NFL Preview - Tennessee (6-3) at Denver (4-5)

Did the Tennessee Titans pick the wrong quarterback in the
 2006 Draft?

 Jay Cutler can make a strong case that they did on Monday night, when the
 Denver Broncos quarterback and his team host Vince Young and company to cap
 off the Week 11 schedule.

 Holding the No. 3 overall pick in 2006, the Titans selected Young over USC
 quarterback Matt Leinart, who went No. 10 to Arizona, and Cutler, who was
 nabbed one pick later by a Broncos team that had traded up to acquire his
 services.

 There had been speculation in the days and weeks leading up to the Draft that
 the Titans would take a long look at Cutler, who had played his college ball
 just miles away at Vanderbilt University.

 A year-and-a-half later, both quarterbacks have played to somewhat mixed
 reviews.

 Young was the league's 2006 Rookie of the Year after rallying Tennessee from
 an 0-5 to start to finish 8-8. The Texas product threw for 2,199 yards with 12
 touchdown passes and rushed for 552 with seven scores, but has experienced
 something of a sophomore slump in 2007.

 Young has yet to develop as a productive passer, having thrown just four
 touchdown passes versus 10 interceptions this year, and a quadriceps injury
 has somewhat hampered his trademark wheels (217 rushing yards, 2 TD).

 Still, Young has done enough to get the Titans to 6-3 and in the thick of both
 the AFC South and Wild Card races.

 Cutler, meanwhile, has been a bit more effective than has Young, though his
 team doesn't have the record to show for it.

 The strong-armed passer has 1,882 yards through the air with nine touchdown
 tosses and nine interceptions, but Denver was a disappointing 4-5 heading into
 Week 11.

 That mark includes a 27-11 upset win at Kansas City last week, a triumph that
 helped the Broncos remain one game back of first-place San Diego in the
 mediocre AFC West.

 SERIES HISTORY

 Tennessee holds a 20-12-1 edge in the all-time regular season series with
 Denver, but was a 37-16 home loser when the teams last met, late in the 2004
 season. The previous meeting between the franchises came in 1995, when the
 then-Houston Oilers prevailed in a meeting at the Astrodome. The Titans/Oilers
 franchise last won in Denver in 1987.

 In addition to their regular season history, the franchises have met three
 times in the postseason, with the Oilers taking a 13-7 win in a 1979 AFC
 First-Round Playoff and the Broncos winning AFC Divisional Playoffs at home in
 1987 (34-10) and 1991 (26-24).

 Denver head coach Mike Shanahan is 1-2 in his career against the
 Titans/Oilers, including a loss while head coach of the then-Los Angeles
 Raiders in 1988. Tennessee's Jeff Fisher is 1-1 versus both Shanahan and the
 Broncos as a head coach.

 WHEN THE TITANS HAVE THE BALL

 Though Young (1112 passing yards) has experienced his struggles this year, he
 showed signs of breaking out of his funk in last week's loss to Jacksonville.
 The quarterback threw for a career-high 257 yards on 24-of-41 passing, rushed
 for his highest total (52 yards) since Week 2, and also threw his first
 touchdown pass since Week 3 on a 20-yard play to Justin Gage (26 receptions, 1
 TD) in the fourth quarter. However, Young also helped sink the Titans with
 four sacks absorbed and two costly interceptions, and has now been saddled
 with 12 turnovers on the year. Against a Denver team that is sketchy against
 the run, Tennessee will want to take the pressure off of Young and feature a
 heavy dose of running back LenDale White (625 rushing yards, 5 TD, 12
 receptions), who had a streak of three consecutive 100-yard games snapped with
 an eight-carry, 12-yard performance against Jacksonville. Ex-starter Chris
 Brown (300 rushing yards, 1 TD), who has been bothered by an ankle injury,
 should make his first appearance in over a month on Monday. When Young does
 throw it, wideout Roydell Williams (27 receptions, 1 TD) and tight end Bo
 Scaife (27 receptions, 1 TD) have been his most reliable targets.

