NASHVILLE – Well, that was ugly.
The Titans were embarrassed against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football.
Once again, my inbox was flooded with emails during and after the game, and more continue to roll it. I tried to get to as many as possible.
I appreciate everyone taking the time, and I can feel your frustration.
I've had little sleep and have a jam-packed day, so forgive me, I didn't bold the names and italicize the answers like I usually do, so it's not as clean as I'd like.
Again, I apologize.
Let's dive in and then it's on to the Raiders.
Here's the link to submit questions: CLICK HERE
Brendan Mahan from Sante Fe, New Mexico
Question: Hey Jim, first time writing in. Been a Titans fan since 6 yrs old in 99, soon as the team became the Titans and I got to witnes the music city miracle. Been hooked ever since. Its been a long road coming back to prominence since then, & with such a tough loss last night, I couldnt sleep over a a couple things. So I thought I'd ask you…
I respect our coaches which is why Im so flabbergasted at this… I dont understand they felt comfortable with a gameplan involving covering a top 5 wr in this league with an undrafted rookie in the second game of the season. I dont think theres a fan in tennesee who would have done that. And I could be wrong but I thought all 3 of Diggs td's came on poor Avery who really shouldn't have been in that situation. The outcome was predictable no? What are our coaches thinking there? If we're gonna get beat by Diggs why wouldnt we at least put our first round investment, Caleb on him and say hey at least your going to gain experience here?
Secondly I couldnt help but wonder after the game, how is it that the bills are able to have an excellent team and still have the cap room to add Roger Saffold, Von Miller and others while we arent able to afford Roger, Julio, Jackrabbit or AJ and not to even think of adding a big name free agent. I get that we invested in Harold, Budd & KB. But we dont have a top flight corner or receiver to pay contract wise, our qb is making probly average money, our o line seems pretty cheap outside of T Lew (hope hes ok btw)…. I think we've all been pretty happy with JRob outside of letting go of Julio & Aj ( & Jurrell Casey a couple yrs ago). But how is it that other teams can afford to keep the talent they acquire but we cant? I get that a lot of teams let go of big name wr's this year, but we let go of 2 and we havent even paid Jeff yet. Whats up with that? Where is all that money going?
Anyways thanks for the time and sorry for the long note. I know you get let loose on in here and I hope we can keep some class in this section despite how things are looking. If we clean things up & get healthy I think we can still make a push for the playoffs.
Jim: Hey Brendan. You raise some fair questions. Don't be a stranger.
Cody Connally from Detroit, Michigan
Question: Hi Jim. Living here in Detroit and seeing last night's game, I had to do a double take at who was actually playing the Bills because I could have sworn it was the Lions playing instead of the Titans (actually this year's Lions would have played better... but I digress). I really need someone to ask the DC WHY WE DID NOT DOUBLE TEAM/BRACKET DIGGS THE WHOLE GAME!! Literally make ANYONE ELSE beat us. They didn't even have Gabe Davis for crying out loud and we just constantly gave Diggs 1 on 1 matchups with rookies. Why do we continue to not use common sense in play calling on both sides of the ball?! It literally blows my mind. The way we played we would have still lost even if we tripled Diggs but my gosh at least hold him to a minimum.
Last question/rant I have is that I need to apologize to Harold Landry. I didn't think losing him would hurt us that much since we have LITERALLY everyone back (besides Jenkins). But my gosh our defense looks trash without him. Maybe Schwartz isn't as involved this year, maybe Bowen doesn't know how to make personnel adjustments after losing Landry, or maybe our defense just thought they could show up and dominate like they did last year. IDK but hopefully this is a reality check for the whole team. Man man man.
Jim: Oh man, the one-liners are in full force. I hear ya, Cody.
John May from Katy, Texas
Question: Hi Jim. Why don't the Titans have a back up plan at left tackle? History and last night reminded us that Taylor isn't going to be reliable. Is Dillion not even good enough to be a back up at this point?
