Tennessee Titans Odds - Losing Haynesworth likely means a regression
If you said Tennessee had the best sports odds to win the AFC South last season, your NFL betting buddies would have laughed. The offense was a wreck and the defense wasn’t good enough to carry the team. A year later, the Titans are fresh off a 13-win season and a division title. Was 2008 a fluke?
Tennessee Titans odds: +2000 to win Super Bowl XLIV
- Defense should regress without Haynesworth, Schwartz
- Passing attack still isn’t as good as it needs to be
- Running game will dominate again with thunder/lightning combo
Last season, the Titans offense was average overall—as good as it needed to be to help the defense carry the load. After Vince Young’s meltdown, Kerry Collins stepped in and was fine as a caretaker. Can he pull it off again? I’m not so sure. Yes, the Titans got “help” by signing deep threat Nate Washington and drafting Kenny Britt. But Washington isn’t the kind of wideout who makes quarterbacks better and you can’t bet on Britt to make a big impact as a rookie (2008 was an exception in all of NFL betting for rookie receivers). Collins is old and could break down at any moment, leaving the emotionally and physically fragile Young or Patrick Ramsey (gulp) behind center.
Thankfully, the Titans can rely heavily on their powerful running game for success at the sportsbook. Chris Johnson, the fastest running back on the planet, electrified NFL betting fans with his home-run ability, pass catching and respectable toughness for his size. In the red zone, portly LenDale White was a bull, running for 15 scores. There’s nothing wrong with this tandem and Tennessee uses it well, mixing up the workload depending on the matchup, so the running game should flourish again.
Defense was a huge plus for Tennessee last season, ranking second in points allowed and sixth against the run. The Pass defense was solid, ranking ninth, a number reflecting its high-risk approach which led to 20 interceptions (sixth-best in the NFL). A major concern for 2009, though, is the loss of dominant defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, who bolted to Washington as a free agent. He’s the kind of talent no team can immediately replace; the Titans drafted Sen’Derrick Marks with their second pick this offseason but, even if he starts, he won’t fill the void just yet. Another problem: defensive co-ordinator Jim Schwartz is also gone, having landed the head coaching job in Detroit. Don’t underestimate the impact of a good co-ordinator on a team’s defense; look what happened to the Jaguars “D” after Mike Smith left.
The Titans will certainly be competitive again in 2009, but the road will be rockier. The AFC South, with the Jags and Texans poised to improve and the Colts still a mainstay near the top, could be the toughest division in NFL betting. It’s hard to see the Titans winning 13 games again and a playoff berth isn’t even a given. Ten wins would be an accomplishment in 2009 for Tennessee.
For more sports betting lines and NFL betting analysis, bookmark the Betting Edge at BetOnline.com.
Stan Simmons first tasted football through the college game, but his football handicapping has strictly focused on the professional sport. Not many people devote as much time to the NFL as Simmons. For six days a week he works, labors and handicaps the sport, and on the seventh he rests as the games play out. Thoughts or questions? Email Comments@BetOnline.com.
