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Reading the coverage…

Houston Texans


T.J. Yates and Jake Delhomme were in high demand on the Texans’ first day of preparation for the Falcons, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Andre Johnson is ready for a matchup with old friend Dunta Robinson, says McClain.

Indianapolis Colts


Dan Orlovsky wants to avoid 0-16 again, says Phil Richards.

Players were surprised Larry Coyer was fired, but they know jobs are on the line, says Phillip. B. Wilson.

Peyton Manning will have news this week, our Chris Mortensen says.

Jacksonville Jaguars


Mel Tucker shook up the receivers in his first major moves as head coach, says Tania Ganguli.

Fred Taylor does not have a high opinion of Jack Del Rio, writes Eric Adelson of The Post Game.

The Jaguars are making a ticket push for Monday night with the new owner ready to make his first appearance at EverBank Field, says Vito Stellino.

Tennessee Titans


Derrick Morgan has had more injuries than sacks in his career so far, says John Glennon of The Tennessean.

Chris Johnson says the focus isn’t yards, it’s the playoffs, says Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean. Also in this notebook, former punter Craig Hentrich is suing the Titans over benefits under worker’s compensation.

Missed this earlier in the week: Mike Munchak’s daring calls on fourth down has paid off, says David Boclair of the Nashville City Paper.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- My prospects were mixed, depending on the evaluator.

As I toured the AFC South during training camp, I made special requests to chat with punters and punt returners. With a pending appointment to attempt to field practice punts from the Titans' Brett Kern, I was searching for advice, and seeking forecasts.

In Houston, Texans receiver and returner Jacoby Jones said I could catch three and a half of eight punts, with a falling-down catch counting as the half.

In Jacksonville, Jaguars halfback and occasional returner Maurice Jones-Drew sized me up and said he thought I could catch two of eight.

In Anderson, Ind., Colts punter Pat McAfee expected less of me.

“The first four you’ll be confused,” he said. “You’ll get lucky on the fifth one, the sixth one you’ll get overconfident. If I were you, I’d just close my eyes and hope it hit me in the chest … I think if you get one, you should be happy.”

OK, what stupid thing is Kuharsky up to now?

While I spend a lot less time in bars watching games than I used to, I typically circle to an idea like this once a year. Sit with friends over a cold one and watch a return man flub a punt, and inevitably someone says, “I could have caught that.” I’ve often been that someone.

And so I sought to transfer the question from the pub to the club and started making arrangements to test out the question: Can a fat, bald, 41-year old -- a cue ball covering football -- field a punt from a top professional?

The pointers I collected had me all twisted around, particularly those on ball flight.

• Said Jones-Drew: “If the nose of the ball stays up, it’s going to be short. But if that nose turns over, you’ve got to get back because that ball is going to sail a little bit.”
• Said Houston punter Matt Turk: “It really depends on the height of the ball. If it’s turning over, and it’s a low ball, you should be backing up. If it’s turning over and it’s a good hang-time ball, it might fall away from you.”
• Said McAfee: “If the ball turns over it’s going to be straight; if the nose stays up it’s going to go right for a right-footed punter.”
• Said Jones: “With a right-footed punter, if it’s a tight spiral, the ball will dive to your left. If it’s a wobbly spiral, it dives to your right.”

Got all that? I didn't either. Ultimately, I decided it would not be beneficial to try to flip through those notes while the ball was in the air. I’d play it like a center fielder and try concentrating, as Titans receiver and returner Damian Williams encouraged, on being square to the ball so any bobbles wouldn’t squirt through me.

I just wanted to get to where it would come down -- MJD said a six-yard radius should suffice -- and take my chances.

When I finished my travels a couple of weeks ago, I might have sneaked off one afternoon to get a feel for things with some work at Brentwood Academy in suburban Nashville with Nathan Renfro, a senior punter who might be heading to Northwestern.

Two days later I signed a waiver letting the Titans off the hook should anything go awry, passing on Turk’s advice to wear a mouthpiece and tape my fingers. Then, armed -- or should it be handed? -- with a pair of gloves provided by the Titans and with my dusty Puma Kings from my soccer days laced up, I met with Kern.

Some players, including kicker Rob Bironas, already were out preparing for practice. Equipment guys I know were milling around. A reporter friend and a PR man looked on from a distance.

I was happy McAfee, the Colts' punter, was hundreds of miles away.

