NASHVILLE – Well, the Titans didn't exactly look ready for primetime on Thursday night.
The team's 20-7 loss to the Jaguars wasn't pretty, and I fully expected my inbox to be overflowing.
It was, and they continue to pour in.
I appreciate the passion of the fan base.
We're not dodging any questions in here, but the expletive-filled tirades didn't make the cut. And I can only put so many Marcus Mariota questions/rants in here, so if you don't see yours, that also might explain why.
Adam Abraham from Brentwood, Tennessee
Question: Jim, I'm a season ticket holder sitting in a seat that costs me 15% more this season vs last season. "Good to Great"? We look like a 1-15 team after a second, extremely disappointing division loss. Adoree Jackson continues to disappoint on defense and special teams. The offense is ineffective with a lot of missed passes, poor decisions and sacks. We were outshined by a rookie QB in his first NFL start for an 0-2 team. Frankly, I'm embarrassed as a Titans fan. My optimism is down more than 15% after Thursday night's loss!
Jim: I hear ya Adam. It was ugly. Adoree' made a big miscue, and we'll see if the team ends up going a different direction at punt returner. It took the offense too long to get going, and even then it produced only a touchdown. That's not enough. There's still a lot of season to be played, however – 81.25 % of it to be exact. Hang in there.
Carlos Perez from Columbus, Indiana
Question: I'm a Titans/Oilers fan since Warren Moon days. I'm sorry but I just can't see how Vrabel can take us from good to great. The offensive line can't stop my 12-year old son and the team is playing without sense of urgency. I just hope we are not going back to those 2-14 seasons. I think Vrabel is spoiling a great group of players with this poor coaching, decision-making and lack of motivation. I know is just week 3, but we can't afford to be 0-2 in our division.
Jim: Hey Carlos. It's still too early to start mocking Vrabel's good to great mantra. Again, we're three games in. The past two games have been gut-punches, no doubt. But there's time. Marcus has been sacked 17 times in three games, so some things need to be fixed. Getting Taylor Lewan back in Week 5 will help, but some other guys are going to need to step it up, too -- vs. the Falcons and the rest of the way.
Micah Layne from Coalmont, Tennessee
Question: Penalties, missed throws, 4th and 6? Sack after sack . This might be the worst Titans game I've watched since the snowy game against the Pats. We are gonna need the extra days of practice going into next week. It's the same ol Story every year. Maybe we will come together and win the next one and hopefully be able to turn this around. How are we gonna fix all of these issues Jim?
Jim: It was bad Micah, not going to try and sugarcoat it. I will say there have worse games since the 59-0 loss in New England. Heck, the 21-0 loss to Baltimore last October was worse that what we saw in Jacksonville.
Henry Martin from Jacksonville, Florida
Question: Hello from Jacksonville, Navy veteran here with 21 years of active service and still counting. I went to the Thursday night game and honestly just like everyone else I was not happy at all, this game brought memories of last year's game against the Ravens. I'm still a fan and will always support my TITANS until the day I die!!! My question is do you think when Lewan does return if protection might be somewhat be better? Also, I hate these people talking down on Marcus, he had a bad night I get it, but its not completely his fault. A lot of people also don't understand that he has had a different offensive coordinator every year he has played. I'm no QB, but that is tough and I give him props for just going out there and managing. The season is not over, I'm a believer and there's still a lot of football to be played......LET'S GO!!! #TITANUP!!!
Jim: Hey Henry. First off, thank you for your service. Secondly, sorry you had to sit through that on Thursday night. The rain, the bad play, and all the obnoxious Duval nonsense. There's no doubt Lewan's return will help settle things down. But the interior o-line is going to need to be sturdier as well. Stay safe and take care.
Joe Arcudi from Merrimack, New Hampshire
Question: Jim. Nobody has been a bigger Marcus supporter than me. I wanted soooo bad for him to our franchise guy...… but watching him get outplayed by a 6th round project is it for me. Same ole nightmare us Titan fans have been living for years. This is now the 3rd top ten QB that has been a bust.... and before you tell me that he is not a bust -- just look at his stats over 4+ years. I know he won a playoff game but this team has a playoff defense and we simply cannot put two good offensive games together. I know it is not all Marcus... but at times a QB needs to put his team on his back and get the offense in the right pre-snap play. We have to move on and I think J Rob and Vrabel already have in their mind. A lost season is here... 0-2 in the division and it clearly looks like all three AFC South teams are better.
Jim: Here on September 21, the season is not lost. At the worst, the team will be one game out of first after three games. Now if the Titans keep playing like they did in Jacksonville, then you're going to be right.
