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Titans have defensive edge
Posted: Friday January 28, 2000 05:45 PM
The Titans' "46" defense matches up well with the Rams' high-powered offense, and that's why I'm picking Tennessee in a low-scoring game, say 17-14. The Rams showed a bit of vulnerability in their 11-6 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Titans won't play a zone defense as the Bucs did in throttling down the Rams, but they'll probably play a loose man-to-man. The Titans will try to use their speed to make the offense earn what it gets by eliminating the big play from the receivers and running back Marshall Faulk. By design, the Titans defense is difficult to run against. But the Rams have to try. That's the only way they can keep the Titans' dangerous pass rush in check. The "46," which lends itself to having eight men in the box, is designed to a) stop the running of Marshall Faulk, and b) feature man-to-man pass coverage. Speaking of man-to-man coverage, the loss of free safety Marcus Robertson is going to be felt by the Titans. Any time you lose a starter, it's going to hurt. But they've got a solid replacement in Anthony Dorsett. He's a four-year player, good on special teams, and he played half the game against the Jaguars. That said, Robertson still was the traffic cop. He checked them in and out of formations and blitz schemes. And when the Rams put their third and fourth wide receivers on the field, it will tax the Titans in their nickel and dime packages. They will be far down the list of defensive backs. Ricky Proehl, the possession receiver who caught six passes for 100 yards and the only touchdown in the Rams championship win, could be the "X factor" again. In the game between the Rams and Titans in October, the Rams employed a four-wide receiver set for 25 snaps and three-wide for 20 snaps. A typical game only has 60-65 offensive plays per team. Whether the Rams come with the same type game plan -- and they were behind in that regular-season meeting -- remains to be seen. But one of the exploitable facets of the game from the Rams perspective is that they are going against a defensive back who hasn't played that much in their nickel and dime packages. I'll be watching to see whether the Rams try to run the ball -- which avoids the dangers of Jevon Kearse sacking the quarterback and stripping the ball. If running doesn't work, then it will be interesting to see what they do with Proehl. It all boils down to a chess game between the Rams' offense and the Titans' defense.
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