NFL Breaking News: Randy Moss Claimed by Titans
According to a number of sports sites around the web, Randy Moss has been claimed by the Tennessee Titans. Moss was waived by the Vikings after a number of strange actions and numerous comments he made regarding his former team, the New England Patriots. Both the Oakland Raiders and St. Louis Rams passed up on the chance of having Moss on their roster.
Moss should stretch the field for the Titans offense and open up the running lanes for Chris Johnson. Jeff Fisher will have his hands full with Moss but isn’t one to pass up a challenge. Vince Young and Kerry Collins have to like this move with it adding yet another weapon for them to use down the field. Moss has 5 days to report to the Titans and then we will see how this chapter unfolds.
Loss Sinks Titanic Playoff Hopes
The worst part of the Titan’s loss last night could have been having to listen to Mark Schlereth on ESPN, and his verbal diarrhea the next morning, barely stopping short of sending San Diego quarterback Philip Rivers an engagement ring, (Lord help us once Trent Dilfer and Michael Irvin volunteer their opinions)…or watching Tennessee QB Vince Young cough up the ball on a scramble while he was sliding to avoid a hit, or the two interceptions that he threw decidedly behind his receivers, or the fact that the faint playoff hopes for a team that began the season by losing their first six games have officially been snuffed out, or the seven penalties for ninety-six yards, or…..well, you get the idea. San Diego 42, Tennessee 17…now you get the idea.
If it wasn’t the feeble play of Tennessee’s quarterback, it was the phantom pass interference penalty while Titan’s safety Courtland Finnegan was having his facemask yanked from behind. It was cold, windy, and Christmas, but none of that seemed to matter to the San Diego Chargers, who looked as though they were playing an exhibition contest against the hapless Titan’s defense. Sure, Keith Bulluck was watching from the bench with an ACL tear, but if these guys rely on Bulluck this much, they’re going to need a lot more than a linebacker’s return to 180 this franchise.
Titan’s running back Chris Johnson continued his march toward history, with his 10 consecutive 100-yard effort, closing to within 128 yards of a 2000-yard season – a feat accomplished only five times before in NFL history. The all-time, single-season rushing mark currently held by Eric Dickerson of 2,105 yards, is perhaps a bit less attainable, as Johnson would require a herculean performance of 234 yards in his final game of the season. Not out of the realm of possibility for an athlete of such proven production, but it would certainly be asking the moon from the teams’ most consistent player. The Titan’s will travel to Seattle to face the Seahawks for the 2009 finale.
“We gave them a lot of turnovers and had too many penalties,” Tennessee linebacker Stephen Tulloch told reporters after the game. Tulloch felt that the team took a big step backwards. “We are a better football team than that, and when we went on the winning streak we weren’t doing that. Inconsistent football won’t get it done in this league.” Tell us about it.
Young’s dismal 8 of 21 for 89 yards was in stark contrast to the production that had led this team to victories in 7 of their last 8 games. “My mistakes hurt us,” Young said. “And that didn’t give our defense a chance to get to the sidelines to get a breather. That’s pretty much it. Every time we got into a rhythm, I turned the ball over, and that is something that I can’t do. We were driving the ball pretty good, and it was the turnovers on my behalf that hurt us.” Young, with that unconventional three-quarters passing delivery that has attracted batted balls and inaccuracy like a magnet, finished the evening with a quarterback rating of 11.9. Two interceptions and a fumble, all of which led to Chargers scores. A rushing touchdown capping an eleven-play, 77-yard drive with only seconds remaining in the first half, allowed the Titans to trail 20-10. This one was never that close. After the Seahawks, the Titans will face several decisions in the off-season, not the least of which will be VY’s huge $14M salary cap hit, and where he’ll be throwing interceptions – er – playing football in 2010. Young, if he’s still on the Tennessee roster in 2010, will be due a $4.25M roster bonus (a bonus?), a $7.5M base salary, along with that cap number…but if he’s cut, it would cost the Titans a $4.92M accelerator to shed his contract…hmmmm…stay tuned.
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Something Out Of Nothing
Seven weeks ago, the Tennessee Titans took the beating of their professional football lives, a 59-0 shellacking in the snowy confines of Gillette Stadium at the hands of the New England Patriots. They took their medicine, and swallowed it through what had to be a very tough bye week to boot. Now, turn the calendar ahead to Sunday afternoon in Nashville, where the Music City Miracle now has company in the story-telling department. The Titans are now 5-0 since that beating near Boston, running off five straight after losing their first six, with none more compelling than the improbable victory over the Kurt Warner-less Arizona Cardinals, 20-17.
Vince Young took the reins of the offense on his own 1-yard line, with merely 2:37 left on the clock, and his Titans trailing 17-14 – and became the stuff of legends.
“We fought to the finish,” Young told reporters at his post-game press conference.” It was hard. It takes a lot of confidence and patience. It was a team effort. Everybody is stepping up.” Tennessee’s quarterback was 27 of 43 for a career-best 387 yards.
