Q and A: Jake Thompson of Titan Sized
Colts Chronicle recently had the opportunity to run a series of Tennessee Titans, Indianapolis Colts, AFC South, and NFL related questions by Jake Thompson of TitanSized.com (a GREAT Tennessee Titans blog/fansite!).
And with the 2010 NFL season rapidly approaching, the timing couldn’t be better!
Here’s a look at what Jake had to say in response to our recent questions:
Colts Chronicle: The AFC South seems to be developing into one of the NFL’s strongest and most competitive divisions, and the Titans are certainly capable of contending for the division title. How do you think the Titans will do this year?
Jake Thompson: While the Titans should improve on last year’s 0-6 start, a few nagging questions remain. The play of quarterback Vince Young remains a wild card – if he has another good year, fans can breathe easy, but, for now, it’s still something to be concerned about. The defense is in a state of transition and there’s no getting around that. Overall, I look for the Titans to be good, but not great, this season.
Colts Chronicle: What do you like best about the 2010 edition of the Tennessee Titans?
Jake Thompson: Well, the Titans have one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, and one of the best running backs in the league to run behind it. That is certainly the best part of the Titans roster at this point. And Rob Bironas is still one of the most sure-footed kickers in the NFL.
Colts Chronicle: What is your primary concern about this year’s Titans team?
Jake Thompson: Their defense is my biggest concern. There’s no getting around the fact that the Titans defense is in a state of rebuilding and transition from the old guard of Bulluck, Kearse, and Vanden Bosch to the new guard of Morgan and company. This means that the Titans have a sort of Jekyll and Hyde like quality to their defense – they can be great at times, but they can be awful too. Also, the secondary was atrocious last year and has to get better, but what did the Titans do to make it better?
Colts Chronicle: Do you expect the Titans to make any major player moves before the season begins?
Jake Thompson: The Titans have never been huge players in free agency, preferring to build the team through the draft instead, but they might re-sign Bulluck and Kearse if they find that their replacements are just not cutting it. Other than that, there really isn’t much the Titans will do.
Colts Chronicle: What are your thoughts on Vince Young? Can he lead the Titans to a championship?
Jake Thompson: Can he? Well, it’s certainly possible I guess, but that would take a lot of improvement in his accuracy and decision-making. Vince Young has the talent, but to this point, has lacked the maturity and decision-making ability of the league’s elite QB’s. If he can develop that, then he has a chance.
Colts Chronicle: The Titans finished strongly last season, but the Titans’ 2009 season was considered a major disappointment by many. Is Jeff Fisher on the hot seat?
Jake Thompson: I don’t think so. He’s been there 17 years, and at this point, I think Bud Adams is content to let him coach until he retires. Jeff Fisher is still an elite coach in the NFL, but people often overlook him. The staff that he puts out there every year is always one of the best in the league.
Colts Chronicle: The Colts have dominated the AFC South in recent years, but some think the Colts are potentially vulnerable this year. What are your thoughts/impressions of this year’s Colts team?
Jake Thompson: Vulnerable? Maybe more so than in recent years, but that doesn’t mean much. The Colts aren’t as bullet-proof as usual, but they are still a great team. I see Pierre Garcon and Austin Collie coming on as very strong receivers, Donald Brown being a good running back, and Peyton being Peyton. I still see the Colts as a 10-12 win team.
Colts Chronicle: How do you see the AFC South race playing out this year? What’s your projected order-of-finish for the AFC South?
Jake Thompson: I think it will go Colts, Texans, Titans, and Jaguars, with the Colts and Texans making it to the playoffs.
Colts Chronicle: And what about the rest of the AFC/NFL? What teams do you see as division champions and wild-card winners this year?
Jake Thompson:
AFC South – Colts, AFC North – Ravens, AFC East – Jets, AFC West – Chargers, AFC Wildcards – Texans and Patriots (or possibly the Dolphins).
NFC South – Saints, NFC North – Vikings, NFC East – Cowboys, NFC West – 49ers, NFC Wildcards – Falcons and Giants.
Colts Chronicle: Great stuff, Jake. Thanks for doing the Q and A!
AFC’s Best Team But NFL’s Fifth Best?
Charlie Bernstein of JagNation, Scout.com’s Jacksonville Jaguars site, has his preseason NFL Power Rankings out this week, and Charlie’s rankings are quite interesting as you can see.
While we are glad to see that Charlie has the Colts listed as the AFC’s highest-ranked team, he only has Indianapolis ranked fifth among all NFL teams, placing the Saints, Cowboys, Packers, and Vikings ahead of the Colts.
And Colts Chronicle just doesn’t see all four of those NFC teams being better than the defending AFC champion Colts this season.
We agree that the Saints and Vikings could possibly be as good as the Colts if they can duplicate the success they had last season, but that won’t be easy to do.
