Here’s a look at the Super Bowl prospects of the Tennessee Titans, who finished the season 9-7.
Titans' Super Bowl barometer: Should contend, but there are question marks.
Assessing the foundation: Jon Robinson showed himself to be a quality personnel man in his first season as general manager. He and Mike Mularkey quickly forged a bond and shared in leading a massive turnaround from 3-13 to 9-7 in one season. Stability is good and so is the core of their roster just one year in. The Titans have an up-and-coming quarterback in Marcus Mariota. Left tackle Taylor Lewan is a Pro Bowl player and right tackle Jack Conklin was All-Pro as a rookie. Both of these tackles stabilize a line that protects Mariota and makes room for a two-headed running back combo in DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. Defensively, they’ve got three solid pass-rushers in Brian Orakpo, Derrick Morgan and Jurrell Casey, who contributor to a pretty good run-defense front. The foundation and the interiors are pretty solid. So is the tough, team-first mindset and identity that Robinson and Mularkey worked really hard to forge.
Judging the quarterback: Mariota made solid progress in his second season and can clearly excel in the Mike Mularkey-Terry Robiskie offense. Mariota had a bad stretch to start the season, then broke his right fibula in the Titans' killer Week 16 loss in Jacksonville. The timetable for him to heal from the surgery, which was needed to insert a plate to stabilize the leg, is four to five months. He needs to keep weight off the leg and use a scooter for the first eight weeks. Mariota is solid in the pocket, and he improved both his deep ball and his ball security as the season progressed. The solid run game protects him and keeps defenses off balance. The Titans feel great about the poised, dedicated leader for their team, and Mariota is completely in line with the team philosophy set up by Robinson and Mularkey.
Realistic ways the Titans can improve their chances to contend for a Super Bowl:
Upgrade at cornerback. The Titans need to revamp a position in which they cut a starter, Perrish Cox, at their late-season bye. They do not have a player equipped to handle opposing receivers who they see often, such as DeAndre Hopkins and T.Y. Hilton. The team gave up a lot of third-and-long conversions, which were killer.
Produce better results in the division. The AFC South is no powerhouse, but the Titans were 2-4 against Indianapolis, Houston and Jacksonville and 7-3 against everybody else, which included wins over playoff teams Detroit, Miami, Green Bay and Kansas City. Poor division play has been a real problem, and it needs fixing.
Threaten more downfield. Precision and dependability are the two things Robinson and Mularkey want most out of their receivers. Mularkey fired his good friend, Bob Bratkowski, after one year coaching the position and hired Frisman Jackson from the college ranks. He was at Temple the past two seasons. The Titans need to give him a dynamic, speedy guy who can be a No. 1 receiver and benefit Rishard Matthews and Tajae Sharpe.