Tennessee Titans History
Similar to Queen Elizabeth, the Tennessee Titans get to celebrate multiple birthdays. There was their original founding in 1960 as a charter member of the AFL. To carry out the metaphor, that would be akin to when Elizabeth was born in 1926. And there is the crowning of them as the Titans in Tennessee, which happened in 1999…
That is the football equivalent of the Queen’s coronation in 1953 and her rebranding as England’s monarch.
The Oilers began in 1960 because Bud Adams, an area oilman, had failed on a number of tries to get an NFL team. So when the AFLÂ formed, he jumped at the chance to get into professional football ownership. An ownership he held until his death in 2013, and is still in his family today.
His new Oilers team was even more successful than he imagined, winning each of the first two AFL Championship Games. They also played in the game in the league’s third season.Â
As an NFL team following the merger, the Oilers were back in the playoffs in the late 1970s, playing in the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979. They lost to the Steelers both times.
The Move to TennesseeÂ
By the mid-1990s the Houston Astrodome was outdated and broken down, so Adams moved the Oilers to Tennessee. Here, they played for two seasons in Memphis as the Oilers, before moving to their permanent home in Nashville. In Nashville, they rebranding as the Titans.
That first year as the Titans they played in Super Bowl XXXIV, but lost to the Rams.
Original Oilers quarterback George Blanda is in the Hall of Fame, as is quarterback Warren Moon. One of the toughest running backs to tackle in history, Earl Campbell, is also there. And offensive tackle Bruce Matthews, who played 19 seasons with the team and was a 14-time Pro Bowler, was enshrined in the Hall of Fame in 2007.
NFL Big Changes from Last Season – Tennessee Titans
The Titans have multiple birthdays like the Queen, but they are led on the field by a King, Derrick Henry. Perhaps the biggest change this season in Tennessee is the return of a fully healthy King Henry. Derrick Henry lost the rushing title to division rival Jonathan Taylor last season.
Helping to pave the way for Henry and the rest of the Titans running backs is an offensive line that features two new starters in 2022. Gone from last season are left guard Roger Saffold and right tackle David Quessenberry. Both are going to the Bills in the offseason. Dillon Radunz moves into the right tackle position, and Aaron Brewer is at the top of the depth chart at left guard.
Lack of Pass Protection
Saffold and Quessenberry were both good run blockers, but abysmal in pass protection. This is where this new line hopes to see the biggest improvement. Tennessee allowed 47 sacks in 2021, which was seventh-most in the league.
If they can keep quarterback Ryan Tannehill upright more often, then the other changes on offense won’t hurt so much. That is the big change at wide receiver with the trade of A.J. Brown to the Eagles. A pressured Tannehill knew that he could always throw the ball Brown’s way and probably still make a plus-play. This season that is a question mark.
Robert Woods has signed with the Titans after injuries derailed his time with the Rams last season. The trade of Brown also netted the Titans a first round draft pick. This was used on Arkansas’s Treylon Burks, a big wide receiver out of Arkansas. If they can fill the shoes of Brown as a tandem, this offense can still be very good.
In the second round they selected cornerback Roger McCreary from Auburn, who should be good insurance if Caleb Farley struggles in his return from a torn ACL.
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