Week 15 (12.20.10)

Hey everyone! Finally, a win for the Titans! After getting shut out a few weeks back in Houston, we put together a first quarter that jumpstarted the victory with a 21-point lead early in the game. It was our plan from the start: get ahead early and never look back. It took a couple fourth-down conversions, but we got the yards we needed to put big points on the board. As a team, we came out from start to finish and played to win. Sure, mistakes were made and we need to get those corrected, but all in all it was a valiant effort. Passes were on target, balls were caught, the running game opened up; the defense made stops and notched sacks; and the special teams created field position. We dominated in all phases of the game!

I didn’t get too much action, but I’ll trade my time on the field for a victory any Sunday! I did get my use on kickoffs, with one touchback and good coverage on all the rest, with the exception of a kick where we allowed the returner to bounce outside our cover team. I also got real lucky on another kickoff that I barely mis-hit; it was supposed to go deep into the left corner of the endzone, but came off the inside of my foot with a low awkward spin and headed out of bounds. Fortunately, it took a favorable bounce, forcing the returner to make an immediate decision to field the ball or let it hit the ground again. Thanks to Pete Ittersagen being hot on pursuit and closing in fast, the returner had no choice but to field, allowing us to make the tackle inside the 20-yard line. My one field goal came at the end of the first half from 30 yards out to take us into the locker room ahead by two touchdowns. It was different than most field goals because it came after a penalty, was in the middle of the field (most are from a hash, which we practice every day), and the fans at LP were about as quiet as I’ve ever heard them. I think you could have heard a pin drop in the concourse… It almost felt like a kick on the practice field! I had to double check surroundings before giving the nod to Kern for the snap, because it just felt awkward. In any event, I was glad to see the ball travel through the middle of the uprights.

Highlights in my eyes:

• Coach Fisher’s decisions to go for it on fourth downs and get 7 points on touchdowns, rather than kick field goals for 3 points
• Kerry Collins’ managing of our offense and precision in the passing game
• All the receivers making catches when the ball was in their grasp
• Chris Johnson finding the gaps up the middle and springing for a few more yards around the corners to the outside
• Defensive end Jason Babin stepping up his game against his former teammates, capitalizing on a a few more sacks before striking his trademark pose a final time before Kerry took a knee in victory

Now, unbelievably, we are still in the hunt for a playoff birth and a divisional title. It’s going to take a final two victories on our part and some needed “help” (aka losses) from the rest of our division — then again, they’ve been helping us this whole time in one way or another while we were in our six-game slide. It could happen! Just take a look at the next two weeks. The help began Sunday night when the Colts beat the Jaguars. Over the next two weeks, we need both those teams to lose out… And of course, we’re on a mission to win our last two games, at Kansas City and at Indianapolis. And once those wins are notched, we become temporary fans of the Redskins (to beat the Jaguars) and the Raiders (to beat Indy) this week, then we’ll pull for the Texans in their final game as they battle Jacksonville.

We’ve been in this position two other times in my six years with the Titans. And, amazingly enough, all the results outside our control came to pass — but we didn’t take care of our business and secure the victories we needed! We can’t allow that to be the case this time. We got the first win we needed with our backs to the wall, now we just have to get the next two and hope for the needed help!

We’re also waiting to hear about results for the 2011 Pro Bowl. I’ve been an alternate the past two years since going to Hawaii after the 2007 season, and I really want to get back over there! I honestly think this is the year for it, as I’ve put up the numbers to lead the league all season long. I’ll admit, I’ve made one or two I wasn’t sure about when the ball came off my foot, but that’s better than the miss against Denver, when I second-guessed the winds and pushed that 35-yarder just outside the top of the right upright… boy, do I wish I could have that one back! All in all, it’s been a great season for me personally, but with a couple more wins and a few other things falling into place over the next two weeks, it could become a fortunate season for us as a team as well. I’m keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best!

On another note, the concerts Garth Brooks is putting on at Bridgestone Arena are awesome! He’s come in from Vegas to do a series of sold-out shows to raise money toward flood relief for Nashville, and he hasn’t lost a beat in all his time away from the stage. I went to the show Friday night and it was one of the best concerts I’ve been to, if not the best ever! Traffic into downtown Nashville was a parking lot, as fans from all over were in eager anticipation to get in the doors to witness one of the best concerts in some time. It was amazing to see and hear all 17,000 fans in the crowd sing along to every song he performed. By all means, that show was more than worth price of admission. Garth came on the stage around 7:45 p.m. and didn’t exit until after 10:30 p.m. — and after the band cleared the stage after the first encore, Garth came back out a second time and finished entertaining the roars of the crowd with just his guitar and a mic. For about 45 minutes, rather than play songs from a set list, he picked his song titles from the posters and signs in the crowd. Again, not a soul at Bridgestone was a spectator during the performance — everyone in the arena was singing along, in harmony, word for word. It was an amazing show! I would highly recommend finding a ticket to one of his remaining shows if you haven’t been already or don’t have plans to be there. You won’t be disappointed!

