Bulluck curious to see which Titans team shows up today
All-Pro linebacker Keith Bulluck is curious to see which Tennessee Titans team will show up Sunday against Chicago.
Will it be the Titans who routed Green Bay 48-27 on Oct. 11?
Or the group that stumbled to five losses in six games, nearly frittering away the season?
“If we’re going to go out and play like the team we know we can play like in the three wins that we had, that’s great. That’ll show you what direction this team is going,” Bulluck said.
Both the Bears (3-5) and Titans (3-5) suddenly have hope again because the leaders of their divisions have fallen back to the pack.
Chicago trails Minnesota in the NFC North by only two games thanks to a two-game winning streak. The Titans beat Cincinnati 27-20 before their bye last weekend and now find themselves two back of Jacksonville and Indianapolis.
“If we just go out and play each game to the best of our ability and go out and put up wins, at the end of the season we should be right in the thick of things,” Titans receiver Derrick Mason said.
Now the problem is not thinking too far ahead.
“People start talking about what Green Bay’s doing, what Minnesota’s doing,” Bears defensive end Alex Brown said. “If we don’t win, it really doesn’t matter what they do. We’ve got to take care of our business.”
The Bears certainly come in with the most momentum after an impressive 28-21 victory at the New York Giants. The defense had a season-high seven sacks and five turnovers.
Chicago linebacker Brian Urlacher said they are picking up new coach Lovie Smith’s defense at the right time.
“We just have to stay in our gaps and keep playing hard, and good things will happen to us,” he said.
Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who played five years for the Bears as a defensive back in the 1980s, has been very impressed with what he’s seen.
“On occasion, you will see a missed assignment, but they make up for it with speed and they strip the ball loose or tip a ball and intercept a ball,” he said.
With the Bears getting such pressure on the quarterback, odds are better than good that Steve McNair may sit out a second straight game because of his bruised chest. He’s still hurting despite not playing since Oct. 24. Another hit could knock him out two to three more weeks, and the Titans can’t afford that with a crucial three-game swing back through the AFC South starting Nov. 21 at Jacksonville.
That would leave backup Billy Volek to make his third start this season, but McNair also knows the Titans have no room for error.
“I’m very excited about getting back on the field,” McNair said. “I think this team is on the verge of putting things together and putting together a great second half of season.”