Titans’ pass defense needs improvement

By Marc Hudgens  |   Thursday, September 27, 2007  |  Comments( 0 )

Tennessee Titans
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The Tennessee Titans' blowout win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 3 was quite impressive. Titans gunslinger Vince Young was the clear leader of the club, completing 14 of 22 passes and accounting for a pair of touchdowns. The defense shut down Saints quarterback Drew Brees and star runner Reggie Bush so badly that New Orleans' offense drew a cavalcade of boos at times from the same crowd that worshiped the team a year ago after the Hurricane Katrina catastrophe.

Entering the game 1-1, the Titans' victory was much needed win for the Titans. Now, after improving their record to 2-1, they'll have a week off to fine-tune any weaknesses.

One thing that needs a bit more improvement during is the Titans' pass defense, specifically its coverage.

Although the Titans' defense is highly ranked, especially against the run (second overall), the pass 'D' is rated toward the bottom, currently at 29th.

One stat that stood out in this win was, in spite of Brees' five turnovers, the Saints quarterback was still 29 of 45 for 225 yards. That's just a hair under a two-thirds completion rate.

It's a credit to the Titans' defensive line that it put so much pressure on Brees to force those four picks. But during the few times the D-line wasn't able to pressure Brees enough, the pass coverage wasn't there as the QB was able to get a decent number of horizontal throws in his receivers' hands.

Over the past three games, the Titans have given up almost 230 passing yards per contest. In terms of net yardage through the air, Tennessee has surrendered 190 to Jacksonville, 288 to Indianapolis and 211 to New Orleans.

Tennessee's one loss was to the team that had the most net pass yardage, Indianapolis. But the Titans held the defending world champs to a tight game that ended with Indy barely escaping, 22-20. Regardless, against strong quarterbacks, the pass coverage needs help.

As stated before, this upcoming week is a bye for Tennessee, then the Titans face Atlanta in Week 4. Given the Falcons' problems both on and off the field, the Titans should be able to win easily. However, there is an X factor -- Byron Leftwich. There's a strong possibility that Leftwich will start against the Titans, because the Falcons are in dire need of strong QB play. If Leftwich comes out firing and lives up to his two-year, $7 million contract, the Titans may be sliced and diced by the deep ball.

It is paramount for Tennessee to prepare its pass defenders well for Leftwich. If the D-line can pressure Leftwich, like it's done so many times thus far with previous QBs, that will help immensely. But the secondary and linebackers must still be prepared for what Leftwich -- thanks to his intelligence and arm -- is capable of.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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