titanfan8

[titanfan8]

The Tennessee Titans are celebrating their 25th anniversary and we are days away from the season starting in September 2023.

The team is doing pretty good as six of the past seven years they've had winning seasons and were one game short of the Super Bowl making it to the AFC title game in January 2020.

Mike Vrabel has been with the team since 2018 and is going on his sixth season as Titans head coach.

Vrabel has 50 wins and has had a winning season in four of his first five seasons including an AFC title game appearance and is 50-37 overall while winning two division titles and in 2021 won NFL Head Coach Of Year honors.

The Titans have issued anniversary patches for each anniversary they've had starting with their 10th in 2008.

The Titans have put some exciting teams together over the years and have came a long way since their inaugural first season back in 1999.

Their first 5 seasons '99-'03 the Titans were 61-28 near .700 winning more games than any NFL team in that span.

By the time of their 10th anniversary in '08 the Titans had 96 wins top 5 in wins since '99 only Pats,Colts,Steelers,Eagles won more.

Heading into their 20th anniversary in '18 they had 170 wins and ranked firmly in the top ten in wins.

Going into their 25th anniversary they have 211 victories overall and still hovering right on the cusp of the top ten in wins.

As for winning seasons only eight NFL teams had more winning seasons than the Titans who have had 13 winning seasons since 1999.

As for playoff berths only eight NFL teams had more playoff berths than the Titans who have had 10 since 1999.

Now though we will step back in time and start from the beginning………

October 4,1996 is when the NFL commissioner Paul Tagliabue approved the Houston Oilers move from Texas to Tennessee and it was the day plans could be set in motion for a new stadium funding project to get a new stadium built

In August of 1997 construction of the new stadium was starting to take shape and steel beams were being sunk into the ground at the stadium lowest point.

On July 29,1998 the commissioner approved the franchise name change to the Tennessee Titans.

On April 13,1999 the Titans show their fans their new look as players wear the uniforms in a ceremony for the first time.

On May 3,1999 dirt is spread for the playing field at the new stadium.

On May 14,1999 the new stadium lights burn for the first time and are left on 100 hours as a test.

A few days later turf is laid at the stadium as well.

On July 8,1999 owner Bud Adams unveiled the name of the new stadium which was to be called Adelphia Coliseum.

By the time August had rolled around most of the prime seats in the stadium were already taken.

On August 27,1999 the Titans played in their new stadium for the first time defeating the Atlanta Falcons 17-3 in a preseason game before a crowd of around 65,000.

On September 12,1999 the Titans played their first ever regular season game against the Cincinnati Bengals at home with head coach Jeff Fisher who would coach the team from then all the way through the 2010 season.

The Titans would secure a huge second quarter lead 26-7 but the Bengals not only scratched and clawed their way back into the game but eventually took the lead scoring 22 unanswered points and were ahead 29-26 heading into the final quarter.

The Bengals scored two more field goals and were ahead 35-26 with nine minutes left in the game. Titans put together a TD drive and were down by two with seven minutes left.

Cincy had an unsuccessful drive and punted leaving a couple minutes on the clock. Titans went on a final drive getting close enough to kick a 33 yard FG as time expired winning 36-35.

Their first five seasons the Titans led by QB Steve McNair and RB Eddie George and a stout defense and as mentioned earlier won more games than any other team during that span which included four winning seasons,four playoff berths,five playoff wins,two division titles,two trips to AFC title game and a Super Bowl appearance.

Their first season 1999 was unforgettable and the Titans went all the way to the Super Bowl facing the Rams out of the NFC.

Super Bowl XXXIV would be played in Atlanta,Georgia on January 30,2000

GM Floyd Reese and head coach Jeff Fisher worked really well together putting the best rosters they could on the field.

The Titans have had their share of exciting players over the years that has included….

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year ‘99 (Kearse), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year '06 (Young), NFL MVP '03 (McNair), NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice '09 and '20 (CJ/Henry), NFL Comeback Player of the Year '19 (Tannehill) and NFL Head Coach of the Year '21 (Vrabel) as well as the only team to have two 2,000 yard rushers (CJ/Henry).

Would you consider their first quarter century together a success?

The Titans had 211 victories, 13 winning seasons,10 postseason appearances,8 postseason victories,7 seasons 11 or more wins,5 division titles,3 #1 seed AFC playoffs,3 13 win seasons,2 times NFL best record,3 AFC Championship Game appearances,1 AFC Title and 1 Super Bowl appearance from 1999-2022.

The Titans have mostly been a defensive minded run oriented team since the beginning.

The team had a lot of success in 1999 and most of it was due to rookie Jevon Kearse who made the Titans defense a force to be reckoned with.

Kearse would win NFL Defensive Rookie Of Year honors and set an NFL rookie sack record that still stands to this day.

They ended their first year at 13-3 and went to the AFC Playoffs and the first playoff game ever would be at home January 8,2000 against the Buffalo Bills a game the Titans would win 22-16 in a last second crazy finish dubbed ‘Music City Miracle.’

The Titans then went to Indianapolis and beat the Colts 19-16

RB Eddie George had a 68 yard TD run in the second half that pretty much sealed the deal.

With one more to go they head to Jacksonville…..

The Titans defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC Championship 33-14 to advance to Super Bowl 34 against the St. Louis Rams.

The St. Louis Rams were the NFC Champions led by QB Kurt Warner and were nicknamed The Greatest Show On Turf.

The Tennessee Titans played the first game back in September of 1999 and here they were months later playing to their biggest audience yet…….

What a truly glorious season for the Tennessee Titans and their faithful fans and in their very first season made it all the way to the big game.

On January 30,2000 the Rams stopped the Titans one yard short and won 23-16 in Super Bowl 34.

In the 2000 season the finished 13-3 again and had the NFL best record and defense but in the AFC Playoffs fell short and lost to the eventual SB Champs the Baltimore Ravens.

The Tennessee Titans had one of the best defenses ever in 2000.

Looking back the 2000 Titans defense allowed fewer points than the '85 Bears and '02 Bucs as well as allowing the 2nd fewest points of any defense since 2000 and 3rd fewest points since the NFL went to 16 game seasons back in 1978 as well as being one of seven defenses ever to allow less than 200 points a game.

In a December 2002 Monday Night Football appearance in Nashville the Titans handed Tom Brady one of his worst defeats as Tennessee beat the defending Super Bowl champs 24-7.

In 2002 the Titans were 11-5 and had a very eventful time in the AFC Playoffs and it all started in their first game a divisional round game at home that came down to a last second FG by Joe Nedney to seal the deal 34-31 vs Pittsburgh.

On January 19,2003 in the AFC Championship the Titans played a good game but were beaten 41-24 by the Oakland Raiders.

In 2003 the Titans went 12-4 and back in the AFC Playoffs winning their first game at Baltimore 20-17 and then in one of the coldest playoff games ever lost to New England 17-14 and were one step from another AFC Championship game.

That same year QB Steve McNair won NFL MVP. It was also RB Eddie George’s last season with Tennessee. McNair’s last year was 2005.

McNair had a 55-37 overall regular season winning record playing from 1999-2005 as a Titan.

McNair had 10 Fourth quarter comebacks and 15 game winning drives during his career here.

From 1999 through 2003 the Titans had one of the NFL’s best records those 5 years going 56-24 that included a 33-9 record at home during that era.

The Titans actually set a record for most victories in a new stadium without a loss winning their first 13 games and winning their first 15 out of 16 regular season home games.

A lot of the success the team had was due to the great work done by GM Floyd Reese.

In 2004 one of the Titans backup QB’s Billy Volek set the record for most yards passed in two games with 918 yards total a record that still stands.

In a 2004 Monday Night Football appearance at Green Bay the Titans and Steve McNair proceeded to blow out the Packers and QB Brett Favre handing them their worst defeat ever at Lambeau 48-27.

GM Reese as he had many times before hit the nail on the head when he took a pair of tackles in the 2005 NFL Draft in the second round he picked Michael Roos and in the fourth round he picked David Stewart and both were great bookend tackles who ended up playing a decade in Tennessee.

2004 through 2006 were rebuilding years and it was during this time in 2006 that the team drafted their next QB in Vince Young.

Although VY ultimately didn’t last but after five years in Tennessee he left with a 30-17 winning mark and had several thrilling comebacks including a 21 point comeback his rookie year,a 40 yard run in OT to beat Houston and a 2009 99 yard drive to beat Arizona as time expired.

However there was one time a really good player literally slipped away no doubt due to meddling by coach/ownership.

The meddling was at a time the Titans had Devin Hester on the phone and were about to pick him in the second round of the 2006 draft. Then in the last seconds changes were abruptly made and the team ended up with Lendale White instead.

There was one very memorable thing about the Titans 2006 draft and that was a player selected in the seventh round and that player was CB Cortland Finnegan who ended up playing 133 games in his career and had 18 career interceptions.

Two thrilling games happened in 2006 literally back to back and both involved kicker Rob Bironas.

On November 26,2006 Going into the 4th quarter the Titans were losing 21-0 at home to the Giants and all of a sudden in the last quarter Vince Young and the Titans scored 24 points including Bironas hitting the game winning 49 yard FG with 6 seconds left as the Titans shocked the Giants 24-21.

The very next week on December 3,2006 Bironas booted a 60 yard FG to win a thrilling home game 20-17 with only 7 seconds left against the division rival Colts.

In 2007 against the New Orleans Saints Keith Bulluck had three interceptions in one game on Monday Night Football against one of the best QBs ever Drew Brees.

Bulluck actually predicted before it happened that he was going to have a big game and is sometimes referred to as Mr Monday Night

Bironas also holds the NFL record for most FG made in one game with 8 against the Houston Texans in October 2007 and the last one was the game winner as time expired.

2005-2006 were very good years because the Titans were able to find several long term players in free agency among those were Chris Hope,Kevin Mawae,Travis Henry and Kyle Vanden Bosch.

The biggest reason for the Titans success their first ten years though would be their defense as DT Albert Haynesworth along with Kyle Vanden Bosch,Keith Bulluck,Jeavon Kearse whose 14 sack season still stood as a rookie record among many others

In 2007 the Titans were 10-6 but once they went to the AFC Playoffs were beaten 17-6 by the San Diego Chargers.

The team got a new GM at this time Mike Reinfeldt who replaced Reese.

In 2007 and 2008 the Titans ranked in the top ten in every single defensive category including passing and rushing yards allowed,points allowed,etc.

Albert Haynesworth had two of the most dominant back to back performances ever seen by a defensive lineman and helped the Titans reach the postseason both those years 2007 and 2008.

Haynesworth had 14.5 sacks,27 tackles for losses,37 QB hits those two years and parlayed it into becoming the first 100 million dollar man for a defensive line which the Skins signed him to but his best days would always be here.

In 2008 the Titans had the league’s best record at 13-3 but just like in the year 2000 the Baltimore Ravens defeated the Titans 13-10 in the AFC Playoffs.

Another bright spot in 2008 was RB Chris Johnson was set the combine record for the fastest time in NFL history 4.24 seconds and he didn’t waste no time showing how good he was.

The very next year he set the NFL record for all purpose yardage and if not for a bad penalty call would’ve broken Eric Dickerson’s rushing record too but did manage to become just the sixth RB ever to go over 2000 yards in one season with 2006 yards.

Johnson is the only player in NFL history to register 6 different runs in his career over 80 yards

O.J. Simpson,Barry Sanders and Adrian Peterson all have just 3 runs over 80 yards

Johnson and just six other runners have had at least three touchdown runs of 80 or more yards in their career.

Not surprisingly, two in that group – O.J. Simpson and Barry Sanders - are Hall of Famers.

In 2009 the team started off slow but finished 8-8 winning eight of their final ten games.

Chris Johnson had a historic game against the Texans in week two becoming the only player in NFL history with a TD of 50+ yards,60+ yards and 90+ yards in one game.

Things starting off well in 2010 as the team started out 5-2 but after an OT loss to the Redskins head coach Jeff Fisher got into a big altercation with QB Vince Young which led to VY being put on ice for the rest of the year and ironically when the season was over Fisher left too.

Vince Young left Tennessee with a 30-17 overall winning record playing from 2006-2010 as a Titan….   Young had 13 game winning drives and 7 fourth quarter comebacks.

From 1999 through 2011 the team had never had more than two losing seasons in a row and had done very well mostly winning the first twelve years mostly due to good coaching by main stays HC Jeff Fisher,Offensive line coach Mike Munchak and DC’s like Gregg Williams,Jerry Gray and Jim Schwartz.

In 2009 the Titans brought in WR Nate Washington he would play six years catching 307 passes for 4,590 yards and 28 TDs

Also drafting well with GM Floyd Reese helped a lot too but after Fisher left in 2011 there were a few lean years coming…..

In 2011 the Titans would have a new head coach Mike Munchak,new GM Ruston Webster and new franchise QB Jake Locker.

