Goal is playoffs or bust for Young, Titans
NASHVILLE ‘ The Tennessee Titans vividly remember how close they came to the playoffs last season. They don’t want to make the same mistake again.
Tennessee stumbled to an 0-5 start before rookie quarterback Vince Young helped the Titans win eight of their final 11 games. They lost their season finale to finish 8-8 and barely out of the playoffs.
‘We believe in one another,’ veteran linebacker Keith Bulluck said. ‘The younger guys are at a point in their career (where) they’re hungry. I’m still hungry and they like the feeling they had of winning. Now it’s about winning even more.’
Last season’s late surge resulted in owner Bud Adams picking up the contract option on coach Jeff Fisher for 2007. The NFL’s longest-tenured coach is heading into his 13th season and now waiting for an extension, but he’s keeping the focus simple.
‘Our goal is to improve the number of wins,’ Fisher said.
Most of the confidence stems from Young, coming off his Offensive Rookie of the Year performance, and a defense that will be stronger despite the season-long suspension of cornerback Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones.
The Titans also made some changes. Even with ample salary cap space, new general manager Mike Reinfeldt chose to let receivers Drew Bennett and Bobby Wade leave as free agents. Tennessee also released running back Travis Henry rather than pay an $8.3 million bonus.
The Titans brought in veteran receiver Eric Moulds and signed free agent Justin Gage to help Young.
But the pressure is on LenDale White to perform as he did at Southern California when he teamed with Reggie Bush to help the NFL’s fifth-best rushing offense to not skip a beat. Chris Brown, the only running back on the team who has rushed for 1,000 yards in a season, is back on a one-year deal.
‘We want to come out Week 1 to Week 16 and through the playoffs to have a great, dominant running game,’ White said. ‘I don’t think we’ll drop off. We’ve been working hard and the way we’ll win games is to take pressure off Vince. We have to run hard.’
The Titans went 7-4 in games decided by seven or fewer points last year despite an offense that held onto the ball less than any other NFL team: 27 minutes and 17 seconds per game.
Young has worked hard to improve both his game and his timing with his new receivers to help the Titans hold onto the ball longer. He welcomed teammates to training camp with a letter detailing his personal expectations and those for the team, which includes the playoffs.
‘The biggest thing is he’s more comfortable in what he’s capable of doing,’ center Kevin Mawae said of Young. ‘He believes he can get it done. That’s all you want is a quarterback to believe in himself and everyone else to believe in him.’
The Titans have worked hard to bolster a defense that gave up the most yards in the league and to replace Jones, whose suspension will be reviewed after their 10th game.
They signed free agent Nick Harper, who has replaced Jones at left cornerback, and top draft pick Michael Griffin has made the switch from safety in college at Texas well enough that he could start opposite Harper.
Tennessee has much more experience and depth in the secondary. Kelly Herndon, signed after he was released by Seattle in June, has been steady. Cortland Finnegan, a seventh-round draft pick out of Samford in 2006, is pushing for playing time.
A defense that scored five touchdowns in 2006 also features tackle Albert Haynesworth, who’s healthy and in the final season of his contract, along with end Antwan Odom. The Titans further bolstered the line by signing tackle Corey Simon, hoping he’s healthy after sitting out all last season.
‘We’ve got some good cover people, and that’s going to give us more opportunities to get more hits on the quarterback and more sacks,’ defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. ‘We’ve got something good going with that right now.’
The Titans open Sept. 9 at Jacksonville, kicking off a schedule that ranks as the NFL’s fourth-toughest and includes visits to New Orleans, Denver and Cincinnati. They did split with the Super Bowl champs last season, and Indianapolis visits Sept. 16 in the Titans’ home opener.
Bulluck is confident a team that hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2003 is ready for the final turnaround. He sees a roster stocked with players who came through with game-changing plays in 2006, people who like being around each other.
‘Everyone is optimistic and everyone’s thinking, `Win, win, win,’ where before we didn’t know what to think,’ he said. ‘Now we have the mind-set to go out there and win all 16 games.’