Titans open season in winning style
When the Tennessee Titans were forced to start the season 24 hours early because of Hurricane Ivan, their defense was ready.
Unfazed by the scrambled schedule, Tennessee made three interceptions Saturday, including one in their own end zone and another returned 37 yards for a touchdown by Lamont Thompson, and beat the Miami Dolphins 17-7.
Both Jay Fiedler and A.J. Feeley struggled to move the Dolphins. Fiedler threw two interceptions, drew boos and was replaced at halftime with Miami trailing 7-0. Feeley, under pressure from a blitzing Keith Bulluck, threw the interception to Thompson for Tennessee’s second touchdown.
Chris Brown, making his first start as Eddie George’s replacement, set up a touchdown with a 52-yard run, the Titans’ longest since 1998. Brown gained 100 yards in 16 carries but sat out the second half with an ankle injury.
Tennessee outrushed the Dolphins 182 yards to 65. Miami averted a shutout when Feeley threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Randy McMichael with 3:22 left.
The kickoff was moved up one day to avoid bad weather associated with the approaching storm. The Dolphins announced 69,987 tickets sold, but the actual crowd was about half that — and by the fourth quarter many fans had departed.
It wasn’t the start sought by the Dolphins, who hoped to bounce back from a tumultuous summer that included the loss of three top players — Ricky Williams to retirement, David Boston to injury and Adewale Ogunleye in a trade following a contract dispute.
With Williams gone, new offensive coordinator Chris Foerster tried to open up the offense. The Dolphins lined up with an empty backfield on the first two plays and threw on the first three.
It didn’t work. The Dolphins totaled six plays in first quarter, and the game was 18 minutes old before they made a first down. Miami’s best drive in the first half reached the 20, but Samari Rolle intercepted Fiedler in the end zone.
Fiedler led his team to just three first downs — one by penalty — and threw two interceptions before getting the hook. He went 5-for-13 for 42 yards, while newcomer Feeley went 21-for-31 for 168 yards.
Tennessee, the NFL’s top run defense last year, also gave up little on the ground.
Fourth-year pro Travis Minor, making his first career start, carried five times for 25 yards but missed the second half with an ankle injury.
Lamar Gordon, acquired this week from the St. Louis Rams for a third-round draft pick, managed just 32 yards in 12 carries.
Miami also committed 14 penalties for 76 yards.
Not even the humid, 86-degree afternoon could help the Dolphins, typically toughest to beat in muggy weather. They lost at home in September for just the third time since 1994.
The game was scoreless when an interception by Andre Dyson gave the Titans the ball near midfield, and on the next play Brown slipped through a hole up the middle and sprinted to the 2. Pass interference on Miami’s Reggie Howard in the end zone negated a third-down incompletion, and one play later Steve McNair hit Erron Kinney with a 1-yard touchdown pass for a 7-0 halftime lead.
McNair moved the Titans 75 yards to set up a 22-yard field goal by Aaron Elling, who signed Friday. He also missed a 33-yarder.