All three moves were mistakes especially Webster who couldn’t draft or put together a good team and Locker who simply was injury prone and couldn’t play well due to accuracy issues. Munchak was at his best coaching the line.

Although they finished that year 2011 at 9-7 with a winning season it was at this time that the team would go through its roughest period.

In Week three of 2012 the Titans defeated the Lions 44-41 in OT and in the process became the first team in NFL history to score five touchdowns of at least 60 yards or more in a game

By 2012 RB Chris Johnson set an NFL record not once but in two different seasons achieving three runs of 80 yards or more.

In 2013 the team celebrated their 15th anniversary and had also done the same five years prior for their 10th one and had special logos for each occassion.

2012 through 2015 were all losing seasons due to bad QB play,bad drafting and the team wasn’t very good at all during this time.

The one bright spot was Webster’s best free agent pickup during his time in Tennessee and the TE’s name was Delanie Walker.

Walker ended up being on the best players the Titans ever signed in free agency as he spent seven seasons with the team catching 381 passes for 4,423 yards and scoring 28 TDs.

In 2014 Ken Whisenhunt was hired as new head coach replacing Mike Munchak.

In 2015 the team drafted QB Marcus Mariota and things started to get better and Mariota in his very first game managed to have a perfect passer rating as well as being the youngest QB to ever achieve that feat in his first NFL game.

Mid 2015 the Titans fired Ken Whisenhunt and replaced him with Mike Mularkey

2016 things started to really change as the Titans got their first good GM since Floyd Reese and his name was Jon Robinson and he immediately started making good moves like bringing in RB Demarco Murray who would lead the AFC in rushing as well as trading the teams number one pick in the draft for a bunch of extra picks including a first rounder the next year.

Murray was one of the main reasons the team was able to experience winning once again because he helped the team build a successful running game for the first time in a good while

In 2016 the Titans had a winning season at 9-7 and had drafted well too with picks like Jack Conklin,Derrick Henry and Kevin Byard.

The very next year Byard led the NFL in interceptions.

Robinson was already proving better than his predecessors. In 2016 his first year the team had some impressive victories including a 47-25 blowout of Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers which included a 35 point first half.

In 2017 the Titans drafted players like Corey Davis,Adoree Jackson,Jayon Brown,etc. and had another winning season at 9-7 and this time made the AFC Playoffs as well.

In the 2017 AFC Playoffs Marcus Mariota and the Titans pulled off the biggest playoff road comeback in NFL history coming back from 18 points down to win 22-21 at Kansas City.

Mariota has managed to lead Titans to a better record every year since arriving as a rookie in 2015.

Mariota had 12 game winning drives and 10 fourth quarter comebacks in his first 4 seasons.

The Titans lost in the next postseason game at New England a place where Robinson spent the first 10 years of his scouting career. 

Speaking of New England the Titans and Robinson hired Mike Vrabel to be the teams new head coach replacing Mike Mularkey. In addition to that in free agency they signed RB Dion Lewis and CB Malcolm Butler as the Pats let them go.

Also for 2018 they had a mostly defensive draft getting Rashaan Evans,Harold Landry and Dane Cruikshank then the very next year due to injuries Jeffery Simmons slid in the draft and they took a shot and drafted him 19th overall would've been a top five pick healthy.

Also at this time the team changed their image up a bit with new uniforms and helmet the first major change since 1999 a good change going into the future…..

In December 2018 Derrick Henry in a home game against the Jaguars would have a 99 yard TD run an NFL record as the longest TD run in NFL history.

Henry set another NFL record that December night as well gaining 238 yards and scoring 4 TDs on just 17 carries.

The Titans finished 2018 with a 9-7 record which was the teams third straight winning season. The Titans had some impressive wins in ‘18 but the biggest one was a 34-10 blowout win over the New England Patriots.

The Titans were playing for a playoff spot in the last regular season game but had to win to do so but came up short mainly because they were playing a backup QB against Indy and Andrew Luck.

In September 2019 during the Titans home opener they retired Steve McNair and Eddie George's numbers forever and never to be worn again by any Titans player.

In 2019 the Titans had a really good draft which included Jeffery Simmons,AJ Brown,Nate Davis,Amani Hooker and David Long.

For 2019 the team started the season with Mariota as starting QB but then seven games into the season and a 2-4 record they gave backup QB Ryan Tannehill a chance to show what he could do.

WR A.J. Brown was the first rookie in NFL HISTORY to have 1,000 yards w/ 64 or fewer receptions and only rookie in the last 50 years with 900+ yards on 48 or fewer receptions.

Brown also had four 50+ yard TD catches in 2019 the last rookie to have many 50+ yard TD catches in a season? Randy Moss

They traded for Tannehill during the offseason and he repaid them by coming in and turning the team around leading them to a winning record followed by a trip to the playoffs getting all the way to the AFC title game.

It all started with a trip to New England and the Titans went into Foxboro and beat the Patriots which included Tom Brady in his last game as a Patriot throwing a pick six late in the 4th quarter to former teammate Logan Ryan.

The next game would be at Baltimore against the #1 seeded Ravens and this time it was the Titans doing the winning 28-12.

Derrick Henry would set an NFL record becoming the first player ever to rush over 180 yards in consecutive playoff games.

In the AFC Championship the Titans lead early but ultimately Kansas City would win 35-24.

In 2020 the Titans would go 12-5 winning the AFC South division along with Derrick Henry gaining over 2,000 yards rushing

For 2020 Henry would be named the NFL Offensive Player Of Year

In 2020 Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry became the only QB/RB duo in NFL history to have greater than 30 passing TD and greater than 2000 yds rushing in any 16 game stretch together.

The Titans became the first team in NFL history with a 350+ yard passer (Ryan Tannehill , 364) AND a 200+ yard rusher (Derrick Henry, 212) in the same game vs Houston on October 18,2020

In 2021 the Titans would win their division again with another 12-5 record as well as the #1 seed in AFC for postseason.

From 2017 through 2021 Henry had five straight seasons with a TD run of 70 yards or more an NFL record.

For 2022 the Titans had a down year due to injuries.

Kevin Byard in his seventh season with the Titans in 2022 became the franchise's all time leader in interceptions with 27 breaking the old record of 25 held by Michael Griffin.

Titans fans also got news that the team is planning on building a new indoor stadium that should be open hopefully in time for the 2027 regular season.

The 2023 Titans roster is a mix of veterans as well as rookies which also includes a few undrafted free agents as well.

The last two drafts the team has drafted a QB and in 2022 Malik Willis who was originally projected to be a first round pick slid to the third round and Tennessee selected him.

In the 2023 NFL Draft the Titans selected QB Will Levis who was also a projected first rounder who slid to the second round where he was picked by the Titans.

Titans will be celebrating their 25th anniversary during 2023 season.

[titanfan8]

Back in April the NFL Draft was held over three days.

2023 is the Titans first draft of the Ran Carthon era.

Below is the 2023 Draft class written by Ronan Briscoe....

Peter Skoronski first round pick, a tackle/guard out of Northwestern, arrives in Nashville from Park Ridge, Illinois. He's the grandson of Bob Skoronski, a tackle on Vince Lombardi's Packers teams that won five NFL championships and each of the first two Super Bowls. He started every game of his college career, and was a First-Team All-American in 2022. He was widely viewed as one of the top two tackles in the class, though he may wind up finding a career as a guard.

Will Levis second round pick, QB out of Madison, Connecticut (as well as Newton, Massachusetts and Middletown, Connecticut) who finished his career at Kentucky after appearing in 14 games across two seasons for Penn State. He totaled 5,232 passing yards, 43 touchdowns and 23 interceptions during his time in Lexington. During this time, he helped spark a nice period for Kentucky football and head coach Mark Stoops.

Tyjae Spears third round pick, a running back out of Tulane by way of Ponchatoula, Louisiana, was one of the most dangerous players in the entire country with a football in his hands last season. In four years with Tulane, Spears totaled 2,940 rushing yards and 31 touchdowns. 1,581 of those yards and 19 of those touchdowns came in 2022. He won the American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year award as well. He arrives in the NFL with some well-documented potential issues with his knee, but don't worry too much about him.

Josh Whyle was the Titans' pick in the fifth round. He's a native of Cincinnati who stayed home for college and helped guide the Bearcats to the College Football Playoff in 2021. He's the kind of tight end who uses his size in blocking while also being dangerous as a pass catcher. Whyle totaled 88 catches for 1,062 yards and 15 touchdowns during his four seasons at Cincinnati.

Jaelyn Duncan sixth round pick an offensive tackle from Maryland. The New Carrollton, Maryland native spent five years as a Terrapin, and the only one of those he wasn't the starting left tackle was his redshirt year. He's a big, and very athletic tackle who should fit right into the roster Ran Carthon wants to build.

Colton Dowell seventh round pick wide receiver at Tennessee-Martin. Dowell didn't just have an incredibly successful career, picking up four consecutive All-OVC honors. He didn't just rack up 177 catches for 2,796 yards and 19 touchdowns in 47 college games. He left the Skyhawks as their all time statistical leader in receiving yards.

Below are the undrafted free agents who were signed after the draft.

DT Shakel Brown (Troy)

Brown (6-4, 299) played in 13 games as key backup on Troy's top-rated defense in 2022 … Started five games in his career … Recorded 32 tackles, six tackles for loss and four sacks.

WR Jacob Copeland (Maryland)

Copeland (6-0, 202) appeared in 12 games in 2022 … Led the team by averaging 14.5 yards per reception ... Caught 26 passes for 376 yards, and hauled in a pair of touchdowns.

WR Tre'Shaun Harrison (Oregon State)

Harrison (6-1, 191) led Oregon State with 52 receptions for 604 yards … Scored four touchdowns … Ended his OSU career with 90 catches for 1,147 yards and eight touchdowns.

S Matt Jackson (Eastern Kentucky)

Jackson (6-2, 215) started 10 games in 2022 and led the team with 87 tackles ... Also registered 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble ... From Nashville, played at Hillsboro High.

CB Steven Jones (Appalachian State)

Jones (5-10, 185) tied for the Sun Belt lead in the regular season with 15 passes defended in 2022 … Also totaled 45 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss and one sack on the season.

S Tyreque Jones (Boise State)

Jones (6-2, 205) started all 12 games in 2022. … Registered 34 tackles, including 4.5 for-loss, three pass breakups and an interception… Converted to nickelback in 2022.

CB Anthony Kendall (Baldwin Wallace)

Kendall (5-10, 180) averaged 5.4 tackles per game, three interceptions, four tackles for loss and 12 pass breakups at Division III Baldwin Wallace in 2022.

RB Charles McClelland (Cincinnati)

McClelland (5-11, 200) appeared in 13 games and started the final 12 in 2022 … Led the Bearcats in rushing and all-purpose yards… Tallied 849 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 146 attempts…Added 14 receptions for 116 yards… Rushed for more than 100 yards three different times.

DE TK McClendon (Eastern Kentucky)

McClendon (6-5, 300) started all 12 games in 2022 and led Eastern Kentucky with 11.5 tackles for loss and 6.0 sacks ... added 58 tackles, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

OLB Caleb Murphy (Ferris State)

Murphy (6-4, 245) tallied 40 sacks and 60.5 tackles for a loss in his two seasons at Ferris State, including 25.5 in 2022 when he helped lead the Bulldogs to their second consecutive D-II national title.

T John Ojukwu (Boise State)

Ojukwu (6-6, 315) was selected All-Mountain West First Team in 2022 after being the only Bronco to start all 14 games on offense. … Was also All-Mountain West first team in 2021 after starting all 12 games at left tackle.

LB Otis Reese (Mississippi)

Reese (6-3, 225) started 11 games for the Rebels in 2022 ... Finished second on the team with 84 total tackles, with 8 coming for a loss ... Added 3 sacks ... Came up with 1 fumble recovery and hauled in 1 interception on the season.

OLB Thomas Rush (Minnesota)

Rush (6-3, 250) started all 13 games in 2022 and made 34 tackles (20 solo) … Had 2.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks while also breaking up two passes and forced one fumble.

K Trey Wolff (Texas Tech)

Wolff (6-4, 210) finished his career by connecting on 42-of-52 career field goal attempts and 107-of-110 PATs … Totaled 233 points overall over 45 career games as a Red Raider … Ended his career ranked fifth all-time in program history for successful field goals (42) and PATs (107) … one of eight kickers in program history to nail 40 or more field goals in a career.

[titanfan8]

For the month of June i have chosen defensive line and linebackers as the Titans position group to look back on….

In the first round of 1999 NFL Draft the Titans signed DE Jevon Kearse who went on to win NFL defensive rookie of the year and had 14.5 sacks a rookie record that still stands.

As far as i'm concerned and i bet a whole lot of Titans diehards feel the same way there has never been a better linebacker that played here besides Keith Bulluck.

