CODY STOOTS

A look at the Texans opponent: Tennessee Titans

Cody Stoots
Sep 13, 2018, 8:52 am
Marcus Mariota should play. Andy Lyons/Getty Images

This weekend the Texans take on the Titans in Nashville looking to bounce back from their season-opening loss. I caught up with Jim Wyatt who has covered the Titans since they moved to Nashville. He now covers the team for TitansOnline.com. 

I wanted to see how people felt about Mike Vrabel taking over as Titans head coach. I don't know many Texans fans who were upset to see Vrabel leave. His defense was underwhelming even when healthy. Romeo Crennel is back as the Texans defensive coordinator. 

Cody Stoots: What's your reaction when you hear Texans fans were happy to see Mike Vrabel go?

Jim Wyatt: Well, I know sometimes you hear that when somebody leaves, like, "good riddance" or "we didn't need him" but I think to judge Mike Vrabel off of what happened there last year and all the injuries the Texans dealt with is unfair. How somebody is as a coordinator certainly doesn't give you an idea of what he's going to be like as a head coach. We've seen special teams coaches become head coaches and have success. We've seen position coaches go somewhere and have some success. I think what matters is what happens when you're in that seat. Everything I've seen from Vrabel to this point is this guy's got a great background as a player. He's certainly been around some great head coaches that gained experience and gained knowledge from. I think he's got a great presence and command that you need as a head coach. I think in time he's going to prove to be a good head coach and some of those people that are questioning that now or ridiculing him now may be eating their words in a couple years. 

Delaine Walker is out for the year with a leg injury he suffered against the Dolphins. He's been the Titans leading receiver three of the last four years and the other year he was second. 

Stoots: What's the impact of Delaine Walked being out for the year? Who can Mariota trust now?

Wyatt: Well, it's a big blow to the Titans. You can't sugar coat it. He's the guy that every quarterback that he's ever played with trusted. He was a guy that not only bailed quarterbacks out he made things happen. He was a tone setter. Jonnu Smith is going to have to step up in his absence...I think the young receiving corps now is on the spot even more to make plays. This is a young group of receivers. Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, Tajae Sharpe, all those guys, just year two guy, you can't wait and be patient with them. You need them to help move the chains. 

The Titans boast the best running back 1-2 punch on the Texans schedule. Derrick Henry had some solid games in the back half of last year and Dion Lewis is a much better compliment to him than Demarco Murray was last year. 

Stoots: Which running back matches up better against the Texans?

Wyatt: It is going to be different each week. Depending on how teams defend them. Depending on what kind of success those guys are having. Last week was more of a Dion Lewis week. He had more success catching the ball out of the backfield. Had more success with his run. With that said, Derrick Henry had a long touchdown run of 62 yards called back on what was a very questionable holding penalty. If that doesn't get called back both those guys end up with really good numbers. I think they'll take turns on which one of them is the busier back each Sunday. Just because it was Lewis against the Dolphins doesn't mean it will be him against the Texans this Sunday.

The Titans finished 13th in defense last year. 

Stoots: What defenders should Texans fans be looking for this weekend?

Wyatt: Up front, it's Jurrell Casey who certainly impacts a lot of games in the trenches and certainly is disruptive in getting some pressure on the quarterback. On the back end, It's Kevin Byard, their All-Pro safety who led the league in takeaways last year. I think there's some talent on this defense but it starts up front with Casey and on the back, I think Byard is the one who kind of runs the show and has made a lot of plays. 

The Texans might luck out this week. The Titans have made plenty of investments in their offensive line. Ben Jones was signed from the Texans before the 2016 season as was Josh Kline. Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin are both former first-round picks. But, Conklin and Lewan are both question marks for this weekend. Conklin is still on the mend from an ACL injury last season. Lewan left the Dolphins game after a crushing block on an interception return. He didn't practice Wednesday with a concussion keeping him out. 

Stoots: What's the plan at tackle?

