All We Can Do!

Ok...we don't know what is wrong with the Titans. Maybe Vince Young can fix this. But just as likely, this is all about the "Curse". You remember. December 21st, 2008. Titans 31, Steelers 14. And then, there it was...the Stomping of Myron Cope's Terrible Towel. Now, as a life long Cleveland Browns fan, I knew what was coming. Misery. No Super Bowl, not even a playoff win over Baltimore to set up a Steeler redo. Nope, I knew it was DONE! Now, 8 straight losses later, it was time to do something about it. So in the idle time during commercial breaks in the Dawghouse, we started batting ideas around. A Ouija board or seance was suggested, to contact Myron Cope directly and ask for forgiveness...but none of us were thrilled with the idea of messin' with the occult. In fact, Hop said, "I won't even come in studio THAT day!" So we thought, "If LenDale and K-Bull would sign one of those things, and we shipped it to Myron's charity, maybe that would do it!"
Of course, this meant getting two aggravated, 0-6 NFL players to go along, and you know what? They said, "Sure!" Any port in a storm, I guess. So the Boys signed, Keith Bulluck even asked how he could make a cash donation, and we shipped the towel to the Allegheny Valley School for Children and Adults with intellectual developmental disabilities. We need to thank WKRN TV (Channel 2) in Nashville and WTAE TV (Channel 4) in Pittsburgh for helping us make this happen. The Mexicutioner, Al Llamas, was in charge of actually handling the Terrible Towel and getting it signed, since Hop and I refused to touch the thing...and, after all, he is a Steeler fan.
NOW LET'S WIN A FOOTBALL GAME!

Fresh From the SEC Office...

Seems to be a ton of confusion about the ruling on Terrance Cody's helmet removal at the end of the UT-Bama game...A big part of this involves when the clock ran out and the establishment of possession. What would have happened had time been left on the clock? And if UT had recovered, could they have re-kicked, since the ball didn't travel past the Line of Scrimmage? So I asked Charles Bloom at the SEC office and this is what he said, "Thom – If there would have been time on the clock remaining, and based on what happened on the play, Alabama would have taken possession and a personal foul would have been called. If the kick goes past the line of scrimmage, the ball is touched by the receiving team, the kicking team recovers it would be the kicking team’s ball. If the ball stays behind the line of scrimmage, the kicking team can recover and take possession. Hope that helps. Charles" Seems pretty clear to me. One thing UT could have done was make an effort to recover the ball and advance it for a TD...again, since it hadn't gone past the LOS. finally, I got an e-mail from a UT fan irate that the SEC was conducting a cover up on behalf of Alabama! What a minute, isn't that what Alabama fans say, right before "Roll Tide!"?

Rocky Block

Make no mistake, Alabama did not deserve to win this one. Yeah, Terrance Cody got the push and made the blocks, but amounted to a battle of soccer players. Lee Tiffin made his kicks and Daniel Lincoln did not. So it took a Tiffin to beat the Kiffins. And if Alabama doesn't figure out how to get the passing game going, this season of promise will dissolve into a Capitol Bowl type of year. Of course, every championship season has it's measure of luck, and Bama just cashed that check...
As for UT, all the talk about them getting worse before they get better is bunk. These cats can flat out coach, and we know they can recruit. They are on the scene and will become a factor next season...

And Now the "If I Offended Anyone" Apology

And now a follow up after Jeff Fisher issued the "If I offended anyone" apology, complete with the "Check your priorities" closer... Be careful what you ask for…the reason the NFL is the 900 lb. gorilla it is is because people care, with great passion and big money, they care…if you laugh at that passion, then you are laughing at the very foundation of the NFL…Now Fisher issues some sort of veil apology, hiding behind the great charity work his was performing on behalf of Tony Dungy and the worthy Rockettown organization, founded by Christian artist Michael W. Smith, a close friend of Fisher's…Fine, but how does mocking his own team, and fans, further the cause? How about coming out, introducing Dungy, and then saying, "Coach, do you have a few minutes after the event to come down to practice and help me fix this mess...come on', you're not a Colt anymore, help out the Titans!!!" The place goes nuts, it gets national attention on ESPN, and Titan Fan sees Fisher doing anything to save the day…

What if a player pulled this stunt…how about KVB or Keith Bulluck or Chris Johnson rocking Colts gear and saying they “Want to feel like winners?” I’m calling BS on this move…

Really?

Look, I know Jeff Fisher has a great sense of humor. At his off season roast, he handed Merle Hoge a Vince Young jersey and quipped, "Picked it up on the way over...there was plenty of 'em and they were on sale!" That was funny, given Hoge's anti VY stance. But the key there is OFF SEASON. That's the kind of stuff you do then. Not now. Not at 0-6. Not two days after they had to replace the scoreboard lights under the "Home" sign in New England. Can you see Lane Kiffin putting on a Alabama jersey..."Wanted to know what it feels like to be #1!"...or Barry Trotz sporting a Red Wing jersey..."Wanted to know what it felt like to win A PLAYOFF SERIES!" Wade Phillips putting on a Redskins jersey..."Wanted to know what it felt like to suck!"...oh, wait, bad example. But you get the point. This was a terrible decision...from a guy paid to make great decisions. Sorry Jeff, not a great way to start the bye week repair job.

Snow Job

They tell use not to play the "Blame Game". Well, how about the "Responsibility Game". The ugliest 4 letter word in sports is QUIT. But they say nobody quit out there...but facts are stubborn things and this team played like a factory worker who is starting a vacation next week...Now here's the painful part. I like Jeff Fisher. I think he has been a tremendous coach and most all who played for him respect and trust him. But he is now 0-6 after being 0-5 three years ago. This is unprecedented amongst coaches of his tenure. Cower, Holmgren, Gruden, Shanahan, even the hated Brian Billick were never 0-5...once, much less twice. Tony Dungy lost his 1st 5 games as Head Coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and then the rest was history. All of those men won at least one Super Bowl; Shanahan 2. And they are all unemployed now. Some; Dungy, Cowher, Holmgren, of there own hand, although Dungy was let go in Tampa. The rest all asked to step down. As I said earlier, facts are stubborn things...it all we have left...

Put the Season in IR...

So there you have it....one of the most anticipated seasons in Titans history...gone in a month. 4 weeks, 4 losses. Thanks for coming, please turn out the lights on the way out. Such is life in the NFL....Half the playoff teams from one season to another turn over. But if the Titans were going to be one of those teams, it surely wouldn't be like this...without even a fight? 10-0 is a thousand years ago and now the boys are 3-8 since, with the unbeaten Colts coming in and a pre bye-week trip to New England up in the next 2 weeks. So the question now is, "Why?". Was Albert that big for this "D"? Yes. Do they miss Jim Schwartz? Yes. Has Kerry Collins' magic carpet ride ended? Yes. Defensively, these Titans need help with pass rush and the only answer now is to go young...not that Young, we'll get there in a moment. Kearse and KVB are not producing, and Nick Harper's best times are behind him. get young and see what you've got.
As for the offense, time to get Young. The line is fine. Chris Johnson is what we thought he was. Scaife is in his prime. Let's see more of Cook and Britt and it's time to settle the VY issue once and for all. Put him in, tell him he's the man, and let him be InVinceable. Then, if no one is conVinced by the end of the season, get ready to grab a QB to go with the rest of the tools and get this thing going again. This season is lost, barring a miracle. Might as well start making the moves for the future...and who knows...you make get surprised along the way...