Bulluck was drafted in the year 2000 and played an entire decade for the Titans.

The team has had some good linebackers through the years but none quite as good as Bulluck.

The 2000 Titans defense was first in yards allowed,second in points allowed and third in rushing defense.

In 2000 the same year Bulluck was drafted the Titans brought in Randall Godfrey in free agency from Dallas.

Godfrey ended up playing in Tennessee for three seasons and played well here.

In 2001 DE Kevin Carter signed with the Titans in free agency.....

In the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft the Titans drafted DT Albert Haynesworth.

Rocky Boiman and Rocky Calmus were drafted in 2002 as well.

In 2002 the Titans had were 10th in yards allowed.

In 2002 and 2003 Titans had the NFL best run defense mainly because of Kevin Carter and Albert Haynesworth.

Kevin Carter played four seasons with Titans and racked up 23.5 sacks.

In 2004 the Titans drafted DE's Travis LaBoy and Antwan Odom as well as DT Randy Starks.

In 2005 the Titans signed Kyle Vanden Bosch in free agency.

Boiman played four seasons for the Titans before signing with Indy in free agency in 2006.

In 2006 David Thornton signed with Tennessee in free agency.....

In 2006 in the fourth round the Titans drafted Stephen Tulluch who played every game and played well during his four years in Tennessee.

In 2007 and 2008 the Titans defense were top ten in nearly every category including run and pass defense as well as yards and points allowed.

In 2007 Tony Brown begins his first full season with the Titans and was previously with 49ers.

In 2008 the Titans drafted DEs Jason Jones and William Hayes.....

In 2009 in the second round drafted SenDerrick Marks and in fourth round the drafted Gerald McRath and he played three seasons.

Never seen one defensive player cause as much disruption and devastation to opposing offenses like Haynesworth did in 2007 and 2008 he was truly dominant.

Haynesworth played his last season in Tennessee before leaving in free agency and becoming the first 100 million dollar defensive tackle.

With Titans Big Al had 272 combined tackles,60 tackles for losses,42 QB hits,24 sacks,20 passes defended,6 forced fumbles,3 recoveries.

In 2009 Keith Bulluck played his last season for the Titans.

Bulluck with Titans had 1078 combined tackles,61 tackles for losses,18 sacks,19 INTs,15 forced fumbles,12 recoveries and scored 6 TDs.

Vanden Bosch also played his last season for Titans in 2009 and in five years had 270 combined tackles,82 QB hits,47 tackles for losses,38.5 sacks,14 forced fumbles,3 recoveries.

In 2010 DE Derrick Morgan was drafted in first round.

2010 Titans sign Jason Babin and Will Witherspoon in free agency.

Babin has 12.5 sacks in 2010 for the Titans....

In 2011 the Titans drafted DT Jurrell Casey in the third round.

In the 5th round in 2011 the Titans drafted the scrappy DT Karl Klug and he played six seasons for Tennessee.

Akeem Ayers was drafted by Tennessee in the second round in 2011.

In 2012 the Titans drafted Zach Brown in the second round.

In 2014 Wesley Woodyard was signed in free agency......

In 2014 Titans drafted DaQuan Jones.

Avery Williamson was drafted in the fifth round by Tennessee in 2014.

In 2015 Brian Orakpo was signed in free agency by Tennessee.

Jayon Brown was drafted in fifth round in 2017 by Titans.

In 2018 the Titans drafted ILB Rashaan Evans in the first round and OLB Harold Landry in the second round.

In 2018 Titans were 3rd in points allowed and 8th in yards allowed....

In 2019 the Titans drafted Jeffery Simmons in first round of NFL Draft.

In 2019 Tennessee drafted David Long in sixth round.

Long played four seasons with Tennessee before leaving for Miami in free agency in 2023.

In 2021 DE Denico Autry was brought in free agency.

Around this time Jurrell Casey retired.

Casey in his career with Titans had 493 combined tackles,115 QB hits,84 tackles for losses,51 sacks,8 forced fumbles,5 recoveries.

In 2021 Titans were 6th in points allowed by defense.

The 2023 Titans are celebrating their 25th anniversary and it been a long but exciting journey from 1999 through the present day.

[titanfan8]

For the month of May i have chosen defensive secondary as the Titans position group to look back on….

From the beginning going back to the Titans inaugural 1999 season the team has always had talent in the secondary at the safety and cornerback spots.

One of the best corners the team ever had would be Samari Rolle he was always around the ball.

In the seven years he played with the Titans he secured 23 interceptions with his best year coming in 2000 when he had 7 while being a First Team All Pro and Pro Bowler that season.

Right before halftime in a Monday Night Football game at Washington in October of 2000 Rolle intercepted a pass and went 81 yards for a TD

For that 2000 season the Titans had the best pass defense in the entire league and fielded one of the best defenses ever.

That season at safety they had Blaine Bishop and Marcus Robertson along with Samari Rolle and Denard Walker as the starting corners.

Perry Phenix and Dainon Sidney contributed as well.

Robertson had 22 interceptions during his 10 years playing for the Titans/Oilers.

Bishop made the Pro Bowl in 2000 along with three other Pro Bowl appearances during his 9 seasons playing for the Titans/Oilers.

Bishop had 12 forced fumbles along with 11 recoveries as well as 5 interceptions during his career here.

The Titans were 13-3 in their inaugural first season of 1999 and then in the 2000 season they were 13-3 again.

For the 2001 NFL Draft in the second round the Titans draft CB Andre Dyson and he was the younger brother of Titans WR Kevin Dyson.

Despite only playing in Tennessee for four years Dyson managed to come away with 16 interceptions of which 3 went for TDs....

In the 2002 NFL Draft the Titans managed to draft strong safety Tank Williams

Williams played four seasons for Tennessee and intercepted 5 passes during his time there.

In the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft the Titans drafted Andre Woolfolk but he didn't play up to par for a first round pick but did get three picks during his time as a Titan.

For the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft the Titans drafted DB Adam 'PacMan' Jones and in the fourth round picked up another DB Vincent Fuller.

Jones played well for the Titans but didn't last long in Tennessee due to off the field problems.

Jones intercepted 4 passes in two seasons at corner and also played really well as a punt/kick returner during his time here.

Fuller played safety for five seasons in Tennessee getting six interceptions and four of those were TDs

In the seventh round of the 2006 NFL Draft the Titans were able to find their next star corner Cortland Finnegan.

Finnegan played for six seasons in Tennessee for the Titans.

During his six years here he had 14 interceptions of which 4 went for TDs as well as forcing 3 fumbles and recovering 4 as well.

In free agency in 2006 the Titans signed Chris Hope at safety where he played 6 years and was able to get 16 interceptions during his time here.

Hope also got 5 fumble recoveries,2 forced fumbles and 4 sacks as well.

In the first round of the 2007 NFL Draft the Titans drafted safety Michael Griffin.

Griffin played nine years in Tennessee through 2015 and when he left the team he was the all time leader in interceptions with 25.

Griffin also had 11 forced fumbles as well as 6 recoveries.

In the 2009 NFL Draft the Titans got lucky again on a late round defensive back getting CB Jason McCourty in the sixth round.

McCourty played eight years in Tennessee where he had 13 interceptions as well as 6 forced fumbles and 5 recoveries as well.

Another one of my all time favorites besides Tank Williams and Michael Griffin was a corner the Titans drafted in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft ballhawk Alterraun Verner.

Verner always seemed to have a nose for where the ball was going to be.

Really never understood not signing him to another contract because he was a good corner and had 11 interceptions in his time here.

Coty Sensabaugh and Daimon Stafford were late round defensive backs who were drafted in 2012 and 2013 respectively and both played out their contracts here.

Bernard Pollard signed with the Titans in free agency and played safety in 2013 and 2014 getting three interceptions his first year here.

Pollard was one of my favorite signings that offseason but refs were cracking down on hard hits so he got unfairly singled out a lot for the way he played.

After four years here Sensabaugh went to Pittsburgh and Stafford left the NFL.

Sensabaugh was able to get an interception and score off of QB Jameis Winston in his first game as a rookie for the Bucs.

Blidi Wreh Wilson was drafted in the third round in 2013 and played three seasons in Tennessee before going to Atlanta for five seasons.

In 2016 the Titans drafted safety Kevin Byard in the third round of the NFL Draft.

In his second season he led the league with 8 interceptions and within just seven years became the Titans all time leader with 27 interceptions.

In 2017 in the first round the Titans drafted Adoree Jackson.

For his four years in Tennessee Jackson intercepted 2 passes,forced 3 fumbles and had 2 recoveries as well.

In 2019 in the fourth round of the NFL Draft the Titans drafted safety Amani Hooker.

Hooker in his first four years with Tennessee had 6 interceptions and along with Byard makes up one of the best safety duos in the NFL.

In the second round in 2020 the Titans drafted corner Kristian Fulton and the next year drafted Caleb Farley in the first.

Farley hasn't played much due to injuries.

Fulton has four picks in his three years so far with Tennessee.

In the 2022 NFL Draft the Titans drafted Roger McCreary in the second round.

[titanfan8]

For the month of April i have chosen offensive linemen as the Titans position group to look back on….

While the team has had really good luck at some positions through the years they really haven’t had a lot of talent come in at the QB spot but the two surefire positions the Titans have always had a lot of talent is at the RB and OL offensive linemen spots

Since their inaugural season of 1999 the Titans have been blessed to only have three long term players at the left tackle spot and those players are Brad Hopkins,Michael Roos and Taylor Lewan.

Brad Hopkins played from 1993 through 2005 playing in 194 games and making 2 Pro Bowls

In Hopkins final season they were prepared drafting Michael Roos in the second round of the 2005 NFL Draft

Michael Roos played left tackle for ten seasons from 2005 through 2014 making first team all pro and Pro Bowl in 2008.

In Roos final season again the Titans were prepared drafting Taylor Lewan in the first round of the 2014 NFL Draft

Taylor Lewan held down the left tackle spot for nine season from 2014 through 2022 for the Titans starting 100 games and making three Pro Bowls.

Early on in the Titans first decade in the league there was one person who was a huge influence in who to bring in and who to draft and that was offensive line coach Mike Munchak who was also a Hall of Fame offensive lineman in his career with the Oilers from 1982 through 1993 a 9 time Pro Bowler 2 time first team All Pro.

Another huge influence would be Bruce Matthews who played 19 years 1983-2001 in the NFL at several positions on the offensive line mostly guard and center.

Just like Munchak, Matthews was also an NFL Hall of Famer who played in 14 Pro Bowls and was voted 7 time first team All Pro.

Munchak really worked his magic in the 2005 NFL Draft when he came away with LT Michael Roos in the second round and RT David Stewart in the fourth round.

Stewart who was nicknamed ‘Big Country’ had a nine year career from 2005 through 2013.

Benji Olson started 140 games for the Titans and held down the right guard position for a solid decade until 2007.

Olson was a fifth rounder a late pick but there again was where Munchak knew what he was looking for.

Zach Piller was drafted in the third round in 1999 by Tennessee

Piller held down the left guard position for eight solid years.

In 2004 the Titans struck in the late rounds once again drafting Jacob Bell in the 5th round and Eugene Amano in the 7th round.

Bell played the next four years for Titans as a guard.

Amano would play the next eight years with the Titans at the guard and center positions.

Amano played in 124 games for Tennessee until 2011.

One of the best free agent signings in Titans history was Kevin Mawae.

Mawae was drafted by Seattle in 1994 NFL Draft.

Mawae spent the bulk of his career which was eight seasons with the New York Jets.

Mawae spent his last four seasons playing for the Titans.

Mawae is a Hall of Famer who played 16 seasons making 8 Pro Bowls and was voted 3 time first team All Pro.

Mawae was a key player on the 2009 Titans offensive line that blocked for Chris Johnson when he rushed for 2000 yards.

The others were Michael Roos,David Stewart,Eugene Amano,Jake Scott,Ahmard Hall,Algae Crumpler.

Mike Munchak was elevated to head coach in 2011 and was let go in 2013 but his influence was huge while he was there coaching.

In 2013 the Titans drafted Chance Warmack and Brian Schwenke.

In my opinion Warmack was drafted way too high at #10 and didn’t last past his first contract as guard.

In 2014 Taylor Lewan was drafted as left tackle drafted in first round.

Jack Conklin was a right tackle drafted by the Titans in first round 2016

Conklin wasn’t given a long term deal after his first contract so he went to a team that could pay him Cleveland.

I think he was good enough to be signed to a long term deal.

Guard Roger Saffold signed a free agent deal with Tennessee in 2019.

Nate Davis was drafted in 2019 at the guard position and just like Conklin before him he wasn’t given a long term deal once his contract was up so he went to Chicago who paid him.

In 2020 Derrick Henry became the second RB in Titans history to run for over 2,000 yards in a season.

