Jeff Fisher expects Browns starter Ken Dorsey to improve this week with more reps as the #1 in practice, even though Dorsey hasn't improved one iota despite 6 years of professional coaching... isn't that precious of Coach Fish!

 Also not looking good for the Browns: everyone's favorite 'soldier' Kellen Winslow Jr. won't be on the field Sunday.  No word on if it's because he's terrified to look Ahmard Hall in the eyes and say that crap.

 Mike Silver hashes open some of the internal turmoil in the Browns organization; there's no way all of that mess can be helping them against the best team in the AFC on Sunday.

 Awesome trend of the year: teams keep losing the week after they play us, and don't act like the physical beating they take doesn't play a big role in that.

 This headline made me throw-up in my mouth just a little: McCardell imagines Haynesworth with Texans or Jaguars.  If we don't get Big Albert signed in the offseason I'm going to be livid.  He's been lights out ever since the stomping incident and even the most cynical among us have to be convinced by this point that he can handle that paycheck.

 The Titans' defense wants to match the effort the Browns' D showed against the Colts, who only picked-up a field goal on offense.  I'm all for that, especially as long-time Ravens RB, and recent inmate for cocaine distribution, Jamal Lewis.

 Here's a look ahead at some possible AFC playoff match-ups.  I'm still hoping for the Jets and the Colts to have to roll into LP Field so they can go ahead and start scheduling their tee times.

 Here's one for my fellow PK bashers...

 Pac maybe be coming back to the Cowboys locker room, but he's already burned a lot of bridges in there...

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

So we lost, big whoop; wanna fight about?

 I think Keith Bulluck and I are no the same page: It'll be a very different ending if the Jets stroll in here during the playoffs and our Titans healthy.  Very different...

 Congratulations to genuine American Hero Ahmard Hall for getting his first NFL touchdown on Sunday.

 Favre noticed the same thing I did about Boom King: he was very effective, but certainly not completely healthy.  Also, you can bet we'll se more one-man route plays like the Jets ran yesterday to get the ball out in under 2 seconds in an effort to offset our pass rush. 

 ESPN's Chris Mortensen says the Titans are hell-bent on resigning Kerry and Chris Simms during the offseason.  Just remember though, that as is always the case, ESPN's Chris Mortensen is Just Effing Guessing. 

 Good thing Peter King didn't overreact and do anything dumb like say the 3 loss Jets are better than us overall and put them in the Super Bowl or anything, because that would just further erode his credibility and make him look like a mouth-breathing Favreian-fanboy:

2. New York Jets (8-3). Biggest day in the history of New Jersey sports: The Jets vs. the Giants in Tampa ... WITH SPRINGSTEEN AT HALFTIME.

 Looking for a Titan to get mad at?  LenDale White is here to help you with that:

"I have been over it. It is a game, so what?’’ White said. "You would like to win it, but it is one game, so what? … I only played three plays so I really couldn't tell you what happened, I don't really know, I wasn't paying attention, I didn't care really.’’

 Looking for one Titan to man-up and keep this loss in perspective?  LenDale White can help you with that too:

"We lost one game, the world's not going to end," running back LenDale White said. "That's how I look at it. We can all be mad and have our faces down and pout about it and not live your life now. But it's one game. You lose one game, that does not mean you can't make it to the playoffs, that doesn't mean you're going to go on a six-game losing streak, that does not mean anything like that. It's one game. You regroup, you come back next week, you've got a short week this week, and you just get ready to fight."

 Jeff Fisher said he talked to LenDale after the dumb comment quoted above and everything is just peachy.  I'm guessing he reminded LenDale that we only had 11 carries all game and Crazy Legs is the far superior pass blocker, receiver and decoy of the duo.

 So what's my opinion on the Chris Carr PI flags on the last drive?  Yeah they were definitely pass interference by the letter of the rule, but refs let that light level of contact go all the time late in games.  It was very weak that they stuck their nose into our possible comeback, but the refs didn't give up 190+ yards on the ground or drop at least 5 passes.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

Good to see that Michael Griffin is no longer on the injury report, and that Ahmard Hall and Nick Harper were back on the field.

That game puts my mind at ease a little bit.  I was worried about what would happen if an opposing team was able to completely take away the Titans running attack.  The Bears held the Titans to 20 net yards on the ground.  If you would have told me that number Saturday night I would have said there was no way the Titans would win that game.  Kerry Collins bounced back from his worst game of the season last week against the Packers to have his best game of the season going 30 of 41 for 289 yards and 2 touchdowns.  He proved yesterday that he can do more than manage the game when he is called to do so.

