Tennessee Titans "Offensive inefficiency will hurt Tennessee soon"

Looking back over Tennessee's first six games, it's clear the Titans, in spite of their 4-2 record, have struggled more often than not in 2007.There was only one solid win among the bunch, in New Orleans, despite the Titans' supposedly strong running game. Had it not been for kicker Rob Bironas' superb 6 Super Bowl Champions jersey black jersey
performances thus far, the team would be in a world of trouble.And this is aside from the almost-debacle that was the Houston game this past Sunday, in which Bironas kicked a record-setting eight field goals, accounting for 24 of Tennessee's 38 points. Even the win over Jacksonville included two Bironas field goals that accounted for the team's only points in three quarters.Tennessee's win over 1-6 Atlanta is questionable, as Bironas kicked two field goals and defensive back Vincent Fuller's interception return for a touchdown gave the Titans the win.Of the 28 scores the Titans have racked up this year, only 10 of them came via an offensive touchdown. The vast majority of them were via field goals and two others were interception returns for a touchdown. Everyone in the NFL knows coach Jeff Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow love running the ball, but it appears the ground game isn't producing the bulk of the scores.Given the lack of touchdowns the running game has produced this season when weighed against all the field goals that have been kicked, it seems that opposing defenses have indeed discovered that if you key in on the Titans' backs, you stand a decent chance to win. The other aspect enemy teams key on is keeping Tennessee in its own territory to limit Bironas' ability to bail the offense out, as Indianapolis and Tampa Bay have proven. The fact is, the Titans appear to be relying a bit too much on their kicking game.If Tennessee wants to keep winning consistently over the next 10 games and return to the playoffs, it'll need more of an all-around effort. Right now, the Titans are relying too much on their defense and kicking game; where's the offense? In two embarrassing losses to the New York Jets and San Diego Chargers to begin their 2006 season, the Tennessee Titans' quarterbacks have been an unmitigated disaster. The team has platooned a hapless veteran, Kerry Collins, and a rookie first-rounder, Vince Young, who still doesn't know the pro game.Obviously, as most know, constantly switching quarterbacks is rarely ever a good plan in the NFL, especially on a team that has virtually no chance to go anywhere. However, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher has expressed since Week 2's humiliating 40-7 loss to the Chargers, he will stay the course with two signal callers.Tennessee's Week 3 contest is against an ornery Miami Dolphins team that has surprisingly lost two in a row to start the season. According to Fisher, he will start Collins for a third consecutive game and bring Young in to relieve him. The question is, Why? What exactly is Fisher thinking in Nashville? Truthfully, it's hard to say. After all, this isn't baseball, where a starting pitcher handles most of the work and then a reliever is brought into the latter stages of the game.Judging by how bad the Titans are and, specifically, Collins, what's the point anymore? Young, the third overall pick in this past April's draft, should be handedth e reins. Face it, the Titans are going nowhere but down, so why not let the kid QB begin developing? Oftentimes, it helps a young passer to grow up on a feeble team so he's that much better when more talent comes along.In the 33-point loss this past weekend, Young found a way to complete just seven of his 19 pass attempts, but he did throw for 106 yards and a touchdown, while not turning the ball over. Another advantage brought by the 23-year-old is escapeability, which Collins, a 12th-year man, has never possessed. Young, a former star at the University of Texas, rushed five times for 24 yards in San Diego; Collins, meanwhile, picked up zero ground yards, and he only completed 6 of 19 throws for 57 yards and two interceptions."Each week of 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
practice, I'm going to get better and better. I want to show them that I'm making a lot of progress. I have been studying the playbook, even though they probably don't see me studying, and I want to show them that I know the defenses," said an upbeat Young on Sunday.Young believes he can and will improve. It's time for the Titans to listen to their $58 million investment and throw him into the fire. Unfortunately for Tennessee fans, it won't happen yet. Not in earnest, anyway.--Got feedback? Drop the author, Connor J. Byrne, an e-mail: .Get more on the Tennessee Titans