The Titans are the only team in the NFL that has had two different running backs rush for over 2,000 yards in a season.

[titanfan8]

For this month of March i have chosen running backs as the Titans position group to look back on and we’ve had some good ones.

No other team over the past quarter century has had more dominance at the running back position like the Tennessee Titans.

Their three best runners have all done some big things in their careers.

Eddie George never missed a game in his career and gained over 10,000 career yards.

In seven out of eight seasons he went over 1000 yards and once went over 1500 yards in 2000 on 403 carries.

Chris Johnson gained over 2,000 yards in 2009 and still holds the NFL record for most yards gained from scrimmage in a season.

Derrick Henry also had a 2,000 yard season along with having five straight seasons with a TD run over 70 yards.

Besides these three running backs the Titans have had some other talented runners on their roster over the years including Rodney Thomas,Lorenzo Neal,Skip Hicks,Chris Brown,Troy Fleming,Robert Holcombe,Antowain Smith,Travis Henry,LenDale White,Shonn Greene,Antonio Andrews,Demarco Murray,D'Onta Foreman,etc.

Lorenzo Neal played two seasons in Tennessee in 1999 and 2000 and was the best blocker Eddie George had in his career with Titans.

Skip Hicks played one year for the Titans in 2001

Eddie George though was the Titans best running back from 1999 through 2003 a five year period where Tennessee won more games than any team in the NFL going to the postseason four times playing in two AFC championship Games and a Super Bowl....

Chris Brown played five years from 2003 through 2007 but only had one 1000 yard seasons rushing which came in 2004.

Travis Henry played two seasons for the Titans and had over 1000 yards rushing in 2006 which included a 70 yard TD run against Philly.

One of the most surprising draft picks was in 2008 when the Titans picked Chris Johnson one year after picking another RB Chris Henry in the second round and although they didn't get much out of Henry the Titans weren't nervous at all about picking another RB with a high draft pick.

Johnson was drafted by the Titans with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and at that time had just ran a 4.24 at the combine which made him the fastest player in NFL history.

In his very first preseason game everyone got a glimpse of what was in store for the future as Johnson had a 66 yard TD run against the St. Louis Rams.

For 2008 Johnson had 1,228 yards rushing and led the Titans to a 13-3 record which was the best in the NFL that year.

Then came all the record setting plays and games.

CJ broke Marshall Faulk’s record for most yardage from scrimmage in a season when he gained a total of 2,509 yards total and it is still an NFL record today.

CJ also became the first and only player to rush for over 2,000 yards and also have over 500 yards receiving in the same season.

Chris Johnson then ran for 50+ yards, 60+ yards and 90+ yards all in one game in 2009.

In that 2009 week two game against the Texans he had a 57-yard TD run, a 69-yard TD reception, and a 91-yard TD run and became the only player in NFL history with a touchdown of 50 yards, 60 yards, and 90 yards in one game.

He then ran 80+ yards in three different games in 2009 another new NFL record as that was the most 80+ yard plays ever by a RB in one season.

CJ also has a total of 6 runs over 80+ yards another NFL record no other NFL running back has that many in a career.

Johnson was also the first RB in NFL history with 6 consecutive games of 125+ rushing yards and a 5.0+ yards per carry average

He was the NFL rushing leader in 2009 and also was voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year as well.

To start the 2010 NFL season, the Titans took on the Raiders in Tennessee and CJ scored on a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Johnson finished with 142 yards on 27 carries with a yard per carry average of 5.3 yards to bring his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 12.

Overall, he finished the 2010 season with 1,364 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

CJ was voted to his third straight NFL Pro Bowl after the 2010 season.

On September 1, 2011 Johnson became the highest paid running back in the NFL, agreeing to a four-year, $53.5 million contract extension, including $30 million guaranteed, with the Titans.

For the 2011 season he finished with 1,047 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Against Buffalo in 2012 CJ ran for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 18 carries. With an 83-yard touchdown run, Johnson broke an NFL record with his fourth rushing touchdown of 80 yards or more.

The Titans won the game 35-34 over the Bills and afterwards CJ’s shoes were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A few weeks later against the Chicago Bears CJ ran for an 80-yard touchdown, extending his record with his fifth 80-yard touchdowns. He finished with 16 carries for 141 yards.

In week 15 on Monday Night Football Johnson had a franchise-record 94-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career and the second longest in Monday Night Football history. He finished with 122 yards on 21 carries. The Titans beat the Jets 14-10.

The 94 yard TD run was CJ’s sixth career run over 80 yards which was another NFL record and also it was the second time he had 3 TD runs over 80 yards in a season which was another NFL record.

For his career CJ had four TD runs over 85 yards another NFL record.

Overall, he finished the 2012 season with 1,243 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Johnson’s last year with Tennessee in 2013 he had 1,077 yards rushing.

From 2008 through 2013 CJ had six straight seasons where he rushed for over 1,000 yards.

After CJ was let go the Titans had a couple lean seasons at the RB position but in 2016 the new GM Jon Robinson signed Demarco Murray in free agency and drafted Derrick Henry in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft.

Murray did really well the two seasons he played in Tennessee running the ball 477 carries with 1946 yards and 15 TDs averaging 4 yards per carry.

Murray's longest run in 2016 was a 75 yard TD run on the Titans first offensive play from scrimmage against the Packers in a game where Tennessee blew Green Bay out 47-25.

The next season Murray again did well with his longest run being a 75 yard TD run.

Henry’s first two seasons he split carries with RB Demarco Murray.

NFL teams were weary of picking running backs from Bama becuse many of them didn’t pan out which is why Henry lasted as long as he did before getting picked but those teams would eventually regret not picking Henry.

On October 16, 2017, on Monday Night Football was when Henry truly started to make his presence felt as he ran for a then career-best 131 yards on 19 carries, including a 72-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 36–22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

On December 3, 2017, Henry ran for 109 yards on 11 carries and beat his longest rush of the year with a 75-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 24–13 victory over the Houston Texans.

In the Titans final regular season game against the Jaguars in Nashville, Henry caught his first receiving touchdown on a 66-yard reception in a 15–10 victory that helped Tennessee clinch a playoff spot.

DeMarco Murray was out with a knee injury for the Titans playoff game at Kansas City, Henry got the start.

In a 22–21 road victory, Henry had the best performance of his career up to that point, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and catching two passes for 35 yards. His 191 yards-from-scrimmage was a franchise record.

Murray was let go after the 2017 season and another RB Dion Lewis was signed to split carries with Henry for the 2018 season.

On December 6 2018 in a home game against the Jaguars Henry exploded for a 238 yard rushing performance along with 4 TDs.

In the second quarter of the game against the Jaguars, Henry had a 99-yard touchdown run, fending off three tacklers, giving him the longest TD run in NFL history and tying him with former Cowboys RB Tony Dorsett who is the only other player to have a 99 yard TD run which took place in January 1983 against Minnesota.

The 238 yards rushing was a new franchise record breaking the 228 yards Chris Johnson had set in 2009.

Henry also became the ninth player in NFL history to record a 200+ yard and 4+ touchdown game, and the first to do so on fewer than 22 carries.

His 238 rushing yards were the most by any player for a single game for the 2018 season. Henry was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Henry finished the 2018 season with 1,059 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

During a home game against the Jaguars in Week 12 of the 2019 season, Henry had a 74-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.

Overall, he finished the 42–20 victory with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

During the regular-season finale at Houston against the Texans Henry finished with 211 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Titans won 35–14 and made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

Henry was the NFL leading rusher in 2019 with 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Titans would travel to New England to play the Patriots in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Henry rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half, finishing with 182 yards (the most ever against a Bill Belichick coached team, and the third most ever in a postseason road game) and a 22-yard reception in a 20–13 road victory over the Patriots.

Henry became the first rushing champion with a 100-yard playoff game since Terrell Davis in 1998, the first to win a playoff game since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2007, and the second Titan with multiple post-season 100+ rushing games. He also broke his own franchise record for most yards-from-scrimmage with 204.

During the divisional round against Baltimore, Henry rushed 30 times for 195 yards and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis in the 28–12 road victory.

Henry became the second player in NFL history with three postseason games with at least 150 rushing yards, joining Terrell Davis, who had four. In addition, he became the only player with at least 175 rushing yards in consecutive games. Davis is the only other with two such games in a career.

In the AFC Championship against Kansas City he rushed 19 times for 69 yards and a touchdown in the 35–24 road loss.

Henry signed a new four-year $50 million contract with Tennessee before the 2020 season.

In a 2020 Week Six home game against the Texans Henry finished with 212 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards, and two touchdowns (including a 94-yard rushing touchdown). In overtime, he finished the game with a five-yard touchdown to end the game as the Titans won 42–36.

Henry was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week Six. He was also named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after racking up 399 scrimmage yards with 344 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

In Week 17 rematch at Houston, Henry rushed for a career-high 250 rushing yards and two touchdowns during the 41–38 road victory.

During the game, Henry became the eighth running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards and was the second Titans RB to go over 2,000 rushing yards as Chris Johnson did so as well in 2009.

Henry finished 2020 with 2,027 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns and for the second year in a row lead the NFL in rushing.

Henry was also named the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

During Week Two of the 2021 season at Seattle Henry finished with 182 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards, and three rushing touchdowns as the Titans won 33–30 in overtime. Henry earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2.

In Week 6, Henry ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 win over the Bills, earning his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the year which included a 76 yard TD run.

Henry set an NFL record as every year from 2017 through 2021 for five straight seasons he had a TD run of 74 yards or longer.

During a Week 8 win at Indy Henry suffered an injury a Jones fracture that would end up sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season.

Henry finished 2021 with 937 yards rushing and 10 TDs.

Henry was activated off injured reserve on January 21, 2022, for the team’s divisional round playoff game against Cincinnati.

In his return, Henry had 20 carries for 62 yards along with a rushing touchdown in the Titans’ 19–16 loss.

In a week eight victory at Houston Henry broke Eddie George’s record for total TDs when he scored his 75th touchdown when he scored from one yard out.

For his career so far he has 8335 yards rushing and 78 TDs rushing.

The Titans are the only NFL team that has had two 2,000 yard rushers.

There have been only 5 RBs in NFL history with 10 or more TD runs over 50 yards they are Adrian Peterson,Barry Sanders,Jim Brown along with Chris Johnson and Derrick Henry.

Two of those five RBs were Titans.

Has longest run in NFL history at 99 yards a record shared with Tony Dorsett

Henry is the first player in NFL history with 180+ rushing yards in three consecutive games and first player to have 180+ rushing yards in consecutive playoff games

Henry is also the first player to record a 200+-yard and 4+-touchdown game on fewer than 22 carries

Henry also has the most rushing yards in first 4 playoff games with 561 yards.

Henry now has 6 career games with 200 rushing yards & 2 rushing TDs another NFL record

Henry was the fourth player in NFL history with three games of at least 175 yards and three rushing TDs in first five seasons. The others? Jim Brown, LaDanian Tonlinson and Adrian Peterson.

In October 2021 Derrick Henry became the first NFL RB since Jim Brown (three) in 1958 to have multiple 100-yard, 3-TD rushing performances within a team’s first five games of a season.

Henry already has 13 runs over 50+ yards in his career and 5 over 70+ yards.

[titanfan8]

Heading into the offseason and i thought it would be cool to delve into a different position group every month for the next several months ahead.

For this month of February i chose wide receivers and we’ve had some good ones here since the Titans started in ‘99 including Nate Washington,Derrick Mason,,Drew Bennett,Justin Gage,Kenny Britt,Kendall Wright,Rishard Matthews,A.J. Brown,etc.

For the Titans first half decade in the league from 1999 through 2003 no other NFL team won more games than Tennessee and their main receiver during this time was Derrick Mason.

One of his best games that i remember happened during the AFC Championship win at Jacksonville in January of 2000 Mason had an 80 yard kickoff return for a TD that widened the Titans lead over the Jaguars and gave them extra momentum and the Titans ultimately defeated the Jags 33-14.

During his time with Tennessee Mason had 453 catches for 6114 yards and 37 TDs.

Mason had 182 punt returns for 1590 yards and 2 TDs

Mason also had 156 kick returns for 3496 yards and 1 TD

In 2003 Mason had 95 catches and then in 2004 he ended up having 96 catches but the Titans were in salary cap trouble and had to let go of some of their best players and in the coming years Derrick Mason,Samari Rolle and Steve McNair all ended up going to Baltimore.

Going back to year one 1999 the team had weapons on offensive.

The Titans had also drafted a receiver the year before and brought in free agents so in 1999 besides Mason the team had Kevin Dyson and also free agent receiver Yancey Thigpen.

The team also had veteran Chris Sanders as well.

One of the biggest mistakes the team ever made was letting Mason go because he still had a lot of years left and in the coming years only one receiver had as much or more talent and that receiver was Nate Washington.

