55 Final Thoughts On The 2020 Titans

Super Bowl Sunday reflections on Derrick Henry's dominance, a disappointing defense and more.

The Tennessee Titans opened the season with their sights set on Super Bowl LV.

Ultimately, they were relegated to spectators along with most of the rest of the world Sunday.

So, here is one final look back with 55 thoughts on the 2020 Titans.

1. Derrick Henry was worth every penny. Enough said.

2. It is astonishing to think that as good as the offense was and as many points as it scored, opponents actually outgained the Titans by 29 yards on the season (6,343 yards for, 6,372 yards against).

3. Forget the traditional notion of trying to keep it close and win games late. The Titans were 10-1 when they scored first, 1-4 when the other team scored first.

4. No story created better feelings than that of David Quessenberry, a cancer survivor who started the final six games at left tackle and finally showed – seven years after he was drafted – that he belongs in the NFL.

5. It would be wrong to say that untitled coordinator Shane Bowen was to blame for all of the issues on defense. Yet it was hard to see anything he did that minimized or covered up the shortcomings of that unit.

6. Jeffery Simmons’ pre-draft knee injury and subsequent surgery is one of the best things that ever happened to Tennessee. It is clear now why many draft analysts believed he would have been a top five overall pick in 2019 had he been healthy.

7. As good as he has been through his first two seasons, A.J. Brown’s best is yet to come. That thought should provide Titans fans comfort throughout the offseason.

8. When all is said and done, the debate about which 2019 draft pick was this team’s best won’t be limited Simmons (first round) and Brown (second round). Nate Davis (third round), now settled as the starting right guard, will deserve consideration as well.

9. The jury is still out on Logan Woodside as the backup quarterback. He never got any meaningful snaps on offense and his only completion came on a fake punt.

10. Just when you think you have Mike Vrabel’s coaching style figured out, he punts early against Green Bay and late in the playoff loss to Baltimore. And the head scratching continues.

11. The fact that safety Dane Cruickshank played just two games was a big deal for the defense. He does not fill a traditional position but can do a lot of things in terms of matchups that help that unit.

12. Stephen Gostkowski never really put people at ease after the 2019 kicking catastrophe, but the decision to sign him was the right one.

13. Three games without him showed just how good punter Brett Kern is and just how important he is to the Titans.

14. From Beau Brinkley being sidelined by COVID to the additions of Matt Orzech and Matt Overton to Brinkley’s struggles and subsequent release and the process of settling on Overton for that role, long snapper never has been so interesting.

15. Defensive lineman Matt Dickerson remains one of the team’s biggest mysteries. Undrafted out of UCLA in 2018, he has spent three full seasons on the active roster but has appeared in just 18 games, 10 of them this season.

16. It was nice to be one of the NFL’s final two 5-0 teams, but it was better to be one of the final two AFC teams playing in the previous season. It seems Vrabel is correct when he says it is important that a team gets better as it goes.

17. Desmond King offered a clinic on how to fit it – and fit in quickly – with a new team.

18. Watching an opposing defense wilt as Henry gets handoff after handoff after handoff never gets old.

19. D’Onta Foreman showed that it is more important to have a reasonable facsimile of Henry at backup running back than it is to have a change-of-pace back.

20. Adoreé Jackson will be one of the most-watched players on defense in 2021. People will want to try to figure out how much of a difference he could have made in 2020 had he been healthy.

21. When you take into account his past, the excitement that surrounded his signing and what they ultimately got out of him, Jadeveon Clowney surpassed the likes of guard Andy Levitre, cornerback DeRon Jenkins and defensive end Shaun Phillips as the most disappointing free agent addition of the Titans era (1999-present).

22. It wouldn’t have solved everything, but it would have been a lot easier on the defense if management simply had re-signed cornerback Logan Ryan.

23. Ben Jones’ ability to play – and play well – despite injuries never should be taken for granted. His constant presence and performance at a position too often overlooked is of great value to this team.

24. Numbers never will tell the story of what DaQuan Jones has meant to Tennessee, and he will go down as one of the most underappreciated players in franchise history.

25. An argument can be made that undrafted wide receiver Nick Westbrook-Ikhine was Tennessee’s rookie of the year given that he played more snaps than any of the draft picks (157 each on offense and special teams) and made a handful of big plays at big times.

26. Westbrook-Ikhine was not the only undrafted rookie who made an impact. Offensive lineman Aaron Brewer and defensive lineman Teair Tart also look as if they could have futures with the franchise and could help offset whatever deficiencies result from a thus-far-underwhelming draft class.

27. Among the members of the 2020 draft class, third-round pick Darrynton Evans currently ranks as the most intriguing. He did not get much of an opportunity to show what he could do, but what he showed definitely created a desire for more.