Jim: The Titans traded for Dennis Daley leading up to the season. He was the back-up plan on Monday night and we'll see what happens moving forward, depending on the extent of Taylor's injury. I guess moving Nicholas Petit-Frere from the right side to the left has to at least be considered. Up to this point, Dillon Radunz hasn't made a great case for himself.
Simon Pipkin from Bradenton, Florida
Question: Hello Jim - That was an old school beat down. The Bills came ready to play. Though I am upset, I am not giving up on this team. The season is very young and the AFC South is winnable. As for the Monday night game, what positives did you see from the Titans?
Jim: The only positive I see is it only counts as one loss.
Bill Caldwell from Lebanon, Tennessee
Question: We'll Monday night's game was an example of you win as a team and lose as a team. Only positive, in my mind was the punting. RT should be blamed for it all. When your strongest skill is play action passer and the run game is totally stuffed things will not go well. Buffalo had the personnel and game plan that was perfect to destroy the Titans at all levels. I feel certain the defensive line will rebound. Which will help the defensive back field. Offense has deeper issues. As many have noted since the beginning of the year the OL is a very weak link. RT presses his luck trying to compensate and his current crop of receivers lack the ability in consistently gain separation. Coaching failed to adjust at every level except bringing Woods in to return punts. Still a solid fan and I have faith in the HC. So prayers to all.
Jim: You're right, Bill, Ryan Stonehouse punted well – a 55.8-yard average with a 45.7-yard net.
Angela Holland from Huntsville, Tennessee
Question: I woke up this morning and thought "I am thankful that the Titans getting blown out on MNF by the Bills was just a really bad dream!" Then it hit me! That nightmare was real! Plain and simple Jim….What is happening????
Jim: 0 and 2 is happening, Angela, and if the Titans don't get things fixed in a hurry we're going to be looking at 0 and 3.
Ray Collier from Nashville, Tennessee
Question: The first two games of the season are a harbinger of things to come, I fear. When will the powers that be finally see that … about 80% of the team need to be GONE!!!!!!. People like you who apparently have some sort of undisclosed interest in this group of losers whom I suspect could easily be beaten by Vandy or UT are an embarrassment to Nashville are obviously the worst team in football.
Jim: Good to hear from you, Ray.
Greg Serheev from Bedminster, New Jersey
Question: Hello Jim. I've just witnessed the worst performance from a pro football team since last years playoff loss against the Bengals. I don't even know where to begin. Before I ask a question there are some points I would like to make.
1)Get rid of the Defensive backs coach.Still coaching the wrong way to cover. How can you make a play at the ball when your back is facing it? Every good CB in the NFL turns their head to make a play. Our CB's do the opposite.
2)Lets have a rookie CB cover the best receiver in the NFL. The same rookie who couldn't cover the worst receivers in college. Great planning!
3)Here's an idea...get rid of the best all around wide receiver(AJ Brown) in the league for below average WR's who can't catch or get open. Good job GM.
4)Same old Titans.
5)Rebuilding year starts NOW!! I feel bad for the great Kevin Byard. Not even he can control this nightmare.
My question is this: At what point in time will the Tennessee Titans ever win a meaningful game?
A Frustrated Fan.
Jim: There's a meaningful game on the schedule on Sunday against the Raiders. The Titans need to win it.
Radley Martin from Franklin, Tennessee
Question: That game was equal to my throw up.
Jim: TMI, Radley.
David Whitley from Toana, Virginia
Question: Monday night was beyond an embarrassment. Someone needs to be held accountable. I would say the Defensive coordinator is in the limelight for the majority of bad play' I saw zone defensive way too much which lead to wide open receivers almost the entire game. To my knowledge no team has won the Super bowl starting out 0-2. So that being said the season is over, aside from an unlikely miracle of like 10 wins. I feel like if action isn't taken this week it sends a weak vibe through the locker room which can turn toxic quickly. So Id say its time to consider future dealings with Henry (whos lost a step, past his prime as an elite) get all that money back and start building for the future. This was the year to make the last push for the Super bowl as the star players continue to age and digress. I'm not sold on Willis either and feel like that was a reach drafting him. Anyway, Defensive wins championships and I believe that needs to be addressed in a few upcoming drafts... they can pick up free agents offensively till its time for more young blood.