Drew Bennett had been with the Titans since 2001 and did the best he could to help once Mason was gone.

Bennett played six years 2001 through 2006 with the Titans catching 273 passes for 4033 yards along with 25 TDs

With Bennett leaving the Titans brought in another receiver in free agency in 2007 Justin Gage and he filled in well playing four years from 2007 through 2010 catching 137 passes for 2050 yards and 12 TDs

The Titans have drafted other receivers including Kevin Dyson,Justin McCarreins,Tyrone Calico,Brandon Jones,Roydell Williams,etc.

Calico was drafted in the second round in 2003 and was shaping up to be a really good talented WR before an injury against Dallas derailed his career.

Justin McCareins actually played two stints with Tennessee

McCareins was drafted in the 4th round in 2001 by the Titans and played three seasons with the Titans then went to the Jets but came back to Tennessee for his last year in 2008.

Brandon Jones was drafted in the 3rd round in 2005 by the Titans and played from 2005 through 2008.

Roydell Williams was drafted by Tennessee in the 4th round in 2005

Williams played for the Titans for three seasons and one of his most clutch plays came in 2007 when he caught a 46 yard pass from Kerry Collins in the final minute of a comeback win against the Texans.

Williams catch enabled not only the Titans to come back but also helped kicker Rob Bironas make the game winning FG which was his eighth FG of the game and a new NFL record for most FG made in a game.

In 2009 with their first round pick the Titans drafted WR Kenny Britt and the year before drafted LaVelle Hawkins in fourth round.

In his rookie year Britt caught a game winning TD pass to beat the Arizona Cardinals.

In a 2010 game against Philly Britt ended up catching seven passes for 225 yards and 3 TDs and at the time that was the most yardage a WR ever gained against an Eagles defense.

An injury early in the 2011 season against Denver cost Britt the rest of that season and eventually he left a couple years later in free agency.

A WR that Tennessee acquired in free agency in 2009 ended up being one of the best receivers the Titans ever had his name was Nate Washington.

Washington ended up playing in Tennessee for six years catching 307 passes for 4591 yards and 28 TDs along with plenty of great memories as well.

In a game against Detroit in 2012 he had one of the most insane catches i have ever seen an over the shoulder catch over his opponent that went for a 71 yard TD

In a home game against Pittsburgh in 2014 Washington caught an 80 yard TD pass and the guy defending him never had a shot.

In 2012 the Titans drafted Kendall Wright in the first round and a year later drafted Justin Hunter in the second round.

In a 2013 game against the San Diego Chargers Hunter caught a 34 yard TD pass as time was expiring to beat the Chargers.

That same year in 2013 Wright caught 94 passes in what was a mostly run oriented offense.

In the coming years the Titans would draft Dorial Green Beckham,Tajae Sharpe and bring in Rishard Matthews in free agency.

However there was one WR the Titans drafted who would do big things for the offense A.J. Brown a 2019 2nd round pick.

Brown was so good he helped propel the Titans to being ranked the second best offense in the league in 2020.

The Titans GM Jon Robinson and A.J. Brown's agent were going to negotiate a new contract in the 2022 offseason but they hit a point where things fell apart.

So for the second time in the Titans short history they would be letting a good wide receiver they drafted hit free agency instead of paying him.

Brown was eventually traded to the Eagles on draft night 2023 and the Titans drafted another WR in the first round Treylon Burks.

Burks had some injury issues his first season but overall he looks like he could be a dominant receiver if he can stay healthy the sky is the limit.

Looking forward to what Burks can do in the future and it also wouldn't hurt to bring in some more weapons to free up Burks more in the passing game.

Burks has what it takes all he has to do is stay on the field.

[titanfan8]

Starting a new year and heading into the offseason and i thought it would be cool to delve into a different position group every month for the next several months ahead.

For this month i chose tight ends and we’ve had some good ones here since the Titans started in ‘99 including Frank Wycheck,Delanie Walker,Bo Scaife,Erron Kinney,Ben Troupe,Jared Cook,etc.

Now everyone has their own opinions and many fans including myself will debate this as to who has been the best tight end so far in the short history of the team and some say Wycheck and others say Walker but either way it is definitely close.

For his NFL career Walker has a total of 504 catches for 5888 yards with 36 TDs while Wycheck has 505 catches for 5126 yards and 28 TDs.

As a Titan Walker has 381 catches for 4423 yards with 28 TDs while Wycheck has 482 catches for 4958 yards with 27 TDs.

Wycheck was also involved in one of the biggest plays of all time The Music City Miracle against Buffalo in January of 2000.

Wycheck made three straight Pro Bowls including the Titans first two seasons in Nashville in 1999 and 2000.

In December of 1999 Wycheck threw a 61 yard TD pass to WR Isaac Byrd in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.

A couple weeks later Wycheck scored 2 TDs in the first half against the Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium as the Titans jumped out to a 31-7 halftime lead and in the end Tennessee won 47-36.

A couple of years later the Titans would meet the Steelers in the postseason in January 2003 in Nashville and Wycheck along with Erron Kinney would score TDs in the third quarter that would be critical in a game that would go to OT and be decided by a FG in a 34-31 win for Tennessee.

A tight end that i always liked was Bo Scaife he played six years from 2005 through 2010 and caught 251 passes for 2383 yards and 12 TDs

The only tight ends in Titans history who have caught more passes than Scaife are Frank Wycheck and Delanie Walker and thats it.

Scaife scored the first TD in Vince Young’s infamous fourth quarter comeback in 2006 against the N.Y. Giants.

Scaife had 5 catches in the game for 34 yards including the fourth quarter TD that started the comeback.

With only ten minutes left in the game and Titans down 21-0 VY went on a mission leading Tennessee to three touchdown drives and a final drive for the game winning FG as Titans stunned Giants 24-21.

Another tight end that many fans will remember is Erron Kinney who was drafted by Tennessee in the third round and played here from 2000 through 2005 during his six years he caught 178 passes for 1750 yards and 10 TDs

Kinney caught a game winning 18 yard TD pass from Steve McNair with a little over a minute left to lift the Titans to a 23-20 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers at Three Rivers Stadium in September of 2000.

In the second round of the 2004 NFL Draft the Titans selected TE Ben Troupe and he played well as a rookie catching 33 passes for 329 yards and a TD.

For his career in Tennessee Troupe had 106 catches for 1056 yards and 7 TDs

The Titans drafted Craig Stevens in the third round of the 2008 NFL Draft and he would play for eight years from 2008 through 2015 and was mainly used as a blocker but still managed to catch 60 passes for 724 yards along with 6 TDs

Just a year after drafting Stevens the Titans drafted another tight end in 2009 Jared Cook and just like Stevens he was also drafted in the third round.

There were analysts saying before the draft that Cook could be the type of TE to last a lot of years and some even compared him to Shannon Sharpe a tremendous compliment at the time.

Overall Cook did have longevity playing 13 years although the Titans let him go in free agency after four years

As a Titan Cook had 131 catches for 1717 yards and 8 TDs and overall for his career he had 553 catches for 7237 yards and 45 TDs and played for Titans,Rams,Saints,Raiders,Packers and Chargers.

One of the best moves the Titans ever made in free agency was signing Delanie Walker in 2013.

In his first seven years in San Francisco he was mostly used as a backup but once he hit Tennessee his career took off.

Walker made three straight Pro Bowls from 2015-2017 and for a period of time was one of the best if not the best tight end in the game.

In 2015 he had 94 catches for 1088 yards and 6 TDs

For a five year period from 2013 through 2017 Walker had at least 60 catches or more every season during that span.

In 2017 the Titans drafted Jonnu Smith in the third round which seems to be their go to round for tight ends through the years.

Smith would get some mentoring from one of the best in the game in Delanie Walker.

Smith in his four years as a Titan had 114 catches for 1302 yards and 16 TDs.

One of Jonnu’s most memorable plays was his one handed TD catch in the Titans playoff win over the Ravens in January 2020.

At the end of the 2020 season Smith would move on in free agency and ended up signing with New England before the 2021 season.

[titanfan8]

This month i would like to go back and take a look at the 2007/2008 Tennessee Titans defenses. Those defenses were aggressive,hard hitting and displayed dominance on the field.

Both seasons the defense would be top ten in almost every statistical category such as points allowed,yards allowed,pass,run and total defense.

The main starters on those defenses were Keith Bulluck,Kyle Vanden Bosch,Albert Haynesworth,Jevon Kearse,Tony Brown,Jason Jones,Cortland Finnegan,Nick Harper,Chris Hope and Michael Griffin.

The Titans first game of the 2007 season would take place on the road in Jacksonville.

The Titans sacked Jaguars QB David Garrard 3 times and also dominated time of possession having the ball over 36 minutes in the game and the Jaguars only converted on 5 of 12 third down plays

Tennessee defeated Jacksonville 13-10 to start off 1-0 on the year.

It wouldn't be long into the 2007 season when Keith Bulluck had an impressive showing on MNF and a new nickname.

This would take place in New Orleans......

In an interview with the media way before the game even started he proclaimed himself 'Mr Monday Night'

Bulluck went on to prove what he said by intercepting Saints QB Drew Brees three times as Tennessee defeated New Orleans on Monday Night Football 31-14.

The next week against the Falcons the defense held Atlanta QB Joey Harrington to 16 of 31 completions for a paltry 87 yards with no TDs and one pick six by Vincent Fuller for 76 yards to ice the game as the Titans won 20-13.

The last two games before the midpoint of the season were a 13-9 victory over the Raiders where the defense notched 5 sacks and a 20-7 win over the Panthers where they racked up 7 sacks and that included 3 sacks by Albert Haynesworth.

No doubt about it Haynesworth was a critical piece on that defense and in those two seasons his disruption and domination was on full display.

In 2007/2008 Haynesworth had 14.5 sacks,27 tackles for loss,35 QB hits,3 forced fumbles and a recovery.

Offenses dreaded facing Tennessee because of Big Al and if he was triple teamed by opposing linemen then that left others like Vanden Bosch,Bulluck,Brown to make plays.

Travis LaBoy and Antwan Odom would both be gone after the 2007 season but both were big contributors on the defense with Odom racking up 8 sacks and LaBoy notching 6 sacks on the year.

The Titans were deep on defense and very physical as well wearing down opposing offenses most of the time.

KVB was a very important player on those defenses as well in '07 alone he racked up 12 QB sacks,13 tackles for losses,31 QB hits,60 combined tackles as well as 4 forced fumbles.

QBs dreaded seeing KVB anywhere on the schedule.

The Titans defeated the Texans for the sixth consecutive time in their late season matchup at Tennessee.

The Texans lost quarterback Matt Schaub (dislocated left shoulder), right guard Fred Weary (broken right leg) and left guard Chris White (torn medial collateral ligament in his left knee) to injuries and the Titans won the game 28-20.

The Titans hosted the Jets in week sixteen and harrassed Jets QB Chad Pennington all day getting 6 sacks,3 forced fumbles and 2 picks in a 10-6 victory.

Pennington and the Jets converted just 6 of 16 third down conversions.

The 2007 Titans defense had four players who racked up 6 or more sacks on the season.

They finished the season with a 10-6 record and made the postseason, they were 5th in yards allowed, 8th in points allowed along with being 5th in run defense and were 10th in pass defense.

In the first game of the 2008 season the Titans defense racked up 7 sacks, 12 QB hits and 11 tackles for losses in a 17-10 season opening win over the Jaguars.

Cortland Finnegan had 2 interceptions in the game as well.

In the second game of the 2008 season the Titans took a road trip up to Cincinnati to play the Bengals.

In the 4th quarter the Titans were leading by ten points when the Bengals had to punt while backed into their own end zone and Keith Bulluck blocked Kyle Larson's punt and recovered it for a TD.

Tennessee wins the game against Cincy by a score of 24-7.

In the third game of the season at home against the Texans the Titans defense sacked Texans QB Matt Schaub 3 times, intercepted him 3 times and forced 2 fumbles.

Cortland Finnegan put the game away in the final quarter with a 99 yard pick six and Titans win 31-12.

A few weeks later against Kansas City the Titans defense was so tough on the Chiefs that their starting QB and backup QB both were injured in the game so they then brought out a third one that didn't do much better as Tennessee won the game 34-10.

The next week the Titans beat Peyton Manning and Indy 31-21 on Monday Night Football.

It was the first of many Code Blue games the team played.

Week nine Titans host the Green Bay Packers Aaron Rodgers and the defense sacked Rodgers 4 times,forced a fumble and got an INT in a 19-16 OT win

The week after beating the Packers the Titans traveled to Chicago to take on the Bears winning 21-14.

On Thanksgiving the Titans traveled to Detroit to take on the Lions and the game was all Tennessee as the Titans had 3 sacks,forced 4 fumbles and got a pick in a 47-10 rout over the Lions

By the time the two minute warning hit in the first half Tennessee were already ahead 35-3 against Detroit.