The drive lasted 18 plays, including three – that’s right – three 4th down conversions, 9 out of 16 passes completed, a six-yard scramble by Young, one sack, and the chance to go from goat-to-hero for rookie wide receiver Kenny Britt, who caught the game-winning touchdown as time expired. Britt fumbled away the football in Tennessee’s previous possession, turning it over to Arizona in what seemed to be at the time, a back-breaking error. But the Titan’s defense held firm, forcing the Cards to punt, and setting the stage for the dramatic final two minutes and thirty-seven seconds of the game.
With Young’s fifth victory since being reinserted into the starting lineup, the Titans are on a roll. With undefeated (11-0) Indianapolis next up on the schedule, Tennessee’s path to a possible playoff appearance is definitely not an easy one. But that’s just the way the Titans seem to like it…the tougher, the better.
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WHAT? A Winning Streak? …The Tennessee Titans?
With the National Football League’s leading rusher, and a young quarterback emerging at the most opportune time, the Tennessee Titans returned from San Francisco with a hard earned, and much-needed 34-27 win – and a 2-game winning streak.
Running back Chris Johnson’s speed, incredible durability, and toughness once again produced results for Tennessee, with 25 carries for 135 yards and 2 touchdowns - not including an 85-yard run that was called back after review, with the Ref calling Johnson out-of-bounds well before he reached the end zone. Coach Jeff Fisher and Johnson both claimed that his heel never touched the line, but apparently that was not the way the Officials saw it.
“I really feel like when I run, my heels don’t touch down,” Johnson said. “I am always on my tippy-toes, so I felt like I stayed in. I kind of knew I didn’t step out of bounds. When I looked at the replay, I knew there wasn’t significant evidence to show I didn’t step out of bounds. I thought f
or sure I had a touchdown.”
“The information that I got from the box is the heel wasn’t down,” Fisher told reporters later. “They were adamant about the heel never touched. We’ll look at it. It was good for us to overcome.”
Quarterback Vince Young continued to impress this week. The word “poise” has been used to describe his play as of late. His passing accuracy has been excellent since he got his opportunity to start in front of Kerry Collins, and partly due to the team’s dismal 0-6 start to the season. 12 for 19 for 172 yards, and a rushing TD, Young appears comfortable in the pocket, and in situations where his receivers are covered, he’s been able to make plays on his own to advance the ball. “We always believe in each other,” said Young. “I’m just trying to get the team to get better and 
better. I want to earn their confidence back, and earn my coach’s confidence. So I’m just trying to play one game at a time. It’s not all about Vince. It’s about all of us. We’re doing a great job, period.”
The Titan defense swarmed the 49ers, coming up with 4 sacks, and 4 turnovers, including interceptions from Rod Hood, Courtland Finnegan, and Chris Hope. Finnegan’s was a pick-6, returning it 39 yards for a TD, and a 34-20 Tennessee lead in the 4th quarter.
“This is more what we are about,” linebacker Keith Bulluck said. “Once we slipped up it was like one of those movies where people have the freefall. No one wanted our season to go that way. But we have more football to play, and we’re going to play it on out and see what happens.”
Two in a row may not sound like much ( and granted, it isn’t…) , but to say that this team has struggled early in the season, is like saying the limbless Black Knight i
n Monty Python’s “Holy Grail” merely had a flesh wound…it doesn’t even really seem like the same team…
” I don’t know what the difference is,” added center Kevin Mawae. “I really can’t explain it other than now we are finding ways to win. We’re not doing anything different game-plan wise, we’re just making plays when we have to. Nobody’s talking about the first six games anymore. They’re talking about the next game, and where we go from here.”
Quite a change from just 2 weeks ago, but I guess that’s what a 2-game winning streak can do for you. See you in Nashville, where the Titans host Terrell Owens and the Buffalo Bills…
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What a Difference a (Bye) Week Makes…
On a snowy, blustery afternoon in Foxboro, Massachusetts only two weeks ago, the Titans of Tennessee absorbed a shellacking equaled only once in their professional franchise history. A humiliating 59-0 dismantling at the hands of the New England Patriots, essentially summing up their mistake-riddled season in a neat, albeit disturbing, little package. Turnovers, sloppy play, poor execution, and general lackadaisical performance, more forgettable than memorable – at least that’s how I felt about it, and I only had to watch.
Well, what a difference a week makes. Or more to the point, a bye week.
This Sunday afternoon in Nashville, at home in front of another faithful, sellout crowd at LP Field, the Titans looked more like the 13-3 team of 2008 that opened their season 10-0, rather than the 0-6 winless 2009 version we were forced to watch self-destruct in New England 2 weeks ago, routing Jacksonville 30-13.
Some things appeared the same, such as running back Chris Johnson running wild, this time over the Jaguars, with 2 rushing touchdowns, piling up more than 200 yards on the day. While his counterpart, the Jag’s Maurice Jones-Drew, also had a productive day, gaining over 170 yards, also with 2 TDs. In fact combined, they scored 4 rushing touchdowns 50 yards or longer; the first time that’s happened in the history of the NFL.
Other things had a slightly different appearance, as QB Vince Young took over the starting job from Veteran Kerry Collins (at the behest of Titan’s owner Bud Adams), and – don’t look now, but VY looked like a genuine NFL quarterback. 15 of 18 for 125 yards, and ran 10 times for 32 yards, Young was crisp and precise, making good decisions with the football. “The year off has helped me a whole lot”, Young said.
