Tight ends proving to be special group for Titans
The Titans’s ends need only three receptions total to tie the 1980 Oilers with 123 catches as a group. That total ranks fifth in NFL history, while six catches would tie them with the 1998 Oilers for fourth and eight matches the 1979 Oakland Raiders for third.
Odds of topping that seem pretty good since the Titans tight ends combined for 12 catches alone in last week’s 35-3 loss to Indianapolis, and they have four games left.
The San Diego Chargers are Nos. 1 and 2 for most receptions by tight ends with their group of Pete Holohan (56), Kellen Winslow (55) and Eric Sievers (41) in 1984 catching a combined 163 passes. They combined for 144 in 1983.
It’ll be tougher now that veteran Erron Kinney has been lost for at least a couple weeks after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. He already has a career-high 54 catches. But Ben Troupe is second with 37 catches, while rookies Bo Scaife has 28 and Gregg Guenther one.
“Ben, Bo and Gregg here are going to have to carry the load here for the next couple weeks, and that’s good,” coach Jeff Fisher said Wednesday. “That’s good. Ben’s made a lot of plays for us, as has Bo the last few weeks.”
Scaife, who had to help fill in at fullback earlier this season when Troy Fleming was out with a sprained ankle, plans to be ready.
“Obviously, you’re going to miss a guy like Erron, an every-down guy and a special teams guy, too. He brings a lot to the table, but we have to move on,” Scaife said. “Hopefully we get him back soon, but for now we’re going to have to do without him.”
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LONE ROOKIE STANDING:@ Of the three receivers the Titans drafted, only Courtney Roby, who was the first taken of the trio, remains healthy and available. Tennessee lost Brandon Jones to a torn right ACL in a victory over San Francisco on Nov. 27, then Roydell Williams to a broken, dislocated wrist last weekend.
“You never want to see anyone injured, but injuries occur,” Roby said. “It’s just unfortunate that it had to happen to them. I know that they’ll bounce back. They’re both hard workers, so they’ll be fine.”
The Titans have Drew Bennett and Tyrone Calico along with rookie O.J. Small also on the roster, an undrafted free agent out of Florida.
“O.J. understands what we’re doing and that is a good thing,” coach Jeff Fisher said. “We tried to keep him up last week and we couldn’t. This week he’ll be up and he can play all three positions. We lose Roydell’s playmaking ability and his speed. He was really coming on but I’ve got confidence in the other four to make plays.”
That includes Roby whose role will be picking up.
“I’m just going to go out there and continue to play. I’m not going to put added pressure on myself. I”m just going to do what’s got me to this point, just go out and play ball,” Roby said.
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OVERLOOKING DAVIS:@ Titans quarterback Matt Mauck is among those really happy to see Houston running back Domanick Davis succeed in the NFL because they were teammates together at LSU.
Mauck played behind Rohan Davey, while Davis was lost in a shuffle behind LaBrandon Toefield. Mauck said the Tigers even tried to move Davis to defensive back. Then both had their big chance in the 2001 Southeastern Conference championship game against Tennessee.
“Rohan Davey went down, and then LaBrandon went down,” Mauck recalled. “He and I were both backups and came into that game. We ended up winning it, and I think then people started to really realize how good he was.”
Davis ran 16 times for 78 yards in that 31-20 victory over Tennessee. He’s been just as successful against the Titans, running for 259 yards in the last two games in the series.
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PRO BOWL CHEERLEADER:@ Titans cheerleader Kerry Arrington is headed to Hawaii after being selected to take part in the AFC squad for the 2006 Pro Bowl. She organized a donation drive for the New Orleans Saints cheerleaders after Hurricane Katrina and also is raising money for a high school cheerleading squad in New Orleans for new uniforms and gear.
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QUOTABLE:@ When asked what the Titans did right in their 35-3 loss at Indianapolis, linebacker Keith Bulluck was succinct: “The plane took off on time? I don’t know. Anytime you’re on the receiving end of a 35-3 loss, not too many things go right. I can’t think of one.”
Kinney has knee surgery, out against Texans
Tennessee tight end Erron Kinney will miss Sunday’s game with the Houston Texans after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.
Coach Jeff Fisher said Kinney, the Titans’ leading receiver with a career-high 54 catches for 537 yards, had surgery on Tuesday. Kinney hurt his knee in a collision in last week’s 35-3 loss at Indianapolis.
“There is a chance that hell get back before the season is over, which is good. It was a routine scope, but it went well. It was unfortunate that it happened, but we wanted to get after it as quick as we could only to give him a chance to come back,” Fisher said.
Quarterback Steve McNair also sat out practice with a sprained ankle and sore back.
Titans rookie settles lawsuits over nightclub incident
Tennessee rookie Adam “Pacman” Jones’ lawsuit charging conspiracy, slander and defamation over a nightclub incident in July and a counter-lawsuit by the club’s manager have been resolved in an out-of-court agreement announced Wednesday.
Neither side disclosed details of the settlement, but a three-sentence statement issued Wednesday afternoon said both sides agreed that manager Robert Gaddy and Jones had “resolved their claims by mutual agreement.”
“The resolution was reached without any admissions of wrongdoing by any party in an effort to peacefully put this incident in the past,” the statement said.
Jones, the sixth overall pick in the NFL Draft, said after practice he was just happy the situation was over.
“I don’t really have comments about the physical part of case. But (we) don’t have to have hard feelings … I’m happy it’s resolved,” Jones said.
He was arrested July 13 on two charges of misdemeanor assault and a felony count of vandalism for becoming upset when asked to leave a private party he was holding in the club.
He sued Gaddy and his brother in August _ before reaching a contract with the Titans _ and asked for $7.5 million in compensatory and punitive damages for money lost by the lack of sales of his Titans jersey through Reebok.
Gaddy and Lamar Woodson filed a countersuit in Davidson County Circuit Court in October to defend themselves and asked for details of Jones’ negotiations with the Titans and his sponsorship deals. They also sued Jones’ agent Michael Huyghue for defamation.
Attorney Whitney Kemper, who represents Gaddy, said the lawsuits would be dismissed with prejudice so that neither side could refile.
Jones was scheduled for a preliminary appearance in General Sessions Court on Thursday morning on the criminal charges.