The Titans hosted the Steelers in Nashville for week sixteen and in this game the defense had one of their best games of the entire season as they sacked Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger 5 times,forced 4 fumbles and intercepted 2 passes.

With the game winding down Roethlisberger had a pass picked off by Michael Griffin who went 83 yards for the final TD of the game as the Titans defeated the Steelers 31-14.

The Titans finished the 2008 regular season with a 13-3 record and made the postseason that year ranking 2nd in points allowed, 7th in yards allowed,9th in passing defense and 6th in rushing defense.

There were six players on defense with 4 or more sacks that season including Albert Haynesworth,Kyle Vanden Bosch,Jacob Ford,Jason Jones,Dave Ball and Tony Brown.

The 2008 Titans in my opinion had a championship caliber defense that could've brought in a title.

The Titans should've beat the Ravens in the postseason and the defense dominated the game in many ways but the offense commited multiple turnovers in the red zone ultimately losing by a field goal 13-10.

The Titans have fielded some pretty good defenses over the years including the 2000 defense which was number one in the NFL in yards allowed and second in points allowed.

However though my personal favorite of the team defenses is the 2007/2008 defense.

Both years the defense was awesome to watch culminating in the dominant D we saw in 2008 that was no doubt led by Albert Haynesworth who after the season left for Washington in free agency signing a massive contract and was the first player ever defensively to sign a 100 million dollar deal.

[titanfan8]

With the 45th pick in round two of the 2016 NFL Draft GM Jon Robinson of the Tennessee Titans selected RB Derrick Henry of Alabama.

Before Henry was selected only one other RB had been picked in the 2016 NFL Draft and that was Ezekiel Elliott chosen with the 4th pick in the first round by the Dallas Cowboys.

Henry had just won the Heisman trophy and led Alabama to a national championship but many NFL teams were weary of picking running backs from Bama becuse many of them didn't pan out which is why Henry lasted as long as he did before getting picked but those teams would eventually regret not picking Henry.

Henry's first two seasons he split carries with RB Demarco Murray who also arrived in Tennessee in 2016.

On October 16, 2017, on Monday Night Football was when Henry truly started to make his presence felt as he ran for a then career-best 131 yards on 19 carries, including a 72-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 36–22 victory over the Indianapolis Colts.

On December 3, 2017, Henry ran for 109 yards on 11 carries and beat his longest rush of the year with a 75-yard rushing touchdown late in the fourth quarter of the 24–13 victory over the Houston Texans.

In the Titans final regular season game against the Jaguars in Nashville, Henry caught his first receiving touchdown on a 66-yard reception in a 15–10 victory that helped Tennessee clinch a playoff spot.

DeMarco Murray was out with a knee injury for the Titans playoff game at Kansas City, Henry got the start.

In a 22–21 road victory, Henry had the best performance of his career up to that point, rushing for 156 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries and catching two passes for 35 yards. His 191 yards-from-scrimmage was a franchise record.

Murray was let go after the 2017 season and another RB Dion Lewis was signed to split carries with Henry for the 2018 season.

On December 6 2018 in a home game against the Jaguars Henry exploded for a 238 yard rushing performance along with 4 TDs.

In the second quarter of the game against the Jaguars, Henry had a 99-yard touchdown run, fending off three tacklers, giving him the longest TD run in NFL history and tying him with former Cowboys RB Tony Dorsett who is the only other player to have a 99 yard TD run which took place in January 1983 against Minnesota.

The 238 yards rushing was a new franchise record breaking the 228 yards Chris Johnson had set in 2009.

Henry also became the ninth player in NFL history to record a 200+ yard and 4+ touchdown game, and the first to do so on fewer than 22 carries.

His 238 rushing yards were the most by any player for a single game for the 2018 season. Henry was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Henry finished the 2018 season with 1,059 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns.

During a home game against the Jaguars in Week 12 of the 2019 season, Henry had a 74-yard rushing touchdown in the third quarter.

Overall, he finished the 42–20 victory with 159 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

During the regular-season finale at Houston against the Texans Henry finished with 211 rushing yards and three touchdowns as the Titans won 35–14 and made it to the playoffs as a Wild Card team.

Henry was the NFL leading rusher in 2019 with 1,540 yards and 16 touchdowns.

The Titans would travel to New England to play the Patriots in the wild card round of the playoffs.

Henry rushed for over 100 yards and a touchdown in the first half, finishing with 182 yards (the most ever against a Bill Belichick coached team, and the third most ever in a postseason road game) and a 22-yard reception in a 20–13 road victory over the Patriots.

Henry became the first rushing champion with a 100-yard playoff game since Terrell Davis in 1998, the first to win a playoff game since LaDanian Tomlinson in 2007, and the second Titan with multiple post-season 100+ rushing games. He also broke his own franchise record for most yards-from-scrimmage with 204.

During the divisional round against Baltimore, Henry rushed 30 times for 195 yards and threw a three-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Corey Davis in the 28–12 road victory.

Henry became the second player in NFL history with three postseason games with at least 150 rushing yards, joining Terrell Davis, who had four. In addition, he became the only player with at least 175 rushing yards in consecutive games. Davis is the only other with two such games in a career.

In the AFC Championship against Kansas City he rushed 19 times for 69 yards and a touchdown in the 35–24 road loss.

Henry signed a new four-year $50 million contract with Tennessee before the 2020 season.

In a 2020 Week Six home game against the Texans Henry finished with 212 rushing yards, 52 receiving yards, and two touchdowns (including a 94-yard rushing touchdown). In overtime, he finished the game with a five-yard touchdown to end the game as the Titans won 42–36.

Henry was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week Six. He was also named AFC Offensive Player of the Month for October after racking up 399 scrimmage yards with 344 yards rushing and five touchdowns.

In Week 17 rematch at Houston, Henry rushed for a career-high 250 rushing yards and two touchdowns during the 41–38 road victory.

During the game, Henry became the eighth running back in NFL history to surpass 2,000 rushing yards and was the second Titans RB to go over 2,000 rushing yards as Chris Johnson did so as well in 2009.

Henry finished 2020 with 2,027 yards rushing and 17 touchdowns and for the second year in a row lead the NFL in rushing.

Henry was also named the 2020 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

During Week Two of the 2021 season at Seattle Henry finished with 182 rushing yards, 55 receiving yards, and three rushing touchdowns as the Titans won 33–30 in overtime. Henry earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 2.

In Week 6, Henry ran for 143 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-31 win over the Bills, earning his second AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor of the year which included a 76 yard TD run.

Henry set an NFL record as every year from 2017 through 2021 for five straight seasons he had a TD run of 74 yards or longer.

During a Week 8 win at Indy Henry suffered an injury a Jones fracture that would end up sidelining him for the remainder of the regular season.

Henry finished 2021 with 937 yards rushing and 10 TDs

Henry was activated off injured reserve on January 21, 2022, for the team's divisional round playoff game against Cincinnati.

In his return, Henry had 20 carries for 62 yards along with a rushing touchdown in the Titans' 19–16 loss.

In a week eight victory at Houston Henry broke Eddie George's record for total TDs when he scored his 75th touchdown when he scored from one yard out.

So far in 2022 Henry leads the NFL in rushing after nine weeks with 870 yards rushing and 9 TDs as well.

For his career so far he has 7667 yards rushing and 74 TDs rushing.

[titanfan8]

Former Tennessee Titans running back Chris Johnson is one of nine first-time eligible players nominated for the for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2023 class.

Johnson was drafted by the Titans with the 24th pick in the first round of the 2008 NFL Draft and at that time had just ran a 4.24 at the combine which made him the fastest player in NFL history.

In his very first preseason game everyone got a glimpse of what was in store for the future as Johnson had a 66 yard TD run against the St. Louis Rams.

For 2008 Johnson had 1,228 yards rushing and led the Titans to a 13-3 record which was the best in the NFL that year.

In 2009 CJ would break out and have one of the best seasons in NFL history.

In a week two game against the Texans he had a 57-yard TD run, a 69-yard TD reception, and a 91-yard TD run and became the only player in NFL history with a touchdown of 50 yards, 60 yards, and 90 yards in one game.

Johnson would set another record by the time the 2009 season was over he would have 3 touchdown runs over 80 yards which had never been done until CJ accomplished it.

Also in 2009 he became only the sixth running back in NFL history to run for over 2,000 yards in a season achieving the feat in the Titans last game of the season at Seattle with 2,006 yards.

During the game CJ appeared to be on the way to breaking Eric Dickerson's single season rushing record but referee Ed Hoculi called a penalty that wiped out CJ's 62 yard run and Hoculi later admitted he made a mistake.

CJ broke Marshall Faulk's record for most yardage from scrimmage in a season when he gained a total of 2,509 yards total and it is still an NFL record today.

CJ also became the first and only player to rush for over 2,000 yards and also have over 500 yards receiving in the same season.

During that same year he also became the first player in NFL history with 6 consecutive games of 125+ rushing yards and a 5.0+ yards per carry average breaking Jim Brown's record that was set in 1958.

He was the NFL rushing leader in 2009 and also was voted the NFL Offensive Player of the Year as well.

To start the 2010 NFL season, the Titans took on the Raiders in Tennessee and CJ scored on a 76-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

Johnson finished with 142 yards on 27 carries with a yard per carry average of 5.3 yards to bring his streak of 100-yard rushing games to 12.

Overall, he finished the 2010 season with 1,364 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns.

CJ was voted to his third straight NFL Pro Bowl after the 2010 season.

On September 1, 2011 Johnson became the highest paid running back in the NFL, agreeing to a four-year, $53.5 million contract extension, including $30 million guaranteed, with the Titans.

For the 2011 season he finished with 1,047 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.

Against Buffalo in 2012 CJ ran for 195 yards and 2 touchdowns on only 18 carries. With an 83-yard touchdown run, Johnson broke an NFL record with his fourth rushing touchdown of 80 yards or more.

The Titans won the game 35-34 over the Bills and afterwards CJ's shoes were sent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

A few weeks later against the Chicago Bears CJ ran for an 80-yard touchdown, extending his record with his fifth 80-yard touchdowns. He finished with 16 carries for 141 yards.

In week 15 on Monday Night Football Johnson had a franchise-record 94-yard touchdown run, the longest of his career and the second longest in Monday Night Football history. He finished with 122 yards on 21 carries. The Titans beat the Jets 14-10.

The 94 yard TD run was CJ's sixth career run over 80 yards which was another NFL record and also it was the second time he had 3 TD runs over 80 yards in a season which was another NFL record.

For his career CJ had four TD runs over 85 yards another NFL record.

Overall, he finished the 2012 season with 1,243 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns.

Johnson's last year with Tennessee in 2013 he had 1,077 yards rushing.

From 2008 through 2013 CJ had six straight seasons where he rushed for over 1,000 yards.

The Titans let CJ go after the 2013 season and he played four more seasons which included one year with the Jets in 2014 and his final three years with the Cardinals.

On November 5, 2018, Johnson announced his retirement from the NFL after 10 seasons in the league.

On April 24, 2019, Johnson signed a one-day contract to retire as a member of the Tennessee Titans.

CJ finished his career with 9,651 yards and 55 TDs rushing along with 9 TDs receiving.

Now if you ask me if i think he belongs in the NFL Hall of Fame absolutely without a doubt especially when you see what he accomplished and the records he set a lot of which still stand.

NFL record 2500+ scrimmage yds in season and CJ's 2,509 yards is a record that hasn't been broken since he set it in 2009.

NFL record TDs of 50+,60+ & 90+ yds in one game which was also set in 2009

NFL record 3 TD runs over 80 yds in season and he did this twice once in 2009 and again in 2012.

NFL record 6 TD runs over 80 yds in a career and this hasn't been broken either.

NFL record 2000 yds rushing, 500 yds receiving in season and CJ is the first and still the only player EVER to do this.

[titanfan8]

The Tennessee Titans are just a year away from celebrating their 25th anniversary in 2023.

The Titans have had their share of exciting players over the years that has included....

NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year '99 (Kearse), NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year '06 (Young), NFL MVP '03 (McNair), NFL Offensive Player of the Year twice '09 and '20 (CJ/Henry), NFL Comeback Player of the Year '19 (Tannehill) and NFL Head Coach of the Year '21 (Vrabel) as well as the only team to have two 2,000 yard rushers (CJ/Henry).

Owner Bud Adams moved his team to Tennessee revamped and rebranded his team as the Titans and their inaugural season 1999 started off against Cincinnati.

The team played their first game in their new stadium Adelphia Coliseum on September 12, 1999 against the Cincinnati Bengals in a game that the Titans won by one point on a 33 yard FG with only seconds left.

The Titans have done really well winning 204 games (reg/post) overall since '99 and are hovering near the top ten in wins and are one of just nine teams with 13 or more winning seasons during that span.

