There are times when I have to kick myself -- yeah, yeah, you wish it were you doing the kicking -- for not sticking with my gut instinct.
The Titans were awful in a place Jeff Fisher once called his team's second home. (Getty Images)
Like when I gave Jake Delhomme the nickname "Jake the Fake," and then retracted it when he played well for a season or two. Now look.
It happened again this year when I felt for most of the offseason that the Tennessee Titans would be the step-back team of 2009, falling back from their 13-3 finish from a year ago, only to change my mind.
My rationale was that Kerry Collins wouldn't play as well, and the Titans would miss both Albert Haynesworth and departed defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz. Then I took my training-camp trip to see the Titans, spending two days there, and left with a changed mind.
Talent and Jeff Fisher, I told myself, would keep this team from dropping off.
Now look.
The Titans are 0-4 after getting blown out by the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. The Jaguars scored on five of their first six possessions in a 37-17 blowout that wasn't even that close.
A Tennessee defense that continues to have major troubles stopping anybody on the other side of the line of scrimmage allowed David Garrard to have a career day with 323 yards and three touchdowns.
Garrard played pitch and catch all day with his receivers, and did so playing behind a line that had both starting tackles out for the game.
Where is the defensive swagger we've come to expect from the Titans?
For their effort, the Titans earn an F in our CBSSports.com weekly grades. Their season grade is an F-, if there were such a thing.
The good news for the Titans is that one team -- the 1992 San Diego Chargers -- has come back from 0-4 to make the playoffs since the postseason field was expanded to 12 teams in 1990. The bad news is Peyton Manning is coming to town next Sunday night.
It will be interesting to see how things go this week in Nashville. The heat will be on defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil, and there will be sentiment to sit Collins down and play Vince Young.
Usually Fisher is good at getting his team to settle down in these situations, but we thought that two weeks ago against the Jets and certainly expected it on the road at Jacksonville, in a venue he once called his team's second home.
Instead, the Titans come out of the quarter point of the season as a winless team, right there with the other dregs of the league.
Why didn't I stick to my guns? I chalk it up to paralysis by analysis.
Just like my horrible weekly picks the first month of the season.
Redskins: They sleepwalked through the first half, but played better in the third quarter. Jason Campbell needs to quit throwing picks. He did make a big play in the third quarter when he hit Santana Moss for the go-ahead score. The defense got the key turnover late, but did get run on some.
F
1.43
C-
Buccaneers: Josh Johnson didn't win the game, but he didn't lose it either. His legs helped keep plays alive. The defense played well for most of the game. Aqib Talib had a big day with three picks. They're just not good enough.
Patriots: This still isn't the same explosive Tom Brady offense from 2007, but to score 27 against Baltimore is impressive. Brady played well, hitting nine receivers. But he did turn it over for a touchdown on a fumble. The defense gave up some yards, but only two touchdowns.
B
2.85
B-
Ravens: That defense is still tough against the run, but it's beatable through the air. The corners struggle at times. They did get the touchdown off the fumble. Joe Flacco was good again, and Mark Clayton needs to catch that pass to keep the final drive alive.
Giants: Eli Manning had a big day with three touchdown passes, the last sealing the game to Hakeem Nicks, who took a short pass 54 yards for a score. The defense dominated again, limiting Matt Cassel to 127 yards passing and sacking him five times.
A
3.50
D
Chiefs: Their offense was ugly again. Is Cassel the answer? Not sure, right? The offensive line struggled again. The defense gave up 493 yards. That won't win many games. It's going to be a long season.
Jaguars: Give David Garrard credit here. He was fantastic, lighting up the Titans and spreading the ball around. The defense had a good day as well, with the Titans scoring junk touchdowns late.
B-
2.60
F
Titans: What a disaster. The defense is horrible. They can't stop anybody. The offense isn't much better. Kerry Collins can't get the passing game going. Changes might be coming.
Colts: Peyton Manning did what he wanted, throwing for 353 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, it was Robert Mathis who came up huge. He had three sacks and two forced fumbles. The defense played better than the score with the Seahawks getting two garbage touchdowns.
