Fisher not ready to count moral victories

The Titans (4-10) wrapped up their home schedule with what he called one of their toughest losses this season Sunday, 28-24 to Seattle

Fisher said his Titans had a chance to beat the NFC West champion Seahawks after overcoming a 14-point deficit by scoring 24 straight points. That isn’t enough for Fisher to count the game as a moral victory.

“That’s not acceptable to me,” Fisher said Monday. “You have a chance to win the game, you have to make a play to win the game. That’s how you learn.”

The Titans had the ball at the Seattle 6 but failed to score when Chris Brown, with a sore shoulder, was stopped on fourth-and-1. The Titans later turned the ball over on downs at the Seattle 34, and the Seahawks pulled out the victory by holding the ball nearly 11 minutes.

“The moment we start congratulating players for their effort … and overlook the fact we’re losing rather than winning, that’s going to set you back along the way so I’m not satisfied with anything associated with this game only because we didn’t win it,” Fisher said.

Among the bright spots was the protection provided Steve McNair. He threw for 310 yards and wasn’t sacked by a defense that came in leading the NFL with 45 sacks. The Titans had a season-high 419 yards offense, and tight end Ben Troupe had a career-best 116 yards receiving on six catches.

The defense allowed a season-high 459 yards and forced the Seahawks to punt only twice. The Titans couldn’t stop the Seahawks when it mattered most in the final five minutes.

“We have to learn how to work well with a lead and stay on the field when we need to stay on the field and get the ball back when we need to get the ball back,” left offensive tackle Brad Hopkins said.

“We just have to find a way to play a complete ball game.”

Fisher won’t have time to study the Seahawks’ loss because he must prepare the Titans for their first game on a short week this season with a trip Saturday to Miami (7-7).

Now the Titans face a tough task to try and match last year’s 5-11 record. They finish the season on the road starting at Miami, where the Dolphins have bounced back from a losing record in 2004 much better than the Titans, then Jacksonville.

The Titans need a victory to avoid posting Fisher’s worst record as a head coach. They can help themselves if they finish the season playing like they did against the Seahawks, a team that is a victory away from home-field advantage through the playoffs.

If the Titans get to review the tape of Sunday’s game, that will come later this week, or perhaps not until the offseason. The Titans start focusing on Miami on Tuesday when Fisher and his coaches will be trying to trick the players into thinking it’s Wednesday to help them prepare.

McNair sees a team that is growing and building a chemistry.

“It is becoming that complete team that we have always wanted to be from training camp,” he said.

Even if it is a little late in the season.

Notes:@ Running back Travis Henry (right ankle) remains sore, and Fisher said they will try to get him on the practice field Thursday … Fisher said he thinks tight end Erron Kinney (right knee) has a chance to return Saturday after missing two games.