The Titans have also 10 postseason berths during this time and only eight teams Patriots,Colts,Packers,Seahawks,Steelers,Eagles,Ravens and Chiefs have clinched more.

The Titans are one of only eight NFL teams since 1999 to have seven or more seasons with 11 or more wins.

Seasons with 11 or more wins include 1999 (13), 2000 (13), 2002 (11), 2003 (12), 2008 (13), 2020 (11) and 2021 (12)

They have had the NFL best record on two occassions with 13 wins in the 2000 and 2008 seasons as well as clinching the number one seed in the AFC on three occassions 2000,2008 and 2021.

Tennessee has had three AFC Championship Game appearances and won one at Jacksonville in January 2000 to advance to Super Bowl XXXIV where they fell in a close game to the St Louis Rams 23-16.

The first season went really well for the Titans especially at home where they went undefeated.

A big part of their success in the inaugural season was due to their first round draft pick defensive end Jevon Kearse who was wrecking opposing offenses setting an NFL record that still stands with 14.5 sacks along with also becoming NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

For 1999 the Titans defense had an NFL record 6 safeties which was the most ever by a defense in one season.

That year the defense also had 64 sacks,16 interceptions,30 fumble recoveries during that Super Bowl season.

The Titans would have a 13-3 record in 1999 and then had a 13-3 record in 2000 as well.

In the playoffs in January 2000 the Titans would defeat the Bills in their first home playoff game in Tennessee and after that Buffalo would have an 18 year playoff drought.

The Titans also defeated the Colts in Indianapolis in Peyton Manning's first playoff game.

In 2000 the Titans defense ranked first in the NFL and was third best in NFL history in fewest yards allowed better than '85 Bears and '00 Ravens.

On Christmas Day in 2000 the Titans would shut out the Dallas Cowboys 31-0 holding RB Emmitt Smith to 20 yards on 12 carries for a 1.8 avg while QB Anthony Wright completed just 5 of 20 passes with 2 INT while being sacked four times.

In the Titans last three regular season games they beat Cincy 35-3 then shut out Cleveland 24-0 followed by blanking Dallas 31-0 outscoring their opponents 90-3.

The Titans would have the best run defense in the NFL in 2002 and again in 2003.

WR/KR Derrick Mason would set an NFL record in 2000 with 2,690 all-purpose yards. His mark would stand for over a decade until it was broken by Darren Sproles.

At one point the Titans had the record for most all purpose yards as well as the record for most yards from scrimmage which was set by Chris Johnson in 2009.

In December 2002 the Patriots visited Titans for Monday Night Football and Tennessee would shut down New England 24-7 as Tom Brady had one of his worst games completing just 14 of 29 or around 47% of his passes throwing an INT with 134 yards passing and a dismal 47.2 pass rating.

The Titans would go 11-5 in 2002 and then 12-4 in 2003 making the playoffs both seasons.

The Titans would defeat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Nashville in the AFC divisional playoffs in January 2003 to advance to the AFC title game.

The Titans played in their second AFC Championship game in four years in January of 2003 but ended up falling to the Oakland Raiders.

The Titans were 31-9 with a .775 winning percentage at home from 1999-2003.

They won 61 games during that five years the most by any team in that span.

A big reason for that was QB Steve McNair and RB Eddie George

In January 2004 the two would get their last playoff victory together defeating the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC wild card playoffs which set up a meeting with the New England Patriots for a shot at the AFC title game but they fell short 17-14 in a close game.

After this the team would start losing players like Eddie George,Derrick Mason,Samari Rolle and eventually Steve McNair himself due to the salary cap.

In 2003 Steve McNair was named NFL Most Valuable Player.

McNair has 3,590 career rushing yards and is in the top ten in NFL history for most rushing yardage by a QB.

McNair made the Pro Bowl in 2000,2003 and 2005 and was the NFL leader in passer rating for 2003.

Eddie George spent eight years in Tennessee gaining 10,009 yards and started 128 times never missing a game.

Vince Young who would be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2006 and also led the NFL that year with 5 game winning drives and 4 fourth quarter comebacks.

Young held the then NFL record for rushing yards by a rookie quarterback with 552 yards.

One of his most impressive comebacks came against the New York Giants who were winning 21-0 going into the fourth quarter and in the final quarter VY led the Titans on a wild comeback leading them to three TDs tying the game and with seconds remaining got the team in FG position to win the game 24-21

Young was the chosen by Titans GM Floyd Reese and that year would be his last with the team and had been the one who drafted players like Steve McNair,Eddie George,Samari Rolle,Jevon Kearse,Keith Bulluck,Albert Haynesworth,etc.

Reese also did well in free agency also bringing in Kevin Carter,Kyle Vanden Bosch,Kevin Mawae,Chris Hope and many others.

Reese with one of his last picks chose CB Cortland Finnegan in the 7th round of the 2006 NFL Draft and defying the odds Finnegan became the Titans best corner and in six years with Tennessee had 472 tackles,68 passes defended,14 INT,4 forced fumbles,3 recoveries,19 tackles for loss,8 QB hits,6 sacks and 4 TDs.

In a Monday Night Football game at New Orleans on September 24 2007 LB Keith Bulluck 'Mr. Monday Night' had 3 interceptions against Saints QB Drew Brees in a 31-14 win.

Bulluck was another valuable player on defense and spent 10 years with the Titans from 2000 through 2009 before going to New York for a year then retiring.

A month later on October 21, 2007 Rob Bironas kicked 8 FGs in one game setting a new NFL record for most FG made in a game as the Titans defeated the Texans 38-36.

The defense paved the way for the Titans having a winning season going 10-6 in 2007 making the playoffs but falling short to the Chargers in the wild card game.

The Titans defense with players like Keith Bulluck,Kyle Vanden Bosch,Albert Haynesworth,Tony Brown,Antwan Odom,Vincent Fuller,Chris Hope and Cortland Finnegan made it tough on opposing offenses.

Things were even better in 2008 as the Titans started 10-0 and finished with the best record in NFL at 13-3 and made the playoffs again but fell in a close game to Baltimore 13-10.

It was also around this time that they fielded a top five defense two straight years in 2007 and 2008

2007-8th points,5th yards ,10th vs pass, 5th vs rush

2008-2nd points,7th yards, 9th vs pass, 6th vs rush

On Thanksgiving 2008 the Titans went to Detroit to play the Lions in what would be a blowout with Tennessee winning 47-10.

After 2008 Haynesworth became the first 100 million dollar defensive player in a massive free agency deal with Washington.

In 2008 they drafted RB Chris Johnson who at the time set a record at 4.24 as the fastest NFL player in NFL history and proved he was worth it when in 2009 he ran for over 2,000 yards and set the NFL record for most yards from scrimmage with 2,509 yards a record that still stands.

CJ set numerous NFL records in his career.

Johnson holds the NFL record for most runs over 80 yards in a season with 3 and in a career with 6 altogether.

Johnson is the only player in NFL history with a TD of 50 yards, 60 yards, and 90 yards in one game.

Johnson was named the 2009 NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Around this time Jeff Fisher stepped down from coaching the Titans.

Also GM Mike Reinfeldt who was there from 2007 through 2010 left right afterwards as well.

From 1999 through 2010 Fisher amassed 115 wins and had the NFL's seventh best record during those 12 years.

Only 6 teams Patriots,Colts,Steelers,Eagles,Ravens and Packers won more games than the Titans during that time.

After Fisher left the Titans hired offensive line coach Mike Munchak in 2011 as the new head coach and the team parted ways with VY and signed former Seahawks QB Matt Hasselbeck who led the team to a winning record of 9-7 but fell one game short of making the playoffs.

Titans are only team in NFL history with 5 TDs of 60 yards or more in a single game when they had a 105 yd kickoff return TD,72 yard fumble return TD,71 yard TD pass,65 yard punt return TD and a 61 yard TD pass in a wild 44-41 overtime win against Detroit on September 23,2012.

In a Monday Night Football 14-10 win against the Jets in December 2012 RB Chris Johnson had a 94 yard TD run it was his third TD run of the season over 80 yards and he accomplished this in 2012 and three years before in 2009 as well.

Around this time in free agency the Titans were able to sign Delanie Walker in free agency who ended up being a dominant TE and best one they had since Wycheck.

Through it all there was only one rough patch for the Titans and that was from the years 2012 through 2015 losing years mainly due to bad drafting by Ruston Webster which included a QB Jake Locker who was only with the team four years before being let go.

Marcus Mariota was drafted in 2015 and the next year the team hired a new GM Jon Robinson who begin to get the team back on track and winning yearly again.

That same year 2016 the team hired Mike Mularkey as head coach.

Before the 2016 NFL Draft the Rams sent their first-round pick, two second-round picks, a third-round pick, a 2017 first-round pick and a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans in exchange for the No. 1 overall pick, a fourth-round pick and a sixth-round pick.

The Titans used this stockpile of extra picks to begin rebuilding the team into a winner drafting RB Derrick Henry,OT Jack Conklin,DT Austin Johnson,WR Corey Davis and TE Jonnu Smith.

The biggest pick ended up being Derrick Henry who the Titans paired with Demarco Murray who they signed in free agency.

Slowly but surely Henry begin playing more after his rookie year and was soon the most dominant RB in the NFL breaking and setting many records.

A year later Mariota made some big plays and was able to help the Titans win a playoff game against Kansas City on the road at Arrowhead Stadium.

Despite Arrowhead being a tough place to play for most KC opponents the Titans have won five out of seven games they have played there since '99.

In a December 2018 game against Jacksonville Henry set a NFL record for longest run in NFL history going 99 yards for a TD.

2018 was also Mike Vrabel first year as head coach of Titans

The next season Ryan Tannehill was signed and at first was only a backup but quickly played his way into being the starting QB.

The Titans made the playoffs in 2019 and defeated Tom Brady at New England in Brady's last game there as well as going to Baltimore and defeating that years top seed the Ravens which put Titans in the AFC Championship game at Kansas City where they fell to Chiefs.

Tannehill had best passer rating 117.5 in the NFL in 2019 and the 4th highest single-season passer rating in NFL history.

In 2019 Tannehill joined Sammy Baugh & Joe Montana as only QBs in NFL history to complete at least 70% of their passes (70.3%) & average at least 9 yards per pass attempt (9.6) in a season.

Tannehill also joined Packers QB Aaron Rodgers (three games in 2011) as the only QB’s ever to complete at least 75% of their passes with a passer rating of 130 or higher in three consecutive games in a season in NFL history.

Titans were #1 team in red zone success scoring a TD 75% of time in RZ in 2019 & #2 in 2020.

Tannehill was just the 4th QB in NFL history to produce consecutive seasons with passer rating of 106.0 or greater.

October 18,2020 Titans were first team in NFL history with a 350+ yard passer & 200+ yard rusher in a 42-36 OT win vs Houston

In 2020 WR AJ Brown was first rookie in NFL history to gain 1,000 yards & average 20 or more yards per catch

In 2020 Titans became first team in NFL history with 2,000 yard rusher & 3,500 yard passer AND also 2,000 yard rusher & QB with 30 TD passes

In 2020 Derrick Henry would be named the NFL Offensive Player of the Year and he was just the 8th RB in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards in a season.

The Titans are the only NFL team that has had two 2,000 yard rushers.

There have been only 5 RBs in NFL history with 10 or more TD runs over 50 yards they are Adrian Peterson,Barry Sanders,Jim Brown along with Chris Johnson and Derrick Henry.

Two of those five RBs were Titans.

Derrick Henry has had a run of 70 yards or longer every year since 2017.

Henry is the first player in NFL history with 180+ rushing yards in three consecutive games and first player to have 180+ rushing yards in consecutive playoff games

Henry is also the first player to record a 200+-yard and 4+-touchdown game on fewer than 22 carries

Henry also has the most rushing yards in first 4 playoff games with 561 yards.

Henry now has 5 career games with 200 rushing yards & 2 rushing TDs another NFL record

Henry was the fourth player in NFL history with three games of at least 175 yards and three rushing TDs in first five seasons. The others? Jim Brown, LaDanian Tonlinson and Adrian Peterson.

In October 2021 Derrick Henry became the first NFL RB since Jim Brown (three) in 1958 to have multiple 100-yard, 3-TD rushing performances within a team’s first five games of a season.

A month earlier in September DT Jurrell Casey who would end up contributing to the defense for almost a decade and is second in Titans history with 51 sacks retired.

The Titans used 88 different players on the active roster in 2021 and set a record for the most injured team in NFL history.

In spite of all the injuries and other problems Titans head coach Mike Vrabel still managed to win the division with a 12-5 record and was named the NFL Head Coach of the Year.

Jon Robinson is 59-42 in his six years as GM of the Titans and has made the postseason four out of those six seasons.

