twotoneblue Blog Posts

Collins delivers more than a win

Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:30:03 PDT

If we're looking for people to laud now that Tennessee is 2-0 for the first time since 1999, there are the usual suspects:

The defense, stellar for a second consecutive week, holding the Bengals to 215 total yards in less-than-ideal conditions, adding a sack, two interceptions, and three forced fumbles.

Rookie running back Chris Johnson, who topped 100 rushing yards for the first time in his career, hitting 109 on 19 carries (5.7 yards per attempt)

There's also the unusual suspect - Kerry Collins. The same Kerry Collins who joined Tennessee in 2006 and threw only one touchdown to six interceptions before being replaced by Vince Young did his job earlier today, completing 16 of 24 passes for 128 yards and a touchdown to Justin Gage.

It was a good football performance, but to me, it felt like much more.

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Cortland Finnegan is AFCs Defensive Player of the Week

Wed, 10 Sep 2008 17:25:43 PDT

Finnegan for Quarterback?

Once an un-heralded selection out of Samford University (the first drafted from Samford in 37 years), Cortland Finnegan had a productive off-season. His contract was extended by Titans management, netting him an additional $6 million in guaranteed money, and he was lauded by ESPN (Paul Kuharsky) as one of four AFC players to keep an eye on.

As of Week 1, he's carried that productive off-season with him onto the field, winning his first AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award. Finnegan intercepted Jaguars' quarterback David Garrard twice (#2 and 3 of his young career) and showed the kind of ball skills on his first that I wish Titans' receivers would show on a consistent basis.

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Chris Johnsons Debut

Mon, 08 Sep 2008 15:08:32 PDT

Chris Johnson flashed some of his speed and ability in the preseason, but the first true test came this past Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. By the time the final whistle blew, he'd taken the first steps towards proving Titans' general manager Mike Reinfeldt's foresight for selecting him in the first round, ending the game with 127 yards on eighteen touches and the season's first offensive touchdown.

It did not take Johnson long to get going, taking the Titans' first offensive play down the left sideline before tip-toeing out of bounds for eighteen yards, and following that up with a run to the right side off Jake Scott's block for another eleven. Among his other game highlights was an eighteen yard run in the second quarter that might have gone for seventy-five were it not for a Reggie Nelson shoestring tackle, and a catch in the red zone that showcased his contortionist ability on a less-than-stellar pass from quarterback Vince Young.

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