Tennessee Titans QB Jake Locker Shines Against Cardinals

Last season, the Tennessee Titans were just barely on the outside looking in of the AFC playoff picture, and I think this year they may be ready to take that next step. Sure, it may be a lot of stock to put in a pre-season performance, but dating back to last season, I like the playmaking skills I’ve seen from quarterback Jake Locker, but while his improvements have given Titans fans a lot of hope for the future, there’s a lot more going for this team than Jake Locker, especially in the way of young playmakers.

I was on Twitter last night, and beat writer Jim Wyatt, who covers the Titans, said that second year linebacker Colin McCarthy might be the best defensive player on the Titans’ entire roster. When I read that from a guy who knows more about the team now than I possibly could, I had to take it to heart a little bit. McCarthy is a second year player from Miami, and while I thought he could be a solid starting linebacker someday, I wasn’t sure he could take over one of the league’s top defenses and become the best player on it.

Still, you can see that McCarthy has come a really long way. He is a tackling machine, sure, but where he’s really improved is in coverage. I don’t just say that because he had two picks last night, but you can truly see the growth in him as a player, and it’s going to help the Titans get to the next level. The reason I found the comment about him being the best player on the Titans’ defense was that Kamerion Wimbley was a big money man brought in after the Raiders cut him this year. He also looked pretty good last night, notching two sacks.

The Titans’ defense will keep them in games they have no business being in this year, and while it’s possible for the offense to let them down every now and again, you can see that this front seven is not only among the best coached in the NFL, it’s legitimately one of the better ones out there.