Former Titans’ LB Wesley Woodyard explains why pass rush is struggling and how to improve it

By John Glennon

In the two seasons Wesley Woodyard played under Mike Vrabel, the Titans were at least respectable when it came to producing sacks – finishing 13th with 43 last season and tied for 16th with 39 in 2018.

So what in the world has happened on the sack front this season for the Titans, who have totaled just 11 through nine games – tied for second-worst in the league and on pace for just 20 overall?

We took that question to Woodyard, who is about as familiar with this team's personnel – and schemes – as anyone outside the facility. Having spent this season as a member of the NFL Players' Association, as opposed to competing every Sunday, Woodyard has also had the opportunity to keep up with the Titans.

In a recent phone interview, Woodyard shared his opinions on why the Titans are struggling to pressure opposing quarterbacks and how the team might improve in that regard...

Too many stunts and games

This is an oversimplification, but defenses generally attack the quarterback in one of two ways: They either seek to beat offensive linemen in a straightforward, man-on-man strategy, or they use what are known as stunts – or games – to bring some deception to the package. An example of a stunt/game is an edge rusher looping around behind an interior defensive lineman, with the interior defensive lineman potentially picking off a blocker . . .

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Author: John GlennonMulti-media journalist with extensive expertise covering the NFL, NHL, professional soccer and more, including the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators for The Tennessean with articles, videos and podcasts. Strengths include the ability to write quick, concise and thorough analysis, as well as the ability to uncover unique human-interest stories. In working as a reporter, John developed skills that extend beyond the sports journalism world. An efficient and effective communicator, John is confident, calm and productive under deadline pressure and knows the power of the written word. John brings to Broadway Sports a work ethic second to none, an intellectual hunger, and an ability to inform and entertain readers, viewers and listeners. Reach out directly to John at: