Tennessee Titans Reach the Playoffs, Now that Would Be a Story

The 2009 NFL season started with hopes of a championship in Tennessee. They had just come off an incredible season where they went 13-3. In the second round of the playoffs, they lost to the Baltimore Ravens 13-10.

They resigned Kerry Collins and were pegged by many experts to be one of the main Super Bowl contenders in the AFC. They piled up six straight losses to begin the season, including a 59-0 hardcore butt-whopping they took from the New England Patriots in week 6. I remember watching the first half of that game and thinking I never saw a team get dominated so badly. They played flat, without any heart at all.

Week 7 was the Titans bye week, which meant they had two weeks to think about the embarrassment that happened in New England. They decided to make a quarterback change and bring in the one time supposed savior of the team, Vince Young. I don't get too high on the expectations of run-happy quarterbacks. To me, a quarterback's mobility is more for moving around in the pocket and buying time than to instantly dash past the line of scrimmage. I'm not saying that it isn't a nice weapon to have; I just think they rely on their ability to run way too much. The Steelers Ben Roethlisberger is a perfect example of what quarterback mobility is all about. Another great example is Donovan McNabb. When he learned to look downfield while scrambling he thrust himself into the elite quarterback club. If only the guy could stay healthy. Yet, when Vince Young came out of college, I thought he was legit. In fact everything about him screamed the second coming of his mentor, Steve McNair.

Like everybody else, I had no clue if Vince Young would even get the chance to lead the Titans again. I honestly can say when they made the change, I thought he would take advantage and play decently. I can also say that there is no way in heck I thought that the Titans would rattle off four straight wins.

The Titans are now 4-6 and two games behind the Steelers and Jaguars for the two wild card spots in the AFC. No team in NFL history has made the playoffs after starting the season 0-5, yet alone 0-6. The Titans would in all probability have to win out to have a chance at the playoffs. The Titans next two games are against the reigning NFC reigning champion Arizona Cardinals and the undefeated Indianapolis Colts.

Do I think they will not only rattle off these two wins, but also win all 6 of their remaining games and make the playoffs? Heck no, but the Titans do. Most teams when they go 0-6 to start a season fall apart more as the season goes and can only gather two or three victories. There is no quit in the Titans.

Wouldn't it be something if the Titans who started 0-6 made the playoffs and the Broncos who started 6-0 and didn't? I might not think the Titans are making the playoffs, but if I were to say which team had a better chance between them and Denver, I would say Tennessee.