In both 2018 and 2019, the Titans’ defense ranked 18th in Football Outsiders’ DVOA metrics — not great, but good enough to get the team into the 2019 AFC Championship game after turning Tom Brady’s final throw with the Patriots into a pick-six, and confusing the living heck out of Lamar Jackson before it ran into Patrick Mahomes. Under defensive coordinator Dean Pees, Tennessee’s defense was highly multiple, especially in coverage, and it worked well enough to make the Titans a Super Bowl contender.
After Pees’ retirement, the 2020 Titans had a mish-mash of defensive coaches — outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen and inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett among them — but no real alpha dog at defensive coordinator. As you would expect, this did not go well at all. The Titans slipped to 29th in Defensive DVOA, allowed more touchdown passes (36) than any team not named the Detroit Lions, and allowed an opponent QBR of 99.4, eighth-worst in the league. They could not keep Lamar Jackson in check this time in the wild-card round, and that was it for their 2020 season. Derrick Henry’s 2,000-yard season, and the exploits of an explosive passing offense, were wasted on a defense that really couldn’t stop anyone.
Tennessee added pass-rushers Bud Dupree and Denico Autry in free agency, and defensive backs Caleb Farley and Elijah Molden in the draft, and made Bowen the official defensive coordinator. As safety Kevin Byard said on the most recent episode of the Touchdown Wire NFL Podcast, there are all kinds of reasons to believe in a defensive turnaround in 2021.
“Honestly, I think it was a multitude of a lot of different things.” Byard said when I asked him what went wrong last season. “Personnel at times. I think a lot of it had to do with a lack of coordination within the defense. If it was the pass rush, and the coverage on the back end. I think one of the biggest issues last year were our third-down woes. When you talk about being a great defense, great defenses are great on third downs. When it’s third-and-medium, third-and-long, as a defense in this room, we are supposed to win in that scenario. Last season, too many times, we didn’t get off the field on third-and-long. When that happens, you get longer drives by the offense, more yards, and more points. So, I think as a defense this year, that’s been our biggest emphasis — being coordinated on third down with the pass rush and the secondary. If we can get off the field on third down better than last year, our defensive stats are going to rise dramatically. I hope that will take us over the top with the explosive offense we have.”
Byard is on point here. Last season, the Titans ranked 29th in Defensive DVOA overall on third and fourth downs. They ranked 27th in third- and fourth-and short situations, 16th in middle-distance situations, and 30th in third- and fourth-and long situations, ahead of only the Raiders and Chargers. In 2019, they ranked seventh in third- and fourth-down defense.
Byard also said that an unclear picture regarding the defensive coordinator position did not help matters at all — especially with a season that really didn’t have a preseason. Someone has to be the alpha in the room who can see things from a 30,000-foot view.
“Shane ran the meetings. Shane called the plays last year. As far as having the defensive coordinator title, that’s good for him. Because guys now understand, it’s like, ‘Hey, this is the top guy on defense. Going into last season, before the season started with COVID and everything, we didn’t know who the defensive coordinator was going to be. I knew Shane would be calling the plays, and as the year went on, I knew Shane was going to be the defensive coordinator. But he didn’t have the title then. With him having the defensive coordinator title, I’m pretty sure it’s given him more time to not be so focused on positions, but the entire defense, which should help him out a lot.”
Byard sounds optimistic about his own 2021 performance as well. Metrics for safety play are generally dicey because they don’t cover deep responsibilities as accurately as you’d like and they don’t account for sub-par cornerback play, but Byard had just one interception last season, and that’s not where a guy who had so many picks in his first four seasons wants to be.
Since 2017, safety Kevin Byard leads the @NFL with 16 interceptions.
RETWEET to send @KB31_Era to the Pro Bowl #ProBowlVote pic.twitter.com/GSD3oC8t1e
— Tennessee Titans (@Titans) December 7, 2019
Byard also allowed 37 catches on 51 targets for 409 yards, 160 yards after the catch, three touchdowns, and an opponent passer rating of 107.4 — the only time in his NFL career that he’s allowed an opponent passer rating over 100 through a season in his career. Byard had 17 picks from 2016 through 2019; only Marcus Peters (18) had more over that time, and Tre Boston finished second among NFL safeties in that period with 13 picks.
“The No. 1 stat for a DB is interceptions, as far as what people look at. And that’s super-important. I’m a big believer in turning the ball over. The more turnovers you get, the better you are as a defense. Last year, the opportunities weren’t there as much. I still had seven pass deflections, which is pretty high. I led the defense in tackles, which usually isn’t a good thing when a safety leads the team in tackles, but I’m just doing what I can to help my defense. If I need to get a guy on the ground, I’m going to get a guy on the ground. I’m just hoping that with a great pass rush, and being really great on third down, those opportunities will come. Honestly, I’m not concerned about the numbers as far as interceptions. I’ve always been a guy who gets interceptions. I had 19 picks in college, and 18 in my NFL career.
“They’ll come. But I’m just super-excited about getting back out there and making some plays for my defense. I don’t feel that I played up to my standard — not the media’s standard or the fans’ standard, but my standard. I’m excited to go out there and prove myself right.”
If Byard is able to do that in a more defined defense, the Titans would appear to have everything else to make another deep playoff run. Without that defensive uptick? Well, the AFC is loaded at the top, and it doesn’t take much for even good teams to get lost in the truth of that.