Titans talk

[SD_Eagle5]

Haynesworth supsension over, will rejoin team on Wednesday.

David Givens is out for the season with a torn ACL. This should be an easy win but one thing this season has taught me is to not take any team or game for granted - regardless of the lead.

Next Up: Titans Visit Lincoln Financial Field

The Eagles (5-4) will look to make it two in a row on Sunday when the Tennessee Titans (2-7) make their first visit to Lincoln Financial Field. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. Led by first-round pick Vince Young at quarterback, Tennessee is coming off a one-point loss to Baltimore. Philadelphia, meanwhile, is looking to build on its 27-3 win over Washington.

The game marks a homecoming of sorts for Titans head coach Jeff Fisher, who was an assistant coach with the Eagles from 1986-90.

The Eagles have won six of the eight games in the series, although the two defeats represent the results of the last two meetings between the clubs.

Four of Tennessee's losses this season have come by seven points or less.

Read below for more on the game:


The Eagles On Defense
The Titans offense is one that is still finding its identity. The centerpiece is rookie quarterback Vince Young, the hero of Texas' 2006 national championship. Young, the No. 3 pick in April's NFL draft, took over the starting quarterback duties in week 4 against the Dallas Cowboys.

Best known in college as a dual threat, Young has showed the ability to make plays with his arm and legs. He has completed just over 46 percent of his passes, with five touchdowns and eight interceptions. He's also been sacked nine times. When he tucks the ball and runs, Young is averaging 4.8 yards a carry. All told, he has 176 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 37 attempts.

Veteran Travis Henry shoulders the bulk of the Titans' ground attack, averaging 4 yards a carry.

Mobile quarterbacks like Jacksonville's David Garrard and Tampa Bay's Bruce Gradkowski caused some problems for Jim Johnson's unit earlier this season. That said, the Eagles will have to tighten up and stuff the gaps and make sure Young and Co. don't hurt them on the ground.

At the receiver position, free agent David Givens has been slowed by injuries, leaving Drew Bennett as the leader of a young receiving corps.

Because Young is a rookie quarterback and the offensive line is still developing, the Titan may not air it out as much; but they will take their shots at times.


The Eagles On Offense
The Titans defense has long been led by linebacker Keith Bulluck, a tackling machine for seven seasons and he will likely draw the assignment of containing multi-purpose back Brian Westbrook.

Overall, Tennessee's defense lacks continuity. The group held the explosive Colts to only 14 points on Oct. 8, although it's the type of defense Donovan McNabb might be able to feast on.

The Titans lack a steady pass rush, and the suspension of Albert Haynesworth hasn't helped. McNabb thrives when he has time, and he should have it this weekend. The Titans aren't particularly deep in the secondary either, although veteran Chris Hope and former first-round pick Pacman Jones have played well at times. There might be some mismatches when the Eagles utilize three and four-receiver sets.


Key Matchups
Titans LDE Kyle Vanden Bosch vs. Eagles ORT Jon Runyan: Vanden Bosch emerged onto the national scene last season with 12.5 sacks after spending his first four NFL seasons with Arizona.

Vanden Bosch is 278 pounds, which makes him stronger than most pass rushers. He's not an explosive end, instead effective by outthinking and outworking opposing linemen. That's hard to do with a veteran like Runyan.

Titans RLB Keith Bulluck vs. Eagles RB Brian Westbrook: In a classic matchup of running back vs. linebacker, the dynamic Westbrook faces off against the ever-effective Bulluck.

Westbrook can do a lot of damage in the middle of the field, whether it's running or receiving. His agility makes him one of the top running backs in the league. Bulluck, though, is among the top linebackers in the league every season because he sniffs out ballcarriers.

Teams know that stopping Westbrook is a key in slowing down the Eagles' potent offense. It'll be up to the Titans' star to figure out how to do it.

[hbionic]

Clash of the Titans was a cool movie.

Remember the Titans was cool too o-k.

What/who would win in a fight, a Titan or a Gargantuan? Does the winner fight a Behemoth?

Where does Monster and Giant fit into that height chart?

[shorebird]

Clash of the Titans was a cool movie.

Remember the Titans was cool too o-k.

What/who would win in a fight, a Titan or a Gargantuan? Does the winner fight a Behemoth?

Where does Monster and Giant fit into that height chart?

Wow man, thats way too much too early to think about.

[ice grillin you]

eagles get in that ass

31-7

[DH]

5-2 Eagles.

[PhillyPhreak54]

I think they will put up 40+ this weekend. The Cowboys hung 45 on them with Bledsoe.

Stop Travis Henry and get after Young. He has no one to throw to. The only remote threats are Whitey McWideout and Ben Troupe (or Bo Scaife)

[BigEd76]

Better hope Young stays behind the LOS.  He's bigger than our LBs....

[PhillyPhreak54]

Is his knee healthy? Or will we get Kerry Collins?

[ice grillin you]

i dont think you need or want to 'get after' vince young....the guy is not gonna beat you with his arm...so contain him and make him do just that...ala what they have done with vick so many times

i see fisher coming in with the exact same game plan as jacksonville had with garrad...run the ball down the birds throat and have young make a couple plays with his feet to win the game

[PhillyPhreak54]

i dont think you need or want to 'get after' vince young....the guy is not gonna beat you with his arm...so contain him and make him do just that...ala what they have done with vick so many times

i see fisher coming in with the exact same game plan as jacksonville had with garrad...run the ball down the birds throat and have young make a couple plays with his feet to win the game

Good point. I can agree with that. Maybe employ a mush rush to keep him in the pocket but with enough pressure to force him to get rid of it fast and maybe make mistakes.

[Sgt PSN]

i dont think you need or want to 'get after' vince young....the guy is not gonna beat you with his arm...so contain him and make him do just that...ala what they have done with vick so many times

i see fisher coming in with the exact same game plan as jacksonville had with garrad...run the ball down the birds throat and have young make a couple plays with his feet to win the game

I agree with both statements. 

The big difference between jacksonville and tennessee is that the Titan runningbacks aren't anywhere close to the same caliber as Jax, imo.  Henry is decent, but inconsistant.  I haven't even heard from Lendale White since training camp.  And Chris Brown needs to have his uniform made from bubble wrap. 

Of course, that probably means that all 3 of them will have career days against the Eagles this week. 

[Phanatic]

The Eagles just need to prove that they can win a few games they should.... which would be a nice change of pace...

[rjs246]

The Eagles just need to prove that they can win a few games they should.... which would be a nice change of pace...

That's not all they need to do. At this point they need to win the games they should (Ten and @Was) and sneak out a couple of games that they shouldn't. I don't see it happening.

[4and26]

Tennessee already....

Lets hope that the second half of the season starts with another win.

Birds 41
Young 17

[PhillyPhreak54]

Black jersey's this week.