NFL Picks and Predictions

The Tennessee Titans knew when they drafted quarterback Vince Young that he was a talented quarterback. What they did not know was that he was emotionally unstable on some levels, and that he would have major difficulties adapting to life as an NFL quarterback. After all of the troubles that Vince Young has suffered through, he finally found himself back under center for the Titans on Sunday. His performance in the Titans win over the Jacksonville Jaguars was certainly encouraging. Ironically, it is just that type of performance that Vince Young needs to succeed in the weeks to come for the Titans.

Young does not need to look far for an excellent template of the type of quarterback he needs to be. Quarterback Kerry Collins has shown him that he need not throw for 400 yards. All the Tennessee Titans really need from their starting quarterback is efficiency, accuracy and leadership. On Sunday Young provided all of the above – 15 out of 18 for 125 yds and one touchdown. Most importantly, he did not turn the ball over. While this sounds like a typical Kerry Collins performance, it was actually much better than Collins. We forget that Vince Young can actually run the ball.

That is the dimension that the Titans gain when Vince Young replaces Kerry Collins. On several occasions throughout the game against Jacksonville, Young kept drives alive with his feet. It was rather easy to see how this game could have changed entirely with Collins under center. Had Collins been quarterbacking the Titans in those situations, they likely would have been sacks or fourth downs. Because of his athleticism, Young gave the offense the chance to succeed.

If Young can continue to be efficient and not turn the ball over, he will end up being a pretty darn good NFL quarterback. Protect the football, throw accurate passes and lead the team – that is all he needs to do.

Welcome back Vince Young….

The Pittsburgh Steelers are not a team that throws in the towel when they are down.  Just ask Hines Ward.  With the game firmly in hand, Ben Roethlisberger threw a bullet to Hines Ward for a first and goal inside the five yard line with less than a minute to go.  The sure handed Ward then proceeded to fumble the ball while trying to get into the end zone.  The mistake was one that many teams would have let get them down.

Not the Pittsburgh Steelers.  Instead, they forced overtime and took the opening possession straight down the field for the game winning field goal. There is a reason that the Steelers are defending Super Bowl Champions.

While the game itself was highly competitive, it did seem inevitable that the Steelers would win the game.  The biggest reason why was Roethlisberger and Santonio Holmes, who hooked up throughout the game with catch after catch.

The Titans appeared to be completely unable to stop the Steelers once the Steelers went to the pass.  They continuously rushed only four men, and Ben simply sat back in the pocket, scrambled when needed, and hit his receivers like it was a game of catch.  It seemed at times that he had hours to pass the ball.  This led to the Steelers completely abandoning a running game that could not get by the stiff  Titan defense at all.

The Steelers could manage only 38 yds on the ground, but went over 300 yds through the air.  The Titan secondary was not the problem for the Titans. Ben simply had way too much time to throw the ball.

The Titans did have some bright spots as well.  Justin Gage had a touchdown and 85 yds through the air.  Kerry Collins looked sharp for the most part throughout the game as well after a less than sterling preseason.  The Titans gave the defending champs all they could handle.

The Titans now go home to face the upstart Texans while the Steelers travel to play the new look Chicago Bears.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are kicking off the NFL football season with a bang, defending their Super Bowl title against the Titans.  While this game looks like a showdown in the making, it might end up being a bit more of a blowout than many think.  The reason I think this is because the Steelers are notoriously tough at home, and the Titans have not looked like themselves with Kerry Collins in the preseason.

Now the preseason means nothing, and nobody knows that any more than me.  Still, he seemed like an aging version of himself during the preseason.  The pop in his throws were not there, and Collins is a man that depends on his arm at the quarterback position.

The Steelers on the other hand looked very much like the juggernaut that they are.  Ben is recovered by all accounts, and opening night in Pittsburgh is sure to be a huge ticket.  The Steelers are set for a very big night.

Though the game will likely come down to defense, I do think that the Steelers are going to be the ones to score early and often. Though the Titans defense is stout, the Steelers are known for finding a way to score the football. As noted in my NFL predictions here, I do think that the Pittsburgh Steelers will win this week one matchup.

Some side notes/predictions:

• Ben will throw for around 250 yds and a couple of Tds while not throwing an interception.
• The Titans offense will sputter with Collins at the helm, and even a decent running attack will not be able to pull them out.
• Willie Parker will have a better than expected game, and might make it through the game without getting hurt. (pun intended)
• The Steelers will win by at least two touchdowns.

The Tennessee Titans used a bit of trickery and a solid effort from the offense and defense in the first half to hold off a second half that was pretty much won by the Bills.  Neither team played the starters for very long, and the game was pretty much what we expected it would be.  The Buffalo Bills had only field goals, and was twice stopped at the goal line by the Titans defense in the first half alone.

Terrell Owens debuted as a Buffalo Bill and played only one series.  In that series, he had two catches for 27 yds.  Not a huge deal, but still Buffalo fans got to see their new wide receiver catch a few balls of the first time.

Another interesting storyline was the play of Titans quarterback Vince Young.  He started off extremely shaky, but then did recover enough to make a nice pass for a touchdown to Paul Williams.   Starter Kerry Collins was solid in limited action as was Patrick Ramsey.

Buffalo had little to feel good about on offense, with the lone exception of backup quarterback Gibron Hamden.  He was extremely good under center completing 11/13 for 89 yds.  Another bright spot was running back Xavier Omon.  He was quite active with 36 yds rushing and 3 catches for 25 yds as well.

Preseason Season Pick Record -1 Win 0 Losses

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