In his short time coaching the Titans Vrabel has a 41-24 record and has two division titles along with making the playoffs in three of the four seasons he has coached.

2022 will be Mike Vrabel's fifth season as Titans head coach.

The Titans are going for their seventh consecutive winning season in 2022.

[titanfan8]

Today i figured that it would be a good time to discuss how well the Titans are doing in regards to Jon Robinson/Mike Vrabel.

The most important move of all though was when Amy Adams Strunk took over ownership duties in 2015 and vowed at the time to get the franchise in good shape and heading in the right direction.

Strunk's first major move was in 2016 bringing in Robinson to be general manager and he has done very well as GM and is going for his seventh straight winning season in 2022.

As for Vrabel he was brought in as head coach in 2018 and in his four seasons so far has a 41-24 mark in the regular season and has made the postseason three times and won the division twice as well.

Say what you want but Vrabel and Robinson have done a fantastic job overall since joining forces in Nashville.

In fact in the short 23 year history of the Titans Vrabel/Robinson tandem are the best the team has had besides Jeff Fisher head coach from 1999 through 2010 and Floyd Reese GM from 1999 through 2006.

Fisher/Reese led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 1999 and put together some excellent teams in their time together.

Vrabel led the team to the AFC Championship Game in January of 2020 then a couple seasons later clinched the number one spot in the conference for the postseason but fell short in a close game.

Robinson's most important draft so far has been his first one in 2016 where he picked up what are now considered leaders on both sides of the ball RB Derrick Henry for the offense and Safety Kevin Byard on defense.

Since being drafted Henry has lead the NFL in rushing yardage twice and Byard is among the NFL leaders in interceptions coming up with 23 so far in his career.

2019 is considered to be one of Robinson's best so far as he drafted DT Jeffery Simmons, WR A.J. Brown,G Nate Davis,S Amani Hooker and LB David Long.

Vrabel pulled off what is considered to be one of the best NFL coaching jobs in years when he went 12-5 in 2021 with the most injuries ever in a season using 88 players and he ended up being named AP NFL Coach of the Year.

One of Robinson's most important moves occured in free agency for the 2019 season when he acquired QB Ryan Tannehill from Miami to come in and be the backup.

Things came to a head six games into the 2019 regular season when starting QB Marcus Mariota was struggling and the team was sitting at 2-4 so Vrabel handed the starting job to Tannehill in the seventh game.

Tannehill never let the starting job go and ended up lifting the team out of a 2-4 hole and to a winning season and postseason berth with wins in January at Baltimore and New England that ended one game short of a Super Bowl appearance.

The 2022 season will be Tannehill's fourth with Tennessee where he has done an excellent job of resurrecting his career.

During the 2022 NFL Draft the Titans were able to draft QB Malik Willis in the third round.

Willis was actually projected to go in the first round but due to going to a small college and only for a couple of seasons he ended up having to wait longer than anticipated to be drafted.

Vrabel and Robinson have had plenty of wins,they've won the division twice,they have made the postseason going as far as the conference title game so the main goal now is to bring a Lombardi trophy and Super Bowl title to Tennessee.

2023 will also officially be the Tennessee Titans 25th anniversary.

The team has come a long way since their inaugural season 1999.

[titanfan8]

Through the years there seems to be one team that seemed to have a knack for making more long yardage touchdown plays than any other and that team is the Tennessee Titans

From their inaugural season in 1999 through their latest one in 2021 the Titans have more long yardage TD plays than any other NFL team....

90 total TD plays 60 yards or longer....

29 pass TDs... including an 80 yard TD reception by WR Kenny Britt against Philly in October 2010. Britt had 225 yards and 3 TDs and set a record for the most receiving yards by an opposing player in Eagles franchise history

The Tennessee Titans scored 27 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat the Philadelphia Eagles 37-19

23 rush TDs....including a 99 yard TD run by Derrick Henry which was the longest run in NFL history in December 2018 in a 30-9 win against the Jaguars.

Henry carried the ball 17 times for 238 yards and four touchdowns

It was just the 10th time since 1950 that a running back has rushed for at least 200 yards and four touchdowns

13 INT TDs....including one in October 2000 on MNF... With just 10 seconds to go before halftime Redskins QB Brad Johnson threw an underthrown pass caught by Samari Rolle for an 81-yard return of an interception for a TD as Titans defeated Washington 27-21

Rolle became the first defensive player to return an interception for a score to end the half since Carnell Lake pulled the trick for Pittsburgh in 1996 

9 punt return TDs...including an Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones punt return that went 81 yards for a touchdown against the New England Patriots in December 2006

Jones ended up having a total of 4 punt returns for touchdowns in his first two seasons in the NFL

He only played in Tennessee for two years 2005 and 2006.

7 kick return TDs......including one for 98 yards by Marc Mariani against the Denver Broncos in October 2010

Mariani had 2 punt return TDs and 1 kickoff return TD with Tennessee

7 fumble return TDs....including one where defensive lineman Jeffery Simmons forced a fumble that was picked up by Desmond King and taken 63 yards to the house.

The Titans defeated the Bears 24-17 in November 2020

2 blocked FG return TDs....including one in Indy where Titans special teams unit came up huge in a crucial spot when Dane Cruikshank exploded into the backfield and blocked a field goal attempt by Adam Vinatieri.

Tye Smith picked it up and returned it 63 yards for the touchdown.

Titans would defeat the Colts 31-17 in december 2019.

[titanfan8]

This years 2022 NFL Draft is the seventh one that Titans GM Jon Robinson has overseen and it looks to be one of his best yet right up there with his first one and the one in 2019.

Before things got started Robinson traded WR A.J. Brown to the Eagles and moved up to pick 18 in the first round after contract talks stalled between Brown and the Titans.....

Draft analysis below provided by ESPN writer/reporter Turron Davenport

In round one with the 18th pick the Titans chose Arkansas WR Treylon Burks

At 6-foot-2, 225 pounds, Burks has a similar build to Brown. Burks can also work on the outside and in the slot.  Brown is slightly more explosive than Burks, but the two share the ability to shed defenders and pick up extra yards once they get the ball in their hands.

In round two with the 35th pick the Titans chose Auburn CB Roger McCreary

McCreary is a solid pick, who some had as a first-rounder. He is a battle-tested cornerback who faced plenty of top wide receivers in the SEC. McCreary can play inside or outside and should compete for a starting spot immediately. At 5-11 and 190 pounds, he is physical and aggressive.

In round three with the 69th pick Titans chose Ohio St. OT Nicholas Petit-Frere

Petit-Frere gives the Titans a player who can challenge for the starting right tackle spot. He is a two-year starter who offers versatility -- he can also play left tackle.

In round three with the 86th pick Titans chose Liberty QB Malik Willis

Getting Willis at No. 86 is a tremendous value, as he was projected to be a first-round pick on multiple draft analysts' boards. Willis is a dual threat mobile playmaker who could become a future starter.

In round four with the 131st pick Titans chose Michigan RB Hassan Haskins

Haskins gives the Titans a back used to carrying a heavy workload. He's a physical, downhill runner that wears down defenses -- which is exactly what Tennessee wants to do on game day.

In round four with the 143rd pick Titans chose Maryland TE Chigoziem Okonkwo

Okonkwo is a versatile, athletic tight end that can be used as a flex option or lined up over the numbers in addition to playing on the line. He can also play halfback and even take handoffs. Okonkwo compares to Jonnu Smith as far as build and athleticism.

In round five with the 163rd pick Titans chose UCLA WR Kyle Philips

Philips gives the Titans an option as a slot receiver. He’s one of those smaller, shifty players that could develop into a reliable pass catcher on third downs and in the red zone. Philips is a well-developed route runner that is sudden at the top of his route stems and able to to create separation. Also a punt return option.

In round six with the 204th pick Titans chose Tennessee safety Theo Jackson

At 6-1, 198 pounds, Jackson has positional versatility that will allow him to compete for a roster spot as a safety who can match up against move tight ends and bigger receivers. Jackson ran a 4.46-second time in the 40-yard dash at his pro day. That speed would help the Titans on kickoff and punt coverage units, especially as a gunner. Jackson had 78 tackles, 12 pass breakups and one interception last season.

In round six with the 219th pick Titans chose Ole Miss LB Chance Campbell

Campbell provides depth at inside linebacker and on special teams. He transferred from Maryland to Ole Miss and led the team with 109 tackles and posted 12.5 tackles for loss, six sacks and three fumble recoveries.

According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, the Titans have agreed to terms with 17 undrafted free agents. The list is as follows:

OLB David Anenih (Houston)

CB Tre Avery (Rutgers)

RB Julius Chestnut (Sacred Heart)

DT Haskell Garrett (Ohio State)

ILB Jack Gibbens (Minnesota)

S Michael Griffin II (South Dakota State)

G Hayden Howerton (SMU)

WR Brandon Lewis (Air Force)

OT Jalen McKenzie (Southern Cal)

C/G Xavier Newman-Johnson (Baylor)

DT Sam Okuayinonu (Maryland)

DE Jayden Peevy (Texas A & M)

WR Reggie Roberson (SMU)

OL Andrew Rupcich (Culver-Stockton)

K Caleb Shudak (Iowa)

P Ryan Stonehouse (Colorado St.)

CB Tre Swilling (Georgia Tech)

[titanfan8]

 This is where it all started for the inaugural season with the Tennessee Titans.

I’m talking about the 1999 NFL Draft the very first one for the team that would be playing their first season in their brand new stadium Adelphia Coliseum in just a few short months.

The NFL draft was held over two days April 17 & 18 of 1999 in New York City and the Titans brass were good and ready GM Floyd Reese and HC Jeff Fisher would be picking 16th in the first round.

The very first draft pick in Titans history would be Florida DE Jevon Kearse and what an awesome pick it ended up being.

Kearse would be NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year with the help of his rookie record-breaking performance with 14.5 sacks which led the AFC that year and forced eight fumbles, which also led the NFL. He also recorded 57 tackles and he batted away nine passes while also making seven of his tackles for losses.

He accounted for two sacks (quarterback Rob Johnson) and two forced fumbles in the Titans AFC Wild Card playoff game vs. the Buffalo Bills. He was also credited with a safety in that game known as the "Music City Miracle."

Kearse was also second in the balloting for the AP Defensive Player of the Year. He was a consensus All-Pro and was the first rookie defensive end in AFC history and the first rookie DE in the NFL since 1978 to be named a Pro Bowl starter. That year, the Titans made it to Super Bowl XXXIV

In the second round with the 52nd pick in the draft the Titans selected another defensive player DT John Thornton.

Thornton ended up being another good pick and his rookie year with the Titans he saw action in all sixteen games starting three games getting 20 combined tackles,7 tackles for losses,4.5 sacks as well as a safety.

In the third round with the 81st pick in the draft the Titans selected offensive guard Zach Piller he ended up playing in eight games his rookie season and played well when called upon.

In fourth round with 117th pick in the draft Titans selected CB Donald Mitchell.

His rookie season Mitchell played in all sixteen games and had 19 combined tackles,a fumble recovery as well as an interception he took 42 yards for a TD.

Mitchell’s interception came in the sixth game of the season at New Orleans and the score was close as the Titans had a 17-13 lead in the 4th qtr but the Saints had the ball driving with two minutes and change left in the game when Mitchell intercepted Saints QB Billy Joe Tolliver putting the game away.

The players listed were the ones who made an impact with the Titans and made the team much better going into the Titans inaugural season of 1999.

The team really had a special GM in Floyd Reese and he was the architect of all those really good teams the Titans had in the years he was there.

From their first season in 1999 through their fifth season in 2003 the Titans won 61 games more than any other NFL team during that span as well as making the postseason four times appearing in two AFC title games and a Super Bowl.

The 1999 NFL Draft definitely helped put the Titans in good shape to win especially the defensive talent they were able to get that year.

1999 was a really great year and after the draft in April the team would start their season in Nashville in September and their season wouldn’t end until the last two teams the Titans and Rams were standing together in the Super Bowl in Atlanta in late January.

1999 is where it all began......

[titanfan8]

The Tennessee Titans have won their division two years in a row and are the 2021 AFC South division champions.

The Titans have also won 11 games or more for the second year in a row as well as achieving their sixth straight winning season.

Also the Titans are one of only eight NFL teams since 1999 to have 7 or more seasons with 11 or more wins.

Overall they have won their division five times since their inaugural season in 1999.

The years they won division were 2000,2002,2008,2020 & 2021 and should’ve won it in 1999 with a 13-3 record but the Jaguars were 14-2 that year.

In my opinion Titans head coach Mike Vrabel deserves to be NFL head coach of the year for 2021 as he won despite setting a new record for having the most players injured and most players used in one season.

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill improved to 30-13 (.697) as a starter in regular-season games with Tennessee.

Tannehill now has more regular season wins (30) than any other starting signal caller in franchise history over the QB’s first three years with the team.