Jim: Thanks for taking the time, David.
Chris Yorkey from Union Springs, New York
Question: Hi Jim. I wrote in last year around this time, discussing how frequently we've played the Bills lately. As a Titans fan, ~2 hours from Buffalo, I take the opportunity to see our Titans locally whenever I can. That said, watching Monday's game in person was absolutely gut-wrenching. It was actually EMBARRASSING. In Jim Wyatt fashion, I'd like to go rapid-fire here:
1. The offensive line was BAD. You can't blame our offensive woes on our QB or RB alone but more so the entire OL. If it isn't fixed, it is going to be a SERIOUS problem all season long.
1a. Lewan needs to go. Watching him go down after the first play was ridiculous. I question whether he warmed up enough or was even 'in the game'. He is OVERPAID and UNDERPLAYED.
2. Defense was leaky. It is not what it was last year. If it isn't fixed, it is going to be a SERIOUS problem all season long. Yes we are only 2 games into the season but even Henry's 82 yards against the Giants seem like it is even unachievable on a weekly basis now, seeing how hard it was for him to run. (I know the Bills are a top team and likely #1 in all NFL Power Rankings this week)
3. Turnovers (fumbles, INT, Pic-6), miscues, bad time management (end of half, time wasted) was all problematic and concerning. Really? During MNF on National TV!?
4. Accountability. The team has accountability to its owners, Mgmt and FANS. It was very difficult to watch that debacle unfold last night. Especially live and in person surrounded by raucous Bills Mafia who obviously had reason to celebrate.
5. Coaching. My last point. I don't think Coach Vrabel had our guys ready to play. You saw it just like I did Jim. When it was 7-7 maybe we were still fighting, but after that point the game got truly out-of-hand in a hurry. I could even tell that Bills fans were concerned at the 7-7 point and shortly after. But that evaporated quickly.
Just wanted to share my thoughts. Yes, it's only 2 games into a full season but it did not provide any real sort of glimpse of hope. Rather, major disappointment and concern.
Jim: Good use of the rapid fire, Chris.
Doug Goldstein from Las Vegas, Nevada
Question: Jim, the day AJ Brown was traded, I told you I would no longer waste my time being a fan of this "organization". I held strong throughout pre-season but got a bit weak as opening day in the NFL began. I half-heartedly watched the Titans dominate the first half and as usual, take the foot off the gas and lose. Second game, huge underdogs, but I think to myself, maybe they come out swinging after an embarrassing loss. Nope. this OC sucks. 3rd and 15, 3 yard pass. 3rd and 10, screen pass. you're not even trying, what a joke. Wasting my time commenting on this waste of a team.
Jim: I hear ya, Doug.
Dennis Utterback from Louisville, Kentucky
Question: I believe Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson took the Nashville circus to Buffalo instead of the Titans. I've never seen a team have a complete let down on both sides of the ball, including the special teams. I could tell on Buffalo first drive that Tennessee would be in for a long night. i also knew that this would a revenge game. The way Derrick Henry look I believe he might not be completely heathy. I think Mike should fire Todd Downing and Shane Bowen. After looking at the first two games and Tennessee schedule i don't believe they will win 5 games this year.
Jim: We'll see, Dennis. I'd still take the over.
Scott Taylor from Dayton, Ohio
Question: Greetings Jim. I hope you & yours are doing well.
Jim I have to say I am totally shocked. I figured a L in this game. BUT TO GET BLOWED OUT WOW.
I think we need some serious help !!! And soon.
Just to many mistakes to overcome. Definitely to bland of a offensive plan.
Defense was on the field way to long and it showed the Bills manhandled the Titans definitely got they're revenge on the Titans winning the last 2 - 3 seasons in a row. Hat's off to them for a good game plan and execution it pretty well
Well Jim I apologize for the mail I think you have & are going to get but can't say that I can blame them so they vent thru you and I'm sure it will be filled with we need a new offensive coach and we need Tannehill replaced etc etc. and we are only on wk 2 going to wk3. I can imagine it in a few weeks if we don't start getting some W's in Can't say that I blame them so now I can hear Vrabel we need to play better we need to coach better etc etc.