28. When Daren Bates’ playing career ends, the Titans might want to consider hiring him to be Nissan Stadium’s hype master. No doubt, he would welcome the opportunity to get 65,000-plus fans pumped up.

29. Good thing this team wasn’t in the AFC North. It lost to all four of that division’s teams, Pittsburgh, Cleveland and Cincinnati in the regular season and Baltimore in the playoffs.

30. The 31-20 loss to Cincinnati, a game the Bengals played with an offensive line made up almost entirely of backups, still makes no sense.

31. One of the real joys of watching the Titans these days is to see what way Vrabel devises next to manipulate the rules in his team’s favor.

32. Remember when Jon Robinson acquired Ryan Tannehill for next to nothing and even got his former team (Miami) to pay most of his salary for a year? Now, that was a good deal.

33. People like to reference Tannehill’s background as a wide receiver, but it seems he could just as easily have been a running back. The quarterback had seven rushing touchdowns. Over the last 10 seasons, the only Titans who have had more in a season were Henry (three times) and DeMarco Murray (once).

34. It is not likely that Tannehill ever will be an NFL MVP, but no Tennessee quarterback has given the fan base so much reason to believe late in close games since Steve McNair.

35. Dennis Kelly obviously cherished his opportunity to be a starter. After seven NFL seasons as primarily a backup, he managed to start all 16 games despite injury issues that severely limited his ability to practice late in the year.

36. Inside linebacker Jayon Brown has shown during the last two years that he can play. He has not, however, shown that he can hold up all the way to the end of a 16-game season, and as everyone knows, a player’s most important ability is availability.

37. There is this unmistakable feeling that the playbook includes a number of ways to give fullback Khari Blasingame the ball that have yet to be used.

38. Rashaan Evans’ penalty issues were among the most unlikely developments. After all, the guy had been flagged just three times in his first two seasons combined.

39. Kalif Raymond may not be the NFL’s best punt returner but give the guy credit. He is not back there just to call for a fair catch. He is determined to get what he can out of every opportunity.

40. Believe it or not, Brown did not lead the team in every receiving category. Corey Davis actually topped him in 100-yard games. Davis had five. Brown had four.

41. Speaking of Davis, when you pick a guy fifth overall you expect him to step in and be a star. That was not Davis. But give him credit for the fact that he never felt as if he arrived and has consistently improved over the past four seasons.

42. The fact that the offense continued to produce, and that Henry got to 2,000 yards even after Taylor Lewan was lost for the season in the fifth game might prompt management to take a close look at his contract, which has three years remaining.

43. Then again, it is not a coincidence tight end Jonnu Smith averaged 4.5 receptions in the four full games Lewan played and 2.1 in his other 11 appearances. Just think about the numbers he would have put up had he not been needed to help in pass protection with backups at left tackle.

44. Remember when folks questioned whether the Titans wasted money when they signed left guard Rodger Saffold to a big free agent contract? Those days are gone.

45. Running back Jeremy McNichols showed that a focus on the little things (pass blocking, in his case) can make a big difference for a guy in search of an opportunity.

46. Just imagine what this offense could do if it ever has a slot receiver who is healthy and productive enough to take advantage of the space created by defenses focused on Henry and/or Brown, whether that is Adam Humphries or someone else.

47. Humphries’ first NFL injury, by the way, was a concussion in 2016. His latest was a concussion that ended his 2020 season early. He has to seriously think about his future in the game.

48. Kamalei Correa’s disappointment regarding decreased playing time was understandable. But had he not requested a trade, he would have gotten his opportunity and probably would have helped the defense in some way.

49. Cornerback Breon Borders will have to earn his roster spot again in 2021. Based on what he showed on the practice field and in games in 2020, he will not shy away from that challenge.

50. If there was an award for Overtime MVP, Henry would be the unanimous winner.

51. It is wrong to say that Isaiah Wilson is on his way to becoming the next Pacman Jones. Jones made you angry. Wilson makes you sad.

52. There seems to be a direct correlation between safety Kevin Byard’s interception numbers and the defense’s sack totals. The fact that he only had one pick this season is not a reflection of his overall performance.

53. Maybe in 2021 coaches can test their theory that less is more for outside linebacker Harold Landry. As it turned out, he played even more snaps (1,048) and a higher percentage of snaps (93.7) on defense than he did in 2019.

54. Every team makes mistakes when it comes to free agents. But it is difficult to understand how Robinson and Co. could have been so wrong about Vic Beasley.

55. Coaches and personnel people across the NFL can talk all they want about the prototypical modern running back, the smaller, shifty guys who factor prominently in the passing game. The truth is they all wish they had a guy like Henry.