People tend to play less attention to you when you’re 0-6. Tennessee Titans coach Jeff Fisher, who has held his job as head coach longer than any other in the league, recently appeared at Lipscomb’s Allen Arena to introduce former Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy for some benefit thinger. So you can imagine everyone’s surprise when Fish pulled off his shirt to reveal a Peyton Manning jersey.
“I just wanted to feel like a winner,” Fisher joked as the crowd erupted in applause and laughter.
Asked about Fisher’s unorthodox introduction, Dungy said, “He made me feel right at home. Jeff is always the master of the unusual. That was quite a surprise but something only he would do. But just being here, and coming out and supporting this even with the team being 0-6, just to come out and be supportive, that’s who Jeff Fisher is. That’s why he is special.” –Nashville City Paper.
I’ve never thought of a Peyton Manning jersey as a pick-me-up, but I guess it’s better than putting on women’s lingerie with heels and wandering out to the Meatpacking District. I always thought that “meatpacking district” was a euphemism. Maybe it should be. Thanks, Mike [for the imgs] and Walker.
By now, you’ve already learned that Pittsburgh beat Tennessee 13-10 (OT) in a four-star NFL opener last night. Noteworthy items from the game: Al Michaels’ hair looks even faker this year, and Troy Polamalu was injured in the first half and is expected to miss 3-6 weeks after spraining his MCL.
With the score tied late in the fourth, 10-10, Hines Ward fumbled deep in Titans territory for what could have been a game-changing turnover. A score from Ward–or even a “knee” and subsequent field goal–would have locked up a win for the Steelers. But after recovering the fumble, Tennessee, pinned at their own 4-yard line with less than a minute to play, chose instead to run out the clock and seek his team’s fortunes in overtime. The call seemed like a no-brainer at the time, even after Pittsburgh marched the field and scored on the extra period’s only offensive drive. But in settling for OT, Titans head coach Jeff Fisher might have cost his team their best chance to win.
A lot of people hate the NFL’s overtime format–where the first team to score wins, regardless of whether each team gets a chance to play on offense–but it is what it is and we won’t debate that here. But the one thing for which nobody ever gives the NFL credit is that their extra frame creates more incentive to win games in regulation than any other.
True, Tennessee had no possession in OT, but Jeff Fisher was aware of that possibility, as he was also certainly aware that his defense had no answer for Ben Roethlisberger [363 yards passing, 1 TD, 2 picks]. Instead of working with that possession he did have, Fisher forfeited it and hung his hopes for a win on a coin toss. And nothing about the ending to last night’s game was more unfair than that.