Well Jim truly hope they get it figured out and fixed soon or we may be on the outside looking in at the playoffs.
Thanks for everything you do for us fans and hope this mailbag isn't a bad 1 for you.
Time to get back to TITANS Football.
Jim: It's a rough mailbag so far, Scott.
Steven Douthitt from Palestine, Texas
Question: No question, just a simple request. As a Olier/Titan fan since 1976...is there any hope? I know the season isn't over. Yet this was a total loss from coaching, down to the players poor execution. For years, I have been let down. 1986-1993 was at the time, the longest playoff run in NFL history. Seven years of let downs though. I just wish this franchise would win something for the fans. I am 48 years old & fear I will never see this team raise the Lombardi. It seems to be a culture here. Thanks for all you do Mr. Jim & I appreciate your time sir. Not giving up, just used to certain things.
Jim: Yes, Steven, there's hope. Have you looked at the AFC South standings?
Rob Karr from Euless, Texas
Question: What a massive turd we dropped in Buffalo tonight.
A total embarrassment dominated in every phase of the game.
Offense
Line F
Running game F
QB D
Receivers D
Defense
Line C-
LB core C-
Backfield F
Special teams F
Question Jim where do we go from here?
I haven't seen a more embarrassing effort since Ed Biles was coach….
Jim: Where do the Titans go from here? Back on the practice field tomorrow then on to Nissan Stadium, on Sunday vs the Raiders.
Jim Williams from Lubbock, Texas
Question: Hi Jim. The Titans really laid an egg on Monday Night Football. They matched the Bills for the first 22 minutes of the game. Then, the Buffalo coaches made adjustments to stop the Titan offensive game plan and the Titans couldn't adjust to the adjustments. The defensive game plan seemed to be to keep the cornerbacks 8 yards off the line of scrimmage and Buffalo took advantage of that all night. Derrick Henry isn't himself but I counted at least 7 times that he was hit before he got to the line of scrimmage, so he didn't have much of a chance. Todd Downing keeps Tanny in the pocket even though his mobility is one of his major assets. The defense always knows where he will be on every pass play. Once again, the Titan coaching staff was out-coached and that puts the players at a huge disadvantage, especially against an outstanding team like Buffalo. Malik Willis did nothing in his audition to show that he can play quarterback at this level. So, it was a miserable night. Hopefully, the coaches will take some of the responsibility this time. Anyway, let's start getting ready for Las Vegas. There are 15 games left and plenty of time to take over the division. The players can improve but the coaching staff has to get much better also. Hopefully, they can all learn from this negative experience.
Jim: Definitely a lot to learn from, Jim.
Robert Drake from Katy, Texas
Question: What's your excuse to cover up what the titans did that game now jim? Way to many missed opporunties not even as a team but as a franchise to not sign odell while he is still a free agent is one jon robinson clearly see that the WR not doing anything but doesn't add help interesting. So what do you think jim what do you think this team is missing?
Jim: No one is making any excuses in here, Robert. The Titans flat-out got their butts kicked. It's pretty simple.
Fred Trotman from St. Louis, Missouri
Question: No question just wanna say we deserved this loss. Not even on the players. Front office was cheap shipped off both inside backers, didn't make a single play for a top 100 ranked DB in off season, let 2 key o-linemen leave and gave away AJ Brown. Tonight went horrible and I'm glad it happened early. That way we can win 3 straight get the early bye week and figure out who wants to play and who needs to get benched. We relied too heavily on Kyle Philips and he clearly needs more time before he's back there returning kicks. ITS STILL EARLY. Still see us goin 10-7 at worst. TITAN UP!!
Jim: This is the most optimistic email I've received so far, Fred.