Peter Yamaguchi from San Pedro, California
Question: Hi Jim. Man that was a painful game to watch! It seems that the Titans are trying to fit a square peg in a round hole with Marcus. They continue to try and make him a "Pocket Passer" when he isn't one! Use his mobility and all of the weapons that the Titans offense has and make our offense something to be feared and not this "Plain Vanilla" garbage that we have seen in the past 2 games! Thanks for listening and hope that you have a Great Weekend!
Jim: Thanks Peter. I'm always here…
Joseph Riccardo from Courtdale, Pennsylvania
Question: It is obvious that after 4+ seasons, Marcus Mariota's lackluster play and attitude should not be rewarded with a new contract but rather with a release. A QB MUST be able to rally his O-Line. Mariota couldn't rally anyone. While Tom Brady rarely misses his progressions and reads, Mariota misses them with a frequency unacceptable for a 5th year starter. Start Tannehill and bring Woodside on as his backup. The season can hardly BE any worse from here on out. While Mariota has been a good part of the problems, the O-Line is a major disappointment. What, if anything do the Titans propose to do to strengthen the play of the O-line from here on out?
Jim: Hey Joseph. You have a right to your own opinion, but you lost me when questioning Mariota's attitude in your first sentence. C'mon man, I don't know if I've ever been around a guy with a better attitude. And it's not a QB's job to rally his o-line. It's their job to protect him. What do you want, a pep talk in the huddle on every play? Give me a break. And as I said in Saturday's mailbag, comparing any QB in the league to Brady is ridiculous and unfair. As for Woodside, he was placed on practice squad injured reserve a few weeks back. He's done for the year.
Robert Kisner from Saint Marys, Georgia
Question: Where do we go from here.Is mariota a titan or is he playing for the other team.Just about every time he was sacked they didn't have to chase him he run right to them.The penalty calls were crazy some of those holding calls against the titans were not holding the opponent wasn't even touched.And number 75 just stood there and watched the jaguars just run by him and never even tried to stop them.And what about the call the titans got for delay of game when they snapped the call just as the time ran out but on the play before the jaguars made it 17 to 7 the clock run out almost 2 seconds before they snapped the call and no call.This was mostly a one sided game and the titans had to play the referees and the jaguars no way to win.But they played like the titans we all know TERRIBLE couldn't tackle couldn't bring down the QB and sure wasn't trying.Maybe they should try Tannehill.If this is the way the season is going to go after years of playing bad then we need to get rid of everyone and start from scratch meaning all coaching and players and all higher up personnel.
Jim: Oh Lordy, my head is really spinning now.
Cade Damron from Morristown, Tennessee
Question: Hey Jim first and foremost Titan up. I'll never lose love for my Titans and I'll always bleed two tone blue, but I think we can agree that these last two games have been absolutely atrocious. Our defense is loaded with top talent at every level and they are doing their part for the most part, but our offense has got to find their groove. Week 1 was a glimpse of what they can do, and they have to find that again. My question is with our record sitting at 1-2 and now 0-2 in the division, if we lose our next game could you see them maybe benching Marcus Mariota and starting a different QB?
Jim: The Jaguars game was atrocious, the Colts loss was a major disappointment. So many chances to win, but unable to close the deal. As for Marcus, Vrabel on Friday said the team isn't considering a quarterback change at this point.
Carter Cheeseman from Fort Worth, Texas
Question: Hey Jim, tough one on Thursday night. Two quick things. One: I like to consider myself a realistic fan so I'm not going to defend Mariota with my life, but it seemed to me like he played a pretty decent game. Consistently throughout his career he will miss the occasional throw or two and Thursday night was no different. I mean he's not Tom Brady if we're being honest. But I've already heard some sports writers blasting his awful performance and such and it seemed to me that he had a pretty normal performance and even did a better job of performing with pressure in his face. I thought he was much less hesitant than in the past two games, but the line was atrocious. Which brings me to my question: is Nate Davis the answer? Or Kevin Pamphile when healthy? Cause wow Jamil Douglas didn't look good. And honestly neither did Ben Jones.
Jim: Vrabel said the team will consider Davis moving forward. He's been catching up, and will be in the mix moving forward. He's had a few good weeks of practice. It was supposed to be Pamphile, but he's still not ready from a health standpoint.
Paul Newton from Santa Fe, New Mexico
Question: No question, just a statement. I'm tired, just really tired. Not gonna call anyone out. I'm just so tired!!!!
Jim: Point taken. Get some rest this weekend, Paul.
Morgan Brooks from Franklin, Tennessee
Question: I have 2 questions. Firstly, everyone is saying that Lewan returning will save the O line but that just isn't true. All the sacks have been coming from the interior (Rodger Saffold, Ben Jones, Jamil Douglas) so my first thought is when Lewan comes back, move Kelly to the interior since he has been playing well. Good move or no? Secondly, what do you make of Mariota this far? In my opinion he has missed a lot of easy throws but at the same time the O line has scorched more earth than the fire during week 2, and playcalling has been suspect.
