"Home Run Throwback" - A Tennessee Titans dynasty (M25 CFM)

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NFL Weekly Pick'em - Week 1

Baltimore Ravens at Denver Broncos - Broncos, 24-17
New England Patriots at Buffalo Bills - Patriots, 21-7
Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers - Steelers, 28-10
Atlanta Falcons at New Orleans Saints - Saints 17-14
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at New York Jets - Buccaneers, 34-20
Kansas City Chiefs at Jacksonville Jaguars - Chiefs, 35-10
Seattle Seahawks at Carolina Panthers - Seahawks, 28-14
Cincinnati Bengals at Chicago Bears - Bears, 27-21
Miami Dolphins at Cleveland Browns - Dolphins, 14-6
Minnesota Vikings at Detroit Lions - Lions, 24-14
Oakland Raiders at Indianapolis Colts - Colts, 28-13
Green Bay Packers at San Francisco 49ers - 49ers, 31-23
Arizona Cardinals at St. Louis Rams - Rams, 17-9
New York Giants at Dallas Cowboys - Cowboys, 34-27
Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins - Redskins, 21-13
Houston Texans at San Diego Chargers - Texans, 31-14

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MUNCHAK: TITANS AIM TO 'CREATE PUNISHMENT'



ESPN INTERVIEWED MUNCHAK AHEAD OF TITANS' OPENER AT THE STEELERS

Nashville, TN -- Physicality remains Mike Munchak’s primary theme.

We interviewed the Tennessee Titans coach on The Midday 180 in Nashville Tuesday afternoon, and to a question about what’s changed, he circled back to his team’s more physical nature.

“Our football team is so much more physical than we’ve been and I really think when I’ve had success and a player and when I’ve has success as a coach, that’s what stood out to me,” Munchak said. “We had those kind of players, who enjoy what they do and can do the things physically that I think we can do now.”

He’d already discussed the offensive line, and excitedly turned to the quality blocking receivers are also offering.

While the Titans are looking to be more physical and are counting on a big improvement from the run game, part of the gains in that department will come from the mobility they can mix with power.

The Titans haven’t pulled and trapped the way they'd like in recent years. New left guard Andy Levitre is an expert at such things and rookie right guard Chance Warmack seems to excel on the move. Chris Johnson has an affinity for such plays.

“Those gap schemes where the ball can hit almost anywhere, he starts with a particular read but then he can pretty much take what the defense gives him," Munchak said. “...If they over pursue it or they have you outnumbered outside, it’s a play that creates lanes inside also. It’s runs we’ve run before, but when you have guys like Chance and Levitre that can make a difference on the edge and get the kind of push our tackles get, we think those plays have opened up in preseason and that just adds to your zone game that obviously we feature also.

“We’re just more physical, we have bigger guys that get more movement, we’re going to try to beat teams down. When you get into some of those formations and you’ve got the safeties coming up and the corners having to make the tackles at the line of scrimmage, they’re taking a pounding early in the game. Our goal is to wear them out. And when they have to go out and when they have to go out there and cover Kenny Britt and Nate (Washington) it gets a little bit harder as the game wears on. We’re hoping we have that kind of team that can create that kind of punishment.”

