FIRST QUARTER
While we're waiting for the stupid Texans-Panthers game to never end, the game in Seattle starts off with a bang: Nate Washington dives but bobbles a poor out pass away to Brandon Browner, who returns the gift for a pick-six. Yeah, not really a flying start for the Titans. Seahawks 7, Titans 0
We're now watching the stupid Texans-Panthers game to have its second review in about ten seconds. NFL Network, there's 1:38 left, Houston is up 13 and will probably keep the ball... switch the game.
Houston is just running the ball up the middle, NFL Network... switch the game. Glad I'm not a Seattle or Tennessee fan here.
Houston is kneeling the game out, NFL Network... Switch. The. Game!
No, we get every precious second of a game that was over for the fifteen minutes it was on and pre-empting another game just starting. Thanks, NFL Network!
Ehh, nothing really happened anyway. Chris Johnson ran all over the place for 8 and Washington caught a first down, but two screen passes fail after that to force the punt. Red Bryant broke up the first and Johnson brutally dropped the second.
Matt Flynn starts for Seattle. Ha, we miss a first down while NFL Network has technical difficulties. Hold the Skittles tonight, but Seattle won't need Marshawn Lynch the way Leon Washington is running. 3 carries for 26 early, 9 after a strong blitz pickup by Michael Robinson. Rocked-up Robert Turbin also gets some action, with Flynn completing nothing but short, quick stuff. When Seattle makes the red zone, the Titans stiffen up, and Carl Klug bull-rushed LG Breno Giacomini for a coverage sack of Flynn to force a Steven Hauschka FG. Seahawks 10, Titans 0
Kam Chancellor stuffs Johnson for 2 but gets beat by Jared Cook for 18 on a crossfield route. Two completions to Washington get Tennessee across midfield even though it looked like he bobbled the first one while going out of bounds. A no-doubt motivated Jason Jones draws one of the more obvious holds this preseason, so obvious this year's replacement refs even call it. Matt Hasselbeck tries to bomb away from midfield, but Wright isn't remotely open and Richard Sherman picks the pass off inside the 10.
SECOND QUARTER
Flynn fires a nice sideline pass to Zach Miller for 9, and Turbin dances and drives up the middle for 5. Rollout pass to Miller gains 14 more but may be the play where Miller suffered his concussion. Flynn seems to have Ben Obamanu wide open the next play, but underthrows and gets picked off by Colin McCarthy. Titans in business at the SEA32.
Hasselbeck's reunion appearance in Seattle is over; now it's Jake Locker's turn. Safety Chris Maragos stuffs Johnson for a loss, then what is most certainly an intended flanker option pass with Latrell Hawkins is blown up by Mike Morgan for a 10-yard loss. Seems like he should get a sack for that. Johnson drops yet another screen pass to force the punt and tumble down my early fantasy football draft projections. That's mainly Titan starters looking dysfunctional against Seattle's second unit defense.
Flynn's apparently going to get the entire first half, but the last 10:00 is going to be with the #2 offense. Former Rams update: that #2 offense includes Alex Barron at right tackle. Seattle gets one first down before Klug swoops in on Turbin for a big loss, and Jones smokes, yes, Barron for a sack of Flynn, though the center appeared to snap the ball early and Flynn had to fall on it to avoid losing it.
Locker guns to Wright for a quick 15 across midfield. Damian Williams makes a tough catch on 1st down but can't duplicate it on 3rd down. Tennessee goes for it on 4th-and-4, but Locker overthrows Williams on an out route to turn the ball over.
Flynn has plenty of time on first down but still gets sacked by Zach Clayton, so thing #1 to note about Matt Flynn as a starting QB is: he's not real smart about getting rid of the ball. Turbin gets a lot back with a run around left end but Anthony McCoy ends the drive at midfield with a bad drop.
5:00 till halftime, Titans at their own 6. Javon Ringer gets them out of the hole with a 20-yard run through a huge hole created by overpursuit by LBs Malcolm Smith and Bobby Wagner. Locker steps up in the pocket and hits Wright for 13. Nice completion to Marc Mariani across midfield at the 2:00 warning, with rookie Bruce Irvin generating no pass pressure working against Mike Otto. Locker has looked very composed tonight. Locker beats a blitz with a quick screen to Ringer, who had lined up wide left, and that gains 11. Locker steps up out of pressure from Irvin and hits Wright down to the SEA16. Edge rush flushes Locker again and he fires at Taylor Thompson's feet in the end zone on 2nd down, and Clinton McDonald swats down a pass on 3rd down to force a Rob Bironas FG. Seahawks 10, Titans 3 Irvin hasn't gotten a hand on the QB yet, but is pretty consistently beating Otto and breaking down the pocket using his speed, bookending Dexter Davis on the right side.
Seattle doesn't try to do anything in the final 0:25 and we go to halftime.
THIRD QUARTER
Is Russell Wilson getting the whole second half for Seattle? Maybe they have only two QBs after all. That is to say, none. (Tennessee, btw, looks like they have one QB: Locker.) After one drive, though, we may have a QB controversy in Seattle. Wilson keeps the drive alive a couple of times with completions after scrambling out of trouble, and gets the Seahawks a quick TD with a 39-yard TD pass to Braylon Edwards, who wins a jump ball with Tommie Campbell. Seahawks 17, Titans 3
Former Rams update: Leger "DOOZER" Douzable rotating in at DT for the Titans that last drive.
