NFL’s Big Uglies

NFL’s Big Uglies

I can’t recall the last time I’ve seen so many bad offensive teams in the NFL. The Tennessee Titans, 13-3 last season, were in a must win game at home Sunday night against the Colts. They managed just 3 field goals in a 31-9 rout to remain winless. Veteran QB Kerry Collins (5 TDs, 7 INTs) really hasn’t been that bad and isn’t the problem.

There are too many holes to plug, such as a one-dimensional on offense and a terrible secondary. They had just 245 total yards Sunday night against the Colts, a 31-9 defeat. And the secondary is awful, second worst in the league, allowing 278 yards passing and 27.8 ppg. In a 37-17 loss at Jacksonville, they gave up 442 yards and trailed 27-3 at the half. Making things worse for a secondary that sent three players to the Pro Bowl last season: Their injury issues only mounted, as CB Nick Harper left in the third quarter with a broken forearm Sunday.

So, do you think their offense will be better with Vince Young? Probably not. “Kerry’s not the problem,” Jeff Fisher said. The offense majors in field goals and minors in touchdowns. And they allow tons of passing yards and points to the Peyton Manning’s of the league as well as the David Garrard’s.

You know the Titans will improve offensively. You know the Raiders probably won’t improve offensively, unless they bench this bust of a QB. JaMarcus Russell 1 TDs, 4 picks) has been awful against good defenses and bad ones. He had 18 missed connections in Week 1 and 17 more in Week 2. He threw for 61 yards in a 23-3 home loss to Denver. The Raiders have an astounding three straight weeks with less than 200 yards of offense. Even in that 13-10 win over the Chiefs, they were awful, getting outgained 409-166!

Sunday against the Giants he finished with a quarterback rating of 85.4, or 36.9 points above his previous high. He threw no interceptions and completed 8 of 13 passes for a season-high 61.5 percent. But on the field, Russell looked just about as awful as ever. The numbers might be misleading, but they also scream the truth about the coaching staff's faith in the quarterback. In a blowout, instead of calling for incessant passing to narrow the gap, the coaches allowed Russell to pass 13 times, fewer than in any other game this season.  He took six sacks and fumbled three times. The shuffling of the Raiders' offensive line provided an excuse, but let’s face it: Russell is in his third year as a pro and is getting worse.

The Raiders have pinned themselves in a corner by letting Jeff Garcia walk (who should be starting) and not acquiring a viable backup for Russell. They paid $32 million for Russell to throw the football. Would you? Just be thankful it’s not your money.

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