While most of the national media is once again overlooking the Tennessee Titans for this coming season, ESPN’s Mike Greenberg continues to be a staunch believer in the team.
Greenberg has already voiced his support for quarterback Ryan Tannehill to get more respect after his own network, ESPN, ranked Tannehill outside the top 10 in its quarterback rankings, which were based on the opinions of 50 players, coaches, scouts and executives.
Greenberg was back at it showing his support for the Titans in an episode of ESPN’s “Get Up,” saying Tennessee will win the AFC if the Kansas City Chiefs don’t.
Of course, he was met with objection from two of the analysts, but that didn’t stop him from going in on his take, and he did get some backing from former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum, who likes what the Titans did on defense.
Check out the videos of the exchange below (H/T @TitansDraftTape on Twitter for the find and video).
The argument of trusting Josh Allen, Baker Mayfield & Lamar Jackson over Ryan Tannehill in the playoffs is an odd one.
Playoff wins:
Tannehill – 2
Allen – 2
Mayfield – 1
Jackson – 1 pic.twitter.com/JA9wWTjNKR— Wes on Broadway (@TitansDraftTape) August 9, 2021
Preach!
We totally agree with Greenberg. The Titans simply aren’t getting enough respect as a potential Super Bowl contender — and they should.
Lest we forget the Titans were in the AFC Championship Game two years ago and were still able to make the playoffs in 2020 despite having a terrible defense that couldn’t stop a nosebleed, especially on third downs.
Tennessee should be improved in that area in 2021 after a massive overhaul saw the additions of outside linebacker Bud Dupree, defensive lineman Denico Autry, and cornerbacks Caleb Farley and Janoris Jenkins.
If nothing else, the Titans couldn’t possibly be worse than they were on that side of the ball last year. Not to mention, Tennessee’s offense has shown it’s capable of carrying the team on its back, so the Titans can make some noise even if there isn’t a vast improvement defensively.
And speaking of the offense: it has been elite the past two seasons and stands to be even better with the additions of wide receivers Julio Jones and Josh Reynolds, both of whom provide upgrades to the passing attack.
With Jones, Reynolds and A.J. Brown in the mix, and if Tannehill continues playing at a high level, the Titans now have a passing game that can carry the offense when Derrick Henry isn’t going off, something the team hasn’t been able to do in their last two playoff losses.
Defenses having to account for Jones, Brown and Henry all at the same time will be a problem. This offense has all-time great potential.
At the very least, the Titans, who were already favorites to win the division in our eyes, are setup to easily win the AFC South if the injuries to two key Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Carson Wentz and left guard Quenton Nelson, last into the season.
However, they are very capable of doing much more than that in 2021.
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