Titans must fix missed tackles on defense

NASHVILLE — Tennessee linebacker Brad Kassell compares the mentality to a pack of wolves chasing down an animal for the kill. To Keith Bulluck, it’s a must for playing in the NFL except for kickers or cover cornerbacks.

It is tackling, something the Titans forgot to do in their season opening loss at Pittsburgh.

They helped Willie Parker become the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Week on Wednesday. The Steelers running back shredded Tennessee’s defense for 161 yards rushing, slipping through so many missed tackles that coach Jeff Fisher isn’t telling how many he counted.

The Titans (0-1) aren’t really sure what happened last weekend. They didn’t set their feet, put their heads in the right position, run enough defenders to the ball carrier or apparently have enough intensity.

With Jamal Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens coming in Sunday, Kassell said they must fix their defense immediately.

“If you don’t have your game right, he’s going to hurt you just like what happened last week, and we don’t want that happening again,” Kassell said Wednesday.

The Titans pride themselves on shutting down running backs, then allowing them to worry about defending the pass. But they slumped to 18th against the run in 2004, and Parker showed they could be worse this season.

Fisher had his Titans in pads for the first half of practice Wednesday to emphasize tackling, and he said he might do it again Thursday.

Bulluck, who sat out his first practice in years with a sore right calf, said tackling is an attitude and that NFL players know what technique is involved. He knows the Titans didn’t do a great job against Pittsburgh.

“If we don’t do that against Jamal Lewis, he’s going to have a record-setting day,” Bulluck said.

Lewis has provided much of the offensive success for Baltimore since the Ravens drafted him in the first round in 2000, and they are 22-6 when he rushes for 100 yards. He hasn’t had that kind of success against Tennessee, with the Titans not allowing him to reach 100 yards in five career games, including the playoffs.

He’s working his way back into form after spending six months in a federal prison for using a cell phone to set up a drug buy in 2000, and Ravens coach Brian Billick said he plans to split Lewis’ work with Chester Taylor.

“We are still a team that is going to rely on playing great defense and run the ball well, which we have always done. And so, you are going to start with that. It may look different week to week, but that’s still the heart of what we do,” Billick said.

Chemistry may have played a part in the problem.

The Titans defense has only five starters with at least a full NFL season of experience as starters. Both cornerbacks are new starters this season, two linemen are in their second NFL season and linebacker Peter Sirmon and safety Tank Williams are coming off torn anterior cruciate ligaments. But Williams was second with eight tackles, and Sirmon had four.

Kassell said great defenses are relentless in their pressure, and he wants to see the Titans push that pack mentality back to where so many defenders collapse on the ball that a missed tackle won’t matter because someone else is right behind them.

“It’s gotta happen fast. We need to get a `W’ in the win column here pretty quick,” he said.