“This is our only opportunity to actually embarrass a media person,” he said. “If Brett brings the rain down, it would be absolutely great for all of us. There are 31 other punters looking for him to embarrass you. Hopefully, he will.”

I wished Turk was nearby.

“Maul the ball, don’t try to use your hands, it won’t work,” he said. “… I always root for the underdog, so I am rooting for you. I want to be proud of you at the end of this thing.”

And so, with a bit of coaching from since-released Titans veteran kick returner Alvin Pearman, I took my shot.

I was 2-for-5 in warm-ups, but didn’t sufficiently learn from my misses.

Pearman mentioned the parabola of the ball, and I butchered my calculations of that early. The center-fielder approach didn’t work, as Kern’s first punts reached an apex, then dropped more sharply than I expected. Had I run through them, I’d have had a chance. Slowing for fear they’d take off, I had a pathetic showing. The first bounced in front of me, the second might as well have.

After those two, Kern changed his prediction from two catches on eight punts to none.

His third sailed over my head to the left, and I didn’t even get deep enough to make a play on it. I was well-positioned on the fourth and I dropped it.

Finally on No. 5, as McAfee predicted, a catch.

Feeling much more confident, I knew the worst was still ahead. Kern learned former Titans punter Craig Hentrich’s famous knuckler at the foot of the master.

Punish me, I shouted to him, give me your most devilish stuff.

Kern didn’t hit the first one especially well. Punt No. 6 sent me drifting back and to my right and I got that one, too.

Then he connected on what he said was his most fluttery knuckleball in weeks.

Sliding left and settling, I felt confident I’d done better than a 6-yard radius. I was directly under it and the nose was tilting down right at me. But I might as well have been standing under a flapping fish sent flying by a hurricane. The ball couldn’t have been 10 feet over my head when it flattened, shot several yards over my head, then bounced on the turf well behind me.

“I let those hit the ground,” Jones said when we talked knuckleballs.

I should have waved my arms and ran away from it screaming “poison” or “Peter” or “pull” or whatever other keyword guys use in those situations to signal teammates to be wary of letting a bouncing punt hit them and turn it live.

Kern and I agreed on a bonus punt, and I raced in to field another dancing knuckleball that bounced off my chest near my shoulder. I thought it would leave a mark.

It didn’t. But the next day I noticed the inside of both forearms were painlessly black and blue from just two catches.

Kern was nice about it all. On camera, he said I wasn’t the most graceful as I caught the two I did, and that was kind of him. The laughs in the locker room understandably could have come with a far harsher review.

I didn’t think it was going to be easy. I didn’t expect it to be quite that difficult -- or for me to be quite so clumsy.

Now add the standard conditions real punt returners contend with: a helmet and set of pads, mean gunners and crowd noise.

No thanks.

Reading the coverage:

Quality reads

This makes for good discussion, I think: A reader’s proposal for how to make an 18-game season work. It's not going to happen, but interesting to talk about.

Houston Texans

Lance Briggs had some strong things to say about Brian Cushing, writes Vaughn McClure.

Defensive tackle Malcolm Sheppard has been noticedby the Texans, says Chris Bahn.

Indianapolis Colts

Dwight Freeney talks with Jason Cole.

Five defensive concernsfrom John Oehser.

Clyde Christensen is one assistant Clark Judge has an eye on.

Five players who helped themselves this offseason, from Stampede Blue.

Don’t lookfor the Colts to re-sign Raheem Brock, says Stampede Blue.

The 1991 Colts rank as one of the league’s all-time worstteams, says Bob Warja.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Considering the Jaguars' depthwith Vic Ketchman.

Alfie Crow takes a look at the tight ends.

Tennessee Titans

How concerned are Titans coaches about what Chris Johnson is missing, ask Jim Wyatt.

The Titans need leadership soon, says Joe Biddle.

Jeff Fisher told Derrick Morgan to slow down, says John Glennon.

Steve McNair can finally rest in peace, says Mike Freeman.

Craig Hentrich is enjoying a busy retirement, says Jim Wyatt.

LeGarrette Blount is one of five players NFL.com will follow as he fights to make his team’s roster.

It’s no surprise that Craig Hentrich is retiring. But Jim Wyatt and Terry McCormick both report an announcement from the team will come Wednesday.

Known for a tricky knuckleball that caused punt returners fits, Hentrich’s final season ended with a torn calf muscle after just two games. But he was around the team much more than most players on IR, helping tutor his replacement, Brett Kern.