Taking his time, reading the defense. Going through his progressions, looking for the open receiver, looking for his checkdowns. Then, with no place to safely throw the football, he pulled it down, and did what the folks who drafted him, drafted him to do – he made plays with his legs. Third and 8? Nobody open downfield? Need eight yards for a first down? Vince got them ten, all by himself.
“This is the first start he’s had where he has not had a sack or interception, and I think it shows – we’re hoping that shows – that he has learned from this experience,” Coach Fisher told reporters on Monday. “He has learned to take what’s there, take the checkdown, get rid of the ball or take off when it’s time to go take off. We’ve said all along he was developing.”
Owner Bud Adams must consider how – or even if – Young will fit into the teams plans for beyond this season. The quarterback is due a $4.25 million bonus in March of 2010, and will count more than $14 million against the teams’ 2010-2011 salary cap as well.
“We didn’t have any drops. We ran the football,” Fisher continued, “we got some turnovers, and that is what I’ve been saying all along. We need to continue with that. If the team can do that, and he plays like he played, we’ll win some games.”
The Titans go West to face the San Francisco 49ers next. They’ve got the second ranked rushing defense, so Johnson and White will have their work cut out for them. And Vince Young? He’s now walking the walk after a solid performance against Jacksonville, when Tennessee needed him to come through. “I have been waiting for this. I am definitely more mature, definitely more comfortable in the offense,” said Young. “I am very confident. I just want to go out there and take care of my responsibilities as a quarterback, and get a win.”
With the return of DB Vincent Fuller and Courtland Finnegan, the defensive secondary is creating problems once again for opposing QBs, and allowing the D-line to apply significant pressure on the pass rush – something that the Titan’s were sorely missing in their absence.
Sure seems like a long way from the frozen tundra of Gillette Stadium a couple of weeks ago…what a difference a bye week makes.
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Blizzard of 59 Buries Titans
Tennessee running back Chris Johnson gained 128 yards on the ground, having a productive day in New England against the Patriots – and the snow – on this Sunday afternoon. That’s the good news. The bad news is, there’s a lot of bad news.
With Courtland Finnegan a scratch for the game, and a generally injury decimated secondary; Tennessee was unable to put any real pressure on Tom Brady. That said, one could hope that the Titan’s quarterback and offense could maybe score a few points, in an attempt to compensate. Well, let’s put it this way, there were a lot of NFL records broken on this day, and those broken by Tennessee should best be forgotten as fast as a snowball melts in…..well, let’s say the deep South for now…
Here it is… 59-0. Yup, you read that right. New England handed the Titans the largest NFL shutout since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970…On December 4, 1976, the Rams beat the Falcons 59-0… The last time there was a defeat of this magnitude, it was the Houston Oilers crushed by the Cincinnati Bengals, 61-7. That was 1989. The Titans wore the same throw back uniforms, with unfortunately, similar results.
The anemic QB duo of Kerry Collins and Vince Young completed 2 passes to their receivers, and two passes to New England, with 2 interceptions. 2 for 14 for minus 7 yards. Collins finished the day with a passer rating of 4.9. The fact that the Titans seemingly couldn’t do anything right in the first half didn’t help matters. Running back LenDale White fumbled, which led to a New England TD. Kerry Collins fumbled the snap, which led to a New England TD. Collins threw an interception, which led to…well, you get the idea. Let’s not bore you with the Patriots’ records
Suffice to say they set new team marks for total yards (619) and points, and Brady set a new NFL record with 5 touchdown passes in one quarter ( 5), and New England scored on nine consecutive possessions.
This one is going to sting for at least two weeks – Tennessee’s at their bye week. Head Coach Jeff Fisher in his post-game press conference said he’d thankfully never been a part of a loss like this. “I can assure you one thing, it’s not going to happen again,” Fisher told reporters. “I guess our bye week comes at a good time to start over and look at everything we’re doing. I’m disappointed obviously, and embarrassed to say the least. We played a good football team, but that wasn’t us out there…we’ve got a lot of work to do.”
After an extra week to figure out how to win again, Tennessee welcomes Jacksonville to LP Field, followed by a trip out West to face the 49ers. Fisher has intimated that he may “tweak” his roster during the bye week. With the 0-6 start and the weight of the 59-0 shutout still burdening Fisher, Titan’s owner Bud Adams said that the Coach’s job is safe through the end of the season, but would make no promises beyond that time. Adams founded the team in 1960, and the 86 year old owner says he’s never seen his team play this badly. “Right now, it’s as bad as I’ve seen it, and that’s a long time,” said Adams. “I’ve never had a team start out like this. We had the best record in the NFL last year. I can’t understand it.” When asked about Head Coach Jeff Fisher’s job security, Adams said, “If we end up losing every game or don’t look better, I’d have to look at that pretty hard, you know what I mean? The way it is going, I don’t know if we’ll win any games, and that is unheard of in the National Football League.”
Hmmmm…there was this one team from Detroit last year….
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