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Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Tennessee had a strange year in 2010. QB Vince Young and head coach Jeff Fisher got into it last year and now the franchise will go into a different direction with Mike Munchak as coach and Jake Locker as their franchise QB. The Titans have only been around since 1999, but have had a lot of great players and also a lot of luck.
Before getting fired after the 2010 season, Jeff Fisher was the longest tenured head coach in the NFL. Fisher also served as the coach of the Houston Oilers from 1994 to 1996 before the team moved to Tennessee in 1997. In 1999 the Oilers changed their name to the Titans and after sub par seasons as their coach, Fisher finally got their team to the promise land. The Titans posted a 13-3 record and were able to get to Super Bowl XXXIV in most part due to their insane wild card victory over the Bills (more on that later). In the Super Bowl, they lost against the St. Louis Rams 23-16. That game was the closest we have ever gotten to an overtime Super Bowl as wide receiver Kevin Dyson came up one yard short of the tying score. Over two of the next four seasons, Fisher led the Titans to the playoffs once again where they lost to the eventuall Super Bowl champions both times. The Titans were never able to get back to the Super Bowl after that, but in Fisher's ten years as head coach of the Titans, he led the team to five playoff berths and two AFC Championship Games. Fisher was a great coach, but I don't think we have seen the last of him on a NFL sidelines. One thing I can say is that Mike Munchak has some big shoes to fill.
Nashville's favorite QB was Steve McNair and for good reason to. In his ten year career with the Titans/Oilers, McNair went to three Pro Bowls, was an All-Pro selection in 2003, and was the Walter Payton Man of the Year in 1994. Despite being selected third overall in the 1995 draft, McNair did not start a full season until 1997, the teams first year in Tennessee. In his first full year McNair threw for 2,665 yards which was the most for an Oilers QB since Warren Moon in 1993. In McNair's Super Bowl season, he had an early season injury but was able to return for the final nine games and helped Tennessee to seven victories and a 13-3 record. In Super Bowl XXXIV against the St. Louis Rams McNair was 22 for 36 with 214 yards and the final pass to Kevin Dyson was just one yard short of forcing overtime. While McNair went to the Super Bowl in 1999, his best season was in 2001. On his way to his only MVP award, McNair threw for 3,350 yards with 21 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. In 2002, on his way to another AFC Championship, McNair threw for a career postseason high with 338 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. McNair's last three seasons were summed up with legal problems and injuries, but he still is Nashville's favorite QB and the Titans greatest player. Click here to look at McNair's stats.
Do you want to see a vintage return man? Look no farther then the Oilers' best draft gem, Ken Houston. The Oilers drafted Houston in the ninth round of the 1967 AFL-NFL draft. In Houston's great NFL career he made 12 Pro Bowls, is apart of the NFL's 75th anniversary team, and is also apart of the 1970's all-decade team. Houston was able to earn a starting position on the Oilers and in a game against the New York Jets, he returned two touchdowns. One was a 71 yard-return on a blocked field goal attempt and the other was a 43 yard interception return. In 1971, Houston was able to get a record five touchdown returns (four interceptions, one fumble) in a season, a record that has since been broken by the Bears Devin Hester. One of the dumbest trades the Oilers ever made was trading Houston to the Redskins, where he made seven straight Pro Bowls. One of the most under rated positions in the NFL is at CB, which can help switch the tide of the game during one big interception. That is what Houston was a game changer. In 1986, Houston was inducted into the Hall of Fame as the best draft gem the Titans/Oilers have ever had. Click here to look at Houston's stats.
"Make it rain!" That's what Adam Jones did after becoming a sixth overall pick by the Titans in the 2005 NFL draft. Unfortunately for Tennessee, he could not make it rain interceptions. Jones has virtually done nothing in his NFL career (yes, he is still around). After being drafted Jones held out of training camp and was put out on probation after a bar fight (I would of loved to see that). Jones rookie season included 1,339 return yards, but no interceptions. I'm not a defensive coordinator, but I'm pretty sure CB's are measured by interception returns. During training camp of 2006, Jones was arrested for disorderly conduct and was put on six month probation, but was only suspended one game by the Titans. After many more legal issues for "Pac-Man'' he was traded to the Dallas Cowboys for a fourth round pick. There was plenty of talent in the 2005 draft, including fellow CB Antrel Rolle that was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals. Other defensive standouts in that draft included Demarcus Ware and Shawne Merriman. Of course the biggest prize in the draft, Aaron Rodgers, was for the Titans to take but they didn't. Click here to look at Jones' stats.
After years of being on the cusp of a Super Bowl with Warren Moon, luck had finally caught up with the Titans. In a wild card game against the Buffalo Bills, Tennessee was down 16-15 with only 16 second minutes remaining. The best that Titans' fans hoped for was a last second miracle heave by Steve McNair, but nobody could guess the events that would happen next. On the ensuing kickoff, Lorenzo Neal received the ball and handed it off to tight end Frank Wycheck. Wycheck then threw a lateral across the field to Kevin Dyson who returned it for a 75-yard touchdown. The Titans would hold on for the 22-16 victory and would be on their way to Super Bowl XXXIV, where Dyson would fall one yard short of tying the game as time expired. Even thought they did not win the Super Bowl, this play changed the fortunes of the Titans, but don't let me tell you that, see it for yourself.
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