Hentrich’s retirement is most notable because he was the last continuous link on the roster to the 1999 Titans, who played in the franchise’s lone Super Bowl.

Defensive end Jevon Kearse was on the Super Bowl team, later leaving as a free agent and returning after four years in Philadelphia. He’s going to be a free agent and won’t be back.

Houston Texans

The Cowboys are bigger than the Texans, says Richard Justice.

Texans offensive assistant Matt LaFleur is interviewing with the Redskins, says McClain.

Indianapolis Colts

It’s put up or shut down for the Colts, says Phil Richards.

The trick for Peyton Manning will be figuring out how many rushers are coming, and from where, says Phillip B. Wilson.

Ravens fans have bought up more of the available tickets that opponent’s fans usually do, says Wilson.

The Colts probably get the ball first, because John Harbaugh likes to defer when he wins the toss. If that’s your strategy, generally, more power to you. But putting the Colts offense on the field first when you don’t have to is a mistake.

Reggie Wayne and Dallas Clark have been productive in the playoffs, says Phillip B. Wilson.

A look at the Colts' playoff first-timers.

The big concern is the Ravens running game, says John Oehser.

Jim Caldwell’s made the Colts his team, says Tom James.

Five players to keep an eye on, from James.

Eighteen things to watch for, from Deshawn Zombie.

Why Pierre Garcon is the key to winning the Super Bowl, says Stampede Blue.

Mike Tanier’s preview.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville cannot afford to lose the Jaguars, says Gene Frenette.

Tight ends coach Mike Tice has left to coach the offensive line in Chicago, says Vito Stellino. I hit on what it could mean here.

Nearly 26 percent of David Garrard’s completions didn’t count as successful plays to Football Outsiders.

It will be tough for the Jaguars to gain ground in the AFC South, says Vic Ketchman.

Tennessee Titans

Brett Kern learned a lot from Craig Hentrich, says Jim Wyatt.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

Houston Texans

• Jacques Reeves broke a finger at practice, had surgery and is out this week, writes John McClain.
• Game 4 features a third starting strong safety for the Texans. Welcome, Bernard Pollard, says McClain.
• A replay of McClain’s chat.
• Why are the Texans giving up long touchdowns? Lance Zierlein hashes it out.
• If Matt Schaub was more colorful, Richard Justice’s job would be easier.
• The last time the Raiders played in Houston, Kerry Collins was the starting quarterback, says Alan Burge.
• Five key matchups from Battle Red Blog.
• A look at the Texans' terrible defense, from Stephanie Stradley.

Indianapolis Colts

• Edgerrin James is coming back to Indy as a Seahawk, writes Mike Chappell.
• James helped show Joseph Addai the way, says John Oehser.
• Adam Vinatieri takes the blame for his missed field goals, says Phil Richards.
• The Colts and Seahawks are banged up, says Phillip B. Wilson.
• Oehser’s big game preview.
• Eighteen things to watch for from 18to88.com.
• T.J. Rushing could do double duty as a returner, says Oehser.
• Picks from the Star.
• Young receivers put in a lot of work to get to contributor status, writes Tom James.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• The Jaguars need to be more than just Jacksonville's team, opines Mark Woods.
• The Jaguars are bracing for Tennessee’s ground attack, says Vito Stellino.
• Support for the idea of some games in Orlando from Vic Ketchman.

Tennessee Titans

• Bo Scaife is hoping to provide a boost for the Titans, says Jim Wyatt,
• Chris Johnson will wear some pink to support the cause, writes Wyatt.
• The Titans are right to stick with Collins, writes David Climer.
• Nate Washington addresses the drops, from Titans Radio.
• Craig Hentrich’s injury could mean the end of his long career, says Wyatt.
• Fourth-quarter woes are plaguing the Titans, says Terry McCormick.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

• John Clayton sorts through the AFC South.
• Brian Burke looks at game probabilities for Week 4. AFC South chances to win: Indy 87 percent; Houston 68 percent; Jacksonville 51 percent against Tennessee (49 percent).

Houston Texans

• As bad as they’ve been, the Texans have allowed fewer yards each week, writes John McClain.
• Jerome Solomon looks at just how important this one is for Gary Kubiak.
• Third-down defense gets this look over from Dale Robertson.
• Kubiak is talking about making changes on defense. McClain asks which ones you want to see.
• Breaking down the stats so far, with Alan Burge.
• Battleredblog.com questions Kubiak’s clock management. Sure you want to score with as little time left as possible, but it can’t be priority No. 1. You can’t generally control when you punch it in, when you have to be concerned with making sure you punch it in.