And the Packers and Cowboys ahead of the Colts and Vikings?
Sorry, Charlie.
We just don’t see that happening.
ColtsChronicle Is On BlackAndTeal.com!
I recently had the opportunity to answer a few questions on the Colts for Terry O’Brien of BlackAndTeal.com as a followup to the great interview that Terry did for us here at ColtsChronicle.
Here’s a look at the interview that I did for Black and Teal:
Black and Teal: It appears that Colts management has been spending big money to build the defense. Do you think this has been money well spent?
Colts Chronicle: I really like the fact that the Colts have been investing heavily in their defense in recent years. They have signed Antoine Bethea, Gary Brackett, Kelvin Hayden, Bob Sanders, Dwight Freeney, and Robert Mathis to long-term contracts within the last five years, and the emphasis on defense seems to be paying off for them – they have won 12 games or more in seven straight seasons and have won six AFC South titles, two AFC Championships, and one World Championship during that seven-year span. So they’re doing a lot of things right. Plus, I’ve always believed in that old football saying “Offense sells tickets, but defense wins championships”, so I like to see them investing in their defense the way they are.
Black and Teal: How big do you think Peyton Manning’s contract will be? Do you see any fallout from other team members from it?
Colts Chronicle: I’m not really sure just how big Peyton’s new contract is going to be, but it’s definitely going to be big. Most NFL analysts seem to think that he will become the NFL’s highest paid player ever, with a contract somewhere in the $20-25 million per year range. And I don’t really think there will be much (if any) fallout from it as far as the Colts players are concerned. They know how much he means to the team’s success and he’s still one of the league’s best quarterbacks as well as a four-time NFL MVP.
Black and Teal: I wrote earlier that the Colts offensive line is not that good and if a team contained Dallas Clark, they could get to Manning. True?
Colts Chronicle: Well, the offensive line is definitely the Colts’ biggest question mark going into training camp and 2010 regular season play. They have Clark and Pro Bowl center Jeff Saturday, of course, but there are questions/issues at some of the other offensive line spots. The Colts definitely need to improve their offensive line play this season – you’re certainly right about that.
Black and Teal: How does a team beat the Colts?
Colts Chronicle: Well, your previous question just hit on the key thing that other teams will have to attack to beat the Colts this season – they need to beat the Colts’ offensive line at the line of scrimmage, shut down the Colts’ running game, and put a lot of pressure on Peyton Manning.
If a team can do all of that effectively, they will have a shot at beating the Colts.
Black and Teal: I wrote earlier that Houston and Jacksonville gave the Colts all they could handle last year. How do you see the AFC South shaping up in 2010?
Colts Chronicle: The AFC South could/should be one of the NFL’s strongest and most competitive divisions this season in my opinion. I think all four teams are capable of posting winning records this year, and if they don’t, the head coaches that fall short of that may find themselves looking for work elsewhere. The Colts have won six of the last seven AFC South titles, and until one or more of the other teams proves they can beat the Colts on a consistent basis, I have to go with the Colts to win the division. I think Houston, Jacksonville, and Tennessee are all capable of finishing second and possibly winning a wild card spot, though, and I think there will be a tremendous battle for second place between those three teams, but I’m really not sure what their final order-of-finish will be. The AFC South is going to be a great division to watch this year!
Q and A: BlackAndTeal’s Terry O’Brien
Colts Chronicle recently had the opportunity to run a series of Jacksonville Jaguars, Indianapolis Colts, AFC, and AFC South related questions by Terry O’Brien of BlackAndTeal.com (a GREAT Jacksonville Jaguars blog/fansite!).
And with the 2010 NFL season rapidly approaching, the timing couldn’t be better!
Here’s a look at what Terry had to say in response to our questions:
Colts Chronicle: The AFC South seems to be developing into one of the NFL’s stronger divisions and the Jaguars are one of it’s improving teams. How do you think the Jaguars will do this year?
Terry O’Brien: I think we will see some very interesting games within the AFC South.    How will the Jaguars do? I think they will probably split their AFC South games and        go 3-3 in the division. They could go 6-4 in the rest of their games and go 9-7 for the     season. Anything better would be a surprise. Anything less and there is a problem           with this team.
Colts Chronicle: What do you like best about the 2010 edition of the Jaguars?
Terry O’Brien: I am really excited about the defensive line. There is a lot of excitement about that part of the team. I am looking forward to getting back to a dominant defense. That is what we all expect. In addition to that, the attitude of this team has greatly improved since 2008. I like their aggressiveness.
Colts Chronicle: What is your primary concern about this year’s Jaguars team?
