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2000 Tennessee Titans season
Owner Bud Adams
General manager Floyd Reese
Head coach Jeff Fisher
Home field Adelphia Coliseum
Results
Record13–3
Division place1st AFC Central
Playoff finishLost Divisional Playoffs
(vs. Ravens) 10–24
Pro BowlersRB Eddie George [1]
T Brad Hopkins [1]
LG Bruce Matthews
TE Frank Wycheck [1]
DE Jevon Kearse [1]
CB Samari Rolle [1]
S Blaine Bishop [1]
KR Derrick Mason [1]

The 2000 Tennessee Titans season was the franchise’s 41st season and their 31st in the National Football League (NFL). It was the team’s second as the “Titans.” The team entered the season as the defending AFC Champions, having narrowly lost Super Bowl XXXIV to the St. Louis Rams.

Tennessee’s 13–3 record was the best in the NFL in 2000, and earned the Titans a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs. In the Titans’ first playoff game, however, they were upset by their pre-realignment division rivals, fourth-seeded Baltimore Ravens, who would go on to win the Super Bowl.

The 2006 edition of Pro Football Prospectus, [2] listed the 2000 Titans as one of their “Heartbreak Seasons”, in which teams “dominated the entire regular season only to falter in the playoffs, unable to close the deal.”

Said Pro Football Prospectus of the 2000 Titans,

Only one of the last eight teams to lose the Super Bowl has made the playoffs the next season: the 2000 Tennessee Titans. [note 1] The Titans did not just make the playoffs; they waltzed in with the highest efficiency rating in the league and a 13–3 record. The three losses had come by a combined seven points.

The Titans first playoff game came against their bitter division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens,

Pro Football Prospectus continued

Clearly prepared for a rematch with Baltimore’s stifling defense, the Titans outgained the Ravens 317 yards to 134. They converted 23 first downs to the Ravens’ 6. They had a time of possession advantage of 40:29–19:31. And they lost the game 24–10.

Offseason

NFL Draft

= Pro Bowler [note 2]
Round (Pick) Player Position College
1 (30) Keith Bulluck Linebacker Syracuse
3 (68) Erron Kinney Tight End Florida
3 (93) Byron Frisch Defensive End BYU
4 (124) Bobby Myers Safety Wisconsin
4 (128) Peter Sirmon Linebacker Oregon
5 (135) Aric Morris Safety Michigan State
5 (160) Frank Chamberlin Linebacker Boston College
6 (197) Robaire Smith Defensive End Michigan State
7 (213) Mike Green Running Back Houston
7 (237) Wes Shivers Guard Mississippi State

Personnel

Staff

2000 Tennessee Titans staff

Front office

  • Founder/owner/chairman of the board/CEO – Bud Adams
  • President/chief operating officer – Jeff Diamond
  • Executive vice president/general manager – Floyd Reese
  • Director of player personnel – Rich Snead

Head coaches

Offensive coaches

Defensive coaches

Special teams coaches

Strength and conditioning

  • Strength and conditioning – Steve Watterson

Roster

2000 Tennessee Titans final roster
Quarterbacks

Running backs

Wide receivers

Tight ends

Offensive linemen

Defensive linemen

Linebackers

Defensive backs

Special teams

Reserve lists


Practice squad


Rookies in italics
53 active, 9 inactive, 4 practice squad

Schedule

Preseason

Week Date Opponent Result Record
1 August 5 Kansas City Chiefs W 14–10 1–0
2 August 14 St. Louis Rams W 30–3 2–0
3 August 18 at Philadelphia Eagles L 32–34 2–1
4 August 25 at Chicago Bears W 34–28 3–1