Indianapolis Colts

• Mike Chappell’s source says Dwight Freeney will miss three weeks and two games.
• Five key early season developments include smooth transitions, the emergence of Pierre Garcon and a return to form for Joseph Addai.
• Chappell takes questions, including one about Philip Wheeler.

Jacksonville Jaguars

• A Q&A with Mo Williams.
• The Jags signed defensive tackle Greg Peterson.
• David Garrard’s wearing a play cheat sheet on his wrist out of superstition, says Michael C. Wright.
• Maurice Jones-Drew on Fox Sports Radio, courtesy of sportsradiointerviews.com.
• Arm strength gains can be made, but they are subtle, says Vic Ketchman.
• Bigcatcountry.com sees the Jaguars, and everybody, heading toward a spread offense.

Tennessee Titans

• Jeff Fisher deserves a delay of game flag for Tuesday’s roster moves, opines David Climer.
• Fisher’s in no trouble, says Peter King in his mailbag.
• The Titans make roster moves, including adding Mark Jones and putting Craig Hentrich on IR, says Gary Estwick.
• Five things Jim Wyatt knows about the Titans.
• Cary Williams was signed to the practice squad.
• The Titans also looked at veteran cornerbacks Rod Hood, Eric Green and Dante Hughes and safeties Kevin Davis and Keith Lewis, says Terry McCormick.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

In one day of roster moves the Titans admitted two mistakes.

Tuesday they signed veteran return man Mark Jones and defensive back Kevin Kaesviharn. They made room by cutting running back Chris Henry and putting punter Craig Hentrich on IR.

Bringing Jones back is a huge admission of culpability for Jeff Fisher. Such a reversal is rare during his tenure with the franchise, which dates back to 1994, especially when not prompted by injury.

Jones, a middling receiver who’s been a reliable returner, was cut to get the Titans' roster down to 53 at the end of the preseason. Fisher was determined to use rookie running back Javon Ringer as the kick returner and rookie corner Ryan Mouton as the punt returner (after Cortland Finnegan filled in for one game).

Ringer lost his job after two games, and Mouton started Sunday in New York against the Jets in both roles. But he fumbled a kickoff and a punt, which both led directly to Jets scores and the Titans fell to 0-3.

Fisher and the Titans have also been stubborn with Henry, who survived cuts when Quinton Ganther was hurt in the preseason finale but who was clearly not one of the team’s best 53 players and certainly was not worthy of being among the active 45 the last two weeks.

Henry was a second-round choice out of Arizona, 50th overall, in 2007. The Titans got wowed by his combine performance but forgot to give sufficient weight to his football instincts.

If a fourth running back is in the game-day mix, he’ll have to be a better special-teamer than Henry was.

Mouton may be the nickel while Vincent Fuller is out a month or more to recover from a broken arm. But Mouton or another rookie corner, Jason McCourty, could be in the mix to start with Finnegan potentially out of the lineup with a hamstring injury.

Kaesviharn gives the Titans a veteran defensive back to have in the mix as they explore alternatives and wait on key people to get healthy.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. -- Inactives and what they mean for Titans-Jets.

Titans

Tight end Bo Scaife -- Jared Cook is up and they hope they'll be able to get more out of him than last week.

Defensive tackle Sen’Derrick Marks

Punter Craig Hentrich -- The Titans signed Reggie Hodges to fill in.

Linebacker Stanford Keglar

Receiver Lavelle Hawkins

Quarterback Vince Young -- He was sick during the week and so the Titans put Patrick Ramsey ahead of him.

Tackle Troy Kropog

Defensive end Dave Ball

Left guard Eugene Amano is active. But he was also sick this week. Leroy Harris will start in his spot.

Jets

Cornerback Lito Sheppard

Cornerback Donald Strickland

Quarterback Eric Ainge (third)

Quarterback Kevin O’Connell

Linebacker Jamaal Westerman

Guard Matt Slauson

Defensive end Ropati Pitoitua

Receiver David Clowney

With Shepparad and Strickland out, Dwight Lowery starts at right cornerback and Drew Coleman, a short guy not rated as a high-quality corner, will be the nickel.

