Greetings Titans Idiot Nation. Just like the Titans this past Sunday at Lucas Oil, I've been on vacation this week in the mountains of Gatlinburg, Tennessee catching some much needed R&R. But unlike our Titans, I don't take days off so let's dial up a closer look at what went right and what went wrong in this week's edition of "The Good, The Bad & The WTFugly."
THE GOOD
NICK FOLK FOR MVP
Is it too early to bust out the "FOLK 4 MVP" campaign? 46 out of our 89 points scored this season are the byproduct of the angelic foot of Nick Folk coupled by our own deficiency in the redzone. Once we hit the 20 yard line it's almost certain that we're going to be putting three through the uprights. On one side this is a luxury that we as Titans fans haven't been able to experience in the past as our cast of kickers resembled that of the rotating staff at your local McDonalds. Every week it was a new face, but the same outcome... your order was wrong. But to put things into perspective, Folk has now made 13 consecutive field goals and hasn't missed on the season so maybe it's time we see if he can fix the milkshake machine too while he's here? God knows that thing is always broken.
READY PLAYER ONE
↑↑↓↓←→←→BA SELECT START. Congratulations, you've unlocked a new playable character. Coming off of his first touchdown of the regular season, our favorite video game avatar scampered for 34 yards on 7 carries, included a 19 yard strike in the third. He also snagged 80% of his targets for another 35 more. We tried to tell all you "No-ACL" people that this kid would be a steal in the draft and it's looking more and more like our prophecy is coming to fruition. Each week Tyjae has been earning a significant snap share including 52 percent last Sunday. For the season he is averaging nearly 51% of all snaps as a rookie, which is telling of how his unique skill set is forcing the Titans to keep him on the field and involved. Not bad for a guy missing both ACL's... Sorry, I had to.
D-HOPTIMUS PRIME
Since we began courting Hopkins early this offseason, we've been longing for that true DHop showing that we've come to expect over his ten year historic career. We've had flashes since becoming a member of the two tone blue, but this past Sunday against the Colts we finally we got to witness that Prime DHop performance as he recorded 140 yards on eight receptions for 17.5 YPC average. It's a shame that his efforts were for naught as we left Indy with an embarrassing L, but let's hope that this boost of confidence springboards our offense for the remainder of the season and we continue to stretch the field, opening up the running game to establish the play-action that is undoubtedly our identity.
AZEEZ AL-SHAAIR ALRIGHT
Personal opinion, but this man has certainly been the best FA signing for the Titans not only this offseason, but really over the last few years. Don't get me wrong, DHop was the high profile piece we needed in order to stretch the field, but after tallying 15 total tackles on Sunday, Al-Shaair has brought his total to 47 on the year putting him well in control as the Titans leading tackler. For Al-Shaair it was never about the ability or confidence, it was about the lack of playing time as he was living in the shadows of two all pro LB in Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw. I'm hoping this is the beginning of a long, healthy career in Nashville for Azeez.
THE BAD
THE ENTIRE DEFENSE STAYED HOME
I know Big Jeff was hurt early but look, that's not excuse for letting backups embarrass us in a game that we should have easily won. I mean... 165 yards and two scores for Zack Moss? Come on now. If half the NFL didn't think he was related to Randy Moss, nobody would even know who he was. To top it all off, we literally lost to a guy who wears jorts and lived out of his van for a year. DAMN YOU MINSHEWWWW!!! (shakes fist angrily at the sky) Usually when you don't have to face the starting QB and RB, along with a plethora of defensive stars, you typically come away with a dub. Well, that is if you aren't the Tennessee Titans.
THE KING NEEDS 20+ TOTES
I know we've discussed this in previous editions of "GBWTF" but 13 carries ain't gonna cut it in the midst of a one score game against your bitter divisional rival. I know we need to keep Tyjae on the field, as he is electric with the ball in his hands, but if you expect to wear down your opponent, especially in the fourth, you need to be handing the ball off to your bruising wrecking ball and controlling the clock. Also, lining Derrick Henry four yards off of the ball on a crucial game defining 4th & 1 is a stupid thing to do. Let's not do that again, ok?
REDZONE DEFECIENCY
Why is it when we come to the 20 yard line our entire offense transforms from a butterfly back into a caterpillar? That ain't how the circle of life works, ok? Are we the Benjamin Button of the NFL? The further we drive, it seems the more we revert into a helpless childlike incarnation of an NFL offense. It's great to have a reliable kicker, but the point of having a reliable kicker is so you call on him when you need him.... not when you just can't score any damn touchdowns. It's possible to win football games with only field goals, but it happens about once every six years so let's try to cross that endzone a bit more, please.
THE WTFUGLY??!!
IS DBU FALSE ADVERTISING?
Before we pile up on Kristian Fulton, has anyone checked to see if he needs glasses?? Is it possible that is helmet has been on backwards this whole time? There has to be some other reason for his recent struggles in a contract year other than the fact that he might not be that dude. Was he abducted by aliens this off season and replaced with a body double while they continue their freakish experiments? Seems more plausible that his current play, right? How did we land the only DB out of DBU that don't even know how to DB? Even Mom and Dad are out here defending their baby boy on Twitter. Although Daddy Fulton has a completely different approach than Mama Fulton, I don't think either has been too effective. lol
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
TI is the brains behind the "Titans Idiot Nation" and an avid sports fanatic and pop culture enthusiast who is unhealthily obsessed with football, especially the NFL. When he's not yelling at his TV, he enjoys running, spending time with his family and of course, yelling at his TV.Check Out Some Other Stories From Titans Idiot Nation