Kevin Dyson is tackled a yard short of what would have been a game-tying touchdown on the final play of Superbowl XXXIV
Perhaps all those years should be enough to cure the woes of what could have been, but whatever bitterness the Titans organization and fan-base may still have lying around may be amplified in this seldom played match-up against the Rams and second-year Head Coach Jeff Fisher.
Fisher Coached the Oilers/Titans for almost 17 seasons (the current longest tenure in the NFL is Bill Belichick with 13), so for Titans fans there has to be an odd sense of nostalgia heading into this game. On the flip side, as far as the players feel; maybe not so much. There are only 16 current players on the roster that were around when Fisher was at the helm.
As to be expected, Fisher has downplayed it as just another opponent in a must win game. Fisher told reporters, "I'm not playing, and I think there's 16 players on the roster that were there when I was there So it's a different football team, so I'm excited for our guys." (per Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean)
It is also worth mentioning that Fisher did recall his time with the Titans with fondness and thanked the Titans organization and former owner Bud Adams who passed away just over a week ago.
As for the current match-up on the field, the Titans are coming off of an extra week of rest and the Rams are coming off of a short week from their 14-9 loss to Seattle on Monday night. Titans quarterback Jake Locker and running back Shonn Greene are seemingly the biggest beneficiaries of the bye week since they both are still recovering from injury.
That leads into the biggest key of the game for the Titans offense. According to Mike Munchak, Shonn Greene is to see a spike in his work-load (to say the least), receiving around 15 carries a game. This seems like an unrealistic number given that the Titans are averaging 27 rushing attempts per game and five of those are coming from the quarter back. Still if this is even close to being accomplished, it's encouraging for the Titans rushing game. After all, they aren't paying him $1.65 million to have two carries a game.
Even though it's his backfield, Chris Johnson is a one-type kind of back. He is an open field runner with elusiveness in space and break away speed. Greene was brought in to be the in between the tackles back that they desperately needed, but has been plagued by a knee injury since the start of the season. He did return week 7 against San Francisco, but only received one carry. One must assume he wasn't quite there yet, so with the bye week's rest and Munchak's surprising confidence he could be a factor in those tough yardage situations.
The Rams defensive line has been a proven pass rushing threat but their run stopping ability has shown to be exploitable, giving up 86 yards a game (24th in NFL). With both backs finally healthy, the Titans have an added dimension to keep the defense guessing.
Speaking of the running game, Zac Stacy seems to have emerged as "the guy" in Jeff Fisher's backfield. Though the Rams fell to the Seahawks, Stacy established himself as the worthy starter recording 26 rushing attempts for 134 yards. In the two previous games he recorded 17 and 18 carries. The only problem is that the Rams have failed to record a rushing touchdown so far this season.
There has also been a teak in the Titans special teams. Returner Darius Reynaud was cut after the San Francisco game and is replaced by wide receiver Damian Williams who returned kicks in college for USC.
The emotion of the reunion with Jeff Fisher will be short-lived if not non-existent altogether. Neither of these franchises are big on creating a commotion of controversy, so there should be a few kind words and handshakes exchanged but not much more since getting this win is so important for both teams' playoff hopes.
Though Jake Locker seems to be 100% healthy and has shown talent in the passing game, look for this to be a Jeff Fisher-esque game with stout defense and lots of rushes.
Chris Johnson has received a lot of grief for his comment, "If the running game doesn't get going, this is going to be another non-playoff team." That may be the smartest thing he has ever said.
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