NASHVILLE, Tenn. – For as long as the Titans and Colts have been division rivals, Tennessee has had well-documented issues at receiver. And for nearly that long, the offensive line has needed work in Indianapolis.

Sunday, when the two team’s square off at Lucas Oil Stadium, each will enter the game having dealt with a long-standing position of concern. I refer back to this story about long-lasting team gluts at specific positions as much as anything I’ve written. It’s a bewildering issue.

But as is often the case in the rivalry, it’s the Colts who have pulled ahead.

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 Twitter 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 correspondent

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A full scouting review of the Titans’ win over the Patriots…

Kenny Vaccaro’s hit on James White on the first play on defense set the tone for the game and the defense never let up.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Marcus Mariota doesn’t want to say the switch is flipped.

It seems to me he fears it’ll signal his teammates they’ve reaches some sort of finish line. And while there certainly remains room for the Titans offense to get even better, the switch has flipped.

The Titans have grown out of the growing pains phases and into the comfortable-in-the-offense phase, executing it very well, no matter some deficits in personnel

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Coaches, opponents and analysts have said the same thing for the bulk of Tom Brady’s 19 years in the NFL.

The key to beating him and the Patriots’ offense is getting him off his spot with a rush up the middle and in his face.

Teams regularly talk about it, but rarely accomplish it.

But it was a major feature in the Titans fantastic 34-10 win over New England at Nissan Stadium Sunday, starting with a tone-setting 11-yard sack by Wesley Woodyard of Brady on a third-and-8 from the Patriots 26-yard line at 5:04 of the first quarter. He bullied his way past running back James White’s attempted blitz pickup.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Vanderbilt's search for a new athletics director has been narrowed to two, with Army's athletic director Boo Corrigan one of the potential successors to David Williams, sources tell me.

I am less certain of the other candidate, It may be Colorado athletic director Rick George. It may be an outside-the-box business person, likely from Nashville, without a big sports administration background.

Vanderbilt's Board of Trust met in recent days but it's unclear to what degree the post was discussed or if it reached a final decision.

Williams announced on Sept. 11 that he would leave his post. He will transition to a full-time position as a tenured law professor, a job he's held since 2000. He's also been head of the athletics department since 2003.

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NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- I am filled with steroids. I would fail an NFL test and get suspended. But I am feeling a bit better, so we've got that going for us.

Welcome to the mailbag. If you missed the big Periscope, here it is,

#Titans talk in advance of Patriots https://t.co/8c1Q5N0BZA

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) November 10, 2018

You can also find that on the public Facebook page, which you should definitely be following.

Boomer Esiason on his bumper drop on the Zone updated his playoff picks. He thinks the Chargers and the Titans are the AFC wildcard teams. Chargers seem like a lock. I’ve thought it was AFC South or bust for the Titans. What are your thoughts?

— DeWayne Gee (@dewaynegee) November 10, 2018

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 Twitter 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.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans defense ranks first in the league in scoring defense, and that will obviously be tested this week against the Patriots.

Tom Brady is still playing at a high level even at the age of 41.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Social media can be a jagged mountain range for an athlete, with soaring peaks after a big performance and dangerous cliffs for an emotional player after a bad play or a bad loss.

Many stoically act as if they don’t care, but in less than half a season we’ve seen two young Titans get caught up in it.