Thursday, December 07, 2000
Titans' linebacker key to stopping Dillon
By PAUL KUHARSKY
The Tennessean
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The game is further and further in the past, and Denver running back Mike Anderson helped dull the Tennessee Titans' collective memory with his effort last Sunday in New Orleans.
With 251 rushing yards against the Saints, Anderson set a new rookie record for rushing yards in a game. He swiped the mark from Cincinnati's Corey Dillon, who set it with 246 yards against the Tennessee Oilers on a December night three years ago.
“I almost called (Broncos Coach) Mike Shanahan Sunday night to give a thank you for getting us off the hook,” Titans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams said. “It will always be a part of my heritage here and the players who were with us at that time.”
Preparing to take on Dillon and the Bengals for the second time this season, the Titans have something now that they lacked when they were the canvas for the record-breaking in 1997: super-quick middle linebacker Randall Godfrey.
With 136 tackles, he is just 13 from a new career high. He is on pace to finish the regular season with 167, which would be the highest total for the franchise since linebacker John Grimsley had 199 in 1986.
“I think Gregg is doing a good job of aligning this defense and enabling me to make plays,” Godfrey said.
The Titans will be counting on Godfrey to do that just against Dillon. After all, the running back has topped 200 yards twice this season, including an NFL single-game record 278 yards against Denver in October.
Totals like those have boosted Cincinnati's running game to No. 1 in the NFL, even though the Bengals are a lowly 3-10.
Although Tennessee has limited Dillon to 81.8 yards a game in five meetings since that memorable night in 1997, one-third of his 27 career rushing touchdowns have come against the Titans.
“He's the point of emphasis just like (Philadelphia quarterback) Donovan McNabb was the point of emphasis last week,” Williams said.
The Bengals have become more run-oriented since Dick LeBeau took over as coach in late September, and Dillon's getting consistently good blocking not just from his offensive line and tight ends but also from receivers downfield.
“He wasn't much for the media. He wasn't much for many things,” said Titans reserve quarterback Neil O'Donnell, who handed off to Dillon as a Bengal in 1998. “But one thing, when Sunday came, Corey ran hard. He was hard core.”
In the first meeting this season between the Titans and Bengals (won 23-14 by the Titans on Oct. 8), Dillon got 80 of his 95 yards on one touchdown burst. It's a run remembered well by Godfrey, who will be the central figure in Tennessee's attempt to slow Dillon.
“I overran it,” Godfrey said. “I was a little too fast on that play, and even through we had several other guys who could have made the tackle, mainly he shot through my gap.”
Said Williams: “It wasn't just him, it was a combination. We had a D-lineman who was cut on the backside and we had two tackles missed when it passed him.
“But he's a prideful-enough person and had he not vacated his gap, he feels he would have made the play and that would have saved everybody else. And he's done that several times for us this year.”
The Titans have got just what they hoped for from Godfrey when they signed the former Dallas Cowboy in February after several years of craving an upgrade at middle linebacker.
“He's all over the place, dropping back in coverage. He's really working for the money they paid him when they brought him in,” defensive end Jevon Kearse said. “ ... He's got the quickness, he's got the aggressiveness, he's got the package.”
Godfrey is increasingly comfortable in the Titans' scheme, and is heading into the matchup with Cincinnati feeling certain he can have a big impact.
“Dillon is a tough runner, one of the toughest I've faced,” he said. “ ... He's able to break a big play at any time, so discipline is the key this week.
“I'm going to try to make every tackle on that field if I can, if it's run my way. But on the other hand, I've got to be disciplined and stay in my right gaps, because if you overrun something ... he's able to cut it back and take it the distance.”
Williams is looking forward to the matchup, much like he anticipated the showdown a week ago between Kearse and Eagles tackle Jon Runyan.
“Each and every week, Randall's gotten better and more comfortable,” Williams said. “I can't wait to see him play in this ball game because I think you are going to see a lot of one-on-ones just with him and Corey. He's heavy enough and fast enough to win those.”
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Titans' linebacker key to stopping Dillon
