post-season. The 2020 Titans couldn’t get to the QB and that made life very difficult for a secondary that needed a little help. Clowney and Vic Beasley were devastating mistakes for 2020’s Titan defense, but both are gone now.
It blows my mind that we have many morons out there saying this Titans defense will be worse than last year’s. I don’t know how they rationalize that after 2020’s historically bad performance.
But people here in Tennessee know what’s up. There is an air of excitement surrounding this new, revamped defense. Half of the starters will be new faces, and this group has been the story of training camp and preseason as the defense gave up only six points in the first two matches, prior to a strange finale versus the Bears. It’s only pre-season football with most of the starters benched, but they looked good.
My quick breakdown of this 2021 Titans defense goes like this. I believe up front this defense will be night-and-day better. I am thrilled to see how players like Big Jeff Simmons, Autry, Landry, Bud Dupree and one of the biggest steals in the off-season in Jayon Brown—one of the best coverage linebackers in the game and re-signed by the Titans at a discount—all mold together. How can you not be? These guys are destined to start hitting QBs and making noise.
All of that should begin to make life much easier for the guys in the secondary. The haters point to the Titans secondary, specifically the cornerbacks, as to why this Titans defense will struggle. I won’t lie—I am most concerned myself with the cornerbacks—but I truly believe with pressure up front this group is good enough to make plays and be a middle-of-the-pack unit. The Titans are set at safety with Byard making a comeback (interception machine!) and upcoming star Hooker on the rise. Can the CBs keep up? It really comes down to Janoris Jenkins and Kristin Fulton leading the way on the edges. The Titans 2021 draft pick Elijah Molden has really impressed and could become a star in the slot.
You might be asking yourself what about the Titans’ first-round draft pick, cornerback Caleb Farley? The good news is he is on the field working and making progress! The bad news is he hasn’t been progressing fast enough. Titans defensive coordinator Shane Bowen knows this, and they are letting Caleb take it slow. It doesn’t appear he will be in starting shape to kick the season off but it’s very feasible to expect him to be a plug-and-play player throughout the season who could become a very important and welcome addition to this defense as the season progresses and he gets in game shape. Farley is a very similar story to former first-round pick Big Jeff Simmons, and look at Simmons now, on his way to becoming one of the best in the NFL at his position.
Alright, that’s it. I can’t wait for this Titans season to kick off. I will be at the opening game versus the Cardinals! That will be an amazing test for us at home. If the defense can shut down the mobile Kyler Murray, who has been struggling in the preseason, and if our offense can light it up against a Cardinals defense with some danger and a familiar face in J.J. Watt, a big victory in Week 1 would quickly put the Titans on the map and would build much-needed confidence prior to the Titans heading to Seattle for a tough Week 2 match on the road. I’m psyched! The Train is rolling into the station! Choo-choo!
Tennessee Titans 2021 Schedule:
Sunday, Sept. 12
vs. Arizona
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Sept. 19
@ Seattle
3:25 PM
CBS
Sunday, Sept. 26
vs. Indianapolis
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Oct. 3
@ New York Jets
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Oct. 10
@ Jacksonville
12 p.m.
CBS
Monday, Oct. 18
vs. Buffalo
7:15 PM
ESPN
Sunday, Oct. 24
vs. Kansas City
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Oct. 31
@ Indianapolis
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Nov. 7
@ Los Angeles Rams
7:20 PM
NBC
Sunday, Nov. 14
vs. New Orleans
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Nov. 21
vs. Houston
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Nov. 28
@ New England
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Dec. 12
vs. Jacksonville
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Dec. 19
@ Pittsburgh
12 p.m.
CBS
Thursday, Dec. 23
vs. San Francisco
7:20 PM
NFL Network
Sunday, Jan. 2
vs. Miami
12 p.m.
CBS
Sunday, Jan. 9
@ Houston
12 p.m.
CBS