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Matchup Preview *|* September 8, 2013
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Tennessee Titans (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Pittsburgh Steelers (0-0, 0-0 Home)
TOP OFFENSIVE PLAYERS Jake Locker Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger Chris Johnson Running Back Jonathan Dwyer Kendall Wright Wide Receiver Emmanuel Sanders Delanie Walker Tight Ends Heath Miller TOP DEFENSIVE PLAYERS Jurrell Casey DT Defensive Line Brett Keisel DE Zach Brown OLB Linebacker Lamarr Woodley OLB Jason McCourty CB Secondary Troy Polamalu SS Injury Report Al Netter/Hamstring Tear 3 Weeks Fernando Velasco/Abdominal Tear 1 Week Antonio Brown/Broken Hand 3 Weeks Game Notes Where: Heinz Field, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Date: September 8 Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT Game weather: 73 °F (23 °C), cloudy Referee: Jerome Boger TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle and Dan Fouts Bleacher Report's Expert Consensus Predictions Schottey: Steelers 27-16 The Titans offensive line should actually win some battles here, but CJ2K will have to wait for future weeks to really get his 2,000-yard campaign rolling. Jake Locker throws a couple of interceptions to seal the deal here for Pittsburgh. Bowen: Steelers 21-13 The Titans will try to control the tempo by running the football, but Ben Roethlisberger closes this game out in the fourth quarter. Schalter: Steelers 20-10 The Titans running game is going to catch some teams by surprise, but not Pittsburgh, and certainly not at Heinz Field. Freeman: Steelers 28-14 Big Ben throws for three scores, and the Steelers D contains Chris Johnson. Miller: Steelers 27-13 Jake Locker has looked better in the preseason, but he's not ready to move the ball on this defense. Frenz: Steelers 20-9 The Steelers were handed a bitter defeat by the Titans in Week 6 in the NFL Network's Thursday night showcase, and they likely haven't forgotten. The defense takes out its aggression on Chris Johnson and Co. Hangst: Steelers 23-20 Last year, the Steelers were bested by a Titans team that wasn't thought to be much of anything. This year, the Titans will again give them a fight, but the Steelers will come out on top. Hansen: Steelers 28-20 Pittsburgh lays a few eggs every year, but rarely in Week 1. The Titans have talent, but they just aren't consistent because of their quarterback. Steelers should roll, but the Titans will make it look close with a late score. Bardeen: Steelers 24-14 The Titans might be better than this scores predicts, but Pittsburgh has something to prove this season. Gagnon: Steelers 21-20 This will be a battle. Pittsburgh took some hits in the offseason, and the Titans are better than most people think. Langland: Steelers 21-16 Jake Locker versus Dick LeBeau's defense (on the road) has to be the easiest pick of Week 1. Pittsburgh controls the game for all four quarters. Kruse: Steelers 24-10 Locker scares me against any defense, much less a Dick LeBeau unit on the road. Steelers get the turnovers necessary to cruise. B/R Consensus Pick: Steelers (12-0) Vegas: Steelers (-7)

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TITANS FALL TO STEELERS IN OT DESPITE RESILIENT 4TH QUARTER COMEBACK



BIG BEN'S BIG DAY LEADS THE STEELERS TO A 30-27 WIN

Pittsburgh, PA -- Despite a hardfought comeback in the 4th quarter from Tennessee that forced the game in overtime, the Pittsburgh Steelers opened up their 2013 NFL season with a 30-27 win over the Titans at Heinz Field thanks to quarterback Ben Roethlisberger making the game his own. Big Ben completed 61% of his passes for 415 yards, 4 touchdowns and an interception posting a passer rating of 121.2 opening up his 10th year in the NFL in the best way possible.

He did have his receivers to thank though. Emmanuel Sanders, Jerricho Cotchery and Plaxico Burress all had big games and the opening touchdown of the day came courtesy of WR Burress (starting in place of Antonio Brown), as he recorded a 6 yard touchdown reception on the Steelers' opening offensive drive.

The 1st quarter was not a pleasant experience for the Titans. QB Jake Locker struggled to get things going as the Titans recorded 2 consecutive 3-and-outs before throwing an interception on the following drive to Troy Polamalu on a deep pass intended for Kendall Wright. Tennessee finally got into the redzone at the 4th time of asking but couldn't take advantage as Rob Bironas kicked a 21 yard field goal to end the quarter with the game 7-3 in Pittsburgh's favor.

Locker threw his 2nd interception of the game in the 2nd quarter; this time to the Steelers' other safety Ryan Clark on a pass where Locker was guilty of trying to force the ball to his target Delanie Walker. Both sides added a field goal either side of the interval.

Big Ben then nailed WR Sanders for a 59 yard touchdown reception to make the game 17-6, before tailback Jonathan Dwyer turned a screen pass into a 28 yard touchdown to make the game 24-6 heading into the final quarter.

The 4th quarter saw the Titans finally get a foothold in the game. Locker ran in for a 1 yard score early on as he scrambled away from pressure. Roethlisberger threw a pick to OLB Zach Brown which changed the game. The Titans began a drive that saw TE Craig Stevens catch a 3 yard pass for the touchdown late in the 3rd to make it a 1 score ballgame. Chris Johnson ran in the endzone to convert the 2 point conversion decreasing the lead to 3.

Pittsburgh were quickly forced to go three-and-out before the Titans drove down the field with the help of Wright, Kenny Britt and Nate Washington allowing Bironas to kick the game-tying field goal from 37 yards to force the game into overtime.

Bironas kicked his 4th field goal of the game to give the Titans a 27-24 lead early on in OT before Roethlisberger and company drove 80 yards on 9 plays which culminated in a 9 yard game-winning touchdown reception from TE Heath Miller as the Steelers moved to 1-0.

