‘Relocation Bowl’ matchup caps strange season
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Titans RB
Eddie George
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St. Louis vs. Tennessee. To NFL traditionalists, this year’s Super Bowl matchup is
a shock to the system. But in an NFL season when nothing has played to form, it’s
only fitting that the season’s final game follow the trend.
After 20 years, the Rams are in the Super Bowl once again. After 40 years, the
Titans’ franchise makes its first Super Bowl appearance.
A lot has happened since each team’s last championship moment. Both teams are
based in new locales. The Rams, a Los Angeles product the last time they played for the
Lombardi Trophy, have resided in St. Louis since 1995.
The Titans have had an even stranger trip. They have had four different home stadiums
in the last four years. The former Houston Oilers, who won the AFL’s first title in
1960, become the last of the original franchises from the upstart league to appear in the
Super Bowl.
Both the Rams and the Titans went undefeated in their new homes this season. St. Louis
capped a 10-0 home record with an 11-6 victory over the Buccaneers in the NFC championship
game. It was the first time all season the Rams were held to fewer than 21 points.
Tennessee was 9-0 at Adelphia Coliseum, its new home, this season.
These teams met in Week Eight. The Rams entered the game with a 6-0 record, but
Tennessee jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead on the strength of three TDs from QB
Steve McNair. Making his return from a back injury after a five-game absence, McNair threw
TD passes to Lorenzo Neal and Eddie George and rambled for a 10-yard score.
The Rams rallied, thanks to three Kurt Warner TD passes. But Jeff Wilkins missed a
38-yard FG try with seven seconds left, and Tennessee escaped with a 24-21 victory.
The Rams opened the week as seven-point favorites. They are 9-2 vs. the spread this
season when favored by a touchdown or more. Tennessee is 5-2 straight up as an underdog
this season.
When the Rams have the ball:
St. Louis offensive coordinator Mike Martz is an aggressive play caller who will go for
the throat whenever he gets the chance. Throughout the season, the Rams have been able to
go for the kill whenever they get a big lead.
But Martz’s aggressiveness will be matched by Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and
defensive coordinator Gregg Williams. Fisher, a Buddy Ryan devotee who was a member of the
Bears during their Super Bowl-winning season, uses a "46" style of defense that
will attack at any time from any angle. Last week in the AFC championship game against
Jacksonville, the Titans brought the house on several key third-down and red-zone plays.
If the Rams can’t handle Tennessee’s blitz, they won’t be able to throw
deep. The Titans were able to get to Warner in the first meeting, recording six sacks and
batting down several passes. Warner also fumbled four times.
To limit the blitz, the Rams will have to establish the run. As has been the case all
season, a key figure for the offense will be RB Marshall Faulk. One of the reasons St.
Louis’ offense sputtered last week is that the Buccaneers’ defense did a good
job of limiting Faulk in both the running and passing games. Faulk, who led the league in
total yards from scrimmage in the regular season, had just 49 last week.
Much like the Buccaneers, the Titans have a speedy defense. That speed will be crucial
in stopping Faulk and the rest of St. Louis’ skill-position players. Faulk had 90
rushing yards and 94 receiving yards against Tennessee in Week Eight, and he may be even
more dangerous on the Georgia Dome turf.
The Rams’ receiving corps is deep and dangerous. Isaac Bruce is the top threat,
but Warner is not afraid to spread the ball around to all of his receivers. Rookie Torry
Holt has played a bigger role in recent weeks, although he was banged around last week.
Az-Zahir Hakim has tons of speed, and veteran Ricky Proehl is a possession receiver to
whom Warner often looks on key third-down plays.
That WR corps will test the Titans’ solid CB depth. Samari Rolle has emerged as a
top cover corner. He usually locks on to one receiver and covers him all over the field.
On the other side, Denard Walker is OK but has been pushed for playing time by Dainon
Sidney and Donald Mitchell. SS Blaine Bishop can blitz, stuff the run and defend in
coverage, but the team will be without FS Marcus Robertson (broken ankle), whose pass
defense will be missed. In the first meeting, the Titans at times used an eight-DB package
that at least slowed down the Rams.
Rams TEs Roland Williams, Jeff Robinson and Ernie Conwell also play a role in the
passing game. Jacksonville TE Kyle Brady made some plays against the Titans early last
week, but Titans SLB Eddie Robinson, a savvy veteran, seemed to do a better job against
Brady in the second half of that game.
The matchup to watch along the offensive line is between Defensive Rookie of the Year
Jevon Kearse, the Titans’ defensive left end, and Rams ORT Fred Miller. Kearse
dominated the meeting between the two in the first game. Kearse had a sack and a forced
fumble and also incited Miller into myriad false-start penalties (with a little help from
the noisy Nashville crowd).
Kearse has been a little quieter in the playoffs, in part because of more frequent
double-teaming. That has opened things up for DRE Kenny Holmes, a speed rusher who has
picked up his game in the postseason. But Holmes will have trouble getting around big,
powerful Rams OLT Orlando Pace, who has emerged as a top-tier tackle.