The start of the game felt a little like bizzaro world yesterday.  The offense usually comes out and marches right down the field because Dinger is so good at scripting plays to start the game.  Yesterday they went 3 and out on the first drive.  The Titans defense usually comes out strong, but Rex Grossman marched the Bears right down the field for 7 points.

The offense didn't really get going until the third possession.  That drive included 2 catches by Alge Crumpler, one of which was a 20 yard reception of 2nd and long.  I think we are going to see some big things from Alge down the stretch.  That drive ended with the Ahmard Hall fumble on the goal line.  (Sarge didn't have his best game of the season yesterday, but he is still loved here at MCM.)  That play would have been an easy TD if not for the fumble, and I understand they were going for the element of surprise there, but I still would have liked to have seen that play go to The Touchdown Machine, LenDale White.

The Titans defense came up huge following the fumble by not allowing the Bears to convert a first down.   Chris Carr, who has been an unsung hero in this 9-0 start, returned the ensuing punt 29 yards to give the Titans great field position at the Chicago 25.  Four plays later Bo Scaife caught a TD pass from Collins to put the Titans on the board and tie the game. 

That was it for the scoring in the first half.  The only other play of significance was the David Stewart personal foul call that knocked the Titans out of field goal range on the next drive.  The Titans did get lined up for a 49-yard field goal at the end of the half, but Rob Bironas came up well short kicking into the Chicago wind.

The second half opened like the first half usually opens for the Titans.  After the defense forced the Bears to go 3 and out, Collins marched the offense right down the field for the go ahead touchdown.  Collins had completions of 11 (Brandon Jones who should be #1 on the depth chart now), 16 (Justin Gage who suddenly remembered he is supposed to catch it when it is thrown to him), 10 (Scaife), 5 (Scaife) and the 12 yard TD strike on a slant (Gage).  Adam at WCG mentions that the slant call there was probably a result of something the Titans saw when watching film of the Bears.

There wasn't much action after that until the Titans put together a 11 play 52 yard drive that ended with a 2 yard TD plunge from Smash.  The ensuing kickoff was returned 41 yards by Devin Hester.  The Titans kicked to Hester all day and did a really good job of not letting him hurt them.

The Bears would end up attempting a field goal coming off of that kickoff return by Hester.  Jason Jones blocked the kick which prompted an Elaine Benes type celebration from Jeff Fisher (Full disclosure: I stole that from a guy on the radio).

Grossman would get a 1 yard TD run that came from the Titans lovely prevent defense, but that would be the end of it.  The Titans emerged from snowy Chicago 9-0.

At 7-0 we looked at the Packers/Bears/Jaguars stretch and said we needed to win at least 2 of 3.  Done.  Now we look at Jaguars/Jets/Lions and need 2 out of 3.  That seems even more doable.  Here's to hoping we win all 3.

9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0! 9-0!!!!!!!!!

 So when exactly does Kerry move from 'game manager' to game 'winner'?

 Team depth, schematic variety and more wins, oh my!

 I'd like to officially welcome Brandon Jones to the season.

 Don Banks nails why yesterday's win was a revelation and a frightening sign for everyone we face from here on out:

If they're paying attention, the other 31 NFL teams realize that 9-0 and "Uh-oh'' are now the operative words when it comes to describing the Tennessee Titans.

Because now what? How do you stop a Titans team that just proved it doesn't have to run the ball to win a ballgame? What should be made of a Tennessee team that can go nowhere on the ground, and still win a big game on the road with its passing game? That's the sobering dilemma that the rest of the league now faces in the wake of Tennessee's 21-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday at Soldier Field.

 Chicago loving AOL blogger Matt Snyder eats some crow after predicting his Bears would end our streak.

 We can add Matt Ufford of WIth Leather and Kissing Suzy Kolber to the Ahmard Hall man-crush list... too bad my boy struggled so mightily Sunday. (Big Hat tip to UrbanDad for passing this link along... sorry I left that our earlier.)

 Peter King still absurdly has the non-perfect Giants ahead of us in his clown rankings, but at least he did make one notable observation about the hottest team in football right now:

2. I think Cortland Finnegan is as chippy a player on defense as Hines Ward is on offense. I said chippy, not dirty. They're not dirty players. They're edgy, physical players

Paul Kuharsky talked to several Titans about their pending free agency and how the franchise is with extensions.  The comments were a little disturbing, but understandable (I think Cort, Roos, Stewart and a few others would disagree).  Don't expect anyone to let that distract them Sunday, however:

"The Titans organization isn't the quickest to go to the checkbook, so we'll have to see," Bulluck said. "We'll just play this season out and I'm sure a lot of things will happen this offseason. But we'll worry about the offseason when we get there. You know what we're worried about now, right? Da' Bears."

