In this Cleveland-centric website, last Sunday night's game between the Tennessee Titans and the Indianapolis Colts meant only one thing: the playoff future for the Cleveland Browns. It was quite simple. The Browns were in if the Titans lost, and were out if they won. Never did it enter our minds that if the Tennessee Titans won the game, the Titans would be in the playoffs.
Deadlocking tiebreakers all the way to the third level of math (combined number of wins among beaten teams), the Titans' 10-6 record was better than the Browns 10-6 record, even though it was Cleveland's best post-Modell season to date. But let's actually look at these 10-win Titans. They may be the last team in, but they might not be the first team out.
Since 2006 the team has been casually synonymous with quarterback Vince Young, whose marketability (look at the Amazon product next to the headline, chief) far outweighs his passer rating. But those who know the team understand the defense is the reason this team is in the playoffs.
Two of their three Pro Bowl representatives are on their defensive line: Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch. Haynesworth has done well not to, as David Mazzotta calls it, riverdance on anyone's head this year. Kicker Rob Bironas is the third Pro Bowler, which makes sense, since struggling offenses are often strongholds for prolific kickers.
But if the defense is unheralded, then the head coach must be a relocated mobster. Jeff Fisher, a.k.a The Head, a.k.a. Jeffy Two Times, a.k.a. The Fisher King Of Rattails, is quietly the longest tenured coach in the NFL, coaching these Titans way back when they were known as the Houston Oilers. Prior to this year Fisher hadn't achieved a winning season since 2003, which in this league is usually grounds for expulsion, but Fisher won 61 games between 1999-2003. His playoff record should also prove helpful this weekend, as he's 5-4 in the postseason with one Super Bowl appearance, two AFC championship games, and three of his playoff losses at the hands of the eventual Super Bowl champion.
Article comments
1 - Simon G.
If the Titans get past the Bolts they will no way play the Colts in the Divisional Round. Being the sixth seed automatically means being matched against the highest remaining seed, in this case New England. So the earliest the Titans could see those familiar Colts is in the AFC Champ game, assuming they take care of the Bolts and get some Divine intervention against the Pats.
We'll see how it shakes out. In any case
GO TITANS!
2 - Matthew T. Sussman
Oh yeah. Forgot about that.
Well, the silver lining in a Titans-Patriots matchup for Tennessee is that they haven't lost to them this year.