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Titans' Eddie George Fails To Advance To Final 15 For Pro Football Hall of Fame

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- For the second time in three years, Eddie George missed the cut from the list of 25 semifinalists for the Pro Football Hall of Fame to 15 finalists.

Three other running backs were in the final 25 with George, the Titans/Oilers' all-time leading rusher: Tiki Barber, Fred Taylor and Ricky Watters.

Eddie George celebrates his fourth quarter touchdown in Super Bowl XXXIV. Behind is quarterback Steve McNair/- - photo by Eric Parsons Eddie George
Eddie George after a TD in Super Bowl XXXIV/ © Eric Parsons, Copyright 2000 The Tennessean

Of the four, only Taylor advanced to the final 15. 

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What's Left To Accomplish For The 2023 Titans

What's Left To Accomplish For The 2023 Titans

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

The Titans aren't going to the playoffs for the second straight season after qualifying for the postseason in four of the previous five seasons. However, that doesn’t mean the two remaining games on the schedule are completely meaningless.

Denico Autry
With three more sacks, Denico Autry can tie the Titans; era record/ Angie Flatt

There are still a few things left for the Titans to accomplish in their remaining tilts against the Texans and Jaguars besides trying to play spoiler to their division rivals.

  1. Continue Will Levis’ development.

Mike Vrabel indicated on Tuesday that Levis would try to practice this week and that they hope he can return to play against the Texans. That would be a great thing for the Titans and Levis if he can get back on the field for these last two games.

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Why Did The Titans Punt on Fourth-and-4 from Seattle's 42? And Other Analytics

By JAKE DOWNARD

Whether it is the prioritization of establishing the run, the unique delayed pressure with Jeffery Simmons and Denico Autry on defense, the combo blocks to clear out lanes for Derrick Henry or the utilization of Henry’s gravity to set up play action passes downfield, Mike Vrabel teams have always had an identity.

Mike Vrabel
Mike Vrabel/ Angie Flatt

Unique looks on defense have led to the Titans finishing 4th, 14th, and 4th, respectively, in red zone scoring defense over the last three years. On the other side of the ball, they’ve finished top 10 in red-zone scoring offense each of the last four seasons. 

 

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Ryan Tannehill Effect on The Titans, The Sacks Allowed And The Depth Issue

Ryan Tannehill Effect on The Titans, The Sacks Allowed And The Depth Issue

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The difference between a rookie quarterback with upside and an established veteran was evident with Ryan Tannehill playing quarterback and giving the Titans a chance to win despite poor offensive line play.

I felt Tannehill played well and also gave the team a calming presence.

Ryan Tannehill runs against the Seahawks
Ryan Tannehill runs vs. the Seahawks/ Courtesy Tennessee Titans

This is not to say Tannehill is better than Will Levis, but this is a game from which Levis can learn a lot from Tannehill, particularly in terms of ball placement.

Derrick Henry (19-88 and a TD)was very good and probably didn’t have his number called enough.  

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Titans Undone By Sacks Again As They Fall to 5-10

Titans Undone By Sacks Again As They Fall to 5-10

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The late game-losing drive we saw the Titans allow Seattle to piece together at Nissan Stadium Sunday to secure a 20-17 win didn’t hit as hard because the path to defeat has become so common, making us somewhat numb to it.

Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a game-winning field goal in overtime for the Texans just a week earlier. Gardner Minshew connected with Alec Pierce for 55 yards, putting the Colts on the porch for an OT TD in Week 13. In Pittsburgh back on Nov. 2, the Steelers went 92 yards in 11 plays to move ahead for good late.

Tennessee Titans offensive tackle Peter Skoronski (77) picks up quarterback Ryan Tannehill (17) after he was sacked by the Seattle Seahawks during the second quarter at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023.
Ryan Tannehill, post-sack/ © Andrew Nelles The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

So when the Seahawks got the ball down 4 with 3 minutes and 21 seconds left, it was not hard to envision what was about to unfold.

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Time For Titans To Really See Tyjae Spears, Treylon Burks, Josh Whyle, Colton Dowell

Time For Titans To Really See Tyjae Spears, Treylon Burks, Josh Whyle, Colton Dowell

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Titans are officially eliminated from the playoffs. The one player most fans want to see in the teams’ remaining games is Will Levis, who’s questionable for the game due to a high ankle sprain.

These next three Titans' games are an evaluation of what they currently have on the roster and what they need for the future.

Derrick Henry
Derrick Henry finds no room/ Angie Flatt

The evaluation starts with the team's pending free agents. Do they find a role for Derrick Henry next season? This should be a serious evaluation of what the offensive plan is for next year and if Henry fits. This should not be an owner decision out of goodwill for what he has accomplished during his great Titans career. The owner should first sit down with the general manager and the head coach and demand a plan for next season. This should not wait until after the season. 

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Podcast: Remembering An Excellent Titans' LT Succession Plan

Podcast: Remembering An Excellent Titans' LT Succession Plan

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The general manager who came before Jon Robinson drafted poorly and didn't score well with free-agent acquisitions, with a few exceptions.

The Paul Kuharsky PodcastBut from Ruston Webster's experience in the front office in Seattle, he had a keen understanding of the importance of a succession plan at left tackle. He was the reason that years after the Titans went from Brad Hopkins to Michael Roos, they made a similarly smooth move from Roos to Taylor Lewan.

The Titans had no such vision when the end was near for Lewan.

That's where we start this week's edition of The Paul Kuharsky Podcast. The new episode awaits you on Apple, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart and YouTube, which is also embedded below.

Other subjects I dive into:

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Envisioning The Titans' Rebuilt Offensive Line

Envisioning The Titans' Rebuilt Offensive Line

By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

With the Titans officially eliminated from playoff contention thanks to a gouge-your-eyes-out performance in a 19-16 overtime loss to the Texans at Nissan Stadium on Sunday, I figured that our time here would be best spent looking forward to the single biggest task facing Ran Carthon and Mike Vrabel in the upcoming offseason: rebuilding the offensive line.

Before we jump into that discussion, I do want to state my belief that, yes, Mike Vrabel should be back as head coach in 2024 and continue to be a part of rebuilding this roster. I don’t buy the notion that Vrabel – a coach who went 48-27 over his first 75 games as Titans head coach without the luxury of an elite quarterback – suddenly forgot how to coach over the last 13 months.

Dec 3, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) celebrates with offensive tackle Robert Hunt (68) after a touchdown pass against the Washington Commanders during the first half at FedExField. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
Robert Hunt with Tua Tagovailoa/ © Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, things have gotten ugly on a lot of fronts over the 5-16 skid that seems like a decent bet to reach 5-19 by year’s end, but to me, this remains a personnel issue. After all, I spent the better part of this past offseason in this column warning that the offensive line fixes might not be an improvement over last year’s bad unit and noting that there was evidence that the defense might not be as elite as many believed they would be this year.

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