Terry O’Brien: The offense is not any different, and without Torry Holt, there is reason to believe that it may be worse. The offensive line was horrible last year and Maurice Jones-Drew ran out of gas late in the season. We don’t have the offensive firepower to make a serious playoff run. If Maurice Jones-Drew or David Garrard go down for a few games, we have no offense. We just don’t have enough playmakers on offense.
Colts Chronicle: Do you expect the Jaguars to make any major player moves before the season begins?
Terry O’Brien: Gene Smith is always alert to any players that are out there. He could pull the trigger on a trade at any time. I don’t see any major player moves being made though because we don’t have a lot of major players that we can move without weakening the team. He may pick up a player like Cincinnati’s Keiwan Ratliff,                 but no major moves are likely.
Colts Chronicle: How would you evaluate the performance of Jaguars coach Jack          Del Rio to date? Is he doing a good job in your opinion?
Terry O’Brien: I am not a Jack Del Rio fan. I think he is a good defensive coordinator, but not a good head coach. He seems to be more able to explain away failure than to solve it. Tony Dungy is 100 times the coach Jack Del Rio is. Having said that, Jack is capable of bringing a team into the playoffs once every few years. His teams, when he and the team are getting along, will fight to the end. Bottom line, Jack is what his record says he is, a .500 coach. There are better head coaches out there.
Colts Chronicle: The Jaguars are constantly being mentioned as a possible candidate for relocation. Any chance they leave Jacksonville?
Terry O’Brien: A sold out stadium will eliminate those rumors. And the Jaguars are doing everything they can to sell out the stadium, so that tells me they still want to stay here. They are doing very well with their ticket sales, so I don’t see any move coming. Maybe I am a Pollyanna, but things look good from this end.
Colts Chronicle: A lot of Jaguars’ fans wanted the team to draft Florida Gators star Tim Tebow. Were you in favor of that or do you think the Jaguars did the right thing by passing on Tebow?
Terry O’Brien: Tim Tebow is a rock star that could have sold a lot of tickets here. He is also the most talented and coachable player drafted. There is a lot to like there. I am happy that Tim went to Denver rather than to Jacksonville though. There will be more patience with him in another city than there would have been here in Jacksonville. Jacksonville would not have been his best option with all the expectations that              would have been placed on him.
Colts Chronicle: We know from recent posts that you think the Colts are potentially vulnerable this year. What are your current thoughts/impressions of the Colts?
Terry O’Brien: The Colts have amassed an amazing amount of talent. They are a team to be respected. The problem is that success sows the seeds of failures. Their stars have been paid big money, and Peyton Manning is now in a contract year. That contract will strangle the Colts. And their offensive line is not very good. It’s barely adequate in pass blocking and it finished last in the NFL in run blocking. Peyton Manning is carrying the offense and he can’t do it forever. The Colts are vulnerable this year. They were last year too, but they escaped in the AFC South and AFC playoffs. They can’t keep it up and 2010 may be the year it collapses. I respect the Colts, but I think they can be had this year.
Colts Chronicle: How do you see the AFC South playing out this year? What’s your projected order-of-finish for the AFC South?
Terry O’Brien: The Houston Texans have it all – a good defense, a great offense, and good drafting over the years that should begin to pay off. I think they will take the division. The Jaguars don’t have the firepower to win the division, but I think they will come in second. I think the Colts will finish a surprising third in the AFC South, but won’t stay down for long. And the Tennessee Titans may finish last this year. Vince Young is more of a liability than an asset and Chris Johnson is unhappy. They also had a horrible draft. I see Tennessee finishing at the bottom of the division.
Colts Chronicle: And what about the rest of the AFC? What teams do you see as division champions and wild-card winners this year?
Terry O’Brien:
AFC East – The Patriots and the Jets are good teams. I’ll say the Patriots win the division with the Jets nipping closely at their heels and winning a wild card spot.
AFC North – The Ravens and Bengals are teams that have considerable ability. I’ll say the Ravens take the division title.
AFC South – I think the Houston Texans will take the AFC South.
AFC West – San Diego and Denver are good teams and I’ll say that Denver puts it all together to win the division with San Diego coming in second and winning a wild card.
That gives me the Patriots, Ravens, Texans, and Broncos as division champions and the Jets and Chargers as wild cards. And from that list, I’ll say the Patriots and Ravens play for the AFC Championship.
Of course all of this is probably wrong, but it is my best guess right now.
Colts Chronicle: Great stuff, Terry. Thanks for doing the Q and A!
16 or 18 Games? Which Would Be Better?
The Colts and the other NFL teams and their players are currently evaluating the effects of expanding the regular season from a 16-game schedule to an 18-game schedule, and today’s edition of the Indianapolis Business Journal has a great article by          Anthony Schoettle that covers the issue in detail.
What do you think Colts fans?
Do you like the current 16-game schedule or would you like to see the NFL go to an expanded 18-game schedule instead?