Inside, the Titans use five different tackles. They line up against a Rams group
headlined by ORG Adam Timmerman, a feisty competitor who played in two Super Bowls with
the Packers.
The Rams will have to protect the ball against the Titans, who recovered three St.
Louis fumbles in the first meeting this season. Tennessee caused six Jaguars turnovers
last week, while the Rams turned the ball over three times against Tampa Bay.
When the Titans have the ball:
The Rams’ defense will have to play with a lot of patience against a Titans
offense that likes to control the tempo as well as the clock. Tennessee has done just that
in each of its three postseason games, averaging 35.3 carries per game and holding on to
the ball longer than each opponent.
Eddie George is Tennessee’s featured back. His size, strength and durability make
it difficult to bring him down. George also has a knack for falling forward while being
tackled, thus gaining an extra yard or two.
St. Louis’ smallish interior defense presents a favorable matchup for the 6-3,
240-pound George. But the group moves well, which means the Titans’ interior linemen
will have to hold their blocks to spring George free. Rams DTs Ray Agnew and D’Marco
Farr both have good quickness, which should make for interesting battles with Titans
300-pound OGs Bruce Matthews (305) and Benji Olson (315). C Kevin Long (295) is finishing
only his second season, but he can hold his own, and the team is very optimistic about his
potential.
Rams MLB London Fletcher overcomes his smallish stature (5-10, 241 pounds) by playing
with great quickness, not to mention emotion. George is sure to see plenty of Fletcher
because of the linebacker’s sideline-to-sideline ability. Fletcher has become a
defender who must be accounted for.
If George isn’t running for the Titans, then QB Steve McNair is. McNair has caused
headaches for opposing defenses this postseason because of his great awareness and running
ability. He rushed for 91 of his 145 postseason rushing yards in the AFC championship game
vs. Jacksonville, when he averaged 10.1 yards on nine carries. Rams defenders will have to
maintain gap control, and DEs Kevin Carter and Grant Wistrom will have to be careful not
to get caught too far upfield, thus opening up the outside. St. Louis also may utilize a
spy, or someone to act as a safety net if McNair springs free.
Ideally, the Titans want McNair to make most of his big plays with his arm.
McNair’s passing has improved since a shaky outing vs. Buffalo in the wild-card
round, but his overall postseason numbers aren’t very impressive (56.3 completion
percentage, 300 passing yards). However, McNair is still a threat because of his ability
to make plays on the run. He has done an excellent job avoiding the pass rush and getting
rid of the ball.
Not that McNair has faced much of a pass rush, thanks to good protection from
Tennessee’s offensive line. McNair has been sacked only four times in 75 passing
attempts in the postseason. The Titans boast one of the most unheralded OT tandems in the
league in OLT Brad Hopkins and ORT Jon Runyan. They will face a stiff challenge in
defending DEs Carter and Wistrom. Carter led the league in sacks in the regular season,
and Wistrom has come up big down the stretch.
OLBs Mike Jones and Todd Collins will have to be on their toes, but not just to defend
a mobile McNair. While the Titans try to throw downfield, they mostly settle for short
passes to either George out of the backfield or TEs Frank Wycheck and Jackie Harris, the
team’s top three pass catchers in the postseason. Both Wycheck and Harris have shown
the ability to gain yards after the catch, creating an intriguing matchup with Jones, who
lines up over the TE spot. Jones is a very active linebacker with play-making ability.
When McNair does throw downfield, he better be careful. St. Louis had seven
interception returns for touchdowns in the regular season. Todd Lyght earned a Pro Bowl
bid for his play at left cornerback, and RCB Dexter McCleon had four passes defensed in
the Rams’ divisional-round win over Minnesota. St. Louis has experienced little
dropoff with Devin Bush replacing the injured Keith Lyle at free safety, but Lyle returned
last week for the first time since November. SS Billy Jenkins is a big-time hitter who
will also help defend George.
With Titans WR Yancey Thigpen iffy for the game with a fractured foot, the Rams’
secondary might not be tested like it was in the previous meeting. Thigpen’s speed
and physical play help open up Tennessee’s passing game. Without Thigpen, McNair
would likely look to speedsters Kevin Dyson and Chris Sanders on the outside. But
don’t discount Isaac Byrd, who has excellent hands and is very acrobatic.
Special teams:
Both teams feature big-play return men in the Titans’ Derrick Mason and the
Rams’ Tony Horne. But their PK situations are vastly different. St. Louis’ Jeff
Wilkins has suffered from a failure to follow through on his kicks because of a knee
injury, but Tennessee’s Al Del Greco has been almost automatic all season. The Titans
also boast PFW’s Golden Toe winner, P Craig Hentrich.
Game preview and depth charts were compiled as of Jan. 23, 2000 |
