Titans take first step toward ultimate ‘goal’

Damon Hack

Monday, Jan. 5, 2004 | 9:49 a.m.

BALTIMORE -- Separated by a dozen lockers, Eddie George and Steve McNair slowly buttoned up their suits on Saturday night after a rugged evening of having their muscles and joints rearranged by the Baltimore Ravens.

They walked out of the locker room knowing they had limped over their toughest mental and physical hurdle with a 20-17 victory against the Ravens and could look ahead to the remainder of the playoffs with unfettered faith.

"Our goal is to get a championship," said George, the Tennessee Titans running back who helped his team advance to an American Football Conference divisional playoff game against the top-seeded New England Patriots on Saturday in Foxboro, Mass. "Not a lot of people believed in us. We just believed in each other."

Of the remaining teams in the postseason, the Titans may be best equipped to handle the resistance they will face on the road to Super Bowl XXXVIII in Houston on Feb. 1.

Their 13-4 record, which includes a 6-3 mark on the road, is born of a robust physicality that seems immune to either pain or a loud environment (of which New England's Gillette Stadium qualifies).

Inside the Titans' locker room is a blend of athletes yearning to create a legacy after falling short four years ago in a 23-16 loss to the St. Louis Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV.

The Titans play their home games on the banks of the Cumberland River in Nashville, a city known for music, not professional sports. The team name, though alliterative, does not elicit memories of NFL lore.

The entire Titans franchise has adopted a renegade spirit that manifests itself in doling out punishment for any perceived slight.

"We play better with a chip on our shoulder," Titans safety Lance Schulters said. "We like to go on the road because we have no pressure on us. We just go out and play and have fun. The other teams have the pressure on them."

The Titans will test this theory for the second time this season against the Patriots (14-2), who did not lose a game at home this season and defeated Tennessee, 38-30, on Oct. 5 in Foxboro. The victory began New England's 12-game winning streak to close the regular season.

In the first meeting, both teams moved the ball. Tennessee led, 27-24, with 4:40 to play but could not hold on. New England cornerback Ty Law intercepted a McNair pass and returned it for a touchdown with just under two minutes to play.

New England was one of the few teams this season to find success on the ground against the Titans, who had the league's top defense against the run. The Patriots rushed 27 times for 161 yards, the most rushing yards the Titans allowed all season. Tennessee allowed an average of 75.6 yards in the other 15 games.

Since that game, the Patriots have been pounding their opponents.