Titans won’t have luxury of playing San Diego’s backups

By Marc Hudgens  |   Tuesday, January 01, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Tennessee Titans
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Legendary NFL coach and NBC announcer John Madden said it best when he stated during the latter part of Sunday's game between Indianapolis and Tennessee that the Colts looked like a team playing nothing but backups. A lot of Colts were out of position and in wrong formations; in other words, they were a bunch of guys not accustomed to playing. Indy looked that way throughout the game, even when it was down by six with under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Colts had a total of eight injured players who didn't participate, which included Dwight Freeney on the injured reserve list. Coach Tony Dungy went a step further and pulled Peyton Manning and some other key starters in the second quarter.

It was clear this was a throwaway game for the 13-3 Colts, as they clinched a playoff berth and first-round bye awhile ago. While losing is never good, Dungy did the smart thing in saving his starters for the playoffs. Because as one announcer during the Patriots-Giants game stated, while playing all your starters and going undefeated is nice, the ultimate goal is the playoffs. Meaning, once you clinch your berth, you can and should afford to let up and save your key players. It doesn't matter really how you get there -- just get there.

Still, had Manning (14 of 16 for 95 yards) kept playing, fans would've been treated to a more competitive Indy team. Instead, though, the Colts rightfully rested their main players, and the Titans were given a much easier matchup. Even After Vince Young got hurt, Kerry Collins did a fine job and led the Titans to a 16-10 victory, giving the club its 10th win and the AFC's sixth and final playoff spot.

Tennessee won't have the luxury of playing a careless team this Sunday. Not only are the Titans facing a very healthy squad, they are also playing at Qualcomm Stadium. Furthermore, it was just a few short weeks ago when San Diego beat Tennessee in Nashville in a hard-hitting matchup, 23-17. If you remember, that game was highlighted by the Titans losing a two-touchdown lead in the waning minutes of the game and ultimately falling in overtime.

Titans fans should consider the team's win over the Colts and its resulting playoff berth a total gimme. It was obvious the Colts didn't care about Sunday's game, and that made for the only chance Tennessee had of winning. In the end, it wasn't the Titans who shoved Cleveland out of the playoffs; it was Indy.

Things will be much tougher this weekend for the Titans, that's for sure.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He ...
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