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

Houston Texans

Matt Schaub’s performance in Tennessee illustrated what he can do when healthy, says Dale Robertson.

Steve Slaton is due to pop a long one, says Jerome Solomon.

John McClain’s game break down.

Battleredblog.com looks at key matchups.

Indianapolis Colts

Colts-Cardinals stands to be an epic quarterback battle, says Mike Chappell.

Some interesting color on Peyton Manning and Kurt Warner from Thomas George.

Gary Brackett and Kelvin Hayden won’t play.

The run game could determine which quarterback wins it, says Clark Judge.

Reggie Wayne will make his 100th consecutive start, says Chappell.

Jerraud Powers qualifies as an old rookie, says Phil Richards.

A game preview from John Oehser.

Brackett got fined $5,000 for spearing Ronnie Brown, says Tom Curran. (Thanks to Oehser for pointing us to it.)

Jim Caldwell needs less bend from the defense, says Tom James.

The always thorough 18 things to watch from 18to88.com.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Leaders need to step up for the Jaguars, says Vito Stellino.

The Jaguars face an identity crisis and a steep learning curve, writes Gene Frenette.

The Times-Union asks, “What if we lose the Jaguars?”

Jack Del Rio tried to clarify his statements, says Michael C. Wright.

Tennessee Titans

Mark Sanchez seeks a historic start, says Jim Wyatt.

The Tennessean’s matchup page.

Rex Ryan weighed in on Bart Scott versus Ahmard Hall.

Jeff Fisher’s not scared of 0-2, says Dan Graziano.

Others have gone from 0-2 to the Super Bowl, writes Wyatt.

What to watch in Titans-Jets from Greg Bishop.

Craig Hentrich is frustrated and in the dark, says Wyatt.

Steve McNair’s two oldest sons are seeking their share of his estate.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- When the Titans lost out on a flag because officials didn’t respond to an expired play clock quickly enough in their playoff loss to Baltimore in January, Jeff Fisher accepted the process.

The co-chair of the league competition committee didn’t look to rally support for any change to the way the rule works or is enforced.

But out of Sunday’s loss to Houston Fisher did find an issue he hopes will be discussed and altered.

When Jacoby Jones waived for a fair catch of a Craig Hentrich punt late in the fourth third quarter, Jason McCourty stopped short of the return man. When Jones bobbled the ball, McCourty snatched it and the Titans looked to be on the doorstep for a score that could have put them ahead 10 or 14.

Instead referee Walt Coleman called McCourty for interference with the opportunity to make a fair catch. He could have explained it to LP Field better, but a fair catch signal entitles the returner to catch the ball up until it hits the ground.

“Of course, I thought about it long and hard,” Fisher said Monday. “I hope it’s something that we will address next offseason. It just doesn’t look right and there is no way we can coach a player not to hit the return man or go after the ball once the ball bounces out of his hands. You can’t stand there and wait for it to hit the ground and then jump on it.

“And so, to me, I think we need to look at it. Again, it was the correct call considering our current rules.”

The Titans went from possession and first-and-goal at the Houston 9 to seeing a 15-yard penalty walked off and Houston retaking the ball at its 24.

It does seem unnatural to ask players covering a punt to back off a bobbled, juggled, muffed or dropped ball until it hits the ground.

But I also imagine there could be other difficulties for officials if they had to determine if a returner who waives for a fair catch fails to catch the ball cleanly, producing a moving ball that qualifies as fair game for the coverage teams.

What do you think? Alter it? Or leave it alone?

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- A quick clarification on the call that seemed to undo a Titans’ takeaway.

Jason McCourty held up as Jacoby Jones waved for a fair catch deep in Texans' territory, but when the return man bobbled the ball, McCourty grabbed it.

All of LP Field thought it was Titans ball. But referee Walt Coleman call it interference with the opportunity to make the catch.

Steve Tasker, an expert special teamer in his day, did well to clarify on the CBS broadcast.

He said once a returner signals for a fair catch, he’s entitled to the ball until it hits the ground. If he’s right in his interpretation, the call was correct. Though Jeff Fisher knows it inside and out and sure was upset.

Craig Hentrich left the game hurt and it looked bad but he’s now walking around.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

» NFC Stock Watch: East | West | North | South » AFC: East | West | North | South

Falling

Schaub

1. Matt Schaub, Texans QB: His coach said he wasn’t himself, so maybe a lingering ankle injury from the preseason was a factor. But the quarterback of what’s supposed to be a high-flying offense appeared rattled and failed to get rid of the ball even when the guy coming at him had to be visible.

