Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Hannan Arguing Against Perfection: Why the Titans Win if they Lose
Posted by Caleb Hannan on Tue, Nov 18, 2008 at 5:04 AM
Calm down fellas. We just want them to lose ONE game.
The Titans and New York Giants won again this Sunday, making them 10-0 and 9-1 respectively and making the job of national sportswriters everywhere that much easier. The people who get paid to predict what will happen in the NFL like storylines. They like subplots. And thankfully for them, the two best teams in the league are eager to provide them.
For one, the Titans and the Giants look alike. Punishing offensive lines. Interchangeable, Chinese-fire-drill D-lines that produce in spite of injuries. A multi-headed Hydra of a running game. Largely superstar-free rosters. In short, they both look like good teams because that's what they are: good teams.
Second, the Kerry Collins angle. Collins goes to the Super Bowl with the Giants in 2001. The next year they draft QB-of-the-future Eli Manning, Collins gets pissed about a lowball contract offer and the two sides part ways. It is, oddly enough, a similar scenario to what may take place this offseason. But we digress.
The comparisons work. They make for decent column fodder. And they give us an excuse to say the words COLLISION COURSE (and really, who can resist the urge?).
The Titans are unlike the Giants, however, in one important way: They're still perfect. And that could be a problem...
On the surface perfection is great. Who wouldn't want to be undefeated? It's just that playoff football hews to the same cliched statement that gets thrown around when rival teams meet. You know, "throw the records out the window" or some such hackneyed metaphor involving theoretical books and open windows.
Problem is, it's true. History has been kind enough to provide us with a very recent example: last year's New England Patriots, the only team in NFL history to finish 18-1 and be considered a disappointment.
The Patriots lost to the Giants in the Super Bowl, much to the delight of this man, and will now forever be known as the team that could have been. Was the combined pressure of threatening the '72 Dolphins record of perfection and winning a Super Bowl enough to tip the scales? Probably not (David Tyree's ability to catch footballs with his head probably had more to do with it).
But the undefeated tag does carry with it added scrutiny. Playing in relative obscurity (compared to the eat-their-own-young rabid press corps in Boston and New York), the Titans have enjoyed the benefits of success in a town that does not bet its hopes, dreams and half its paycheck on each Sunday's game. If the Titans keep winning, though, the national spotlight gets brighter. And continued success also means the Titans will lose the ace in the hole that every coach/motivator relies on: the "They Didn't Believe In Us" Card.
So how do the Titans improve their odds of mugging with the Lombardi trophy? By throwing a game. Week 16 against the Steelers seems like as good a time as any for Collins to accidentally (wink, wink) pull a Jim Hardy. Especially when the Black and Gold have guys who can make plays like this:
Comments (2)
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Eh. Your schedule has been very weak, ours is the toughest in the NFL this year. We'll put you in your place especially now that we've got Willie back. (Hopefully we'll score more than 11 freakin points though, stats be damned - that Chargers game was stressing me out!)
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Posted by
burrito
on November 18, 2008 at 9:15 AM
