Derrick Henry dives for a touchdown against the Raiders; photo by Joe Howell / tennesseetitans.com
The Train Daddy is back with sports news, life lessons and politically incorrect talk. All aboard! Don’t worry, the Z isn’t going to ramble very long this issue. September and October for me are packed with traveling for work so you won’t get an incredibly detailed breakdown of these Tennessee football teams until November’s issue. Just a little ramble talk!
I could ramble about how senile President Biden is, hollering out at a press conference for a member of Congress who isn’t even alive. His beleaguered staff tells us all is well and that Joe Biden is doing a great job. No worries!
I could talk about how the Tennessee Vols have started the season out in style! Have you ever asked yourself why the rest of the country hates Tennessee fans? I mean, it’s clear as day. They hate Vol Nation because it’s the best fanbase in the country. It doesn’t matter what this team’s record is or what sport—baseball, football, basketball—this fanbase is loud and proud. But damn, it feels good to beat Florida and it feels good to be undefeated and ranked Top 10 in the nation.
Some tough games are coming up for this team, but Coach Heupel and QB Hendon Hooker have Vol Nation headed in the right direction, a direction that has 100K-plus fans showing up to see the Vols play Akron.
UT quarterback Hendon Hooker; photo By Andrew Ferguson
I am shooting in the dark here, but I believe Tennessee takes out LSU and Kentucky. If the Vols can, against all odds, win just one of the games between either Alabama or Georgia, we are talking some serious business at that point in the playoffs and Heisman watch. Either way, I am proud of this team. The offense is electric. Really, all that matters for me regarding these upcoming games: beat Kentucky! That would bring me much joy.
Fact is, these other fan bases, especially in the SEC, hate Tennessee fans and that rich tradition because they know without question that no fan base in all of America comes close to repping the passion Vols fans always show. Rocky Top on top!
Alright, enough Vol talk, let’s ramble a little about the Tennessee Titans coming fresh off a dub over the sorry Indianapolis Colts.
Titans fans love it—a fourth straight victory over Indianapolis with the Titans rocking back-to-back AFC South titles.
Nothing has looked easy for Tennessee, though, unless it’s in the first half. This team has been a train wreck in the second half. Through weeks 1–4 this team has only scored seven points in the second half. Total. YIKES!
If we only had to play one half, this team would be one of the top teams in the entire NFL. But that’s not the case, and for this team to progress and get better they will have to figure out how to finish strong and score points in the second half of these football games.
I am so deep into Titans football I practically have every stat and every meaningful piece of nonsense locked in! I am not trying to gloat, I just passionately submerge myself in so much Tennessee football I find if I just freestyle these articles quickly without looking up a bunch of statistics I typically produce better articles.
Derrick Henry; photo by Cameron Faulkner / tennesseetitans.com
One thing on my mind lately is the explosion of King Henry. The King is back! The haters wanted to say that Derrick Henry was washed up, old and not the same since last year’s injury. It was clear to me that he just needed to knock the rust off weeks 1 and 2. Then we head into weeks 3 and 4 and Henry has that pop, moving piles and looking fresh.
I love his work and emergence of production in the receiving game as well. In the two losses to start the season, King had 107 total yards and 1 TD, yet in the following two games, both victories, Derrick had 290 total yards and 2 TDs. That is an elite player who still has it and is the focal point of this offense. He is still the best back in the NFL, without question.
Let me hit you with some quick thoughts:
Off the top of my head? Fire Todd Downing and hire the Z-Train to call plays for this offense! Todd has been a wreck since last year’s Bengals playoff game, and I wouldn’t have this team falling apart without any points in the second half.
Prayers up to rookie WR Treylon Burks. He exited the Titans’ locker room on crutches and in a walking boot. I am writing this article right after the Colts game so I am sure the real news will be released soon. It didn’t look good. Hopefully we get better news than bad. My prayers to Burks!
With that said, the Titans are in desperate trouble regarding pass catchers. It was nice to see Robert Woods catch some balls and the rookie tight end Chig get some action, but the Titans need another weapon at wide receiver, and I don’t know who it is. Austin Hooper needs to be more involved in this offense, and hopefully the electric Kyle Phillips can keep healthy and get involved.
Chigoziem Okonkwo; photo by Cameron Faulkner / tennesseetitans.com
I have been impressed with the Titans’ offensive line keeping Tannehill clean and just being gritty. I have no explanation for it, but it’s nice to see these guys stepping up, because I expected them to be awful. Losing Taylor Lewan for the season was unfortunate but he just has not been the the same player that he was in his prime. He’s getting paid a lot of money and I saw him as more of a liability than a playmaker these days.
The defense has been up and down. Losing Harold Landry prior to the season hurt and this team is dealing with numerous injuries all over the place on defense. With that said, they have shown some good, but they are giving up far too many big plays and they need the stars on the field if they want to be a unit that opposing offenses fear.
But injuries are nothing new to this Titans team. I mean, it’s a big part of why Coach Vrabel won Coach of the Year honors last season. The team had a record-breaking number of injuries and roster moves and still grabbed the AFC South title and the #1 playoff seed in AFC—tough football, smart football and next-man-up mentality.
Alright, that’s it. The Train is rolling into the station! Thank you to all my readers. October football is going to be very telling for both the Vols and Titans and I am looking forward to my November issue and more in-depth breakdowns of each team once we get further into the season.
