Titans vs Jets: Questions with the enemy

For the upcoming Titans vs Jets game, we at The Jet Press sat with Editor Les Bailey of Titan Sized to get his thoughts on this Week 14 match-up.

One of the awesome perks of FanSided is getting to network with true experts on any team you can think of. I recently had the privilege to sit with Les Bailey of TitanSized.com to get his thoughts on a this week’s match-up between the Titans and Jets.

If you’d like to see the Q&A I had with him over at his awesome website, the direct link is here. Without further adieu, enjoy!

LTJ – Despite being 3-9 so far this season, it’s often misleading because the Titans have lost a few very close games. Would you say that’s the main reason they’re at the bottom of the AFC South?

LB – The Titans have lost five games by less than a touchdown and an extra point and three of those losses came before Ken Whisenhunt was canned. Wiz just couldn’t ever make a commitment to the running game. With only one playmaker in the passing game(Delanie Walker) and no one who could provide a deep threat made the Titans very predictable and left them unable to score. The close losses came from great performances by the defense when they were able to get pressure on the opposing QB’s and take the pressure off the questionable secondary.

LTJ – Do you feel the Titans made the absolute best choice in drafting Marcus Mariota considering that Zach Mettenberger played pretty well for you guys last season? Any regrets?

LB – Even with two starts this year, Zach Mettenberger still has no wins in the NFL.  Many of the fans were irate when the Titans took Mariota in the draft instead of Leonard Williams, including Zach but Ken Whisenhunt and GM Ruston Webster made the right call here. Mett has a big arm and is a Brett Favre type of gunslinger who throws a lot of interceptions at the worst possible times and is not mobile. With a young team who has big needs on the offensive line and no running game, you need a mobile quarterback who can make plays with their legs when needed. Marcus Mariota was the perfect fit.

LTJ – What should fans of the Jets expect from the Titans in this match-up? Besides Mariota, who should fans keep an eye on?

LB – Harry Douglas and Kendall Wright have been ok for the short passing game and it has taken the season to this point to get Dorial Green-Beckham comfortable in a pro-style offense. Green-Beckham had a break-out game last week against the Jaguars with five catches for 119 yards and a touchdown. Even in limited playing time this year, he leads this team in yards per catch. With his limited playing time this year and sitting out all last year at Oklahoma, he has not hit the “rookie wall”, and if the Titans are to beat the Jets on Sunday, they will need a big day from Dorial Green-Beckham. The real threat for the Jets will be the Mariota to Delanie Walker connection that has worked all season and keeping Mariota contained will be the defense’s number one priority.

Dec 6, 2015; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans receiver Dorial Green-Beckham (17) dives into the end zone to score a touchdown after a reception during the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Nissan Stadium. The Titans won 42-39. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

LTJ – How does it feel to see Fitzpatrick have so much success with the Jets considering he was with you guys about two years ago for one sub-par season?

LB – Ryan Fitzpatrick had some tools to work with when he was in Music City. He got over a thousand yards out of Chris Johnson on the ground, and Kendall Wright in the air, but like his time in New York, he was a gap quarterback with Jake Locker waiting in the wings. There are still a lot of players on this Titans team who were here when Fitz was under center and have faced him on the practice field That may be an advantage for this team.

LTJ – Will the Titans’ defense be able to keep up with the high-octane offense of the Jets?

LB – The game last week with the Jags turned into a shootout because it was one of the few games where the Titans defense was unable to get any pressure on Blake Bortles, and Allen Robinson was able to burn the Titans questionable secondary. If they can return to getting pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick, who is not as mobile as Bortles, it could be a long day for the home team. That will be the only way the Titans can neutralize Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker.

Next: Gang Green is in a must-win situation against Titans

LTJ – Final score and MVP?

LB –  Think Antonio Andrews has a good day on the ground and opens up the play action passing game for Delanie Walker and Dorial Green-Beckham. Derrick Morgan returns to the lineup this week and along with Brian Orakpo, put enough pressure on Ryan Fitzpatrick to keep him on the run. The Dick LeBeau defense is the MVP in this one and the Titans win a road game 31-24.