Regular season

Week Date TV Time( CDT) TV Announcers Opponent Result Attendance Record
1 September 3 ESPN 7:30pm Mike Patrick, Joe Theismann, Paul Maguire, and Solomon Wilcots at Buffalo Bills L 13–16 72,492 0–1
2 September 10 CBS 12:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May Kansas City Chiefs W 17–14 68,203 1–1
3 Bye
4 September 24 CBS 12:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May at Pittsburgh Steelers W 23–20 51,769 2–1
5 October 1 Fox 12:00pm Dick Stockton, Matt Millen, and Pam Oliver New York Giants W 28–14 68,341 3–1
6 October 8 CBS 12:00pm Tim Brando and Spencer Tillman at Cincinnati Bengals W 23–14 63,406 4–1
7 October 16 ABC 8:00pm Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark, and Eric Dickerson Jacksonville Jaguars W 27–13 68,498 5–1
8 October 22 CBS 12:00pm Kevin Harlan, Daryl Johnston, and Beasley Reece at Baltimore Ravens W 14–6 69,200 6–1
9 October 30 ABC 8:00pm Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark, and Eric Dickerson at Washington Redskins W 27–21 83,472 7–1
10 November 5 CBS 12:00pm Gus Johnson, Brent Jones, and Marcus Allen Pittsburgh Steelers W 9–7 68,498 8–1
11 November 12 CBS 12:00pm Dick Enberg, Dan Dierdorf, and Bonnie Bernstein Baltimore Ravens L 23–24 68,490 8–2
12 November 19 CBS 12:00pm Kevin Harlan, Daryl Johnston, and Beasley Reece Cleveland Browns W 24–10 68,498 9–2
13 November 26 CBS 3:15pm Kevin Harlan, Daryl Johnston, and Beasley Reece at Jacksonville Jaguars L 13–16 65,454 9–3
14 December 3 CBS 12:00pm Gus Johnson, Brent Jones, and Beasley Reece at Philadelphia Eagles W 15–13 65,639 10–3
15 December 10 CBS 12:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May Cincinnati Bengals W 35–3 68,498 11–3
16 December 17 CBS 12:00pm Ian Eagle and Mark May at Cleveland Browns W 24–0 72,318 12–3
17 December 25 ABC 8:00pm Al Michaels, Dan Fouts, Dennis Miller, Melissa Stark, and Eric Dickerson Dallas Cowboys W 31–0 68,498 13–3

Standings

AFC Central
W L T PCT PF PA STK
(1) Tennessee Titans 13 3 0 .813 346 191 W4
(4) Baltimore Ravens 12 4 0 .750 333 165 W7
Pittsburgh Steelers 9 7 0 .563 321 255 W2
Jacksonville Jaguars 7 9 0 .438 367 327 L2
Cincinnati Bengals 4 12 0 .250 185 359 L1
Cleveland Browns 3 13 0 .188 161 419 L5

Playoffs

AFC Divisional Playoff

Baltimore Ravens 24, Tennessee Titans 10
Period 1 2 34Total
Ravens 0 7 31424
Titans 7 0 3010

at Adelphia Coliseum, Nashville, Tennessee

Despite having only 134 yards of total offense, six first downs, and two punts blocked by Chris Coleman, the Ravens broke a 10–10 tie in the fourth quarter with Anthony Mitchell's 90-yard touchdown return of a blocked Al Del Greco field goal and then added seven more with a 50-yard interception return by Ray Lewis.

Awards and records

  • Led NFL, Average Time of Possession (33 minutes, 48 seconds per game) [3]
  • Led NFL, Pass Defense [3]
  • Led NFL, Total Defense [3]
  • Eddie George, PFW/PFWA All-Pro Team [4]
  • Derrick Mason, Associated Press All-Pro [4]
  • Derrick Mason, All-NFL Team (as selected by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, and the Pro Football Writers of America) [5]
  • Derrick Mason, NFL Special Teams Player of the Month, October [3]
  • Derrick Mason, Pro Football Writers of America All-Pro Team
  • Bruce Matthews, All-NFL Team (as selected by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, and the Pro Football Writers of America) [5]
  • Bruce Matthews, Associated Press All-Pro [4]
  • Bruce Matthews, PFW/PFWA All-Pro Team [4]
  • Samari Rolle, Associated Press All-Pro
  • Samari Rolle, All-NFL Team (as selected by the Associated Press, Pro Football Weekly, and the Pro Football Writers of America) [5]
  • Samari Rolle, Pro Football Writers of America All-Pro Team

Notes

  1. ^ Ranging from 1998 to 2005
  2. ^ Players are identified as a Pro Bowler if they were selected for the Pro-Bowl at any time in their career.

References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York, NY, ISBN  0-7611-2480-2, p. 362
  2. ^ Pro Football Prospectus 2006 ( ISBN  0761142177), p.73-75
  3. ^ a b c d NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN  0-7611-2480-2, p. 215
  4. ^ a b c d NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN  0-7611-2480-2, p. 203
  5. ^ a b c NFL 2001 Record and Fact Book, Workman Publishing Co, New York,NY, ISBN  0-7611-2480-2, p. 202