http://www.tennessean.com/apps/pbcs.dll/ar.../510240368/1027
Monday, 10/24/05
Titans take beating in loss
TEMPE, Ariz. — Several key Titans went down with injuries during yesterday's 20-10 loss to the Cardinals.
Rookie wide receiver Brandon Jones limped off the field in the second half with an injury to his right knee. He was later seen on the sideline with a bag of ice on the knee but he left the locker room under his own power.
No. 1 wide receiver Drew Bennett was already out with a dislocated thumb that required surgery.
Running back Chris Brown left the game in the second quarter with what the Titans described as a shoulder stinger.
Quarterback Billy Volek, tackle Brad Hopkins and guard Benji Olson all left the game with concussions, and long snapper Ken Amato suffered a fractured fibula.
Cornerback Andre Woolfolk left early with hamstring tightness.
Olson was in great discomfort most of the game and was replaced by Jacob Bell.
"I got drilled in the side of the head, hit right in the temple, probably one of the worst shots I've ever taken," Olson said. "I started getting a migraine and nausea and dry-heaving and I played for probably about 20 plays after it happened.
"I've taken some medication and it's kind of subsided, but it's going to be hard sleeping with this headache I've got."
Big setback: The loss of Brown in the second quarter was especially painful for Tennessee's offense, Volek said.
"Our No. 1 goal in this game was to establish the run, and losing (Brown) is losing a great player," Volek said. "Jarrett (Payton) came in and did a good job, but Chris is something special, so losing him was tough."
Coach Jeff Fisher said he sensed it would be difficult for Payton to replace Brown.
"Chris was off to the races early,"'' Fisher said. "He was running well and it really felt like we were going to control this game initially and let Billy do his stuff and take his shots. When Chris went down, we really couldn't get into sync."
The Titans rushed for just 90 yards with an average of 3.2 yards per carry.
Botched snap: After Amato left the game, second-year linebacker Rob Reynolds took over as snapper and fared well until a field goal attempt in the fourth quarter.
Kicker Rob Bironas was lined up for a 34–yard attempt that would have tied the game at 13-13, but Reynolds put the snap well to the left of holder Craig Hentrich.
The Titans said Arizona defensive linemen were mimicking the snap count to try to force a mistake.
Bironas wound up with the ball and gained five yards before Darnell Dockett and James Darling crushed him.
"I'm not used to doing short snaps, but I should have been ready for that situation," Reynolds said. "It would have made a different game out of it. I guess we've just got to move on."
Reynolds said he practices snapping for punts regularly, but doesn't work regularly on field goals or point-afters.
Fisher said if the Titans had a late field goal attempt, Amato would have been the snapper.
"We would have carried him onto the field and he would have prepared to snap for us," Fisher said.
Disappointing return: Defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch recorded one of Tennessee's four sacks and was credited with four tackles.
He had five sacks in four injury-plagued years with the Cardinals, who made him a second-round pick out of Nebraska in 2001.
"More than anything, we as a team just needed this win," he said. "We needed it for us — you don't want to make this into a personal battle and try to get the guys to rally around me.
"I wanted to win this one for the team. And now we've got ourselves into a hole we've got to work ourselves out of."
Raining flags: The Titans matched their season high with 11 penalties and set a new season high with 90 penalty yards.
"You can overcome some of those, that's going to happen," tight end Erron Kinney said. "But you can't overcome that many. Two or three maybe, but not that many."
McCown's day: Cardinals quarterback Josh McCown was coming off a 29-of-46, 398–yard effort in a 24-20 loss here to Carolina. Yesterday he was 12-of-28 for 140 yards.
"Give Josh credit. He's tough," Vanden Bosch said. "I mean, we put some hits on him and hit him hard. But, he responded well."
Big hit: Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby knocked Volek out of the game with a crushing hit that caused a fumble.
Two plays later, the Cardinals scored the game-sealing touchdown.
"Coaches called the right play on a three-step drop," Dansby said. "It was squeeze protection for them, and I just came off the corner. The coverage made me get to the ball, and then I had an opportunity to squeeze it."
Thing of beauty: Cards Coach Dennis Green refused to enter the ugly win debate. Beauty, Green said, is in the eye of the beholder.
"A win is a win," Green said. "We didn't play as well early as I would have liked to. It was a defensive struggle. If you like defensive struggles, it was a great game. If you don't like them, you might not have enjoyed it."
Thurman inactive: Reserve wide receiver Andrae Thurman had returned some punts, but was inactive after violating team rules.
"It was not a tough decision at all," Fisher said. "He violated club rules when we got here and I made him inactive and that is that. There may be disciplinary actions in the coming weeks."
—STAFF REPORTS