In 2007 B.C. (Before Chris Johnson), the Tennessee Titans finished as the league’s worst team in the all-important category of red zone touchdown percentage.
A year prior to Dash’s arrival, sightings of Rob Bironas on field goal tries seemingly far outnumbered the kicker’s appearances on extra points. To make a long story short, many promising Titan drives ended with threes being added to the scoreboard instead of sixes.
Last year, the Titans’ red zone woes disappeared, thanks to CJ and the re-arrival of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. The team finished second behind only Peyton Manning and the Colts in red zone touchdown efficiency, crossing the goal-line on 28 of their 45 red zone opportunities.
In 2009, I’m expecting continued success from the Titans inside the twenties.
As I alluded to before, Chris Johnson’s presence played a huge role in the Titans’ night and day red zone performances from 2007-2008.
The 2007 squad that was often allergic to scoring touchdowns in the red zone lacked a dynamic weapon such as CJ; a guy who could command the attention of opposing defenses while simultaneously making life miserable for them by serving as a scintillating playmaker.
The memories of CJ’s thrilling rookie season that are etched in our minds mostly involve him making plays that cover long distances. However, a closer look at his debut also reveals the impact he also made via scampers of shorter distances.
Interestingly, seven of Johnson’s eleven total touchdowns (including postseason) took place in the red zone. While serving as a big-play threat, the stats also indicate his effectiveness inside the opposition’s twenty-yard line.
Of course, we can’t talk about the Titans’ vast improvement in the red zone last year without mentioning the re-arrival of Mike Heimerdinger. Dinger’s schemes and playcalling also played a key role in the team’s red zone success in ’08.
In 2009, CJ and Dinger should continue to pave the way for a ton of Titan success in the red zone. However, a couple of new weapons should also contribute to the team’s ability to convert red zone opportunities into touchdowns.
First-round draft pick Kenny Britt has the size and the ability to emerge as an ideal red zone threat. His ability to get past a cornerback’s jam should allow him to be the target of a few Kerry Collins’ fade routes deep in opponents’ territory in ’09.
Fellow rookie Jared Cook also has red zone success written all over him. Dinger is probably drooling about the type of matchup problems Cook can/hopefully will cause for the opposition in the red zone.
As you can see, I’m excited about what should be a continuation of red zone success for the Titans in ’09.
What do you guys think? Will the Titans be an even better red zone unit this season?
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