September 29, 2008
Titans are undefeated! Unbelievable?[FONT=Times New Roman, Serif]Team is off to best start ever
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By JIM WYATT
Staff Writer [/FONT]As the Titans ran off the field Sunday, they heard a familiar-sounding chant from a pocket of fans.
But instead of "Here we go Titans, here we go," it was "4 and 0 Titans, 4 and 0.''
And that, of course, was unfamiliar.
With a 30-17 win over the Vikings, the Titans improved to 4-0 for the first time in the 49-year history of the franchise. Two previous Oilers/Titans teams managed to win their first three only to lose the fourth.
These Titans didn't stumble at the doorstep. They kicked the door down.
"We are not a secret anymore,'' safety Chris Hope said. "People might have taken us for granted before, but that won't be the case anymore. Not to say we have a bull's-eye on us now, because it's so early, but teams know we're for real. They won't underestimate us, that's for sure.''
The Titans jumped on one of the NFC's most physical teams and didn't let up, closing out a September to remember. October might not be so pleasant.
On Sunday the Titans play at Baltimore, where they've had plenty of trouble over the years. After a bye week, they travel to Kansas City, which knocked off previously unbeaten Denver on Sunday.
"I think I heard Peyton Manning say it: Never take winning for granted,'' Titans return man Chris Carr said. "It is so difficult to win one football game in the NFL; I learned that playing in Oakland. But now, being 4-0, I am not doing jumping jacks. Nobody around here is. We need to get another one and another one and another one, because things can change really fast.''
A concern for the Titans heading into Sunday's game was how they would handle reigning NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year Adrian Peterson, who has buried some other AFC teams.
For the most part, they held him in check. Peterson scored twice, including a 28-yard run that demonstrated his speed and power, but finished with 80 yards.
"If he was under 100 yards, I think we did great,'' linebacker Keith Bulluck said.
"He had some nice runs and is fast.
"But we have speed and we're physical. Eleven guys with speed will definitely outmatch one guy with speed.''
Although the defense gave up more yards (333) than it had in any of the first three games, it also made several big plays that set the stage for a 30-point performance by the offense.
The Titans turned three turnovers into 21 points, including two touchdowns by rookie running back Chris Johnson.
Running back LenDale White added his fifth touchdown in four weeks and quarterback Kerry Collins was efficient, completing 18 of 35 passes for 199 yards.
"Our big challenge is to play a complete game,'' said Collins, who was 5-of-14 for 52 yards in the second half, when the Titans managed just 70 yards.
"The first half has been good the last couple of games. But the second half needs to get better. … We can improve offensively.
"I know I could have done some things better.''
After an extremely physical game against the Vikings, the Titans expect another one against the Ravens. It was one of the first things Coach Jeff Fisher said to his team a few minutes after the win.
"He came into the room and it was like, 'We hate those guys,' '' defensive end Jevon Kearse said. "He is trying to ingrain that in our minds right now, that it's time to go to work. Yeah, it feels good to be 4-0 because it is hard to go 4-0 in this league, but we're going to go in there with the mentality that we're 0-4.''
The Titans have lost six of their past eight meetings with the Ravens, including two of the past three in Baltimore.
"In the NFL it is a new test every week,'' Titans General Manager Mike Reinfeldt said. "Baltimore doesn't care that we're 4-0 right now. So while it's nice, and we'll enjoy it today and maybe tomorrow, now it's on to Baltimore. Now we have to try and do it again.''
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