Matt Myers from Round Rock, Texas
Question: I would hate to be you once you start reading all of these emails! Going to be brutal, my question is how have the wheels fallen off so quickly? The defense doesn't really seem as determined or to be communicating that well. No pass rush really to speak of, this is all a surprise to me. I expected some offensive woes, a lot of new parts but it's shocking to me to see our D all out of sorts. I know losing Landry was a big loss but man, he wasn't the entire defense. I am not going to blow the team up and criticize everyone and everything, but man this was terrible!
Jim: I contend the wheels have not completely fallen off, Matt. Two flats so far, but there's still time to get them repaired. The season is still young.
Kathy Mayo from Three way, Tennessee
Question: WOW. THIS WAS A JOKE RIGHT? Maybe a nightmare and I'll wake up! Where do we go from here? I could have handled a loss, but I'm shocked and speechless !
Jim: I was born and raised in Nashville and I never knew there was a Three Way, Tennessee! Good to hear from you, Kathy!
Carlos Perez from Columbus, Indiana
Question: Hi Jim, I'm not going to state the obvious or be negative, but how can the Titans shake this off? These type of losses are not easy to overcome. Win or lose, Titan Up!
Jim: I actually think losses like the Giants game are the toughest to overcome. The Titans blew that one. This one was over early.
David Hargis from Louisville, Kentucky
Question: Jim. Some of the optimism I still had from our fluke loss to the Giants has worn off. My hat is off to the Bills. They looked unstoppable on Monday night. I expected the Titans to be competitive in the prime time matchup. We have had the Bills number the last few years. That was definitely not true this year. Josh Allen and Trevon Diggs made our young guys look foolish in the secondary. Our one defense might be that Diggs and Allen will probably do that to most DBs this year. I will be totally honest, I actually understood the AJ Brown trade when it happened on draft night. It was the right "GM move", when you are forced to assign dollar values to positions vs. risk of replacement production at that position. AJ Brown refusing to play his last year on the rookie contract, in exchange for a huge contract in a huge WR contract year, helped force the decision. After last night, it is clear to me that AJ Brown had a deeper impact on the Titans running game than I previously realized. He forced defenses to account for him, and was always there to make a play when we needed him. The new group is young, with a bright future, but they will need to grow up fast if we want to try and make some noise in the division. The titans are a one trick pony now. They still have the opportunity to be dominant, and will hopefully win some games this year to stay competitive for that top AFC South spot, but it seems like a longer and longer road as the season goes on. The good news is that there is a lot of football left to play, and our toughest game is behind us. Here is to hoping for significant growth from our young secondary, quick healing from last night's injuries, and a run of wins before our Bye week. Thanks Jim, I appreciate all you do.
Jim: Hey David. There is a lot of football to be played. That's either a good thing or a bad thing. In time, we'll find all out.
Corry Webster from Kingston,Ontario, Canada
Question: Hey Jim big fan of what you do. First question is: How long do you see Phillips as an actual return man on this team\ actual member of the 53 man roster? Second question is how long can you wait for Caleb Farley? I understand he's young but with injuries an poor play he has become nothing short of a disappointment.
Jim: Hey Corry. Kyle Philips isn't going anywhere. It wouldn't shock me if he's replaced at the punt returner for now, but he sure as heck isn't getting released. As for Farley, yes he needs to get better. But this guy hasn't played a lot of football in the past few years.
Travis Walsh from San Bernadino, California
Question: Welp… As a long time Titans fan, I think it's fair to say that there aren't enough "spirits" in downtown Nashville to (much less out here in the west coast) to drown the sorrow of what happened tonight lol. But to all the true fans out there, keep the faith!! What other choice do we have?? We took it on the chin tonight from one of the best squads in the NFL. The tried and true fans have seen this before and we will persevere. Let's continue to support our team! That's all I can say at this point…. TITAN UP!!!
Jim: I like the positive attitude, Travis!