A+
3.25
D
Seahawks: They kept hurting themselves with penalties early and then once they fell behind they didn't have the juice to catch up. The defense has issues against the pass, and Manning carved them up. Does Matt Hasselbeck mean that much to this team?
Texans: The defense finally decided to show up. Of course, facing the Raiders offense is a perfect tonic for an ailing unit. Matt Schaub was efficient, and the running game was decent.
C-
2.00
F
Raiders: JaMarcus Russell is horrible. He gets worse by the week. Of course, his line doesn't help him much. And his receivers dropped a bunch of passes. The defense is on the field way too much. This isn't a good team.
Bengals: This is the kind of game the old Bengals lose. They blew a 14-point lead, fell behind, then found a way to win. Carson Palmer had that big fourth-down run in overtime to set up the game-winner. The defense gave up too many yards in the second half, but clamped down in overtime.
B
2.75
C
Browns: At least they battled back from down 14 -- and scored two offensive TDs. They could have folded. Derek Anderson was better in the second half. Jerome Harrison ran it well. They just don't make enough big plays.
Bears: They scored a lot of points without doing much on offense. That says a lot about the defense and short fields. They did get a kickoff return from Johnny Knox for a touchdown. The defense struggled in the first half, but stiffened in the second.
B
2.75
C-
Lions: They played well in the first half, but couldn't get anything going after. Same for Matt Stafford, whose second-half fumble hurt. The kickoff team let them down on Knox's return. It's getting better, especially Stafford.
Saints: This was a special game by the defense. That unit scored two touchdowns and was dominant. The offense wasn't as prolific, especially in the passing game. But this isn't a one-sided team any more.
A
3.65
C-
Jets: Mark Sanchez had a rookie-like game, throwing three picks and fumbling for a score. The defense played a decent game, limiting Drew Brees, but the offense didn't do enough to help and the turnovers were deadly.
Dolphins: This is a game won by the defense. Vontae Davis had the big play with the pick for a score, but they shut down the Bills all day long. Chad Henne was efficient in his first start, and didn't turn the ball over.
D
1.82
F
Bills: The offense isn't clicking at all. Trent Edwards was picked twice, one for a score, and the passing game has no continuity. The defense didn't play that poorly, but got no help from the offense.
49ers: The defense was suffocating. They also scored a touchdown on Patrick Willis' pick for a score. Shaun Hill did throw two touchdown passes, but the way the defense was playing, one was all that was needed.
B-
3.25
C-
Rams: The offense is horrendous and Kyle Boller was even worse. He couldn't hit anything and he threw a horrible pass that was picked off by Willis. The defense played OK, but got no help.
Broncos: That defense is for real. They made Tony Romo and the Dallas offense look bad. The turnover when they were down 10-0 changed the game. They also had five sacks. That play to win it by Brandon Marshall just might get him out of the doghouse. Are they for real?
A
3.58
C
Cowboys: Start the panic talk. The Cowboys offense wasn't very good. They couldn't run it and Romo never seemed to really get it going. He has to score late to tie it when the Cowboys were inside the 10. The defense played OK, except for the Marshall score.
Steelers: Ben Roethlisberger had a huge day right from the start throwing the ball. The Steelers did what they wanted on offense. Rashard Mendenhall came up big in place of Willie Parker. The defense played a nice game until the late collapse.
B-
3.00
D
Chargers: The defense was shredded. What has happened to that unit? It still has talent, but it isn't getting it done. Philip Rivers and the offense struggled to get going early, but came alive late.
I have huge respect for Pete Prisco. The amount of dis he suffers on this forum is way over the top. And unwarranted. Nevertheless , for once , I'm disappointed with him this week.
The Sunday night game was a classic. For most of the game New England was terrifyingly awesome. On both sides of the ball. Brady was exceptional. By contrast Indy was not inspiring and I thought Manning had t
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I personally don't see anything wrong with running up the score, especially when a team is at home. Give the fans something to cheer about, scoring touchdown after touchdown. In reality they were getting an offense, that was terrible the week before, reps to gel. That kind of work can be invaluable. I don't feel a team should have to change the way their offense plays i
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Why are there so many older posts littered throughout these message boards? There are posts dated from last month let alone last week. Somebody at CBS Sports.com is taking their eye of the ball and it is confusing to try to read through this mess.
