Fisher one victory away from 100 for career

“I haven’t had much to do with our wins around here. It’s the players that’ve been doing that,” Fisher said.

A victory Sunday against the St. Louis Rams (1-1) would give Fisher a record of 100-78, including playoffs, which would put him in the company of coaches like Bill Walsh, Mike Ditka, Mike Shanahan and Dick Vermeil. Don Shula has the most NFL victories with 347 in 33 years of coaching.

“If we’re fortunate enough to win this one, it gives us a winning record this far in the season,” Fisher said.

Steve McNair said that focus is why Fisher has been so successful. Fisher took over as interim coach during a 2-14 season in 1994 and was still called interim when owner Bud Adams announced he was negotiating to move the franchise from Houston to Nashville in 1995.

Fisher guided this team through lame duck seasons in 1995 and 1996, a season spent commuting to Memphis in 1997 and 1998 at Vanderbilt University. He then took the Titans to the playoffs in four of five seasons, including the 2000 Super Bowl.

“He never changed his philosophy as a head coach,” McNair said. “He brings in coaches that will accept the way he coaches and put things in, and I think players buy into that. It’s been successful in the past, and it continues to be successful now.”

Left tackle Brad Hopkins was on the then-Oilers when Fisher took over, and he said the coach has done a phenomenal job. He doubts Fisher is focusing on his record now and said the coach always has had the pulse of his teams.

“He understands that because he’s played. That’s a huge thing in my book. If you’re able to do what I’ve done, able to coach and transform those things into a knowledgeable situation, that just helps everyone,” Hopkins said.

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VAN VADER:@ Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch lost out to Cincinnati cornerback Deltha O’Neal for AFC Defensive Player of the Week on Wednesday. But if he keeps playing as he did last weekend in getting a career-high three sacks in one game, it won’t be the last time he’ll be in contention.

His teammates call him Van Vader after an old pro wrestler, and he enjoys his reputation for playing with intensity in practice or a game.

“I want them to know that no matter what the situation, no matter what the score is, I’m going to be coming. That’s kind of the way it was on Sunday. We basically had the game in hand, but I kept coming on that last drive and got two sacks on it,” Vanden Bosch said.

For a reference point, Vanden Bosch had only five career sacks in four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals.

St. Louis coach Mike Martz said he is very familiar with Vanden Bosch from his days with Arizona.

“He is a good player. We would have liked to have him here,” Martz said.

Vanden Bosch will try to draw on his experience with the Cardinals against the Rams, and he said players have to be prepared.

“Some weeks you can go in and say, `We’re going to stop this, or we’re going to stop this. But they’re a really well-balanced offense,” Vanden Bosch said. “So we have to be prepared for just about anything.”

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HIGH SCHOOL COACH:@ The Titans named Maryville coach George Quarles as their high school football coach of the week. Quarles’ Rebels beat rival Powell 47-19 last week, improving their record to 4-0. That honor earns the program a $1,000 donation from Titans owner Bud Adams and puts Quarles in the running for Tennessee’s Coach of the Year award, which will be given Dec. 18 before the Titans’ game with Seattle.

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EXTRA POINTS:@ The Titans still have the NFL’s best road record since 1995, going 45-36 for a .556 winning percentage. That’s ahead of Green Bay and Pittsburgh, who are tied for second at 44-37. The Titans also are 38-1 on the road when leading going into the fourth quarter. That ties coach Jeff Fisher for first all-time with none other than Vince Lombardi. … Since 1997, Tennessee also has the NFL’s best record in interconference games at 23-9. That’s ahead of Denver (22-10).