— RB2

Week 14 (12.17.10)

Hey friends,

We’ve gotten ourselves into another six-game losing streak, which would’ve been unbelievable just a couple months ago. I can’t really explain what’s happened or what caused the slide; luckily, it’s happened all around the NFL this year, and that’s fortunate for us. The strange thing is that we could still make the playoffs: We need to string together three wins in three weeks, and get some help from the rest of our division… maybe we get real lucky and gain a playoff birth at 8-8. It’s a long-shot, but with the remaining schedule in the AFC South, it could happen. But we’re in a must-win situation like no other: Beat Houston, beat Kansas City and beat the Colts on their turf — then root for the teams we need to win and hope the cards fall into place. It would be an amazing ending to a tough year!

Meanwhile, make sure to vote for your Pro Bowl favorites by visiting NFL.com/ProBowl — And not just me, but all your Titans! Voting ends this Monday, so don’t delay!

Off the football field, I’ve spent the days leading up to the holidays on a couple of important causes. Foremost was joining Gov. Phil Bredesen last week to give some needy area kids a chance to get their wish lists to Santa! I’m the honorary chair for the Make-A-Wish Foundation’s Middle Tennessee chapter this year, so the governor and I were able to get these kids some valuable face time with Old Saint Nick. (I even snuck over to give him my list — asking for three more wins and a playoff berth!)

I also teamed up with Lyon’s Chevy/GMC to go Christmas shopping with needy kids. This is always a humbling experience, and one I thoroughly enjoy. Along with 15 other Titans and country music stars Joey & Rory, we brought smiles to over 50 children, signed autographs, ate a good dinner and went shopping at Wal-Mart, choosing gifts with the kids for themselves and their family members. There were lots of toys bought, but also essentials like school clothes, shoes, coats and even a couple blow-up air mattresses. Hard to believe that some kids had never had a bed to sleep on until then… that’s a shopping experience that really tugs at the heart! Many thanks to Richard Lyons and all his employees for putting together the event and brightening those kids’ Christmas!

But now it’s back to the gridiron and back to business — and it’s up to us to take care of ours! (Have I mentioned we need three straight wins and help from the rest of the AFC South?) It all starts with a crucial win this Sunday against our rival Houston Texans. I can assure you that it’s going to be a better game than our first match, which ended in a shutout loss four weeks ago! If we don’t get this one, we’ll definitely have a longer off-season than planned. So come out to LP Field and make some noise as our 12th man, and support your Titans as we battle at home for the final time this year.

And, of course, have a safe and happy holiday season!

-RB2

Week 11 (11.24.10)

Well, we dropped another disappointing one last weekend! I use the word “disappointing” loosely, because we kept ourselves in the game but fell short in the overtime period. It was a rollercoaster of events through the game that carried on into the postgame, but I’ll get to that momentarily.

The week started out slow for me after dealing with a tight back from a tackle I had to make on the last kickoff in Miami. I used most of the week for treatment and rest in order to be ready by Sunday. That’s one thing that always remains the same in this league: It’s not how you feel during the week of practice that matters, it’s how you feel on Sundays! I, for one, am glad it wasn’t a short week between games; I needed all the days away from the field to heal up and feel better. And that’s what I did, only hitting a few balls in the Thursday practice. With the support of our athletic training staff and my coaches, I was able to take some needed time off and get my body back to a peak level of performance. And it was a good thing I did, because special teams was a huge part of the game — all our points came from that phase. I had three field goals, as well as an extra point to tack on to Marc Mariani’s punt return for a touchdown. I was happy to see him finally sprint past the punter this time — seems like he keeps getting tackled by kickers and punters! Great job, Marc! He’s really become a weapon for us, and I think he is leading the NFL with best average yardage on punt returns.

For me, it was just another day at the office, hitting a few field goals and kickoffs. I love my job and wouldn’t want to be doing anything different. Of course, there are some days the body would like to be doing something different, but those days pass and Sunday always arrives, regardless of how the body’s feeling! So you have to get your mind right and do your best to put those aches and pains behind you, ignore them or simple play through them. It was a long week for me… I definitely wanted to get past the back thing and knew I would if I got the rest I needed.

