NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- On Dec. 22, 2012, Tennessee Titans backup guard Mitch Petrus was in a cab that was in an accident the night before the Titans played the Packers in Green Bay.
He was able to play the next day, and the Titans were relieved. That Tennessee exhaled because Petrus could play was a sign of the times.
The Titans played three reserve offensive linemen against the Packers -- Petrus at left guard, Deuce Lutui at right guard and Byron Stingily at right tackle.
In a 55-7 loss, the Titans yielded seven sacks.
The three injured starters would have been better, of course, but they weren’t great in 2012: left guard Steve Hutchinson was in the final year of an illustrious career and fading; right guard Leroy Harris was a player coaches liked who was never particularly good; right tackle David Stewart's best play was behind before he broke his leg.
That game seemed a turning point in the thinking of first-year general manager Ruston Webster, who began to put a different level of cash and draft-pick resources into the line.
It’s work that has failed in terms of protecting the quarterback.
From the start of 2013, the Titans have allowed 107 sacks, 24th in the NFL, per ESPN Stats and Info.
From the start of 2013, the sack-per-pass attempt rate against the Titans is 8.8 percent, 26th in the NFL.
Petrus and Lutui were out of the league in 2013, and Hutchinson retired, starting the clock on his five-year wait for Hall of Fame consideration for his work in Seattle and Minnesota.
In 2013, the Titans brought 16 new offensive linemen through Nashville.
Free-agent guard Andy Levitre, first-round pick Chance Warmack and fourth-round pick Brian Schwenke were the headliners.
Others had significant experience: Rob Turner, Chris Spencer, Pat McQuistan and, later during the season, a return for Kevin Matthews.
Some were practice-squad caliber: Al Netter, Jeff Adams, Oscar Johnson and Tyler Horn.
Some were bottom of the 80-man roster type, highly unlikely to solve problems. Apologies to Eloy Atkinson and Barry Richardson.
Was there a single solution in the bunch?
Warmack should still be at least a very good NFL player, but he’s not turned into the dominant guard the Titans expected when they spent a first-round pick on him.
Levitre busted, lasing only two years, though he’s now playing well for the Falcons, the Titans' next opponent.
Schwenke just dislocated his ankle, and at season’s end he will have missed 16 of 32 games in his two years as the unquestioned starter.
Over the course of 2014 the team brought in 10 new linemen.
Veteran right tackle Michael Oher was a surly, unproductive disaster. First-round pick Taylor Lewan looks to be a good player, but in his second season he can’t get his penalties under control. Will Svitek, Terren Jones and Jamon Meredith were all called into action in another injury-plagued season, and all struggled.
Nobody is going to have a good fourth or fifth offensive tackle, and part of the Titans' line struggles have been the result of injuries that force lesser players like those into action.
In 2015 the Titans have brought in eight linemen, including Fernando Velasco after time away when they were hit by big injuries at center. (He didn’t make the team.)
Byron Bell is starting at left guard, where he’s better than Levitre, who hardly set a high standard. Third-rounder Jeremiah Poutasi is the starting right tackle, and he struggled so badly against high-quality pass-rusher Cameron Wake that he was benched against Miami and Wake won AFC defensive player of the week. Rookie Andy Gallik is about to take over for Schwenke.
Whether it’s a banged-up Marcus Mariota or backup Zach Mettenberger taking snaps Sunday, the Titans have to protect better.
It’s a too-familiar refrain, and one that 34 different guys over three seasons haven’t done enough to solve.
It is player performance, it is player selection and it is coaching.
And it is, quite frankly, still a mess.