Jim: The two answers:
1: I don't expect Dennis Kelly to be in the mix inside.
2: Marcus has been inconsistent. He's had some good moments and some bad ones. It hasn't helped that he's been under duress on so many snaps.
Kurt Thielen from Apple Valley, California
Question: Hi Jim. In the midst of the current challenges, it seems like the chatter is calling for a QB change. I personally don't think that Marcus is the primary problem on this team, in fact, he seems to be getting pummeled yet keeps getting up and competes. That being said, do you think Tannehill would have made a substantive difference in the game on Thursday or was the line play too much to overcome by any of our quarterbacks?
Jim: Hey Kurt. Personally, I think any quarterback would have a hard time being successful when faced with that much pressure. Even, um, Brady.
Ed Reynolds from Grand Junction, Colorado
Question: More of a statement than a question. All the talk against Marcus should be put to rest, by comparison, Carson Wentz, hasn't played a full season since entering the league, Deshaun Watson as well, Baker Mayfield has more picks in the last 18 games than any other QB. Marcus IS the guy for Tennessee, he may not be out spoken or electrical in charisma as the others, but his play is JUST as good as there is. Let's give the kid some slack and TITAN UP as team supporters.
Jim: Appreciate you taking the time, Ed.
Bobby Dreke from Prince George's County, Maryland
Question: Here we are again it looks like last season all over again. I think that our offense would benefit from giving different plays from the same looks and being not so predictable. The defense can tell what plays are going to be run and whether its pass or run by the personnel we put on the field each play. We have to switch it up and be willing to run the football on 3rd down.I feel Arthur smith is allowing the defense to dictate how our offense is goin to work instead of attacking the defense and keeping them on their heels. LASTLY WE WILL WIN NO GAMES WITH MARIOTA THROWING THE BALL 30+ TIMES!!!!! We are built to play off the run. So we need to act like it, make them stop it. Thanx for letting me rant, I'm a long-time Oilers/Titans fan that has seen enough.
Jim: Hope you feel better now Bobby.
Jerome L'Hurriec from Nantes, France
Question: This loss against the Jaguars is not as frustrating as the previous one. This time the defense did his job. We were just outplayed and outcoached. They made 1 turnover, 9 sacks and a couple of very nice throws from their rookie quarterback. This loss is totally on our offensive line (reminding the Ravens last year). We don't have a porous O-Line, we have a terrible O-Line, we have a ridiculous O-Line. The right side especially is a joke. When they are not allowing sacks without touching their opponents, they blow their assignment on the screen passes! The O-line is quite a mystery for me. 4 years ago, O-Line was very bad. Next one, we were in the 3 NFL best with the same players. Next one, we were just average (still with the same players). Last year, we were bad and this year is even beyond that (and we have upgraded the line with Saffold). That is not logical... And it is not a Lewan problem, he won't play on the right side!
Jim: Hey Jerome. Sounds like you're not happy with the o-line. The unit has to improve, but some other things need to improve as well. I'm curious to see who lines up as the starter at right guard in Atlanta. The hunch is a change is coming, but we'll have to wait a week to find out.
David Brown from Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: I started as an Oiler fan with Warren Moon and been a Titan fan since inception. Being at the Music City Miracle game was the best day of my life. How much longer do you think until Tannehill gets a chance to play? After 4 years and 3 games Mariota has me convinced that he's not the right guy. I'm not sure that Tannehill will do much better, but it really feels that it's time to try. The OL can play better, but he took 9 sacks and has very little pocket presence. He doesn't look like he's improving and the team will certainly move on from him at the end of the season. Why not give Tannehill a shot? He's more accurate and has better pocket feel.
Jim: Hey David. As I mentioned previously, Vrabel was asked about the potential for a QB change on Friday, and he said he's not considering it. While I agree Marcus hasn't been great, I'm also not going to pin it all on him. Yes, he has to play better. But he needs to be protected better as well.
Dennis Pfeiffer from Lake Havasu City, Arizona
Question: First I want to thank you to keep us informed on all Titans information. I watch other games and I don't see other QB's being flushed out of the pocket constantly every snap. We have some good players on the offense. A few first rounders. I feel with all of the great players we have I wonder why this is happening and can't be corrected. It seems like there is no time and he is being chased and sacked constantly. Hopefully having Lewan back will help the situation. Its hard to watch MM8 being sacked nine times in a game with no time to let the plays develop. Some of the problems are on MM8 as he needs to play better but there are other problems that contribute to Marcus being unable to be unsuccessful.
Jim: Hey Dennis. I agree 100%.
Have a great weekend everyone!