Wyatt: When Lewan went out on Sunday Kevin Pamphile stepped in. He and Dennis Kelly were the two tackles. Kelly has been a starter in place of Conklin throughout the preseason and week one. He's a veteran. He's done a good job. You haven't heard his name called a lot and as a tackle that's a good thing. Pamphile they got from Tampa Bay this offseason. He's a versatile guy who can play inside he can play outside. I thought he did a good job. The Dolphins are pretty scary up front. They didn't get a sack against the Titans with them dealing with injuries and them dealing with guys who couldn't finish the game. I would expect you would see the same guys if Lewan isn't ready to go. 

Jim does great work online covering the Titans. Check out his latest article here: https://www.titansonline.com/news/three-quick-hits-from-titans-on-wednesday-including-the-latest-on-lt-taylor-lewa?utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral

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Here's why we should expect a breakout performance from this Texans rookie

Keep an eye on Tank Dell this Sunday. Photo by Alex Bierens de Haan/Getty Images.

I remember thinking how in the world can these little frail guys survive at the NFL level? I mean, I saw Joe Theismann and Ed McCaffrey's legs snap. Drew Bledsoe got his chest caved in. Seeing 300-plus pound men cry when injured is humbling. So when a guy like Tank Dell comes along, I'm always a bit apprehensive. Especially when they come with a ton of hype.

For every eight to ten big strong players that get hurt, there's one or two little fellas that have relatively healthy careers. The comp that came to mind when looking at Tank was DeSean Jackson. Listed at 5'10 and weighing a heavy 175 pounds, Jackson was arguably the best “small guy” in NFL history. Dell being about two inches shorter and about ten pounds lighter, while also playing a similar role, is in line to be a similarly electrifying type of player. I put my assessment on the line and doubled down with my predictions on what his, and others' season totals will look like last week:

Tank Dell: 68 catches, 1,105 yards and 6 touchdowns- Dell will be a really good slot, but has some outside skills. Namely, his speed. He's more slippery than if Mick had greased that chicken before Rocky tried catching it. I could see his production going up as the season gets longer because Stroud will begin to look for him more and more as they build chemistry. Yes, I know I only have him with six scores. Keep in mind this is a run first offense. At least that's what we can deduce from looking at where it came from in San Francisco.

In his debut game last week vs the Ravens, he notched three catches for 34 yards on four targets. He was tied for third on the team in targets with Noah Brown and Mike Boone. While Robert Woods and Nico Collins were one and two in targets last week, I think Dell will ascend that list starting this week. Word came down that Noah Brown is headed to IR, meaning he'll miss at least the next four weeks. The chemistry he and fellow rookie C.J. Stroud have developed is palpable. From working out together, to attending UH games together, these two seem to have a nice bond already.

Woods is a solid vet two years removed from an ACL injury. Collins was a third rounder with size who hasn't done a whole lot. Dell is easily the most exciting option at receiver this team has. John Metchie III was expected to be the next guy up. Unfortunately, cancer had him take a backseat, until now. Metchie is back at practice this week, so a debut is imminent. He could potentially challenge for more playing time, but it may take him some time to get used to things and get going again.

As far as my statistical prediction for his season, he only needs to average four catches for 67 yards per game, and get a touchdown every two to three games for the remainder of the season. Given Brown being out the next few games, Metchie not quite being up to speed, Woods being an older player on a short-term deal, and Collins not really being what everyone thought he could be, it leaves things wide open for Dell to step up.

Playmakers come in all shapes and sizes. Levon Kirkland was a 300-pound middle linebacker in a 3-4. Doug Flutie led teams to playoff wins as a 5'9 quarterback. In football, size matters. The bigger, stronger guys normally win out. When it comes to receiving and returns, you want speed, quickness, and agility. Dell has that in spades. Add his competitive nature and chemistry with his quarterback and you have a recipe for a star in the making. I know I'm not the only one hoping the Texans continue Tank-ing.

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