The sportsbook experts have no problem saying that the Tennessee Titans will challenge for an AFC wild card spot in 2013, but almost no one is going out on a limb and saying that the Titans will unseat the Houston Texans as the AFC South champion. It seems like the Titans are burdened with the fact that every good thing gets offset by a bad thing.
The team picked up second-year pass rusher Akeem Ayers in the offseason to bolster its pass rush, but it may have lost wide receiver Kenny Britt due to an arrest for DUI over the summer. While the Titans is busy being slammed by the hand of fate, it is also not helping its own cause by being indecisive on key issues.
One of the things that the football betting sites felt former head coach Jeff Fisher did to anger Titans' owner Bud Adams was that, after Steve McNair left the Titans, Fisher never settled on a starting quarterback. Adams conveniently ignores the fact that Fisher had almost nothing to work with at quarterback, but it was a point of contention for the coach and owner. The final straw was the online poker game that Fisher was playing between veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck and rookie Jake Locker. It cost Fisher his job and is still causing problems in Tennessee.
Offense
Early in the offseason, it was tentatively announced that Jake Locker would be the starting quarterback in training camp. But when Mike Munchak was officially named the head coach, he said that Hasselbeck is the starter with Locker being given the chance to gain experience and be groomed for the starting job. A betonline.com review of this flip flop shows a situation that looks very familiar to Titans' fans.
To this point, Bud Adams has not said anything about the Tennessee quarterback situation. Most people do not expect Adams to stay quiet if the team starts off with a losing record. But if Munchak can see his plan through that allows Hasselbeck to mentor Locker, then it could mean good things for the Titans. In the meantime, the Titans offense can just keep giving the ball to running back Chris Johnson until the team figures out the quarterback situation.
Defens
There is not much to say about the Tennessee defense because it does not have much to offer. The addition of Ayers is going to help the pass rush a little, but the loss of key players such as cornerback Cortland Finnegan is going to weaken and already weak Tennessee defensive unit.
Outlook
The Titans will actually be okay on offense regardless as to who is under center. Where the team needs to focus its concerns is on defense. Key personnel losses and weakness in every aspect of the defensive game will make it very difficult for the Titans to hold on to leads in games that it will need to make the playoffs.
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