Call it quicksand or eye opener, Titans’ opening loss ugly

NASHVILLE — The NFL’s youngest team needed only an eight-minute span for the Tennessee Titans’ lack of experience to be exposed.

A fumble, a missed field goal, and an interception at the Pittsburgh 5 combined with seven missed tackles flipped a 7-7 tie into a 34-7 rout Sunday by the Steelers. It was the worst opening loss since 1994 when the then-Houston Oilers lost 45-21 to Indianapolis in a 2-14 season that earned Jeff Fisher a November promotion to head coach.

“All those things can be corrected, can be corrected and have to if we expect to have success,” Fisher said Monday. “Our team right now will bounce back and will continue to improve. That’s what we’re stressing right now.”

Fisher pointed out his Titans have bounced back before from tough losses. They lost at Indianapolis 33-7 in Week 2 of 2003 and finished 12-4, and a 52-25 loss at Oakland in 2002 was the low point of a 1-4 start en route to an 11-5 record and a spot in the AFC championship.

But those rosters were stocked with lots of experience by a franchise looking to return to the Super Bowl.

These Titans had an average age of 25 years, 201 days after the final roster cuts, and only 12 have four or more years’ NFL experience. Veterans like running back Travis Henry fumbled on his second carry, and receiver Drew Bennett lost the ball at the 5 two drives later.

“Call it a snowball effect, quicksand or whatever, it was an embarrassment out there,” left guard Zach Piller said after the game. “We need to check ourselves.”

Fisher wouldn’t reveal the number of missed tackles for the game, but he did say Pittsburgh gained 108 yards after such mistakes.

Linebacker Keith Bulluck was very disappointed after looking forward to a fresh start from last season’s 5-11 record. They could blame that on injuries, but these Titans are healthy. Bulluck promises they are better than what they showed.

“There’s going to be no repeat season of last year. That’s where all my confidence … comes from. I’m one of the leaders on this team, and I will personally try to see to it that there’s no repeat of last year,” Bulluck said.

Steve McNair, taken out late when the blowout was obvious, spent his time trying to boost his teammates’ confidence.

“This is a long year. … If you make a mistake in the first quarter, you can overcome it. That’s what I’m trying to emphasize for the young guys … You can bounce back and continue to make plays,” he said.

That won’t be easy. The Titans open at home Sunday with a visit from the Baltimore Ravens (0-1) and two of the high-priced veterans — cornerback Samari Rolle and receiver Derrick Mason — Tennessee let go in February to kick its rebuilding into high gear.

The schedule features St. Louis, then Indianapolis before a trip to Houston. Failure to fix mistakes could result in the franchise’s worst start since 1984 when the then-Oilers didn’t win a game until Week 11.

The Titans started only one rookie with Michael Roos filling in at left tackle for suspended veteran Brad Hopkins. But Fisher said lack of experience, not youth, was why the Titans lost.

Andre Woolfolk and Tony Beckham had been only injury fill-ins at cornerback before starting Sunday trying to replace Rolle and Andre Dyson, who left as a free agent.

“What we need to do is gain experience as quickly as we can. Youth is not a concern to me. It’s the lack of experience in some roles. We have to overcome. The only way you do that is by playing and correcting mistakes,” Fisher said.

The Titans certainly have plenty to work with right now.