New Titans backfield is Rusty Smith and Jamie Harper. Harper proves hard to tackle on 3 carries that cover about 20 yards, which loosens up the Seattle defense for Smith to bomb to Mariani, beating double coverage for 40. Perfect throw by Smith. Super edge blocking by TE Cameron Graham and someone named Byron Stingily spring Darius Reynaud for a 21-yard TD run around left end. Seahawks 17, Titans 10
Please tell me that was - YES IT WAS - FALSE START, ALEX BARRON. And, viva preseason, the left tackle jumps two plays later. Wilson runs out of magic and can only scramble for a few on 3rd-and-long.
Reynaud makes a major push for player of the game with an 84-yard punt return, to the boos of those great Seattle fans. Tennessee did an excellent job picking off the gunners and sealed the edge nicely, with Seattle's interior coverage showing no speed whatsoever to get outside after him before he hit the edge. Seahawks 17, Titans 17
Wilson gets the Seahawks moving again with a couple of completions, both from the pocket and from his usual situation, on the run. He then electrifies the crowd with a 20-yard scramble, undressing fellow rookie Zack Brown at midfield. Titans pressure, and a block-in-the-back penalty on Edwards at the end of the scramble, limit the damage from there.
FOURTH QUARTER
Big 3-and-out for Seattle with Tennessee pinned at their goal line. They stuff Harper, sack Smith after he holds the ball far too long waiting for deep routes to develop, the crowd draws a false start, and Seattle nearly stuffs the 3rd-and-long we-surrender handoff for a safety. Terrible punt barely even makes the 30, so Seattle's already in FG position to start their next drive.
Tyrell Sutton doesn't get the Seahawks much of anywhere in three touches, so with that golden field position, they settle for another Hauschka chippie. Seahawks 20, Titans 17
Taylor Thompson, a defensive end pretending to be a tight end, gets stripped by Heath Farwell on Tennessee's next play. The turnover sets the Seahawks up at the 12-yard line.
Where Wilson throws a bad interception in the end zone the next play. Viva preseason! Former Ram update: interception by Zac Diles. So, the Titans actually gained a couple of yards on that exchange.
OK, so who is the Connie Britton-on-steroids they have co-hosting "NFL A.M.?" And why do they have her posing like a body builder on all of her stand-ups?
Titans go nowhere fast until Smith beats a 3rd-and-long blitz and hits Thompson out to the 35. Smith beats another blitz to hit James Kirkendoll at midfield. James T. Kirkendoll? Herb Donaldson churns out a determined 7-yard run and adds another 20 on a backside screen to put the Titans at the SEA31. DPI on Jeremy Lane moves them down to the 14, but Seattle goes into shutdown mode there. Greg Scruggs blows up Kyle Devan to trip up Reynaud for a 4-yard loss, and put too much pressure on Smith for him to get anything done from there. Mike Munchak then UNCONSCIONABLY goes for the tying FG in preseason with under 5:00 left, and pays for it karmically as backup kicker Will Batson misses the chip shot wide right. Never settle for less than the best, kids. Also: Will Batson, appearing on a waiver wire near you very soon.
Kregg Lumpkin helps Seattle burn 2 minutes with a 10-yard run and an elusive run with a dumpoff pass for 15 before Munchak starts expending his timeouts. Seattle's across the TEN40 quickly, and a 3rd-and-2 with 2:30 left will likely decide the game here. Nifty call by Seattle, running the bootleg screen the Rams worked a couple of times against Kansas City. Faked a run left, rolled Wilson right and he hit Sean McGrath for the first down. 2nd-and-8 at the 2:00 warning.
And it's over. With Tennessee stuffing nine in the box and screaming blitz to boot, Seattle fakes a run right, Wilson bootlegs left and files almost all alone down the sideline for a 32-yard TD. Good downfield block by WR Charly Martin to make the TD a sure thing. Seattle 27, Tennessee 17
The Titans actually change QBs for the final 2:00, to Nick Stephens, but can only make it to midfield before time expires.
Postgame show:
What have we learned:
Well, what we haven't learned is who Seattle's starting QB is going to be. Wilson's solid performance, and Pete Carroll's curious refusal to commit to his $20 million QB, have left that door open. The running game will start the season in flux, too, with Lynch likely to be suspended at some point. Washington looked like he can do the job. When you saw Turbin at the Combine, he looked like the Incredible Hulk, but I don't think I saw him break a single tackle tonight, so Hulk smash, not so much. WR's in flux, too. Seattle's offense is all fluxed up. A lot of moving pieces still to come together. Can't say I saw any defensive weaknesses. They stuffed the run and their secondary made plays. I've learned who I think Tennessee's starting QB should be, and it's Jake Locker. Hasselbeck was dysfunctional out there, and took Chris Johnson down with him. In fact, Johnson looks like a hot mess right now, and I think the Titans have to go to the mobile Locker so defenses can't continue to key on Johnson.
Player of the game:
Anything that keeps QB controversies alive in our division is fine by me, so it's Wilson, who threw for a TD, ran for a TD and had 180+ yards total offense.
Up next:
Probably the Chiefs' preseason opener against the Big Dead. That'll be the last Week 1 game I do, assuming I even get that far. Hey, I'm doing better than last year.
-$-
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