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| | | | | | | | Tuesday, November 14, 2000
Titans looking "super" again despite injuries
By Alex Laracy
MondayNightFootball.com
Alright, so Tennessee isn't undefeated, averaging over 43 points a game and on pace to break every single offensive record like their Super Bowl XXIV nemesis St. Louis Rams. What the Titans are, though, is 4-1 despite being bitten by the largest injury bug this side of the West Nile with a core group of young stars who seem to get better with each game.
|  | | Derrick Mason is one of several Titans who's stepped up in the absence of injured starters. |
Due to all the attention currently being paid to Mike Martz's machine, the Titans have found success thus far in 2000 almost as quietly as they did in '99. Their four wins have been over mediocre teams (a combined 9-12 record) by an average of less than eight points a game, and their receiving core is more banged up than Keith Richards.
There are currently nine players on the Titans listed as questionable going into Monday night's showdown with the Jacksonville Jaguars (ABC, 9 p.m. ET), and that doesn't include those players, such as '99 playoff hero Kevin Dyson, already lost for the season. What makes this team great, however, is its resiliency. This is a team that fills holes due to injury nearly overnight. The backups are just as ready as the starters, and that's a testament to coach Jeff Fisher's renowned preparation for every game.
With big-name newcomer Carl Pickens and Yancey Thigpen nursing injuries the last two games, special teams standout Derrick Mason stepped in with 12 catches for 168 yards. When veteran stalwart Bruce Matthews, whose 202 consecutive game streak is in jeopardy because he's listed as questionable against Jacksonville, went down with a sprained knee in the second quarter last week, second-year guard Zach Piller stepped in and held his own against the Bengals.
Whether or not Pickens, Thigpen, Matthews and defensive tackle Jason Fisk will play Monday night is still undecided, however, head coach Jeff Fisher knows that the team's ultimate fate lies on the shoulders of his two meal tickets -- quarterback Steve McNair and running back Eddie George.
While McNair might never be the type of quarterback to put up Kurt Warner-type numbers (who is?), he ranks fourth in the NFL in fourth-quarter passing with a 117.1 rating and leads the AFC in third-down passing with a 105.6 rating. In other words, he converts when it counts, and gets better as the game goes on -- not a bad quality to have.
When "Air" McNair isn't in flight, the Titans rely heavily, maybe too heavily, on their bread and butter, Eddie George, who is coming off a 181-yard game on a career-high 36 carries. George has had persistent fumbling problems throughout his career (22 in four-plus seasons, including one near the Bengals' endzone last week), yet he is a true workhorse who also tends to step his game up in key situations.
Another steady performer for Tennessee who has carried more of a load due to the receivers' injuries is tight end Frank Wycheck, whose seven catches for 68 yards last week were season highs.
On defense, one Titan star who's been quiet is last year's record-setting Defensive Rookie of the Year, Jevon "The Freak" Kearse, whose numbers have been "meek" (21 tackles, 1.5 sacks) thus far in 2000. The former Gator is undoubtedly receiving a great deal more attention from blockers than he did last season. However, if he wants to be put in the same category as Reggie White and Lawrence Taylor -- a category many have already thrust him into after only one outstanding season -- he's going to have to wreak more havoc in opponents' backfields.
The one Titan benefiting the most from Kearse's freakish success in '99 is his counterpart at end, Kenny Holmes. The third-year defender out of Miami is seeing plenty of rollouts to his side this year, and he's responded splendidly, leading the team in sacks (three), quarterback pressures (10) and forced fumbles (four) after five games.
Look for Holmes to get some more attention in upcoming weeks, and for the hungry Kearse to finally erupt for a huge game, perhaps on Monday night against Zach Weigert, who's replacing the injured Leon Searcy at right tackle.
The rest of the Tennessee defense has been outstanding as well. This unit currently ranks third behind only New Orleans and Buffalo. Linebacker Randall Godfrey has proven to be an excellent pickup from Dallas, leading the team with 32 tackles, and providing a physical presence that last year's diminutive duo (5-foot-11 Barron Wortham and 5-foot-11 Joe Bowden) sorely lacked.
At the corners, Denard Walker has avoided the big play that plagued his previous four years in the league, while Samari Rolle has firmly established himself as "the guy you want to throw away from."
Clearly, McNair and George have carried a heavy load against somewhat feeble opponents so far this season, and they're going to need some more help if the Titans are going to be in the race to Tampa come December. But you can't help but think that when Pickens, Thigpen, Matthews, etc. all are healthy, Fisher will have his gang ready to rumble with the big boys, and not willing to settle for second place this time.
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