I'll be the first to admit, I'm ever the optimistic homer...sometimes even I have trouble buying my own BS. But here's the way I look at it:
Every year, two or three teams have an amazing reversal of fortune, and flip a 4-12 record over to 12-4, or at least 10-6. This year, we saw the Bears, Redskins, and Bucs go from being doormats to playoff teams. In 2004, it was the Chargers and Falcons.
Nobody ever predicts the resurgence of these teams; only in hindsight do the pundits and prognosticators realize that these teams were on the cusp of excellence, needing just a few last pieces to fall into place. The Titans could very easily fall into this category.
Honestly, two players could make all the difference in the world for our defense. Add one ball-hawking safety and one solid linebacker into the mix, and we could very easily see a powerful and potentially dominating defense once again. (This, of course, assumes that our young D-line and corners show the kind of progress normally associated with players at their level of experience.) Those two areas were essentially the downfall of the defense this year....fill those holes, and you're probably looking at turning three or four of this year's losses into wins. (Oakland, Jax, Seattle, Cleveland, Cincy...all featured meltdowns by our defense, especially late in the game.).
On offense, one or two changes along the O-line could completely revitalize the entire unit. I mean, the truth is, the O-line was absolutely putrid in '05...yet the offense somehow ended up in the middle of the pack, statistically speaking. Obviously, stats don't tell the whole story, but to get that kind of production with such lousy blocking is quite a feat. Had our O-line even been just average, I think we would have seen at least three of four more wins. (Arizona, Cleveland, St. Louis, Cincy, Miami...all featured very specific breakdowns by the offense...and we went all year long without a running game.)
Put them all together, and you're looking at another 6-8 wins, which would land the Titans somewhere between 10-6 and 12-4. And the FO has acknowledged the shortcomings in each of these areas, and has made it clear that these positions will be addressed this offseason. (They've also mentioned getting a veteran WR and a veteran CB...both of which would only help to solidify the team.)
Like I said, I'm hopelessly optimistic...but in spite of the shortcomings in a number of areas, I truly believe that this team is not that far from being a contender once again.