Tennessee Titans head coach Jeff Fisher is the NFL’s ultimate survivor.
When Fisher took over the franchise late in the 1994 season, the team was is in Houston, Baltimore still was two years away from returning to the league and Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco was in the fourth grade.
Fisher led Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV in 2000, but also has steered the team through a rebuilding process which included going 17-31 from 2004-2006. Fisher, 50, is the league’s longest-tenured coach, as there have been 97 hires since he arrived in Houston.
“I’ve been very fortunate,” Fisher said. “It starts at the top, and I’ve got a very supportive owner. Mr. [Bud] Adams understands the league and he understands there are going to be down times that your team could be affected by injuries, that there are salary cap issues that you can go through, and he’s been very patient.”
That patience is paying off. The Titans (4-0) are off to the best start in franchise history as they prepare to renew their rivalry with the Ravens (2-1) at M&T Bank Stadium this afternoon at 1.
Like the Ravens, the Titans are built on a stout defense and a powerful rushing attack. Tennessee has the fifth-ranked defense (263.5 yards per game), and allows a league-low 11.5 points per game.
The Titans average just 305.5 yards per game, but have the eighth-best average rushing attack (137). Tennessee’s strong start comes with veteran Kerry Collins at quarterback, replacing Vince Young, who still is recovering from a knee injury. Fisher said Collins would likely start the rest of the season.
“I think we’ve played smart football,” said Collins, 35. “We haven’t turned it over a whole lot. I think that’s helped us out in a lot of games. Our defense is playing great and really brought home the last couple games for us.”
The Ravens and Titans were once fierce rivals when they were in the AFC Central before teams were realigned in 2002. Baltimore leads the all-time series, 9-8, which includes splitting two playoff meetings. The Ravens won the teams’ last game, 27-26, in 2006.
The Ravens, who have the top-ranked defense in the NFL, are hoping to rebound from a 23-20 overtime loss at Pittsburgh on Monday.
“Here we go again,” Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis said. “Those teams always come back up. We were once in the division together where we had one of the more classic rivalries, and now we’re back to another type of rivals.”
But many key players who were involved in previous Ravens-Titans’ games are no longer with the teams. The Ravens, however, have signed several former Titans, including fullback Lorenzo Neal, receiver Derrick Mason and cornerback Samari Rolle — the latter two who were part of the Titans’ salary cap purge in 2005.
“Tensions were high because [the Ravens] knew they had to have the game and we knew we had to have the game,” Mason said. “It’s always an added incentive when you’re playing a very good team and the situation is such that you have to win this game in order to get to the playoffs.”
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THREE KEYS TO A RAVENS’ VICTORY
1. Win the time of possession battle: Since 1999, the Titans are 65-32 under Jeff Fisher when controlling the ball for at least 30 minutes, but there are 23-28 when the trail in time of possession.
2. Protect to the max: The Titans, led by their defensive line, are tied for second in the NFL with 15 sacks. The Ravens have the league’s youngest offensive line and allowed five sacks in loss to the Steelers.
3. Keep the Titans out of the red zone: Tennessee don’t have a quick strike offense, but it leads the NFL in red zone efficiency, scoring 10 TDs in 13 trips (76.9 percent) inside the opponent’s 20. Baltimore has allowed opponents to reach the red zone a league-low four times in 37 drives.
Prediction: Titans 17, Ravens 13
