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Titans NFL Riddell Revolution Authentic Mini Football Helmet
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Titans Commemorative (Series VI) Full Size Football from Fotoball
Tennessee
Titans - Team History
Tennessee Titans, professional football team and one of six teams
in the Central Division of the American Football Conference (AFC)
of the National Football League (NFL). Under the league’s realignment
plan, which will take affect in 2002, the Titans will play in the
South Division of the AFC. The team formerly played in Houston, Texas,
as the Houston Oilers. The Titans now play in Adelphia Coliseum in
Nashville, Tennessee, and wear uniforms of blue, red, and white. The
team’s logo is a white T surrounded by three red stars. The
team's name was chosen because in Greek mythology Titans exemplified
the characteristics of power, strength, knowledge, and excellence.
The Houston
Oilers fielded strong teams in the now-defunct American Football
League (AFL), capturing two league titles and reaching the playoffs
five times before the AFL and NFL completed their merger in 1970.
From 1978 to 1980 running back Earl Campbell, a four-time rushing
champion, powered Houston to three straight playoff appearances.
The Oilers were one of the AFC’s most consistent teams during
the late 1980s and early 1990s, making seven consecutive postseason
appearances from 1987 to 1993.
The Oilers became
charter members of the AFL in 1960, and that same year the franchise
won the AFL’s first championship. Houston won another AFL
championship a year later under head coach Wally Lemm, who oversaw
a powerful offense with lineups that featured quarterback-placekicker
George Blanda, running back Billy Cannon, and wide receivers Bill
Groman and Charley Hennigan. The four helped the Oilers score an
average of 36.6 points per game. Houston was so dominant that half
of the team’s starting lineup played in the AFL All-Star Games
following the 1961 and 1962 seasons.
Lemm left the
Oilers after the championship but returned five years later to guide
the club to the postseason in 1967 and 1969. A new Houston powerhouse
emerged behind quarterback Pete Beathard, running back Hoyle Granger,
and offensive guard Bob Talamini. Safeties Ken Houston and Jim Norton
anchored one of the league’s toughest defenses.
Houston joined
the NFL in 1970 as part of the NFL-AFL merger. After four losing
seasons under four different coaches, the Oilers posted their first
NFL winning record in 1975. Former defensive coordinator Bum Phillips
led the team as head coach, and Houston posted a 10-4 win-loss record.
In 1978 Houston
drafted Earl Campbell, who became one of the most prolific runners
in NFL history, capturing four consecutive rushing titles from 1978
to 1981 and two straight most valuable player (MVP) awards in 1978
and 1979. Campbell led the Oilers to consecutive appearances in
the AFC Championship Game in 1978 and 1979, but the Pittsburgh Steelers,
the eventual Super Bowl champions, defeated Houston in both of these
contests.
As injuries
slowed Campbell, Houston slumped during a six-year period from 1981
through 1986. The team began its turnaround by drafting quarterback
Warren Moon from the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League
in 1984. The move produced seven straight playoff appearances beginning
in 1987. The team was stymied in the postseason, however, failing
to reach the AFC Championship Game during that stretch.
Moon’s
favorite receivers were Drew Hill, Haywood Jeffries, and Tim Smith,
each of whom posted multiple 1,000-yard seasons. Hill and Jeffries
both reached that plateau in 1990, when Moon recorded the first
of his two consecutive 4,000-yard seasons of passing and was named
AFC player of the year. Tackle Ray Childress anchored the defense
during this time, while guard Bruce Matthews and center Mike Munchak
led an outstanding offensive line. Mike Rozier replaced Campbell
as Houston’s main running back. After Moon’s departure
before the 1994 season, Houston posted its worst record in 11 years.
In 1997 the
Oilers moved to Tennessee, where they played in the Liberty Bowl
Memorial Stadium in Memphis. After the 1998 season the team moved
to Nashville and was renamed the Titans. In 1999 the Titans finished
with a 13-3 record, and in the postseason they reached the Super
Bowl, where they lost to the St. Louis Rams.
