Sep 22nd 2008 7:27AM by JJ Cooper (author feed)
Filed under: Texans, Titans, AFC SouthIf you’re ranking the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL, Kerry Collins won’t come close to making the list, but with a strong running game and a dominating defense, Collins is showing what the Titans can do with an average quarterback.

Maybe Vince Young’s issues may prove to be a blessing for the Titans (even if they’re bad news for Young). With Collins at quarterback, the Titans have a much more varied offense. It’s one that actually gets the wide receivers involved, relies on a quarterback who can put the ball in specific areas and doesn’t make a third and eight conversion seem like an impossible dream.

Collins was servicable, not spectacular, but he seems to make the Titans’ offense much more potent. In the last three games Collins has started, Tennessee has scored 30 or more points twice. In the last 16 games Vince Young has started, the Titans have scored 30 points once.

With the Titans defense, Tennessee doesn’t need to score a ton of points to win, but with Collins under center, the margin of error for the Titans defense sure gets a lot bigger. And with Collins taking the snaps, the rest of the AFC South has to realize that the Titans have gotten a whole lot tougher to beat, and at 3-0, the Titans’ margin of error is a lot bigger than Indianapolis (1-2), Jacksonville (1-2) or the Texans (0-2).