Sergio Escobar from El Paso, Texas
Question: Hello again Jim and thank you for all you do for us fans. We'll..... Had it not been for buffalo graciously calling off the dogs at the end of the 3rd we would have seen a score reminiscent of that 59-0 shellacking in 2009. Head scratching seems to be the issue we have as fans. The first drive we had was great and then we just seem to go into reverse. Bad play calling, porous lines in both sides and the inability to pressure the QB. When we do some thing good like make the bills punt for the first time in forever, we give the ball right back in a muff fair catch. Malik makes a good run only to cough up the ball and RT throwing a perfect pass to Milano for the pick six. 55 years of fandom and still see stuff that I hope I never see again. I still have hope as the schedule should favor us and we could be 5-2 before KC. Still seething knowing last year we should have hoisted the Lombardi trophy and let it slip out of our hands. Now seems we will be rebuilding. Still have hope though. Just need to Titan up and go get it.
Jim: It was ugly, Sergio, no doubt about it.
Roger Piccirillo from Bridgeport, Connecticut
Question: Hey Jim, what was that garbage that I just witnessed, they can't block nobody, they can't tackle they can't get anybody open everything is hard for this offense. There are no easy throws everything's contested, even the short stuff the ball has to be placed perfectly to get a completion. We got no pressure on Josh Allen, we can't stop the run, we can't field a punt, we can't cover anyone and we can't tackle anyone. Henry couldn't get anything done sure the blocking wasn't great but great backs can get yardage even when the blocking isn't good. For one Henry is not the same back from 2 years ago the sooner they realize that better off this team will be they have to stop forcing it with Henry expecting him to break one. So with all the problems that Titans have right now I guess the solution to that is of course bench Ryan tannehill. And the rookie came in to saved the day and he was completely ineffective he looked lost out there great decision coach.Ryan tannehill it's too much of a professional to say anything about the benching he will ride the company line. But I don't have to do that as a fan of tannehill that was a slap in his face this coach who I like but he is making a big mistake he's dying to put this rookie in, he's looking for any opportunity to start the rookie. I don't know what they plan to do as far as the next game goes but if they go with the rookie and I was Tannehill I would ask for a trade. No one's going to be able to do much with the skill players that Tennessee is putting out there. I'm disgusted with the effort and the benching of tannehill. If he was trying to get a spark well he ended up with a dud. The players were terrible on both sides of the ball and the coaching was even worse. They have to figure it out and figure it out quick. Thanks for listening I'm just disgusted with what I just witnessed take care of Jim.
Jim: Good to hear from you again, Roger.
Aaron Gibson from Seattle, Washington
Question: What an absolute embarrassment. Out classed, out played and horribly out coached. You have to really question the talent on this roster. Oh yeah...really out toughed too. Our corners can't play (especially Farley). Oline is disgusting..no blocking at all in the run game. The team should have gotten on the plane at halftime. The window on this team has slammed shut. The whole organization is to blame for letting this roster take the field. We did it to ourselves with HUGE contracts and overall lack of talent at key positions. Sure we may still compete in this lousy division...but c'mon folks this roster was put together to win NOW. I stand by this....WE WILL NEVER WIN IT ALL with this coaching philosophy. You need to throw the ball and be more dynamic on offense....Oh in case you did not notice WE HAVE ZERO playmakers on offense. It is very painful to say...but looks like we need to start over. I have no idea how we can get better...Lousy drafts and bad contracts... Dupree, Lewan, Tanny.....and more. Your serve Jrob/Vrabel.
Jim: Appreciate you taking the time, Aaron.
Charles Johns from Hermitage, Tennessee
Question: Jim, I just have a few comments. The Titans have major issues with the o-line and secondary. If the pass rush doesn't get home quickly the secondary is toast. Even run blocking which has been a staple for the Titans looks terrible. Derrick Henry doesn't seem to be running aggressively like past years and his vision seems off as well. TITANS FANS NEED TO TAKE A DEEP BREATH, SUPPORT THE TEAM, AND UNDERSTAND THAT JUST MAKING THE PLAYOFFS WILL BE A CHALLENGE THIS YEAR. The only reason we have a shot at the playoffs this year is because our division is weak. When you have so many rookies at key positions you'll have growing pains. My concern is that we have so many holes/needs on the team that we may be at least 2 years away from being true contenders again.
What say you Jim?
Jim: I say: On to the Raiders. There's nothing anyone can do about the Bills game now.
Have a great week everyone!