Schaub needs a big bounce-back effort Sunday against the Titans. They’ve relished rattling him in the past, though his top nemesis is gone now that Albert Haynesworth is in Washington. They will be more physical with him than the Jets were.

Bironas

2. Rob Bironas, Titans K: Bironas had two poor field goal attempts in Pittsburgh. There was a low snap on the first, but holder Craig Hentrich seemed to get it down fine and it shouldn’t have rattled Bironas’ timing as much as it did. There was interior penetration in the second, which was blocked, but did it come out low?

He’s two for his last six field goal attempts over his last three games, and while misses from 51 yards (in the playoff loss to Baltimore) and 48 (in the meaningless regular-season finale at Indianapolis) were hardly Cardinal sins, it’s fair to wonder if there is a trend emerging.

Harvey

3. Derrick Harvey, Jaguars DE: He rated between ineffective and invisible in Indianapolis when he was on the field. Then he wasn’t on the field much in the second half. Was that because they played more 3-4? Was he hurt? Was he benched?

Jack Del Rio said there was no issue, that the Colts’ offense didn’t allow for frequent substitutions and kept Harvey out of the flow and that he played fine. He’ll need to make more noise for the Jags' defense to be effective.

Rising

Wayne

1. Reggie Wayne, Colts WR: Wayne technically became the team’s top receiver in 2007, but the real takeover over the past two years as the team adjusted to an injured, less than effective Marvin Harrison took a while. Sunday, with Harrison gone and Anthony Gonzalez out early with a right knee injury, Wayne was practically unstoppable.

Deep, short, in the middle of the field and on the perimeter, he was getting a steady diet of throws from Peyton Manning and making the most of them. He’ll need to continue that production while rookie Austin Collie and second-year man Pierre Garcon work as the second and third wideouts.

2. The Jaguars: They lost and made a lot of mistakes. But they were a two-point conversion away from pulling even with the Colts. They talked about how hard work and commitment were going to make a big difference for them, and I thought they underestimated the hard work and commitment of the teams they will play.

But even out of a loss, they showed a lot of good signs with regard to effort and fight. And if they can duplicate that effort, they could be much more competitive than many of us suspected.

Britt

3. Kenny Britt, Titans WR: No, he didn’t do well on a deep ball picked off by Troy Polamalu and was not precise enough with some of his routes. But for the Titans to roll out a rookie receiver in their opener qualifies as a special occasion, and a prime-time opener on the Super Bowl champion’s field was not too big for him.

The Titans typically roll through four or five receivers, keeping people fresh. In the opener they stuck with three, which means they weren’t worried about his ability to handle anything and everything.

	Jason Miller/US Presswire
	Vincent Fuller can't watch after Jeff Reed's game-winning field goal Thursday night.

Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky

PITTSBURGH -- For a good share of opening night at Heinz Field, it sure felt like the Tennessee Titans were in control.

The Pittsburgh Steelers barely tried to run the ball. Tennessee’s defense was finding its way to Ben Roethlisberger. The Titans' offense was effective in spurts and at least gaining position for field goals.

But in a way that felt eerily similar to the Titans’ last game, January’s divisional round playoff loss to the Baltimore Ravens, the scoreboard didn’t reflect the feel of the game.

Titans-Steelers Coverage • Walker: No-huddle saves Steelers • Kuharsky: Titans seeking answers • Rapid Reaction from the game • NFL Nation: Blog posts from game • Game: Steelers win in OT

And in the end when the Titans lost 13-10 in overtime, it was fair to wonder if finishing against a good team is an issue that held up over eight months.

“This team needs learn how to finish then,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “Maybe that’s the missing piece then to get over the hump. The last two games, we were in control, had ourselves in position to win and we didn’t come out on top.

“To play great football for that long and not come out on top two games in a row, two pretty big games in a row, it might be something to look at. But that’s something for us as a team to adjust as players.”

When it was over, after I’d made my way through the locker room and fleshed some things out, it still felt like there was one question lingering for each unit.

Offense: Scoring is the obvious issue, but the offense gained position for two makeable first-half field goals that could have changed the complexion of the game. We’ll cover those situations under special teams.

