NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- The Titans are investing $29,548,757 in cash in their offensive line this season.
For that, through six games, they’ve got the NFL’s 14th-ranked rush game and they rank 29th in sacks per pass play.
Those might be simple measures, and they aren’t tied exclusively to offensive line play. But a team with an offensive line performing well should rank higher in both categories.
Only four teams are spending more cash on their offensive lines (in terms of cap numbers, the Titans are seventh.)
Combine the run rank and the sack-per-pass-play rank of the top five teams in the offensive line cash payment list, and the Titans are getting the worst bang for their buck. The Rams, 19th in rushing and 21st in sacks-per-pass-play are second worst.
In three years while the Titans were coached by a Hall of Fame offensive lineman, Mike Munchak, and the offensive line was coached by Hall of Fame offensive lineman Bruce Matthews, we heard a lot about the time the line needed to jell.
Ken Whisenhunt isn't saying the group needs more time and is pledging that things will get better.
“I think we have to do a better job in the run game,” he said after the Titans 16-14 win over Jacksonville at LP Field. “We just completely blew a couple of plays. Once again, it’s a communication thing. That’s where we can’t make those mistakes. We’ll get better with that. We’ll work this group, and we’ll get chance to work on that this week.”
It was the first start for Taylor Lewan at left tackle after the season-ending knee injury to Michael Roos. A first-round pick who has been playing a little should be plugged into communication and ready to go by Week 6.
I’ll ask Whisenhunt for more detail later Monday, but I’m baffled by the regularity of such communication failures at this stage.
The Titans have invested a great deal in their line. Their last two first-round picks are starters in Lewan and right guard Chance Warmack. Left guard Andy Levitre got a monster contract as a free-agent addition in 2013. Right tackle Michael Oher came to Nashville this season for a significant free-agent deal.
Only center Brian Schwenke, a fourth-round pick in 2013, lacks a premier pedigree.
Changes or not, this line is past due to lead a run game that’s better than the Titans have fielded and to protect whichever quarterback is in the game better than they have.
“It’s seeing the look,” he said. “You have rules for your pass plays and defenses can bring certain things that beat the rules, so your rules may not work for that. And so you study those plays and you alter a little bit for it. It’s a thing with recognition, seeing what’s happening, knowing what’s happening and reacting. I think that’s the biggest thing.”