 John McClain raises an awesome point I hadn't heard yet:

The Titans also are the only team in the league that’s perfect, 26-of-26, in the red zone. It’s interesting that a team ranking 21st in offense, including 29th passing, has managed to score at least 30 points in half of its games.

 Commenter UrbanDad drops off the kids long enough to point us towards this: The Football Outsiders gave-out their midseason awards, and the Titans dominated the list like it was the AFC South.

 Dinger knows that whatever he needs, he can just dial up Crazy Legs' number; he'll take care of it and make sure it looks good too!

 None to happy about his $7,500 fine for a supposed horse collar tackle on Aaron Rodgers last week, Jevon Kearse is going to appeal it.  Also of note: Dave McGinnis is a candidate for the Kansas State head coaching position.

 With the mercury falling in Chicago and those winter winds whipping off of Lake Michigan, expect to see a healthy portion of Smash and Dash this weekend at Soldier Field.

 More reasons why Ahmard Hall is a pimp:

Titans fullback Ahmard Hall, who served in the Marine Corps in Afghanistan will make his annual visit to a local veterans hospital in honor of Veteran’s Day next Tuesday.

"I’m just going to the hospital. I’ve been every year since I’ve been here," Hall said. "I’m just going to show my gratitude to the veterans, young and old, that served the country and enable us to do what we do."

 Intrepid commenter and contributer BigW points out that last week's Titans-Packers game gets the epic NFL films treatment. I'd love to watch a game live with the guy who narrates these vignettes... make sure you catch Steve Waterson's reaction to the Bironas miss.

 Bodoglife.com has the Titans' odds to make it to the Super Bowl at 5/1.  Keep in mind that these numbers are not for recreation or entertainment, and are intended to be used for gambling... sweet rent-losing, budget breaking gambling!

 The AOL Fanhouse gives their NFL midseason MVP to Big Albert, but they keep with the head stomping jokes... I don't think Albert will ever fully live that down.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

How good has the Tennessee Titans offensive line unit been over the first half of 2008?  It's no stretch to say they've played at this level.   

I put Kerry Collins' stats up there to point out this: 210 times Kerry has dropped back to pass, and he's only been sacked on 3 of them.  Simply put, for a QB who was sacked 305 times in 14 years (21.8 times per year), that stat doesn't change without a little help from the big uglies up front.  It's a good illustration of just how dominant this line, already renowned for it's run blocking, has been in the passing game as well this year.

Oh yeah, they also pave the way for the AFC's leading rusher and the NFL leader in touchdowns.

Kevin Mawae is having the best year I can ever remember him playing.  I was a big fan of Mawae's during his Pro Bowl filled tenure with the Jets, but he really seemed to fall off last year.  He would get bull rushed back into the pocket, which forced Vince to bail, and struggled getting to the second level.  For whatever reason, though I get the suspicion Dinger's blocking schemes have helped, Mawae has been a beast this year.  He's the spokesman for one of the best all around units in the league and a clear leader in the locker room.  I think it's safe to say that Mawae's grit and veteran smarts have never benefited the entire offense more than this year.

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There are very few things that make me happier than watching the Titans beat Peyton Manning.  I have hated Manning for years, and seeing that sad look on his goofy face brings me so much joy.

Chris Carr opened the game with a bang when he returned the opening kickoff 42 yards.  I was very critical of Carr early this season, but he has turned out to be a solid return man for this team.  He is going to take a kickoff to the house before this season is over.

The Titans opened with a very efficient first drive as they always do under Dinger.  The only bad thing about the drive was that the Titans had to settle for a field goal after a 3 yard completion to Bo Scaife on 3rd and 8.  It is frustrating to see a throw to a guy that isn't going to pick up the necessary yardage on 3rd down, but it is possible that all of the other receivers were covered, and Kerry Collins dumped it to Scaife to avoid taking a sack or throwing into traffic.

The Titans defense, playing without Kyle Vanden Bosch, had a good opening series.  It was tough watching Peyton have all day to throw last night, but Schwartz stuck with his gameplan and didn't blitz hardly at all.  The "Bend but Don't Break" defense worked again last night.  I applaud Schwartz for not over-reacting and sending a bunch of people.

