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With a new wideout sporting a new attitude, they may have all they need to get back to the Super Bowl -- and this time win it

By Jeffri Chadiha

Pickens, who has averaged 13.0 yards a catch in his career, gives the Titans another long-distance call. John Biever The Book An opposing team's scout sizes up the Titans "They're still a ball-control team. Frank Wycheck is a nice security blanket for Steve McNair, who would rather check down to an underneath receiver than throw into coverage. McNair also can hurt you with his mobility, and [after playing banged up part of last season] it sounds like he's healthy.... With the addition of Carl Pickens, they can have a nice three-receiver set to take some pressure off Eddie George, but the key is Yancey Thigpen's health. He's big and, like Pickens, he can get downfield and adjust to the ball in the air.... On the line, signing Fred Miller from St. Louis makes up for losing [tackle] Jon Runyan in free agency.... Defensively there are no superstars aside from Jevon Kearse, but there aren't really any weak links either.... Randall Godfrey gives them more speed at middle linebacker, and their safeties are physical and smart, which is key in such a complex defense.... They're just a solid team, and they're riding the confidence wave. They believe they're the team to beat." Player to Watch Keith Bulluck, who fell into the Titans' lap as the 30th pick in the 2000 draft, played both middle and outside linebacker at Syracuse, but he'll start his rookie season on the strong side. Tennessee likes his athleticism (4.51 speed in the 40) and size (6'3", 232 pounds), especially because the AFC Central has become a haven for power backs and athletic tight ends. However, handling such players may not be as big a challenge for Bulluck as mastering the complexities of the defense. As former Titans linebacker Barron Wortham, now in Dallas, says, "You had to be a nuclear scientist to understand the scheme. You're thinking so much that it takes away from your game." Says Bulluck, "So far so good."

Titans general manager Floyd Reese has been in the business for 25 years, so you can imagine the number of contacts he has around the league. If he doesn't know enough about a free agent, chances are he can call somebody who does. But when wideout Carl Pickens sat before him in late July, intent on proving he would not be the cancer he was reputed to have been with the Bengals, Reese didn't have anyone he felt comfortable calling for a background check.

"I told Carl I didn't have much to go on with him except for talk, and I'm not big on talk," Reese says. "So I told him we would visit with him and see what happens. He turned out to be a delight."

During that visit the 30-year-old Pickens explained his side of the story in Cincinnati, which included his criticizing the organization late last year for not firing coach Bruce Coslet. That blast came three months after Pickens had signed a five-year, $23 million contract. Pickens, who was released by the Bengals on July 20, proceeded to convince not only Reese but also coach Jeff Fisher and every other Tennessee decision-maker that he wouldn't be a problem. As Fisher says, "It's this simple: Carl wants to win."

"That's not who I am, and they know that," Pickens says of his reputation. "That's why they signed me. It wasn't a positive situation in Cincinnati, so there was never anything positive coming out of it. Everything was negative, so anybody who tried to change that became a cancer. They had to point the finger at me because they could point it at Bruce Coslet and [team president] Mike Brown for only so long."

Pickens received a five-year, $20 million contract from Tennessee, but those numbers are deceiving. The Titans, who have been looking for help at wide receiver, will fork over only $1.5 million in the first year of the deal. That's not much of a gamble for a player who had 530 receptions in eight seasons with the Bengals.

At 6'2", 206 pounds, Pickens is a big target who can go deep. If Yancey Thigpen can stay healthy (he is coming off left ankle surgery and has played in only 19 games since joining the team as a free agent from the Steelers, in 1998), and if third-year man Kevin Dyson continues to improve, the Titans will have upgraded one of the few question marks on a team that lost in Super Bowl XXXIV to the Rams. Pro Bowl tight end Frank Wycheck has led the team in receptions each of the last four years, and when Dyson caught 54 balls last season it marked the first time one of the team's wideouts had surpassed the 50-reception mark since 1995.

The reasons for the lack of production at wide receiver are myriad. Players like Thigpen and former starter Chris Sanders have been disappointments. The play-calling of offensive coordinator Les Steckel, now in Tampa Bay, was predictable, and a desire to ride the back of Pro Bowl runner Eddie George (1,304 yards rushing last season) came at the expense of the passing game. Even the decision-making of quarterback Steve McNair can be questioned -- he's been too quick to look to Wycheck. New coordinator Mike Heimerdinger's goal is to include more downfield passing in the offense without significantly altering the philosophy.

"If you're sitting in the stands, you won't see a difference in what we're doing," Heimerdinger says. "Eddie will still get his 30 carries. Frank will still get his catches. Where we'll be different is that we'll move our wide receivers around more to see if we can create separation."

If they can do that, the Titans will be in even better shape to contend for the NFL championship again. "I told our guys we didn't fail last season," says Fisher. "We just put our success on hold. Now we've taken our finger off the hold button, and we're trying to regain the momentum of last season."

That momentum was built largely on the Titans' ability to win close games (they were 5-1 during the regular season in games decided by three points or less), but most of the players had learned to weather a storm long before 1999. The franchise's exodus from Houston, following the 1996 season, and the two years spent without a permanent stadium in Tennessee formed a resolve that may be the best thing the Titans have going for them.

"We've been through a lot together," George says. "Meeting in trailers. Bad facilities. Fans cheering against us. We didn't feel very wanted. All we had was each other, and we still do."

That's one reason why Reese wasn't afraid to sign Pickens. Tennessee's leaders -- McNair, George, Wycheck, guard Bruce Matthews and safeties Blaine Bishop and Marcus Robertson -- are low-key types, and Fisher expects them to help Pickens feel comfortable.

"It's not going to be a problem," Reese adds. "Our locker room is strong, and he's coming into a positive environment. I think he'll fit right in."

How Dr. Z Ranks 'Em: 2

Issue date: August 28, 2000

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