 After spending much of the year ranked last in the NFL against the run, Denver
 tightened the screws last week, allowing Kansas City to amass just 67 yards on
 22 carries on the ground. In so doing, the Broncos moved ahead of the Jets
 into 31st place in league rushing defense (151 yards per game), and rank only
 ahead of the Raiders in yards allowed per carry (4.8). Linebackers D.J.
 Williams (75 tackles, 1 INT, 1 sack) and Ian Gold (51 tackles, 1 sack)
 combined for 13 tackles against the Chiefs, and rookie end Tim Crowder led a
 beleaguered front four with three stops. Safety Hamza Abdullah (17 tackles), a
 positive recent addition to the starting secondary, posted eight solo tackles
 and a forced fumble in the win. The strength of the Denver defense remains in
 the secondary, where Champ Bailey (49 tackles, 2 INT) and Dre' Bly (30
 tackles, 3 INT) preside at corner and free safety John Lynch (22 tackles, 1
 sack) is set to return from a neck injury this week. The Broncos are currently
 eighth in NFL passing defense (197.3 yards per game), though their 19 sacks
 are middle of the league pack. Elvis Dumervil (21 tackles, 8 sacks, 1 INT)
 continues to lead Denver in sacks.

 WHEN THE BRONCOS HAVE THE BALL

 One of Monday's top storylines could be snuffed out before it begins, as
 current Bronco and ex-Titans running back Travis Henry (580 rushing yards, 1
 TD) is battling both a knee problem and the NFL office. Henry, who rushed for
 1,546 yards as a member of the Titans in 2005-06 before being released in the
 offseason, could begin serving a one-year suspension for a repeat violation of
 the NFL substance abuse policy if his reported appeal of the test results is
 not upheld. If he doesn't go, Henry will again be replaced by rookie Selvin
 Young (331 rushing yards, 1 TD, 21 receptions), who carried 20 times for a
 career-high 109 yards and a touchdown against Kansas City last week. Also
 questionable for Monday is Cutler's top receiver, Javon Walker (19
 receptions), who has missed four games with a knee problem of his own. Brandon
 Marshall (51 receptions, 2 TD) has been Cutler's go-to guy in Walker's
 absence, and had six catches for 85 yards against Kansas City. Tight end Tony
 Scheffler (20 receptions, 2 TD) turned in four grabs for 31 yards in the win.

 The Tennessee defense enters Monday's contest with a couple of pressing injury
 concerns. Tackle and NFL Defensive Player of the Year candidate Albert
 Haynesworth (30 tackles, 5 sacks) is regarded as questionable after missing
 last week's loss to Jacksonville with a hamstring injury, while cornerback
 Nick Harper (49 tackles, 2 INT) might not be able to go due to a concussion
 suffered last week. Reynaldo Hill (4 tackles) would start in Harper's place.
 With Haynesworth out of the lineup last week, a Titans defense that had ranked
 No. 1 in the league against the run surrendered 166 ground yards to
 Jacksonville, including 101 on 19 carries for Maurice-Jones Drew. Linebackers
 David Thornton (69 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT) and Keith Bulluck (45 tackles)
 combined for 18 tackles in the game. Tennessee is seventh in the league
 against the pass (192.7 yards per game) as Week 11 begins, and their 13
 interceptions are near the top of the NFL chart as well. The linebacker
 Bulluck has four of those picks, three of which came in a Monday night win
 over the Saints in Week 3.

 FANTASY FOCUS

 The status of both Henry and Haynesworth should be key to fantasy managers in
 this game. If Henry is out, owners of Selvin Young will want to take a long
 look at starting the rookie, and if Haynesworth isn't around to occupy space
 in the trenches, putting Young in the lineup becomes a no-brainer. The other
 running back, White, is a must-start given the problems the Broncos have
 experienced stopping the run this year. No one in the Tennessee passing game
 is worth starting, and Denver's Cutler and Marshall are marginal starters in
 most leagues. Both kickers merit starting status, especially the Titans' Rob
 Bironas, who led the NFL in made field goals (22) and points (82) as Week 11
 began.

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