The Titans did nothing on their next possession, and bad punt from Craig Hentrich gave the Colts really good field position.  Peyton hit a big pass to Dallas Clark, who seemed to be running free in the middle of the field all night long, and then another 10 yard pass to Clark for a touchdown.

The Titans next drive ended with a field goal as well.  You really saw the Titans philosophy shift on this drive.  They had pretty much decided they were going to attempt to throw the Colts out of their 9 man front.  The Titans proved last night that they can win a game when the other team takes the run away from them.  Some may call the Titans offense anemic, but it is putting up more points per game than the "explosive" Colts offense.  The excuses are really piling up over there.

But I digress.  That was it for the scoring in the first half.  Rob Bironas missed his first field goal of the season after Chris Hope's first interception of Peyton.  Maybe Bironas missed because they didn't shoot off the cannon before he kicked the field goal.

The Colts marched right down the field for a touchdown to open the second half.  That put the Titans behind 14-6, and started Tony Kornheiser's monologue on how that was it for the Titans.  They weren't built to come from behind with Collins at quarterback and blah, blah, blah.  It was enjoyable to watch him flip as the game went on.

Collins shut Kornheiser up by taking the Titans 80 yards on 17 plays.  Only 7 of those plays were runs, and 3 of those 7 runs came from inside the 5.  The Titans then went for 2, and Dinger made a great play call with a play fake to Smash where Ahmard Hall slipped out of the Titans backfield and was wide open in the end zone.

The next Colts drive was what won the game for the Titans.  The Colts decided to go for it on 4th and 1 from the Indy 49.  Not only did they not get it, their play was absolutely blown up by the Titans.  Dominic Rhodes was stopped by Stephen Tulloch for a 1 yard loss.

You could feel the momentum build even more with that stop.  The Titans were able to take the lead on one big throw from Collins to Alge Crumpler and a 48 yard Bironas field goal.  That gave the Titans the lead back at 17-14.

The Colts didn't learn from their first mistake and decided to go for it on 4th down again.  Nick Harper jumped the route on a pass intended for the washed up Marvin Harrison and knocked the ball away.

The Titans anemic offense took the ball 66 yards for a touchdown to push the score to 24-14, and that was your ballgame folks.  It wasn't the end of the scoring though because Peyton gave the ball to the Titans again with another interception.  Chris Johnson took the first play of that drive for a 16 yard touchdown run, and there was much rejoicing in Nashville.

The Colts added another TD in junk time to make the game not look so lopsided, but if you watched the game you saw the Colts hang around for three quarters but get exposed in the 4th quarter.

7-0 is a fantastic start, but there is still a lot of work to be done this season.  The 4 game division lead is awesome, but the race is not over.  The Titans will actually have to play some good teams the next 3 weeks.  We would love to win all 3, but going 2-1 in that stretch will keep the Titans in the driver's seat not only in the divison, but also for home field advantage in the playoffs.

Some guy got suspended for something and it cost us another thing.

 Jim Wyatt makes a plausible case that Jerry Jones' original refusal to suspend Pac was a ploy to force Goodell to do it, thus costing the Titans a draft pick.  I for one am absolutely buying it and it's a smart move by JJ.

 Everybody knows the Titans defense is leading the league in fewest points allowed, but did you know that we're 4 points better than the 2nd place team?  Even Phil Anselmo would agree that's DOMINATION! (Tell me that didn't wake you up)

 ESPN's Chris Sprow leaves our Crazy Legs-LenDale tandem off of his list of the best running back combos in the league, but makes up for it by writing an article everyone, even school children, should be forced to read: DOING IT THE TITANS WAY:  How the team from Tennessee is an example for the league.

 Pro Football Weekly notes that the Titans are likely to keep back-up punter Josh Miller just a phone call away in case Hentrich's back issues flare-up again.  Chris Simms must be thrilled.

 Many thanks to ever-diligent reader gramsey712 for passing along a great ESPN video pimping Cortland Finnegan, and a great interview with my favorite unheralded Titan: Ahmard Hall.

 Don Banks laments the lack of a clear-cut best team in the NFL since the golden boy went down, but the fact that he makes it 4 paragraphs before mentioning the Titans is why I care so little about his opinion on this matter.

 For everyone who is looking for the best WR for the Titans to tease us with but then not draft, here's your first cold water treatment.  Expect more shocks to the system as the year moves along.

 In AFC South News the Colts, desperate to upgrade their struggling DT position, traded a 4th round pick to the Bills for John McCargo... how long will this guy have a career based on the fact that he played next to Mario Williams in college?

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a great link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com! (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)