Strike-first, strike-fast Titans’ offense delivering early haymakers

By John Glennon

Three plays, 52 yards, touchdown.

That was the calling card the Titans handed Jacksonville on their first possession last Sunday, delivering it in the form of a haymaker. It took all of 72 seconds for the Titans to roll through the Jaguars, taking a lead the they would never relinquish.

If the scenario seemed familiar, there’s good reason.

The Titans have been dropping wake-up bombs on opponents for the better part of the past five weeks now, scoring opening-drive touchdowns in four of those contests.

Just how important are those early scores, considering more than three quarters of the game still remains?

Pretty important, as it turns out. The Titans are 6-1 when scoring on their first drive this season, a total that includes the team’s three biggest victories of the year – against Buffalo, Baltimore and Indianapolis.

“It doesn’t guarantee you anything, (but) it does get you off to a good start,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said of opening-drive scores. “It does build some momentum and we need to be able to take advantage of that, play complementary. When the offense does have some positive things going, try to get them field position to get them the ball back as quickly as possible.”

Think of NFL teams’ opening possessions as book reports of sorts.

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: