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As far as the Titans go, their defense got off to a good start last week vs. Washington. I thought the defense stood out, especially the defensive line. Whereas in years past some guys would be ready to tap out, I thought their conditioning looked good. They were very focused, were getting after it and really dominated a very good Redskins offensive line.
They were getting excellent pressure on Jason Campbell, despite only pass rushing with four players. That shoes you just how far they have come because often times you have to manufacture pressure with corner and safety blitzes, which put other people in a bind. If you can get there with four, that's a defensive coordinator's dream.
For not tackling live very much in training camp, I thought everyone was sound getting to the ball carrier. When they hit, they meant it and wrapped up. This is a good group and you can tell they are working really hard.
Offensively, I thought the Titans were a little sporadic. They weren't able to quite get into a rhythm running the football, although the Redskins had a lot to do with that. There just wasn't a lot of room to get Chris Brown or LenDale White rolling. It takes a little time for the offensive line to gain their cohesiveness early on in the preseason, especially with Benji Olson being out. There's definitely going to be improvement from week 1 to week 2, and that will make the running game and passing game better. It's always good to not have your best outing in the first preseason game. It's good to always keep your feet on the ground and have something to work on.
I thought Chris Henry had a good burst. I think the big question for him was after he was running people over in OTAs with no pads on, would he continue that in the preseason with his toughness? He did, and he wasn't afraid to stick his nose in there, which is good to see from a young back. He probably missed a few cuts, but for the most part I thought he did a good job with his vision, following his blockers and not going down on the first hit.
All in all, you always want to win every game, but for the most part you understand that the preseason is a process. You have to get better, check yourself as a player and see what you need to work on during the week. For the younger guys it's about correcting their mistakes quick. You have to get in the meeting rooms, be self-critical and get on the practice field. It's about what you do during the week, not just from game-to-game. It's a constant evaluation, especially for the younger guys. For the veterans, it's about taking care of yourself, working on things and getting ready for the season. But for the young guys, the farther you get into the preseason, the more critical it gets.
