Titan ‘D’ takes tip from Tampa
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They learned from a back-breaking Tampa Bay defense how to better attack an Oakland Raider offense which had shredded them for 41 points in the AFC Championship.
“We learned a lot from Tampa Bay and their game plan in the Super Bowl,” said Titan defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth. “We tried to do what Tampa Bay did as far as pressuring the quarterback and it worked. Gannon had happy feet back there. He didn’t look like a 16-year veteran when we started getting pressure on him.”
Raider quarterback Rich Gannon did make two key plays, a 46-yard touchdown pass to Charlie Garner and a 25-yard TD toss to Tim Brown. But outside of those two plays, Oakland’s offense was unspectacular.
The Raiders were held to 34 yards rushing and the Titans sacked Gannon four times. It was that up-front pressure which translated to an easier day for the secondary.
“It seemed like last year in the playoffs, we covered our tails off and Gannon was able to make plays because he had more time,” said Titan safety Lance Schulters, who finished with five tackles and a sack. “This year it was different.”
Haynesworth said one thing the Titans did differently is they didn’t rush their ends so far up the field. Haynesworth pointed out that Gannon usually takes only five-step drops which means he doesn’t set up very deep in the pocket. If defensive ends take their usual angle, they run right past Gannon and out of the play.
The Titan defensive front was also bolstered by a healthy Jevon Kearse, who missed most of last year after breaking his foot. When Kearse did return, he wasn’t completely healthy and therefore not as effective.
“Jevon is healthy now and you see what a difference it makes when you put pressure on the quarterback,” said Titan cornerback Samari Rolle.
Kearse was held in check during the opening half, but swarmed around Gannon like a 265-pound yellow jacket in the second half. When Kearse finally reached the quarterback for his one sack of the game, he looked like he was trying to snap Gannon in two.
“If you get past those big offensive linemen, you’ve got to do something,” said Kearse when asked about the hit that forced Gannon to leave the game for two plays.
In addition to a revamped game plan, the Titans weren’t shy in expressing their appreciation for what was a thunderous crowd.
“I’ve said all along that if we played at home last year in the playoffs we would have won that game,” said Schulters.
Added Haynesworth, a former UT star, “The crowd was as loud as 106,000 in Knoxville.”