Quarterback Kerry Collins hung in against a super-difficult defense. Running backs Chris Johnson and LenDale White ran it well enough, combining for a functional 3.4 yards a carry. Receivers made plays, too, with Kenny Britt accounting for the game’s longest gain when he slipped free for a 57-yard catch on the Titans’ touchdown drive. Justin Gage scored on a 14-yard throw.

But the upgraded passing game got three catches for 1 yard from former Steeler Nate Washington. It saw Britt misplay a deep ball from Collins. Britt could only watch in vain as Pittsburgh safety Troy Polamalu made an acrobatic interception.

“I misread the ball when I was coming out. ... I need to make a play on the ball,” Britt said. “It was a great catch by him. A rookie mistake. You learn, ‘if I can’t get it, nobody gets it.’”

Gage, a member of the old guard who stands to be a bigger and more consistent contributor, made some nice plays. But on a third-and-10 from their own 30, the Titans were desperate for a fourth-period conversion just before the two-minute warning. Collins threw for Gage down the middle. The ball was hardly perfect, but Gage got his hands on it. He might have heard safety Tyrone Carter -- who replaced an injured Polamalu -- closing in search of a kill shot. The pass skidded away. A completion there could have set the Titans on course to move down the field for a winning field goal in regulation.

"Anytime you get your hands on the ball, there is a play to be made," Gage said. "If I can touch the ball, I can catch it. I just didn’t come up with it ... I don’t think we showed ourselves to the fullest. I think we showed glimpses of what we can do. We left some plays out there and didn’t finish some drives."

Can they make the clutch catch at the game’s biggest moment?

Defense: The pass rush was spectacular at times and finished with four sacks and eight hits against Roethlisberger.

Defensive coordinator Chuck Cecil said the team rushed four, blitzed and faked, mixing things up to be unpredictable.

“When you bring people, he’s got answers, so are you willing to live with the answers?” Cecil said of the Steelers' quarterback. “We didn’t go one way. We basically tried to play a little bit of both. I thought we were successful for a lot of the game and obviously didn’t get it done late in the game or in overtime because you’ve got to get off the field and we didn’t do that.”

On Pittsburgh's fourth-quarter drive to tie the game at 10-10 and the overtime march to win it, there were some plays where Roethlisberger threw quickly into spaces that didn’t seem to close quickly enough once the ball arrived.

In those two drives, up until to the 22-yard pass to Mike Wallace that set up the winning kick, Roethlisberger’s passes went like this: 7 yards, 5, 9, 3, 10, 15, 8, incomplete, 11, 8, 8, 11 and incomplete.

"It's kind of like a helter-skelter offense where he pretty much baits you to try to make a play to where they can run a route off of it," said Chris Hope, a one-time teammate of Roethlisberger’s.

What’s the answer to the little stuff?

Special teams: Place-kicker Rob Bironas missed a 37-yard field goal attempt wide right. Later, he saw a 31-yard attempt blocked by Aaron Smith.

“I had a field goal blocked and a field goal missed,” Titans head coach Jeff Fisher said, offering more when prompted. On the block there was penetration inside, on the miss the snap was low and despite a good hold Bironas was thrown off, Fisher said.

A team that is built for close games and relishes winning that way needs to be more dependable in such situations. It can’t afford a 28-yard shanked punt by Craig Hentrich in crunch time, either.

Shouldn’t a team with five preseason games of work be sharper in those departments?

Posted by ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky

PITTSBURGH -- So much went right for the Titans Thursday night at Heinz Field. Even so, they dropped the season opener to the Steelers, 13-10.

Looking back, they’ve got a lot of things to regret, first among them the kicking game. A missed field goal by Rob Bironas and a blocked field goal in the first half might have made the difference. They were lucky a shanked punt by Craig Hentrich late in the game didn’t.

They didn’t win the overtime coin toss either, and when the pass pressure that fizzled late in regulation didn’t resurface, Ben Roethlisberger did what he often does: played clutch in a game’s decisive moments.

He pump-faked and passed the Steelers to an impressive win in a memorable game, capped by Jeff Reed’s 33-yard field goal.

Jeff Fisher’s team was 10-0 last season before losing. This time around they won’t deal with any of the perks or pressures of a long, undefeated run at season’s start.

When their upcoming opponents watch film of this one, they still get a strong message: The Titans are a tough team that will put up a fight.

And if you don’t have a super-courageous quarterback nicknamed "Big Ben," who will stand in the pocket, worry-free waiting for people to come open, you may have a tough time beating them.