The Tennessee Titans Only Need to Stay on Course

Posted: May 30, 2009

The 2008 Tennessee Titans played Jeff Fisher football- run the ball, limit mistakes, pressure the passer- all the way to the NFL’s best record. And then it all unraveled so quickly. In a Playoff game where they almost doubled the Ravens in yardage, the Titans uncharacteristically committed three turnovers (all inside the red zone), 12 penalties, and had no sacks. The result was an excruciating loss that ended a season with so much promise.

Many organizations would overreact after an emotional loss, but that was not the case with Tennessee. This is a franchise led by the dean of NFL coaches, and maybe their best quality is that they know their identity. Fisher explains their physical brand of football:

We have a philosophy from a football standpoint.. That is, you've got to be tough, you've got to be aggressive and you've got to be physical and wear down your opponent. You've got to do that with the run game, and on defense, you've got to stop the run. And at the same time, you've got to be smart about what you do and how you do it. We've got a good group of players right now that understand that. Most important - and I believe this is the most important thing in pro sports - they've got to enjoy coming to work. Our guys do that, and we try to make it fun for them. At the same time, you've got to be able to lock in and focus and prepare and do the right things on the practice field and in the meeting rooms.

Simply said, the Titans are a veteran squad that is built from the inside out. With top notch assistants like Mike Munchak and Jim Washburn, Tennessee has enjoyed excellent line play that ensures they will compete in every game. Kerry Collins took the reins of the offense last season and managed the club to a 13-3 mark. With their physical identity and no-nonsense approach, the franchise was able to overcome obvious Draft mistakes like Pacman Jones while also being able to keep an even hand with Vince Young so that he might still become a valuable player in the future. Amazingly, the Titans overcame this "adversity" while in the midst of overtaking the dominant grip that the Colts have had in the AFC South.

Most NFL teams could not do that, but Fisher and his clear plan for success will have the Titans in the Playoff race for the forseeable future.

Can they win the brutal AFC South again? It will be a huge challenge with a difficult schedule and trying to overcome the loss of defensive force Albert Haynesworth. The Titans also lost defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to Detroit, but Fisher has had coaching turnover before and still succeeded. The offense may be even more dynamic with the additions of free agent deep threat Nate Washington and first-round pick Kenny Britt. One thing that will not change is the Titans playing their rugged brand of mistake-free football. This year, they just need to carry their patented formula with them in the postseason.