By MIKE HERNDON, columnist

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- In firing Jon Robinson, Amy Adams Strunk made a very clear declaration of intent. The Titans are not satisfied with being the best team in the AFC South, making the playoffs each year, and quickly being bounced from the postseason by the true Super Bowl contenders in the conference. She wants to become the first professional sports owner to bring a championship to the state of Tennessee.

Bud Dupree/ Photo by Angie Flatt

Those ambitions will mean that the next GM of the Tennessee Titans – their fifth since relocating the franchise to Nashville in 1997 – will be under considerable pressure to produce right away.

Adding to that pressure is the fact that the Titans' roster is at a crossroads entering the 2023 offseason. Many of the Titans' top players face contract decisions over the next few months and there is enormous pressure to hit in the draft after disastrous returns from the 2020 and 2021 classes have left a roster starving for young talent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The formula and the desire to stick to the formula has not changed for the Titans.

Their ability to execute the formula and the opposition’s ability to deal with it has changed a great deal.

“We have to understand what we think wins in this league,” Mike Vrabel said recently. “I'm going to remind you that it is taking care of the football. It is running the football. It is being efficient when you pass it. Those are

Photo: Angie Flatt

the three things for the past 25 years in this league that has won. That is what I want our identity to be, because I know that is what wins. When we've won, we've done those things.”

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- If I said a quarterback threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns, a tight end had 11 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns would most people think that came from a 4-8 team or a team that is leading the division and has a winning record?

Evan Engram pulls in a TD over Andrew Adams/ Angie Flatt

Well, it came from a team that just might be the division leaders a year from now when the team that gave up those yards might be looking at a rebuild, with very few young core players to start that process.

The Jaguars only had 60 yards rushing, but a total of 428 yards in a 36-22 win at Nissan Stadium.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Amy Adams Strunk declared her dissatisfaction with the Titans’ roster on Tuesday in a statement explaining why she fired Jon Robinson.

Sunday that roster, depleted again by persistent injuries, showed all the reasons to be dissatisfied with it, embarrassing itself in a 36-22 loss to the Jaguars. They had not won in Nashville since 2013 but left with longshot hopes of catching Tennessee in the AFC South still alight, and a rematch slated for Jan. 7 or 8 in Jacksonville as the regular season finale.

© Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

The Titans turned the ball over four times, which produced 20 points for their guests. A team that is usually well coached and that typically plays with unquestioned effort appeared lost and directionless at times.

The team lost Mike Vrabel’s fifth, sixth and seventh games as their coach in 2018. They had not lost three in a row again until now. Last week he told his players they were at a crossroads and had tough decisions to make. Nothing about how they played said they’d decided anything good.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Have to admit I saw that one coming.

With the Titans missing several key people on defense as well as their most explosive weapon on offense in Treylon Burks, an early lead meant nothing as they lost badly to the Jaguars, 36-14.

Their AFC South rival had not won at Nissan Stadium since 2013 and the Titans picked a really bad time to help them end the streak.

It would be hard for Tennessee, now 7-6, to lose the AFC South, but it's not inconceivable. 

So much to be frustrated about and so many questions to carry to Los Angeles next week for the big matchup with the Chargers.

Many of you came and hashed that out with me on PK TV and now other can rewatch at the private Facebook page or below. If you're not a member, you really ought to be part of these, so please sign up!

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Through 12 games, the Titans have beaten the teams they should beat and lost to the teams that have good odds for playoff runs and Super Bowl appearances.

Given their roster limitations, it feels about right. They’ve not been upset – something that has been an issue in recent years – but they’ve not sprung surprises against top-level competition either.

Pool photo/ Tennessee Titans

A team that’s clearly at a deficit against quality competition needs to play over its head, above its talent with smart schemes and game plans in order to pick off the sort of team it will host in the first round of the playoffs, and the one it would face on the road in the divisional round if it finds a wild-card win.

Yet key players are talking about relying on something else entirely as a differentiator: Togetherness.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Amy Adams Strunk declined to face the Nashville media on Tuesday, leaving Mike Vrabel, who reported to Jon Robinson, as the lone Titans' executive to discuss the general manager’s firing.

Three days later Strunk gave an exclusive to the Associated Press, saying she made the decision on Robinson before the team's 35-10 loss to the Eagles and didn’t think it was fair not to let him go now considering she knew what she wanted to do.

It sure seems like there was no plan for her to speak to anyone. Then following a lot of backlash, the franchise handpicked a reasonably friendly outlet. That’s the Titans' prerogative. There is no way she was going to sit down with me at this stage, I know.

But it appeared to be PR on the fly, and PR on the fly is poor PR.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- With so much non-football stuff going on this week, I apologize that time simply didn't allow for a podcast recording.

Instead, we did a public PK TV.

we discussed Derrick Henry getting hit so quickly in the backfield, the downturn in Jeffery Simmons's play and an awful list of six Titans who are out of Sunday's game at Nissan Stadium against the Jaguars. 

There was also plenty on the aftermath of Jon Robinson's firing. I'm not big on the idea of it having a bearing on what will unfold in this game but I understand a case being made for the other side of the argument and we talked about that too.

Rewatch on Twitter, Facebook or below.