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After Monday night game, Mike Vrabel can't be talking about how he needs to coach better

After Monday night game, Mike Vrabel can't be talking about how he needs to coach better

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – When Mike Vrabel steps to the podium at AT&T Stadium late Monday, he needs not to tell us that he needs to do a better job coaching.

He needs to have done a better job coaching.VrabelRobinsonGoodellEagles

I don’t fault him for his default answer after a loss. It’s an automatic me-first route to accountability when things go wrong. And too many coaches, including his predecessor, don’t look first to themselves when things go bad.

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How the Titans can move their fourth-quarter offense into the rest of the game

How the Titans can move their fourth-quarter offense into the rest of the game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans want to be more like they are on offense in the fourth quarter in quarters one through three.IMG 6672

"We have a quarterback that is highly rated in the fourth quarter," Mike Vrabel said. "We have to find ways to recreate the fourth quarter passing. He’s highly rated – I think he’s maybe 24-for-32, 120.0 rating, off the top of my head. We have to recreate that type of mentality throughout the game, and throughout the first three-quarters of the game."

What are the Titans doing better in the fourth quarter that they can try to do more in the first three quarters? I broke it down into a bunch of categories based off numbers from sharpfootballstats.com.

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Too timid at WR, now or later the Titans need a shakeup

Too timid at WR, now or later the Titans need a shakeup

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – After an aggressive showing against the Eagles, I praised the mild-mannered Titans receivers for flipping a switch and turning into aggressive go-getters.

They have not kept it up, and I came back from London perturbed that once again, a meek group of guys played meek football and did their part to help the Titans lose.DavisFumbleTexans2

“I know that (Marcus Mariota) was putting it in there, and I know that there were dropssssss, and so it looked like those decisions were good when balls hit guys in the hands, I mean we’ve got to make plays,” Mike Vrabel said. “They’ve got to help the quarterback. The quarterback has got to make good decisions. We’ve got to coach good. And it all goes hand-in-hand.”

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Here's why it's awfully hard for the Titans to make Derrick Henry a volume runner

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Want to be the sort of high-volume runner proponents of Derrick Henry say the Titans big back should be?

The key is catching passes.

MariotaHenryHandoffEagles

If you want the volume, you need to be on the field for all three downs, and if you want to be on the field for all three downs you need to be a well-rounded back who can threaten not just as a ball-carrier but as a receiving threat.

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Pickers mailbag: Receiver drops, trade demands and patience

Pickers mailbag: Receiver drops, trade demands and patience

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Sadly, I have returned to America.

But we are back, ready to examine the Titans from all angles and I've got several good posts on the runway for the week leading up to the Titans on Monday night in Dallas.

Here's this week's Periscope, hot off the presses.

Onto the top questions and topics of the week.

How responsible is WR coach for all the drops? Are drops something that can be fixed or are you kind of stuck with what you’ve got?

— EHDLO (@EHDLO) October 26, 2018

PK: The Titans have had a slew of wide receiver coaches though 20 years of having insufficient wide receivers. It’s a magical position for them in term of insufficiency. And it’s tapped into all sort of different elements.

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But Rob Moore hasn’t run a single bad route or dropped a single ball. Certainly, a head coach, a coordinator and a position coach can help a deficient group improve on an area it’s deficient in, but ultimately it’s on the players in the moment to do better.

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Scout's take: Breaking down the Titans on third down in London

Scout's take: Breaking down the Titans on third down in London

Blake Beddingfield was a Titans' scout for 19 years, through the 2017 draft. He was the team's director of college scouting for his final six years. Follow him on Twiiter at @BlakeBeddingfi1. He’s brought to you by Party Fowl. Eat hot chicken and drink boozy slushes in The Gulch, the Boro or in Donelson.

By BLAKE BEDDINGFIELD, special contributor

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The opening drive for the Titans was a good mix of run and pass, using Marcus Mariota’s legs and two quick passes to Derrick Henry and Dion Lewis which helped move the chains. 

But the Titans again could not find the end zone and had to settle for a field goal.

The Titans shortened the game and held the critical stat of time of possession with a strong run game by Lewis and a very accurate passing day by Mariota. Corey Davis and Taywan Taylor each had big drops that stopped critical drives. These are players the team is relying on, but unfortunately, they are not consistent enough to be put in those big positions each week.

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Why not a Derrick Henry carry on the 2-point conversion?

Why not a Derrick Henry carry on the 2-point conversion?

LONDON – A few final thoughts on a loss the Titans really have to be sick over at Wembley Stadium.

The run game: It was a good day for the running game, which finally showed signs of life. The 33 carries were the second-most outside of the Jacksonville win, the 164 yards were the most this year and the 5.0-yard average was the highest.

HenryPortraitDion Lewis did the most with 13 carries for 91 yards (and six catches on six targets for 64 more). He was electric and the Titans best player in London, which is why it would have made sense to win or lose with him on the 2-point conversion, certain once it was moved, by penalty, to the 1-yard line.

Derrick Henry had some good runs and two good catches. Because of his size, people overrate him as a short-yardage threat. Many figure a 6-foot-3, 247-pound back should simply be able to get a yard.

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Mike Vrabel wouldn't second-guess the 2-point conversion attempt, but I will

Mike Vrabel wouldn't second-guess the 2-point conversion attempt, but I will

LONDON – Going for it paid off huge against the Eagles. The Titans could have attempted a field goal for a tie, but risked a loss on fourth down in order to get in position for a glorious overtime win.

At Wembley Stadium they were in position likely to force overtime with a PAT, but instead went for a 2-point conversion. And when they missed it and got a second chance thanks to a penalty, they tried it again and missed it again, absorbing a 20-19 loss.IMG 6112 1

Thus they return to Nashville at 3-4, holders of a three-game losing streak heading into a bye.

Mike Vrabel said he wouldn’t second-guess it, that doing so is a job for those of us asking the questions. And so I am happy to oblige.

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