2000 Super Bowl
XXXIV Lost to St. Louis Rams, 23-16
<p>The Tennessee Titans enter the 2010 season with the optimism that they are the team that closed the year 8-2 after an unexpectedly dreadful 0-6 start in 2009.</p>
<p>But that optimism has to be tempered with the fact that the Titans have questions aplenty that have to address on both sides of the football.</p>
<p>Offensively, the team is centered around extraordinary running back Chris Johnson, who became only the sixth player in NFL history to run for 2,000 yards in a season. But as amazing as CJ2K is, he may not be the player that holds the key to success in his hands.</p> <p>That "honor" falls to quarterback Vince Young, who reclaimed the starting position last year after the 0-6 slide and played better than nearly anyone could have predicted.</p> <p>Now, it is up to Young, as he...
A capsule look at reasons for concern among teams in the AFC South: Houston Texans 1. The running game. Even though Arian Foster averaged 6 yards rushing in preseason, there's no guarantee coach Gary Kubiak will have the kind of running game he wants, one that ranks among the top 10. Foster started only two games as a rookie. Steve Slaton has a toe injury after being injured last season. 2. Interior offensive line. It was a weak point last season after starting Gs Chester Pitts and Mike Brisiel sustained season-ending injuries.
First, no Ben Roethlisberger. Now, maybe no Byron Leftwich for the Pittsburgh Steelers. Dennis Dixon, you're up next. Leftwich, expected to be the fill-in starter for the suspended Roethlisberger at quarterback for the Steelers, sprained his left knee in the second quarter as Pittsburgh (3-1) beat the starter-less Carolina Panthers 19-3 in the preseason finale Thursday night.
With the controversy swirling ahead of him on the Arizona quarterback depth chart, Max Hall wrapped up his preseason with a big night. The undrafted rookie from BYU completed 7 of 9 passes for 126 yards and scored on a 6-yard run in the Cardinals' 20-10 victory Thursday night over Washington. Hall directed Arizona to two TDs and a field goal in his three possessions.
Chris Johnson wore a visor and T-shirt and stayed busy as Tennessee's top cheerleader. Drew Brees and Reggie Bush limited their dress rehearsal to putting on their New Orleans' uniforms and pregame warmup before watching from the sideline all night long. Alvin Pearman's 5-yard touchdown with 3:18 left helped the Titans beat the Saints 27-24 on Thursday night in the preseason finale...
The ink starts at Chris Johnson's neck, with wings tattooed just above his collarbone, reminding the world that he is the NFL's most recent member of the very rare club of 2,000-yard rushers. The Tennessee running back also has "Cause IM A Star" perched just above a red star in the middle of his chest.
Matt Leinart was supposed to be the future of the franchise when the Arizona Cardinals drafted him 10th overall in 2006. Now, it looks like he might wind up being a part of their past. Reports surfaced on Tuesday that the Cardinals could trade Leinart, who has underwhelmed during his four seasons in Arizona and was benched last week. According to ESPN.com, the Oakland Raiders and New York Giants are teams that might be interested in Leinart, who was replaced by offseason acquisition Derek Anderson as the Big Red’s starter.
Drew Brees will be watching from the sideline for the defending Super Bowl champion New Orleans Saints. Vince Young? He may play into the third quarter for the Tennessee Titans. Welcome to the NFL's final preseason game where timing is everything, and the clock already has started ticking toward the Saints' regular season opener on Sept.
Try naming the one player on offense the Tennessee Titans may not be able to live without. Quarterback Vince Young? All Pro running back Chris Johnson? The answer is Craig "Cat" Stevens -- the two-year veteran with only one NFL catch. "If Cat got hurt, we'd be in big trouble," Titans offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger said Tuesday.
Tennessee defensive tackle Tony Brown is feeling the payoff in his right knee for the Titans being cautious with his return from offseason surgery. The Titans removed him from the physically unable to perform list Tuesday, and he practiced with his teammates for the first time this year. His knee had kept him out of the season finale, and Brown had been saying he felt ready to be activated the past...
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