Titans offensive TD drought up to nine quarters

The Titans (4-9) have not scored offensive touchdowns in nine straight quarters, a drought that stretches back to Steve McNair’s 4-yard pass to Erron Kinney with 4:54 left in the third quarter of a 33-22 victory over San Francisco on Nov. 27.

Being shut out by the Indianapolis Colts last week in a 35-3 loss wasn’t that much of a surprise, though the Titans had would-be TD passes dropped in the end zone. But the Houston Texans kept the Titans out of the end zone offensively in Sunday’s 13-10 loss for their first such shutout this season.

“Obviously, first off, it’s not good,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “It’s not a good thing. We’re working hard. We’ve had opportunities. We just haven’t gotten the ball in the end zone.”

Fisher blamed lack of continuity on the loss of Drew Bennett for three games with a dislocated thumb, then the losing rookie receivers Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams within the past three weeks just as they were getting into gear with McNair.

The Titans had chances against Houston, but Tyrone Calico couldn’t hold onto a ball at the goal line on a 33-yard pass from McNair in the first quarter. Bennett couldn’t pull out a pass in the end zone in the second quarter, while Ben Troupe dropped a pass on third-and-goal a play later.

“I know we’ve got those guys banging themselves in the head,” McNair said. “That’s something we’ve got to do. The guys know that. Things happen, but at the same time, you can’t let it get you down.”

Fisher cited a missed block on a screen to Chris Brown where he was tackled at the 5 on the final drive.

“It’s something that we’re going to continue to work at. The opportunities are there. The plays are there. The plays are being called. We’re just not making them,” Fisher said.

It won’t get any easier Sunday with a visit from Seattle (11-2) ? they’ve won their last two games by a combined 83-3 score.

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WATCHING CALICO:@ Big things were expected from receiver Tyrone Calico, but it’s turning out that he’s one of the people who needs more than a few months to recover from a surgically repaired ACL.

Calico started Sunday against Houston, his first since Oct. 30, only because Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams are both out for the season with injuries.

The third-year receiver caught two passes for 20 yards in the 13-10 victory over Houston and ranks eighth on the team with 18 catches for 157 yards. He could have had better numbers against the Texans if not for his drop at the end zone and another drop on a slant.

Coach Jeff Fisher said Calico is working through his recovery and should have caught those passes.

“I have confidence that he’s going to return to where he was, because at one point he was making those plays. At the end of his rookie year, we felt like he was going to be the big play guy for us down the field,” Fisher said.

Calico will be watched closely over the final three games to monitor his progress.

“We’ll have two good weather days down in Florida,” Fisher said. “We don’t know what we’re going to have this week, but they’re critical for Ty to show us that he’s on course. And I believe that he is.

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SAFETY TIME:@ The Titans thought they had a safety in the third quarter just before Adam “Pacman” Jones’ punt return because Texans tight end Mark Bruener was flagged for holding. Coach Jeff Fisher reviewed the tape and thought it was in the end zone.

“It looked to me like he was just blocking and then once he got in the end zone, he pulled him down. It’s a hard thing to get called in the end zone. They’re oftentimes going to give you the benefit of the doubt,” Fisher said. “But based on what I looked at, I thought, yes, it should have been a safety.”

But he knows it’s a very sensitive issue for officiating crews because a safety is such a game-changing play.

“It’s hard to tell in real speed as a lineman’s blocking a defensive end, or a tight end, as this was the case, where they’re engaged and they’re working and where the pull takes place and where it’s initiated, it’s hard to tell. So therefore, they’re going to give you the benefit of the doubt,” he said.

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SACK WATCH:@ Kyle Vanden Bosch has narrowed the gap between himself and the NFL sack leader. His two sacks against Houston quarterback David Carr gave him 12 1/2, which ties him with Osi Umneyiora of the New York Giants a half sack behind Oakland’s Derrick Burgess with 13.

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HIGH SCHOOL COACH OF YEAR:@ The Titans announced their high school coach of the year Monday, giving the award to George Quarles of Maryville after taking his Rebels to a second straight Class 4A title with a perfect 15-0 record in each season.

Maryville became the first school since Brentwood Academy to win consecutive state titles with undefeated records. The Rebels and Eagles now share the mark for most TSSAA state titles with nine each.

Quarles had been named coach of the week on Sept. 16, and his latest honor earns the school a $3,000 donation from Titans owner Bud Adams through his Titans Foundation.