Next was performing on Sunday. The temperature was great for the middle of November, but the winds were howling! I think we had close to 15 mph of southwesterly winds flying through LP Field. That’s never fun to kick into, but it’s great to have it at my back! I was dreading kicking a long one into it, and fortunately I didn’t have to. Anything outside a 50-yard attempt was going to be a gut-shot try… I hit most everything inside 50 during warm-ups, but had trouble past there, as those got pushed to the right and left of the uprights. It was hard to get a bearing on what the ball was going to do, so my plan, if called on, was to just aim up the middle and drive the ball best I could — and keep my fingers crossed! Fortunately, I didn’t need to make that kind of kick during the game. I was hoping for the opportunity to kick a long one — weather and field conditions were right to attempt a long, long one. I was even hoping things might fall into place at the end of the half or end of the game to chase that 63-yard field goal record… Maybe another time?

I’m not sure where, why, when or what all the drama surrounding Vince was all about. It’s always unfortunate when a player on your team gets injured, but it’s part of this game. It’s something that we as a team have to move past. Vince is his own man and will handle himself and his injury as he sees fit. I’m going to leave this controversial topic alone past that. I hope the injury to his thumb is something he as a player can recover from, but the rest of it is another subject and I’m not going to go there. As a team, we need to put it behind us and move forward. We have signed Chris Simms to back up Rusty Smith, and Kerry Collins is recovering from his injury of two weeks ago.

We need to put the pieces of this puzzle back together, go to Houston and get a win! Four weeks ago we were sitting pretty at 5-2, knowing that we could have been underwater; now, after we dropped three straight games to our opponents. we know we need to get after it and put the W’s back in the win column. Fortunately, we’re still in this thing — and getting help from our divisional rivals, because no one is pulling away. Also helping us is the fact that 5 out of our last 6 games are division games, meaning we can win out if we play well and capitalize on the opportunities! I know that’s what we want to do from this point forward, but we still have to remember: one week at a time, one game at a time, and one opponent after the next!

Oh, and of course: I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving!

— RB2

Music Mobile (11.22.10)

Last week was a big one for the Rob Bironas Fund and our partnership with the Nashville Symphony as we launched our effort to team with Nashville and build the Music Mobile! It’s exciting for me, because it’s something I’m passionate about — and I know it will be enrich children’s lives here in middle Tennessee. The Music Mobile is a rolling music activity center featuring an “Instrument Petting Zoo” filled with classical, country and bluegrass instruments. Kids and adults can share in music-making experiences, live music demonstrations and multimedia instrument exhibits. We hope to serve as the region’s instrument lending library for at-risk youth, and to bring music education to undeserved populations.

The concept was hatched some time ago, but last week the Music Mobile began its journey to reality! There’s going to be plenty of hard work ahead of us, and donations are needed to make this great idea possible, but we are determined to succeed.

The week started with a press conference at the Symphony, along with filming on two public service announcements. And here’s a great way to help, no matter your financial situation: during the month of December, visit www.refresheverything.com/musicmobile each day, then vote for the Music Mobile, and we could win a grant from Pepsi! I had a small cocktail party, hosted by Sylvia Roberts, to begin asking for donations; the Rob Bironas Fund has made the first of many contributions, and asks others who are able to help us build this bus. It’s not the size of the gift that counts, but the willingness to give toward something you believe in. Music education is something I believe in; it’s a parallel to the athletic world and teaches children and young adults many of the same life-skills I’ve learned on the field: Hard work, discipline and responsibility! So do your part to help the children of middle Tennessee.

Week 10 (11.14.10)

Hey friends,

Rob here after another disappointing loss. The weather in Miami was great, but that was about the extent of any good news. If you watched the game, you know it was a disappointment! We never want to come out with a loss — sometimes it happens, but it’s never a good feeling. We lost Kerry Collins on the last play of the first half, and VY came is trying to make something happen. It didn’t. I got a little banged up on that last kickoff as well — those guys playing every down are bigger, stronger and faster than me each time I have attempt a tackle. It’s kinda like being the smaller vehicle in a car wreck… And that’s about how it felt, like I was in a multiple-car collision! I’m glad I usually just kick and let them handle all the tackling throughout the game. I should be fine in this week’s game; I never like feeling less than great and always plan to play on Sundays. I may need work a bit on my tackling skills, though… It’s truly not my forte! Either that or I’ll just stick to kicking the ball through the uprights.

Coming into this week’s game at LP Field, we need to take care of business and beat the Redskins. If we are able to do that and get a little help from our divisional opponents, we could bounce right back to the top of AFC South. It’s crazy what a difference a week can make in this league! But it’s like they say, “any given Sunday.” I hope we get to see some more yardage targeted at No. 84 this week as well. I think you would agree, “SportsCenter” could use some Titans highlights through their hour of airtime. More importantly, the running game should open up for CJ once our passing game becomes more threatening! Defenses won’t be able to stack eight in the box anymore, and it’s always a good sight when No. 28 gets through to the second level.