How can you say that? Because you read the stats and saw the yardage that McNabb put up? Or did you actually watch the game?
The Chargers offense was scoring at will and the defense held Philly to a field goal on, what?... 3 redzone situations - one being 1st and goal at the 1 yard line. So the Chargers went to playing prevent D most of the game. T
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The Saints fell behind 14-0 in the first quarter at home and looked flatter than a discarded, stepped-on beignet you might find on Bourbon Street. I was a bit surprised when the the Panthers went up 14-0 on the Saints, but they have shown the ability to score quickly, so this wasn't likely to be a problem unless the Panthers' D could stop them for 4 quarter
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Okay Brett Favre, be upset with the Packer organization; but you have some unfinsished business with the Packer fans. You need to apologize to them for what you put them through for 4 years. You said that you went to the church prayed before the game in Minnesota? Well, you'd better stay there all weekend in Green Bay, because there is no place else to hide from the people tha
I think the Bengals played a good game to beat the Steelers, but I do not think it was an A effort. Their defense is a good, if not great unit, they deserve an A, but there offense did not get in the end zone all game, they managed to get into field position for 3 field goals, but I think their offense deserves a C at best. Special Teams was just as much the Steelers bad kickoff coverage
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What is with the infatuation with the 4-5 NY Jets? They are in a down hill spiral that will continue for awhile and people are still making excuses as to why they SHOULD HAVE won their "last" game. They are a mid level team with a Rookie QB and they have a very tough schedule so they are not the next Super Bowl Champion by any stretch of the imagination. They will be go
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Forgive me if I can't quite connect the dots, but I can't quite connect the dots. When I was in school, your GPA was an indicator of your overall body of work, not the by product of one particular test or class. So can someone please help me to understand any of the following:
1. The YTD (year-to-date) GPA for the Indianapolis Colts is 3.08 while the GPA for the Patr
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I saw the Detroit-Minnesota and Dallas-Green Bay games. Pete's grades on the first one are probably about where I'd put them. Detroit hung in against Minnesota and Minnesota's offense was very good and their defense kept pressure up on Stafford all day. The C- he gave Detroit is pretty accurate. The B he gave Minnesota probably could be a B+ but it's pretty close. Whe
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They only gave up 10 pts, could've been 13 with the missed field goal. They were put back on the field 3 times when they shouldn't have been, with 2 fumbles and a stupid offside penalty on Robison. They got a lot of pressure on Stafford, but did only manage 3 sacks. I think the defense played just fine, it was the stupid penalties that you
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Hey Pete, get a clue man. The Curse of the New York Yankees. Are you kidding me?! That could be the dumbest explanation I have ever heard. Here's an explanation for why neither team can win. Neither team is playing well on offense or defense right now. How's that for an explanation. And look up the facts pal, last time I checked, East Rutherford, New Jersey was not the Big Apple. Neither the Jets
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I really wanted to say something super clever and funny here but can you get more funny than the statement that the Chiefs D shut down the Raiders after the first quarter? I mean really? The Jamarcus Russell led Raiders offense? Who really wants to be know for the defense that shut down the offense that is the only one in competition to be worse than the Chiefs? Prisco you
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The Oakland Raiders have cursed New York Football.
I know, go ahead with the bashings that are due to Raider fans simply for being Raiders fans, but The Giants have lost four games in a row since they whoooped on the Raiders where Antonio Pierce called the game similar to a "scrimmage".
Mark Sanchez was chillin on the bench enjoying a hot dog during the fourth q
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Lets think about this: 49ers defense I believe put up at least an A- preformance, while the offense while close to nonproductive (typical bust smith fashion), but did not lose them the game either. I assume offense is ranked a C- or even a D yet averaging it would at least get the 49ers a B- / C+ range but anytime a defense get 5 ints deserves and does not allow a TD deserv
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