Tennessee Titans "Albert Haynesworth, Travis LaBoy are MVPs"

There's a school of thought that basically states if you have a problematic situation and replace one element with another, thus solving the problem, then the elements in question brought about the solution. Consequently, if you have a good situation and a certain element changes, and things go bad, then you can deduce that the element change is what caused the problems.Nothing epitomized this theory more in the NFL this past Sunday than Tennessee's humbling 28-13 home loss to Jacksonville.In spite of the team's serious offensive woes (most critically the utter lack of 6 Sanchez Green Jersey
touchdown production), the defense, ranked second in the league, has been quite stellar. That's clearly attributed to the run defense, currently the fourth-best in football. A run 'D' that, up until the Jacksonville game, held its opposition to 66 rushing yards per game.Now, fast forward to the Jacksonville game -- defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth, the Titans' second-leading tackler (56), and end Travis LaBoy (five sacks) didn't play for the first time this season.Not so coincidentally, the defense, without its two stalwarts on the line, gave up a whopping 166 net rushing yards (101 from Maurice Jones-Drew), which is the first time this year the unit allowed an enemy team to surpass the century mark on the ground. It's pretty clear the Titans' defensive problems this past Sunday stemmed from the absence of Haynesworth and LaBoy. Therefore, it stands to reason that Haynesworth and LaBoy are the two biggest keys to Tennessee's success -- even more so than Vince Young and LenDale White. Tennessee Titans quarterback Vince Young is the apple of the NFL's eye, it seems. And for good reason.In just three games this season, the ex-Texas Longhorn and Heisman Trophy candidate has a 62.7 percent completion rate, 426 aerial yards and three passing touchdowns. Additionally, he has one rushing touchdown and an average of 4.6 yards per run. At this rate, Young will surpass most of his accomplishments from last year, his impressive rookie campaign.In the Titans' win over the Saints in Week 3, Young really shined, throwing two touchdowns in front of a national audience that watched the game on ESPN.Despite Young's heroics, the Titans are currently ranked 30th in the NFL in passing yards per game 149.3). Given Young's abilities, that stat is a bit surprising, but head coach Jeff Fisher recently said Tennessee's offensive emphasis is on the running game, which is the reason why huge vertical numbers aren't being amassed. However, the running game hasn't produced a ton of yardage, either, in spite of talented backs LenDale White and Chris Brown, so it appears the offense isn't living up to expectations.Given the immense talent Young has, the only way to bring Tennessee's offense around is by letting Young pass more. Wideouts Eric Moulds and Brandon Jones have pretty good hands and should be used downfield.The offensive line is key to Young's success but appears marginal. During the first three games of the year, the unit has allowed five sacks, and the 2010 pro bowl Vikings 4 Brett Favre jersey
average rushing yardage has dwindled in the same time period -- the Titans' backfield averaged almost 6.0 yards a touch in the opener, 4.0 yards and under 3.0 against New Orleans. Thus, there appears to be a serious blocking and running problem. Ergo, the time to pass is now.Young was a consummate leader while at Texas. He can pass, run and lead his teammates -- all the things a coach wants in his quarterback. With Young's youth and potential, it's time to put him to the test and see what he can really do through the air.Get original Tennessee Titans insight