Titans still without 100-yard rusher this season

Unless Chris Brown or Travis Henry rushes for 100 yards Sunday against Jacksonville in the season finale, the 4-11 Titans will finish the season without a 100-yard rusher for the first time since 1986 when this franchise called Houston home.

“If we were to go out and have 100 yards rushing this week, I think it only draws more attention to the fact that we only had one,” coach Jeff Fisher said.

“What we’re trying to do is fix the run game. We’re trying to maximize every opportunity that we can. We know that it is going to be a major focus point for us during the offseason.”

When the Oilers failed to get a 100-yard rusher in 1986, they had running backs like Mike Rozier and Allen Pinkett and were equally as bad at 5-11. These Titans tried to boost their running game by trading for Travis Henry in July, but they have struggled to run the ball no matter who’s gotten the carries.

Brown said he was a little surprised to hear that they were in risk of being the first team to go without a 100-yard rusher since 1986. He’s been close enough, going for 97 yards against Oakland on Oct. 30 and 85 in a loss at Cleveland on Nov. 6.

“Sometimes the way the game’s going dictates how many times we run the ball,” Brown said. “Certain plays sometimes would be the running backs’ faults. We’ll miss a play … We’ve all got to be on the same page.”

Penalties have erased a handful of big runs by Brown this season and even touchdowns. This has been a frustrating season for a running back who had six 100-yard games in 2004 despite injuries that knocked him out of several games by halftime.

“I’m really looking forward to this offseason everyone getting back healthy and just working toward next season,” Brown said.

Before then, the Titans have one last chance this season to show some improvement in a unit that ranks among the NFL’s worst with only 94.1 yards per game. Unless Brown rushes for 149 yards, the Titans also won’t have a 1,000-yard rusher for the first time since 2001.

Running the ball, and doing it well, has been a staple of Fisher’s teams. But the Titans had only one 100-yard performance in 2001 in the 15th game of the season, and Eddie George had their only two in 2003 — his last season.

Fisher promises they want to run the football.

“We’ve been wanting to run the football for a long time. We’ve been working at it. We’ve been running it effectively here and there, but we just haven’t had the numbers for a number of reasons,” he said.

As the Titans wind down their second straight losing season, this won’t be a mark they have been dwelling on. Center Justin Hartwig said he’s been more concerned with wins and losses.

“It’s really disappointing we don’t have a 100-yard rusher. It’s really sad,” he said.