The Titans' defense was solid in the front-7 but allowed the Steelers receiving corps to make plays when they had the ball in the secondary. They brought down Big Ben 6 times with OLB Brown (who recorded an interception) and defensive end Derrick Morgan getting 2 sacks each.

Overall, the Titans played well and were unlucky not to come away with the win. Next week, they head to Houston to battle AFC South rivals the Texans. We'll see you next Sunday at Reliant Stadium.

Tennessee Titans at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sep 8, 2013	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	OT	SCORE
Tennessee Titans (0-1)	3	0	3	18	3	27
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0)	7	3	14	0	6	30

Team Stats Comparison
	TEN	PIT
Total Offense	458	448
Rushing Yards	152	62
Passing Yards	306	386
First Downs	24	18
Punt Return Yards	11	14
Kick Return Yards	125	39
Total Yards	594	501
Turnovers	2 (-1)	1 (+1)
3rd Down Conversion	10-18 (55%)	8-13 (61%)
4th Down Conversion	0-1 (0%)	0-0 (0%)
2-Point Conversion	1-1 (100%)	0-0 (0%)
Red Zone Touchdowns/Field Goals	2/2	2/1
Penalties	4-29	0-0
Possession Time	41:54	31:14

Tennessee Titans PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Jake Locker 24/44 329 1 2 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Chris Johnson 17 100 5.9 0 Jake Locker 6 28 4.7 1 Shonn Greene 8 17 2.1 0 Darius Reynaud 1 5 5.0 0 Nate Washington 1 2 2.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Kendall Wright 5 68 13.6 0 Kenny Britt 5 87 17.4 0 Nate Washington 5 68 13.6 0 Chris Johnson 4 32 8.0 0 Marc Mariani 1 14 14.0 0 Kevin Walter 1 20 20.0 0 Delanie Walker 1 6 6.0 0 Craig Stevens 1 3 3.0 1 Darius Reynaud 1 31 31.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Akeem Ayers 8 0 0 0 Zach Brown 5 2 1 0 Bernard Pollard 5 0 0 0 Blidi Wreh-Wilson 4 1 0 0 Alterraun Verner 4 0 0 0 Moise Fokou 4 0 0 0 Michael Griffin 4 0 0 0 Kamerion Wimbley 4 0 0 0 Derrick Morgan 3 2 0 0 Colin McCarthy 3 0 0 0 Brandon Hardin 1 0 0 0 Ronnell Lewis 1 1 0 0 George Wilson 1 0 0 0 Zaviar Gooden 1 0 0 0 Jurrell Casey 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Rob Bironas 4/4 1/1 13 55 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Brett Kern 2 90 45.0 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Marc Mariani 3 107 35.7 0 Darius Reynaud 1 18 18.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD Marc Mariani 2 11 5.5 0

Pittsburgh Steelers PASSING C/A YDS TD INT Ben Roethlisberger 24/39 415 4 1 RUSHING ATT YDS AVG TD Jonathan Dwyer 17 52 3.1 0 Plaxico Burress 1 5 5.0 0 Ben Roethlisberger 1 5 5.0 0 RECEIVING REC YDS AVG TD Plaxico Burress 7 84 12.0 1 Emmanuel Sanders 5 144 28.8 1 Heath Miller 5 58 11.6 1 Jerricho Cotchery 4 82 20.5 0 Jonathan Dwyer 2 31 15.5 1 Felix Jones 1 16 16.0 0 DEFENSE TACK SACK INT TD Lawrence Timmons 10 1 0 0 William Gay 5 0 0 0 Jason Worilds 5 1 0 0 Larry Foote 5 0 0 0 Cortez Allen 5 1 0 0 Troy Polamalu 5 0 1 0 Lamarr Woodley 4 0 0 0 Ryan Clark 4 0 1 0 Cameron Heyward 3 0 0 0 Ike Taylor 3 0 0 0 Shamarko Thomas 3 0 0 0 Brett Keisel 2 0 0 0 Antwon Blake 2 0 0 0 Curtis Brown 2 0 0 0 Isaiah Green 1 0 0 0 KICKING FG XP PTS LONG Shaun Suisham 1/1 3/3 6 31 PUNTING NO YDS AVG IN20 Zoltan Mesko 4 146 36.5 0 KICK RETURN RET YDS AVG TD LaRod Stephens-Howling 1 26 26.0 0 Matt Spaeth 1 13 13.0 0 PUNT RETURN RET YDS AVG TD LaRod Stephens-Howling 2 14 7.0 0