The Titans’ defensive starting lineup reads like a list of Pro Bowlers.
From tackle Albert Haynesworth to end Kyle Vanden Bosch and from linebacker Keith Bullock and cornerback Courtland Finnegan, Tennessee’s has powered through nearly all of their opponents en route to being the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
But the brains of the unit is a clean-shaven, 42-year-old who looks like he’d be just as comfortable in a courtroom as on an NFL sideline. Jim Schwartz, who was raised in Halethorpe, is the Titans defensive coordinator and in charge of shutting down Joe Flacco and Co., when the teams’ meet on Saturday afternoon at 4:30 at LP Field in Nashville.
» When: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.
» Where: LP Field, Nashville, Tenn.
» TV/Radio: WJZ-TV/ 1090 AM, 97.9 FM
So far, Schwartz, who attended Mount St. Joseph, has made offenses suffer when they clash with the Titans, as Tennessee has yielded just 14.6 points per game –second-fewest in the league. Schwartz has overseen the defense the past eight seasons, but he’s been at his best this fall. The Titans are 13-3 and the last time they played the Ravens, Tennessee won, 13-10, at M&T Bank Stadium on Oct. 5.
“They’re confident in how they’re playing and I think that’s the most important thing,” said quarterback Joe Flacco, who threw for 152 yards and two interceptions in the teams’ last meeting. “Anytime you run into a team’s that feeling confident about the way they are, you’ve got to make sure you’re going in with the same mind frame. We believe that we’re ready to go.”
The Titans’ defense has kept their opponents to 17 or fewer points in 13 of their 16 games, and also finished fifth in the NFL in sacks (44), fourth in rushing defense (99.5 ypg) and sixth in interceptions (20). Tennessee has ranked in the top 10 in total defense the past two years, ranking fifth in 2007 when they allowed 291.6 yards per game.
Schwartz was one of the few holdovers from Bill Belichick’s staff to join Ted Marchibroda’s staff when the Cleveland Browns arrived in Baltimore in 1996. The Ravens went just 16-31-1 from 1996 to 1998, Schwartz got to work with several future head coaches, including Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Ken Whisenhunt (Cardinals) and Eric Mangini, who was hired this week as the new Browns head coach. He joined the Titans in 1999 as their linebackers’ coach before taking over the defense in 2001.
“I was one of the few people in Cleveland happy about the move because I got t go home,” Schwartz said. “We dealt with one of the NFL’s first salary cap purges so we had to learn how to develop young players like Ray Lewis and Peter Boulware. We helped plant the seeds for the Super Bowl team in 2000.”
Still, it hasn’t been enough for Schwartz to reach his ultimate goal: become a head coach. In the past three offseasons, he’s interviewed for four head coaching jobs — San Francisco (2005), Washington (2007), Miami (2007) and Atlanta (2007) — but never got an offer. This year, he’s a candidate to fill the opening in Detroit.
“Jimmy has done a great job,” Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. “He has grown each year. He understands and gets it. He has a great feel for this group, for the defense and he has respect for the offensive game and the league. He’s a good teacher.”
He was able to school the Ravens’ in the team’s last meeting –but barely. Baltimore did not allow a sack and was ahead until Kerry Collins threw a game-winning, 11-yard touchdown pass to tight end Alge Crumpler with fewer than two minutes remaining.
But Baltimore is 10-3 since losing to the Titans, which has the Ravens thinking they’ll win the game agains the Titans that matters most.
“Destiny, I believe,” cornerback Samari Rolle said.
The teams have met 18 times, and 11 of them have been decided by four points or fewer, including a 20-17 win by Tennessee in an AFC wild card game on Jan. 3, 2004 in Baltimore. Tennessee did not have a game last week, but the Ravens were terrific in a 27-9 victory over Miami for their first postseason win in seven years.
“No disrespect to Miami, but who really wanted to see Miami play Tennessee or Pittsburgh?” linebacker Terrell Suggs said. “Everybody wanted the best teams in the AFC to play each other.”
