NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- What happens when your offensive identity isn't working? What if your bread-and-butter offensive plays are being stopped? How long do you stick with them?
The Tennessee Titans have been faced with those questions as they head into the final stretch of the season. The answers could determine whether the Titans are contenders to win a playoff game or two, or just be a blip on the radar of a weak AFC race.
Titans offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie gave us a look into his view of this dilemma in regards to his play-calling. He's often reluctant to give up on a bread-and-butter play.
"That’s a tough, tough scenario, especially for me. I always see something and think it’s going to come," Robiskie said. "Sometimes I’ll be in the fourth quarter waiting for it to come. That’s where every now and then I’ll get the call from the head coach asking why are you calling that again?"
So is that stubbornness or persistence?
Robiskie acknowledged that some veteran play-callers believe once a defense has seen a play once or twice, it's dead. Robiskie sometimes believes his team's execution and will can overcome an opponent rather than a scheme change.
"Do you stop a play or do you make the defense stop it? I’m one of the guys that sticks with it a little bit longer," Robiskie said.
A scenario he mentioned was in Week 6 in the Titans' first matchup with the Colts. He called a run play named "doubles" three or four times to each side of the field with minimum success. Titans head coach Mike Mularkey asked him why he kept calling it? He said he saw a hole. Late in the fourth quarter, Derrick Henry scored a 72-yard touchdown on doubles.
"The pros are when you hit it and it pops, everybody is happy," Robiskie said. "When it doesn’t, the head coach calls you upstairs and wants to know what the hell you’re doing. That’s the con of it. You’re about to get chewed out."
Franchises spend years searching for an identity, and a lack of an identity often gets coaches in trouble. The best ones like the Rams' Greatest Show on Turf or the Seahawks' Legion of Boom led to championships.
Mularkey's exotic smashmouth offense is the Titans' identity. They've had large waves of success, particularly last season when they finished third in the NFL in rushing.
This season, the Titans are 12th with 117.5 yards per game. Their total yardage and scoring also has dipped from a year ago.
Last week against the Steelers, the Titans ran for 52 rushing yards, their lowest total in the Mularkey-era, on just 2.5 yards per carry. It was their sixth game of the season with less than 100 rushing yards. They had four such games in all of 2016.
It's not lack of overall offensive creativity. Robiskie received rave reviews from Bengals cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick because of the complexity of the Titans' plays, formations and schemes. It's about consistency and figuring out whether to completely abandon an identity if it isn't working.
Marcus Mariota's skill set isn't conducive for him to throw the ball 50 times a game, and the Titans aren't going to completely abandon the run. It's a part of the issue, but there's more to it.
Execution has failed with silly mistakes or simply losing one-on-one matchups. The offensive line hasn't played close to its 2016 elite level with a lot struggles particular inside. Running backs have also missed holes. The Titans use a heavy amount of two- and three-tight end sets. Robiskie noted the blocking drop-off from Anthony Fasano in 2016 to rookie Jonnu Smith in 2017 has been a "big difference."
"It’s a hell of a learning experience, especially for Jonnu, because he’s getting his head punched in a couple of times," Robiskie said.
There's frustrations inside and outside the locker room about why the Titans gained talent but took a step back offensively. It's a lack of execution, a few players not living up to their talent and a coaching staff trying to figure out how to get more from an offense where their identity hasn't been their best strength.
As their schedule gets easier, we should get more definite answers.