NFL Tennessee Titans Defense a Force to Be Reckoned With

Their quarterback has been criticized for his inability to throw the football. Their coaches have been labeled as too conservative when calling offensive plays. Their wide receivers have been labeled as terrible. Despite all of this the Tennessee Titans are 6-2 and very much in the race to make the AFC playoffs. Why? Well their offense is not as bad as people want to label it, but the Titans have a super defense. No one can argue that this defense is one of the best in the league. They are so good, they will continue to carry this team, possibly deep into the playoffs.

The great year for the Titans on defense really started with last years performance. Keith Bullock, the Titans leader on defense saw that the team was ranked at the bottom of the league(32nd) yet the team was one game away from the playoffs. He thought if the team could just become a top 10 defense, the team would easily make the playoffs. He challenged his teammates to improve and show the country just how good this team could be. His teammates heard his reply. They all worked hard over the off season and the improvement is quite obvious.

When you talk about Tennessee's defense you have to start up front. They have a super front four which includes Albert Haynesworth, Kyle Vandenbosh and Antwan Odom. Haynesworth has been a guy who has always been full of 'potential,' but never quite lived up to his hype. This year has been totally different. Haynesworth looks in much better shape and much quicker this season. He has dominated opponents often requiring defenses to double team him. This make life that much easier for Kyle Vandenbosh and Antwan Odom. Vandenbosh is a guy who plays every down extremely hard. He often requires the opponents best player. Odom has amazing speed and has a high number of sacks this season. This frontline is so good that they often are getting to the quarterback consistently during the game, only rushing four guys. This helps the secondary and linebackers play even better.

Veteran leadership has also helped this great defense. The Titans have slowly added a number of high quality defenders. David Thorton, came over last year from the Colts. His leadership and experience has been a great addition to Tennessee. Veteran Chris Hope has helped a weak secondary get much better. Super Bowl Champion Nick Harper also has helped to improve this area of the team.

The Titans investment in Michael Griffin has proved to be a good one. Many were wondering why the Titans would spend their 1st round pick on a safety as opposed to a wide receiver. Many were not happy with this pick. However the Titans decision continues to look better with each passing game. Griffin is a versatile player who can play multiple positions including special teams. He is a winner and a class act. Even better, he is helping the Titans to forget about another high draft pick that plays in the secondary, Pacman Jones.

The Tennessee Titans defense is dominating every game they play. With the exception of a couple lapses this year, one against the Texans the other against the Bucs, this defense has been nearly perfect. If this defense continues to get to the quarterback the way they have, and if they continue to improve their defense against the pass it won't matter much that their offense is just ok. The defense will be good enough to carry them deep in the playoffs. Everyone is talking about the Patriots and the Colts in the AFC, but don't be surprised if the Titans and their defense, shock the world!