Monday, September 10, 2001
Next week: Titans (0-1)
Injured McNair may miss Bengals
The Associated Press
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Tennessee's Steve McNair hurt his passing shoulder in the Titans' 31-23 loss to Miami Sunday night and may not play against the Bengals next Sunday.
“I'm very worried,” McNair said. “Hopefully, it's not long-term, and we can get this thing healed in a week or so and get me back in there.”
Miami tackle Jermaine Haley hit McNair just as he released the ball and drove him into the turf. McNair, replaced by Neil O'Donnell at the end of the third quarter, completed the pass to Derrick Mason for a 29-yard scoring play.
McNair spent the rest of the game on the sideline with what the Titans called a “burner” in his right shoulder. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said McNair had bruised his shoulder.
McNair walked off the field with his arm in a sling. After the game, he said Haley jammed his shoulder into his body and he couldn't grip a ball.
McNair, 11-for-19 for 118 yards with the touchdown and an interception, had a mysterious infection in the shoulder last winter that resulted in doctors operating and using 15 gallons of water in an attempt to flush out the problem. McNair didn't throw a football for nearly four months.
Dolphins quarterback Jay Fiedler passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns as Miami posted its 10th straight victory to open the season, the second-longest such streak in NFL history. Only the Dallas Cowboys have done better, winning 17 consecutive openers from 1965 through 1981.
“Any time you come into this place like this and get a win, it's a great feeling,” Fiedler said.
Miami, the only team ever to shut out the Titans under coach Jeff Fisher, won its fifth straight in this series by giving Fiedler plenty of time to throw and grabbing three interceptions.
“This is not what I expected to see out of our football team tonight,” Fisher said. “Obviously, we didn't give ourselves a chance from the start.”
The Titans brought in a defense that was the NFL's best against the pass last season and featured offseason addition Kevin Carter. The Titans didn't sack Fiedler once, and he responded by hitting seven of his first eight passes.
“For him to come down here and play in front of this crowd against that kind of defense and take the kind of hits he took, for him to hang in, he showed he's a tough guy, a real tough guy,” Miami coach Dave Wannstedt said.
Fiedler made it 17-7 at halftime as he connected with Oronde Gadsden on a 23-yard TD toss in the second quarter, and Lamar Smith gave Fiedler the longest pass play of his career in the third as Smith took a screen pass and went 65 yards up the middle for a TD and a 24-7 lead.
Tennessee was even worse on offense.
The Titans got just 8 yards total offense in the first quarter, and they hurt themselves repeatedly with nine penalties for 61 yards by halftime. They didn't pick up a first down that didn't come by penalty until midway through the second quarter.
When Tennessee did score, new kicker Joe Nedney missed an extra point.
All-Pro running back Eddie George, who carried only 11 times in the preseason coming off toe surgery in February, never really did get started. He rushed 18 times for 49 yards and couldn't think of another game when the Titans played this poorly.
“We didn't take advantage of the opportunities we had as an offense and, when that happens, the result is going to be that you're going to get blown out at home,” George said.
The Dolphins did plenty to keep George in check.
“We knew we had to keep his numbers down,” Dolphins linebacker Derrick Rodgers said. “Every time that he got the ball, we had to make sure we had people around him to take the handoff with him. Any time that big guy gets rolling downhill, he's tough to stop.”
Not even a helping hand from the replacement officials could make a difference for the Titans.
Chris Sanders had his hands on Dolphins cornerback Patrick Surtain's head and shoulder on a pass down the sideline, but the officials called defensive pass interference for a 34-yard gain on the penalty. Still, Miami forced the Titans to punt.
Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison, who intercepted McNair three times the last times these teams met in 1999, added another one that kept the Titans from scoring just before halftime.
Miami linebacker Zach Thomas intercepted a pass by backup Neil O'Donnell in the fourth quarter and returned it 34 yards for a touchdown. O'Donnell was also picked off by Brian Walker.
Notes: Fisher said doctors think cornerback Dainon Sidney ruptured the ACL in his left knee. The Titans planned to X-ray safety Blaine Bishop for a possible broken rib. ... Titans guard Bruce Matthews has played in 281 games, moving him just a game behind Jim Marshall on the career list among non-kickers. ... Titans safety Bobby Myers' 14-yard return of a fumble for a touchdown was the first of his career. It was the first against the Dolphins since Chad Cota returned a fumble 25 yards for a touchdown on Dec. 5, 1999.
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Injured McNair may miss Bengals
