Winless Titans present a desperate threat to Bucs

Tennessee has gone from a preseason favorite to 0-3, but Tampa Bay can't afford to take it lightly.

By DARRELL FRY

© St. Petersburg Times,
published October 12, 2001

Want to get rich quick? Forget about playing the lottery. Your best bet is to simply figure out one thing:

What's wrong with the Tennessee Titans?

It is certainly the $64-million question around Nashville, where the Bucs face the winless Titans on Sunday. A season after posting the league's best record (13-3), the Titans dubiously own one of the league's worst (0-3).

So, what gives?

Theories abound. Some people say Tennessee is hurting from the departure of several key role players such as fullback Lorenzo Neal, cornerback Denard Walker and safety Marcus Robertson, who were either released or lost to free agency.

Neal was often the lead blocker for star running back Eddie George last season, when George ran for 1,509 yards. Without Neal, George has 51 yards a game.

"You lose a certain team chemistry," Ravens safety Rod Woodson said after Baltimore beat Tennessee 26-7 Sunday, "and it's hard to get that back."

Others, though, point to the loss of defensive coordinator Gregg Williams, now Buffalo's coach. He led a Titans unit that was tops in the league last season. This season the Titans are among the worst, allowing 375 yards a game. Only three teams are giving up more.

Still others blame Tennessee's problems on injuries. George, quarterback Steve McNair and cornerbacks Samari Rolle and Donald Mitchell have been banged up at times this season.

The Titans, though, say they don't have a clue as to what's wrong beyond the obvious.

"This is a good football team (but) we're not making plays. We're not doing a lot of things right," coach Jeff Fisher said. "We have to improve. There's just no other answers for you. I apologize."

More than likely, the Titans' road to recovery will start with the running game, which has been a staple of the offense. They have been getting about 79 rushing yards a game.

The Titans figure if they get the running game going, it will help the passing game, which also has struggled. McNair, who has been sacked nine times, has completed 49.5 percent of his passes and has five interceptions.

"That's the issue," Fisher said. "If you're going to use your play-action passing game to its potential, you're going to have to at least be able to run it, and we haven't been able to do that."

As a result, Tennessee has had difficulty sustaining drives and scoring. The Titans have converted just 7 of 42 third-down situations, worst in the league, and haven't scored a touchdown in the past eight quarters.

Twenty-seven penalties haven't helped. This might be the wrong week for the Titans to try to re-establish their running game. For one, George is hurting. He's listed as questionable with an ankle injury.

For another, the Bucs aren't the easiest team to run against. Tampa Bay's defense has given up an average of 86 rushing yards this season. Green Bay's Ahman Green, the league rushing leader at the time, gained 59 against the Bucs Sunday.

The Titans, though, almost always play well at home, where they won their first 13 games. And they'll undoubtedly be even more desperate to win, just as the Vikings were when they snapped out of their 0-2 start with a home win against Tampa Bay two weeks ago.

"They're still deadly," Bucs offensive tackle DeMarcus Curry said. "They're like that snake that's been backed up in a corner. ...

"If it was me in their position, something would have to give. That's how they're feeling. And that's the way we have to feel. ... In order to beat a man this low, what do you have to do? You have to get even lower."

The Titans, needless to say, can't get much lower. They have grown noticeably humble and conciliatory, shaken by their 0-3 start but determined not to let it break them.

"The atmosphere around here is the way it'd be if we were 3-0. There is no panic," George insisted. "Obviously guys are (angry) about being in this position, and I think that's good because that means we're taking it extremely serious.

"For the guys who weren't taking it serious before, they are forced to take it serious now because it's getting close to time for us to start playing some serious football around here."

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