Quote:
Originally Posted by JohnnyV13
The team that this Titans team reminds me of will creep many of you out. To me, they're like the 2001 Pats.
Brady was a first-year starter, but wasn't the GOAT. He was a smart game manager that didn't make mistakes and didn't choke under pressure.
They had a big plowhorse back in Antowain Smith, who was good, but not really close to Derrick Henry.
They ranked below league average on both offense (17th) and defense (24th) in yards allowed but ranked 6th in both points allowed and points scored.
This Titans team ranks 12th in offensive yards and 21st in yards allowed. However, they rank 10th in points scored and 12th in points allowed. Like the 2001 Pats, they're better than the sum of their parts. They're the kind of team that "finds a way to win" like the 2001 Pats, as we saw in the Titans win over KC in week 10 that included creating fumbles and big plays on special teams.
Veteran Tannehill is better than first-year starter Brady, with a passer rating of 117.4 compared to 86.5 for Brady. However, we need to remember that passing stats are up since 2001 with rule changes that protect both QBs and defenseless receivers. If we look to AV (average value) ratings, Tannehill was an 11 in 2019 while Brady was a 12 in 2001. AV is football's equivalent to WAR (wins above replacement) in baseball, in that they attempt to measure the relative value of players regardless of position.
Strangely enough, both Antowain Smith and Derrick Henry had AVs of 12 in these seasons, even though it's clear Henry is a much more dominant back. Perhaps this is due to the increase of spread offenses leading to lighter boxes and better YPC in today's game.
The scary part is that the 2001 Pats beat the highest-powered offense of their day: "The Greatest Show on Turf" Rams.
All that being said, those Rams lost because their HC Mike Martz was a dumbass. The 2001 Pats had no answer for Marshall Faulk, but Martz kept trying to win with his deep passing game. If he had kept feeding Faulk in both the running and short passing game, the Rams would have torched the Pats.
I don't think Andy Reid will be that stupid. Certainly, the Chiefs don't have the same coaching gap as the Rams did vs. the 2001 Pats. Andy Reid, on his worst day, will not be outcoached by Mike Vrabel anywhere close to the degree Mike Martz was outsmarted by Bill Belichick.
|
I love Kurt Warner. Mahomes is significantly better than 2001 Kurt Warner and it’s not close. Obviously, it’s hard to top prime Holt/Bruce/Faulk but our WR group ain’t shabby. TE? Hahaha. Defense kinda a push. Coaching, not close.
I point all that out to say this, it doesn’t matter what the Titans remind you of, they’re not stopping this offense. They best score 30 if they even want to be close to being in the game late. Brady and Antwaan Smith couldn’t score 30 and the Tits won’t either.