A year ago at this time, Jeff Fisher's Titans were a perfect "10," well on their way to winning their first 10 games and registering a league-best 13-3 regular-season record.

Fast-forward to the Titans' latest terribly frustrating performance this season — a 31-9 prime-time loss to the Colts, their third within the AFC South, which dropped their record to 0-5.

Don't look now, but the Titans are off to their worst start since losing their first five games in 2006.

It's very much worth remembering that the Titans were ultimately able to get their act together in that '06 campaign after Fisher decided desperate times called for desperate measures — specifically, a switch to first-round draft pick Vince Young under center. Fisher's move proved prudent, as the Titans rebounded to finish 8-8, one victory short of an unlikely playoff berth, with Young winning Offensive Rookie of the Year honors.

Are the Titans thinking today about history repeating itself, ready to once again switch gears under center from 15-year veteran Kerry Collins to Young, who lost his job to Collins in Week One last season and never came close to getting it back?

If Fisher's comments earlier this week regarding his team's QB situation are any indication, history be damned.

"Kerry's not the problem," Fisher said of Collins early last week, even though he already had thrown six interceptions, just one fewer than he threw all of last season. "Kerry's making plays and putting the ball where it needs to be put. I'm not pleased with the interceptions, but other than that, going back over the last few weeks, Kerry's made some great throws.

"We just need to play better around him."

That said, Collins must pick up his game significantly. In the Week Two loss to the Titans, a comeback effort fell short following his key fumble. In the Week Three loss to the Jets, he failed to complete a pass on his final 13 attempts. In the Week Four loss to the Jaguars, he continued his uneven play, throwing a costly interception in his team's final drive of the first half. And in the latest loss to the Colts, he registered a lackluster 59.9 passer rating before being replaced by Young late in the game.

But is Young really a legitimate alternative?

"Young lacks confidence — that is his biggest problem," one league personnel expert told PFW. "He could not handle the huge expectations that fell on his shoulders. And that's a judgment call on where he is at mentally. If they look for a spark and he can't provide it, it could set him back even more, so Fisher will have to use some discretion."

The Titans have had other problems on offense besides uneven play under center, going three-and-out a full third of their offensive series through their first four games.

"We have got to keep ourselves in manageable third downs," said Titans C Kevin Mawae a few days after the Week Four loss to Jacksonville. "… We've got to keep moving the sticks. (When) we get in the red zone, we've got to score touchdowns. We can't rely on three points."

Added an NFL personnel evaluator: "Their rushing totals may be misleading, given that a huge percentage of yardage has come on big runs by Chris Johnson. If you took away his big plays, their ability to run the ball would seem to be very average, which is why they rank at the bottom of the league controlling the clock (30th through Week Four). They have not been playing the same smashmouth style as last season."

But a much more detrimental difference from last season for the Titans is a porous defense under the direction of new coordinator Chuck Cecil, which (a) hasn't forced nearly as many turnovers — the team's turnover differential is minus-5 through the first five games, compared to a plus-6 ratio at the same point in '08 — and (b) has been a lot more vulnerable in passing situations, allowing 287.6 passing yards per game, which ranks next-to-last in the league.

After giving up an average of only 14.6 points per game last season, Cecil's unit has allowed 27.8 points per game so far this season. After allowing 24 or more points in a game only once in '08, they have allowed 34, 24, 37 and 31 points in the last four games. After registering 15 sacks and 10 interceptions through the first five games last season, they have only nine and four, respectively, this season.

Colts head coach Jim Caldwell, for one, doesn't see much of a difference in Tennessee's "D" this season. "Overall, it's the same defense," he said a few days before his team tangled with the Titans on a national stage. "It's just as rugged. It's just as tough. (DT Albert Haynesworth is) the only guy missing. He's the only one not back out of that group. Certainly, he is a force in and of himself, and a very rare individual in terms size and speed and ability and those kinds of things.

"From what I see, their defense is just as tough. It gives you just as many problems, and the guys they have playing inside, that they rotate in and out, are very, very difficult to handle."

But there are more than a few Titans observers in league circles who beg to differ.

For one thing, they believe that Cecil — the team's former secondary assistant, who was named the replacement for the departed Jim Schwartz instead of LB coach and former NFL defensive coordinator Dave McGinnis — needs to start employing a much more aggressive approach.

"Schwartz (who moved on to Detroit to become the Lions' head coach) would be dialing up blitzes from all over," said one observer.

Added an NFL personnel director: "They've got real issues on defense. Some guys got a year older, like (LB) Keith Bulluck. They lost Albert Haynesworth, which was a huge loss for them whether they want to admit it or not. I know they are not executing on defense. Cecil is struggling as a play-caller, and losing Jim Schwartz was a big loss."

The defense suffered another major loss when starting LCB Nick Harper broke his right forearm last night against the Colts.

The Titans' special teams have also regressed. Fisher released '08 return specialist Mark Jones, only to bring him back a month later after two bobbles on returns by rookie Ryan Mouton were key factors in the loss to the Jets.

When you add up all three key phases, the sum of the parts suggest that it will be hard to remember at season's end just how special a team the Titans were in a magical '08 campaign.

"It's just an underachieving team right now," said one daily team observer. "Based on talent, it is still a playoff-caliber team - much more so than the other winless teams. They had their chances to beat the Steelers, Jets and Texans."

However, unless they immediately find a way to somehow stop beating themselves, the Titans are destined to be arguably the league's most disappointing team this season.

PFW has launched its brand-new NFL Draft Newsletter series, with the first issue now ready for mailing. Produced by PFW's player personnel department under the direction of Nolan Nawrocki, the series consists of four information-packed issues. For more info or to subscribe — click here for PDF e-pub or here for print format.