I know. When I tell you that, in order to properly discuss the upcoming Week 10 matchup between the Buffalo Bills and the Tennessee Titans, we need to talk to the lead blogger over at Music City Miracles, that blog name alone causes you to pop an aneurysm or experience a rage blackout.
Unfortunately, Jimmy - aforementioned lead blogger and man behind that no-longer-spoken-in-these-parts evil blog name - is a pretty cool dude, so it's tough to hold that name against him for too long. Our resident Titans blogger was kind enough to answer some questions about his favorite team in anticipation of this weekend's game. Off we go.
Obviously, Chris Johnson is probably the most dynamic offensive threat in the league. What do you perceive as the best way to minimize his impact on a game?
Get a big lead. That is really the only way they aren't going to keep feeding him the ball, and that might not even work. The thing that is so amazing about CJ is that you can bottle him up for five carries - he actually leads the league in carries for loss - but he can go for 80 in the blink of an eye.
I think the biggest disadvantage the Bills will have against him is that they won't have any idea how fast he really is until they see it on the field. You can watch all the tape you want, but it is different live, and there really isn't any way to simulate it in practice.
Kerry Collins signed a two-year deal last off-season, but now he's been benched for Vince Young. Is his Titans career over, and can he still play?
Good question. A lot of that depends on how Vince Young plays over the next eight games. Vince has a huge cap number next season, so he is either going to re-negotiate or be cut. If he continues to play well, they will most likely re-work his deal and Collins will retire (he has said he doesn't want to be a backup). If VY struggles down the stretch and the Titans don't think he is the long-term solution, I think they cut Vince, draft a QB early in the draft, and bring back Kerry to start next season and mentor the new guy.
As for if Collins can still play or not: not really. He was efficient last year, but nothing more than that. Could he be that again? Probably, but I don't think it is that likely.
Young has yet to pass more than 20 times in a game in his starts this season. Obviously he has help from an outstanding rushing attack, but is Young capable of making throws to win a tight game?
Some people from MCM are going to get mad at me for saying this, but that is what remains to be seen. Vince has played well so far and looks like he really grew in his time off, but he hasn't proven yet that he can take a game on his shoulders and win it. So my answer is that I don't know, but I feel better about it than I did two years ago.
Clearly, injuries have been an issue in your secondary. Is that unit getting any healthier, and are the Titans still susceptible to the big play?
The unit is getting healthier. Getting Pro Bowl corner Cortland Finnegan back has made a huge difference, and the signing of Roderick Hood has actually been a big boost. Hood has filled in for Nick Harper, who was terrible even when healthy. There is a chance he will be ready to go this week, which would be good news for the Bills. I hope Fisher lets Hood continue to start, but he is loyal to veteran players.
A lot of the big plays early came as a result of the safeties not playing their assignments. They have played better the last couple of weeks, so hopefully the big plays are over. Hopefully.
I've heard "experts" say that the Titans miss Albert Haynesworth, but you're middle of the pack with 19 sacks, and your run defense is in the same vicinity. Clearly, you can't not miss a player like Haynesworth, but is that talk being overblown?
The Titans really miss Haynesworth on third down. He can collapse a pocket better than any defensive tackle in the league. That kept QBs from stepping up and gave the edge speed rushers an advantage. Now, the edge speed rushers are having trouble getting to the QB.
The rest of the time Albert was on the field he was dominant, but he missed a lot of time due to injury over the years, and even when he wasn't injured, he spent a lot of time gassed on the sideline. So my answer is yes and no.