Patriots Pregame Thread Titans Fire Head Coach Brian Callahan / Week 7 Pregame Discussion

[patchick]

the defensive front was very lethargic against the saints

Agreed, and I wonder whether the illness that Williams and others on the d-line were battling was a bigger factor than we've talked about. The Titans look like a feast opportunity for Williams and Barmore.

 

[BobDigital]

So last week i made a point of saying the Saints are not as bad as their record. I also said after the game i won't be surprised if they end the season close-ish to .500... I could see them splitting games about the rest of the way or better to go 7-10 or something... not good but respectable. I was correct about the first and believe i will be correct about the second.

The Titans? Yeah, they are that bad. This isn't one of those early flukes where the record is worse or better then they are due to a small sample size. They are exactly where they belong, near the bottom of the league. Pats should win this one comfortably. Not automatically 'Carolina comfortably'. But a solid win where they always feel in control of the game. Come half time I expect at least a 7 point advantage. Come the 4th i expect a 2 score advantage. And i don't expect it to ever become a 1 score game again at that point. Something like 30-20 feels like the worst the Pats do here if they show up with even just their B game and don't make a ton of mistakes. And that 30-20 score is not as competitive as it looks.

 

[Uptown]

The thing with Tennessee is they have no weapons. At least the Saints had Olave, Shaheed, Johnson, Kamara, Miller, Hill, Cooks (to a degree) & most importantly Polk

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[patfanken]

I don't know how much credence you can give this stat but compared to last season it IS pretty astounding.

 

[PP2]

And people say I'm harsh on late period Bill...

I wasn't talking about Bill.

 

[Real fan 02]

Agreed, and I wonder whether the illness that Williams and others on the d-line were battling was a bigger factor than we've talked about. The Titans look like a feast opportunity for Williams and Barmore.

That definitely could be a real factor as Barmore and Williams have been the highest pressure % defensive lineman for most of the season.. the defense has been stout.. sometimes the offense can carry the game if the D has an off game.

 

[Lambeau12]

Easy win. Titans are terrible!

 

[Uptown]

Reiss seemed to allude to the fact that while the OL has struggled immensely in the run game, there have been holes that our RBs aren’t hitting for whatever reason. Also, Bradbury mentioned after the game that if the RB/OL could “just finish” they’d (obviously) be much more productive. So, apparently there are holes that we’re not seeing in time, which in turn stagnates the offense. With that being said, we still need to add a RB because we’re one injury away from having the 33rd ranked rushing attack.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Lambeau12]

This is basically a practice game for you guys.

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

 

[Uptown]

Interesting…

 

[Uptown]

 

[Bill Lee]

Interesting…

Maye content in the linked Breer article is also interesting:

And here’s some credit to the Patriots for having conviction in Drake Maye in 2024.

The opportunity was there for a team riddled with holes to build up capital by using the No. 3 pick as a trade chip. The Vikings offered the Patriots the 11th pick, the 23rd pick and their 2025 first-round pick (along with Day 3 pick swaps that favored Minnesota) to go up eight spots to No. 3 and get Maye. The Giants offered their 2025 first-rounder to move up three spots, from No. 6 to No. 3.

In the Giants scenario, the Patriots would’ve had their shot at Michael Penix Jr., J.J. McCarthy and Bo Nix. In the Vikings scenario, they could’ve gotten McCarthy or Nix. And ultimately, they decided that Maye was better than those quarterbacks and the combination of draft capital they would’ve gotten after taking one of the other guys at No. 6 or No. 11.

It’s also a good reference point going forward that if you believe in a guy at that position, like the Patriots very much did that spring (they loved how Maye endured a tough 2023 season and refused to blame anyone else for it), the opportunity to get him is priceless.

 

[BobDigital]

So thoughts on the Titans... what are they good at? Who is dangerous on their team.

Well their running game has actually been okay on a per run average. but they are behind so often it is abandoned. They have Calvin Ridley who they basically toss prayers up to fairly constantly. He's still pretty good. Rookie WR Ayomanor is coming on a little, but certainly nothing of a game wrecker to this point. Just a solid piece. They have a few solid pieces but not the stars to really take advantage.

Their OL run blocking has been okay. Their pass blocking has been bad and made worse by Cam Ward who is having a bad rookie season. Some Titans fans are talking him up a bit and saying his bad cast and OL is dragging him down. Partly true, but he also has not been good. This is not a Maye rookie situation. His cast isn't THAT bad his talent in rendered moot. He just hasn't been good yet.

On defense they get run on pretty easily. A good potential get right game for our running attack. On pass D is not bad actually. Kind of mid. They are left hanging by the O not doing much. They also don't have a lot of good players on D. Simmons is very good... besides him they don't have a ton going for them.

So they don't really do much all that well... and their passing attack has been total ass. Worst in the league, not even counting their sacks. Worst in passer rating, second worst in passing yards. Perhaps the most interesting stat is they are THIS BAD and only -1 on turnovers over the year. Usually to do this badly you need to constantly be coughing the ball up. Jets do, Panthers do. Not so for the Titans.

 

[Uptown]

So thoughts on the Titans... what are they good at? Who is dangerous on their team.

Well their running game has actually been okay on a per run average. but they are behind so often it is abandoned. They have Calvin Ridley who they basically toss prayers up to fairly constantly. He's still pretty good. Rookie WR Ayomanor is coming on a little, but certainly nothing of a game wrecker to this point. Just a solid piece. They have a few solid pieces but not the starts to really take advantage.

Their OL run blocking has been okay. Their pass blocking has been bad and made worse by Cam Ward who is having a bad rookie season. Some Titans fans are talking him up a bit and saying his bad cast and OL is dragging him down. Partly true, but he also has not been good. This is not a Maye rookie situation. His cast isn't THAT bad his talent in rendered moot. He just hasn't been good yet.

On defense they get run on pretty easily. A good potential get right game for our running attack. On pass D is not bad actually. Kind of mid. They are left hanging by the O not doing much. They also don't have a lot of good players on D. Simmons is very good... besides him they don't have a ton going for them.

So they don't really do much all that well... and their passing attack has been total ass. Worst in the league, not even counting their sacks. Worst in passer rating, second worst in passing yards. Perhaps the most interesting stat is they are THIS BAD and only -1 on turnovers over the year. Usually to do this badly you need to constantly be coughing the ball up. Jets do, Panthers do. Not so for the Titans.

Ridley may very well be out with a hamstring injury. We all know how those can linger..

Calvin Ridley injury update: Titans give troubling news on star WR

.

www.on3.com

Titans WR Ridley leaves game due to hamstring

Titans wide receiver Calvin Ridley suffered a hamstring injury in the second quarter of Sunday's game against the Raiders and was ruled out before the start of the third quarter.

www.espn.com

Calvin Ridley Hurts hamstring Sunday - Fantasy Football News

Ridley exited Sunday's game against the Raiders with a hamstring injury, Jim Wyatt of the Titans' official site reports.

www.thefantasyfootballers.com