NASHVILLE, Tenn. —With six games remaining, the Titans rank No.1 in the NFL in sacks per pass play by opponent.
The team has 31 sacks so far, and they've been spread out.
"We are coming from everywhere,'' said linebacker Brian Orakpo, who leads the team with seven sacks. "If they want to take away our edge rushers, and our interior guys, we are going to call some blitzes up to free up our interior (linebackers) … and the rest of the gang to come through.
"And we're going to keep coming."
The Broncos lead the NFL with 34 sacks, but the Titans rank ahead of every team in the league in sacks per attempt by their opponents. Simply put, they get a sack 9.5 percent of the time. That ranks ahead of the Broncos (9.0%). The Titans are third in the NFL in total sacks, behind only the Broncos and Patriots, who have 32. The Panthers also have 31 sacks.
It's going to be a race to the finish to see who leads the NFL.
It's also going to be a race to the finish inside the Titans locker room. While Orakpo leads the team with 7 sacks, linebacker Wesley Woodyard and defensive lineman Jurrell Casey are right behind him with 5 each. Linebacker Derrick Morgan has 4.5 sacks, followed by linebacker Avery Williamson (2.5), defensive linemen Angelo Blackson (2) and Karl Klug (2), safeties Michael Griffin (1) and Daimion Stafford (1) and linebackers David Bass (0.5) and Zach Brown (0.5).
Are they keeping track? You bet they are.
"That is something our coaches stressed before the season started. We wanted to be a pressure team that gets a lot of sacks, and to have a lot of sacks equally dispersed between the d-line, linebacker and the secondary and that is something that we are doing – spreading the wealth around,'' Woodyard said.
"I know (Orakpo) is nervous right now."
Woodyard is a ½ sack away from his career high --- he had 5.5 sacks during the 2012 season while with the Broncos.
Under defensive coaches Dick LeBeau and Ray Horton, he's part of an attacking defense that's made a habit of getting after opposing quarterbacks.
And he loves it.
"I like to get my number called just like any other player, so any time you get your number called you have to be effective and make something happen,'' Woodyard said. "We are competing as linebackers – me, Rak, Avery, and D-Morgan along with Casey, and we are competing to see who is going to be No.1 and No.2. So we are having fun, man. We are trying to make things happen.
"Hey, I love to compete."
