The Denver Broncos and Tennessee Titans face off tomorrow from Nashville. I took the time to ask Jimmy from our sister site Music City Miracles a few questions about the game. Take a look:
1. Like the Broncos a few seasons ago, the Titans are moving on after a long tenure at Head Coach. What has the fan reaction been to the new coaching staff and has the philosophy changed at all?
You won't notice that many changes with the way the game is called, but there have been a lot of philosophy changes. You shouldn't see that after the play stuff that you saw from the team last year. Mike Munchak has been very clear that he wants his team to be disciplined.
A lot of the players have commented on how lax it had gotten with Fisher the last couple of years, but that Munchak isn't letting any of that stuff slide.
2. Was there a group of fans that remained supportive of Vince Young and had hoped he would return?
I think after his last tantrum the only group that wanted him back were Texas fans that became Titans fans because of Vince Young. It was tough to watch his time here play out like that because he has the physical ability to be a good NFL QB, but he never grasped what it takes to be a good NFL QB mentally.
3. What is your impression of Jake Locker? Are Titans' fans excited about the future?
Titans fans are very excited about Jake Locker. We had to listen to months and months of people talking about Locker and his accuracy problems, but camp opened it didn't seem to be nearly as big of a problem as advertised. He had some rough practices, and one rough preseason game, as rookies do, but the overall work was much better than any of us expected after missing all of that time because of the lockout.
The biggest thing about him is that he is the anti-Vince Young. He is ready to put the time in working on mechanics and watching film. Now that doesn't mean he will automatically be successful, but it puts him on the right track.
4. After a disappointing loss to the Jags, the Titans really seemed to dominate the Ravens. Are you surprised with where the team is or did you expect the Titans to remain competitive.
I am surprised by the way they played against the Ravens because they were so bad against the Jaguars. I felt good about this team coming out of the preseason. They looked like a team that was ready to push for a division title in a relatively weak AFC South. Then they laid an egg in Jacksonville. I am encouraged by how they played last week and hope they can build on it.
5. Do you think there will be any lingering effects of the back-and-forth between Kyle Orton and Cortland Finnegan last year?
I hope not. Like I said above, Munchak doesn't put up with that crap like Fisher did. Finnegan has been on his best behavior through 2 games, and hopefully that continues on Sunday.
6. Are you concerned that Chris Johnson has yet to really get off?
Yes, but mainly because of the interior of the Titans offensive line. They were bad last year, but Munchak, who was the line coach, said that it was more about the protections being called than the personnel. I am not sure he is right about that, but I hope they prove me wrong.
CJ looked out of sync in Jacksonville, which was to be expected after the holdout. He looked better last week, but there still weren't very many holes. Hopefully this is the week they put it all together.
7. What do you expect from the game this Sunday?
I expect a pretty back and forth game where both teams score in the mid to high 20s. As a Titans fan I expect them to win, but Kyle Orton is going to be a tough test for this defense.