This is a big week for us — we just need to come together as a team and execute the game plan. A 6-4 record looks much better than 5-5 going into Week 11. We need this victory as we enter a difficult stretch in our schedule. Time to correct those mistakes made and play the hard-nosed football that other teams hate to face!

Hope to see you Sunday at LP Field,

—RB2

Week 9 (11.7.10)

Hello again! The bye week was a good week of needed rest, and I took part in some great charity events while I had some down time. I also made it back to KY for a day to hang out with my family since they’re always making the trip to Nashville in season to see me. It was nice to get back home and relax a bit!

It was a busy few days, but all for good causes! Just before Halloween, I made it out to the Second Harvest Food Bank’s Moon Ball Event at the Hutton Hotel to help raise some money for the hungry. Did you know that 96 cents of every dollar they raise is put towards their cause? In fact $1 pays for 4 meals! They do a great job reaching many empty stomachs and really make a difference in the lives of each individual they feed!

Next, I attended the Rascal Flatts private concert & event for patrons supporting the Vandy Children’s Hospital. Comedian Ron White opened the night before turning the stage over to Gary, Jay & Joe Don to do their thing. Over the years I’ve been fortunate to have gotten to know the Flatts and see the continued work they do for all those kids. It’s touching and I feel everything for kids is worthy of talking about. Gillie Crowder of LiveNation once again put on a tremendous event and really went above and beyond to make that night special for each person in attendance.

Saturday of the bye week, when I’m usually in meetings & bound to my hotel room by curfew, my friend Lynn Lawyer hosted a small dinner party at her home to raise money for the Rob Bironas Fund. More than being just a successful night, it was an extremely fun night too! Chef Arnold Myint ran the kitchen and taught us all how to cook our own meal that night. I have to say the group effort was great because all the food was gone by the end of the night. I didn’t hear a single complaint! I can now say I know how to make spring rolls and I was proud of the job I did in the kitchen with the help of the other guests!

Last Monday, I attended my first Make-A-Wish event of this 10th Anniversary year. It was a pre-party for the Country Strong premiere, which had many of the children playing a role in the movie. Most were used as an extra, but it’s a first step towards becoming a movie star, and you can never set your dreams too high! I got my picture with them and asked for autographs while they worked the room. Gabe had a speaking role & though I’m not a critic, I must say he did a tremendous job playing the role of Travis. After the event, we made we made it over to the red carpet entrance to the movie. I didn’t get a chance to meet Gwyneth Paltrow, but she was looking as gorgeous as ever! The Green Hills Regal was filled with celebrities and country music stars in anticipation for the lights to be dimmed & the movie to begin. I thought it was a good movie, sad in the end, but a story about the country music industry that calls its home Nashville, TN.

Week 8 (10.31.10)

We came back from sunny California with dreary news — not the outcome we were looking for! We knew The San Diego Chargers were a better team than their record indicated, but we’re always out to get the win. Going into the game, San Diego ranked atop the NFL in many categories, and we needed to continue our hard play if we were going to fly home with the victory.

I had a good feeling going into this Halloween game, and from the start it was looking positive. After blocking Mike Scifres’ first punt for a safety, momentum shifted quickly to our favor. We kept pounding the ball in the first half to maintain our lead.

Unfortunately, the third quarter was a different story — we just couldn’t get the stops or put any points on the board. All we could do was try to play catch up, and we didn’t quite make it. We were trying to do it in the absence of Kenny Britt and Vince Young on offense. Kerry once again stepped in and did well, ending the game on our final drive just 15 yards short of a possible game-tying trip to the end-zone. (We’d have needed the touchdown and a two-point conversion, but I think we would have found a way to get that done had we scored.)

I hate losing, especially when we seem to be playing well and just don’t finish the job, and I think that’s true for all the guys on the field. We are out there fighting to better our record and increase our chances at making the playoffs. It would have been nice to enter the bye week at 6-2 and leading the AFC South, but we are where we are, so it’s back to the grind to get better! There really wasn’t much more I could have done to help us secure a victory — I’m kinda limited to the kicking duties, but ready as always when called upon. I hit a short 21-yard field goal and a couple extra points; sometimes those short ones are annoying, because we’re so close to the end-zone, and I’d rather be kicking a 20-yard extra point to tack onto six!

We’ll use this week to get some rest, get guys healthy and get a head start preparing for Miami. After a few days on the practice field, most of the guys will get out of town and away from football for the few days we have off. I’m not planning anything big, probably just a trip to Kentucky to visit the family.

Oh, and I’m sure you heard the news about who’s coming to Nashville? Yep, Coach Fisher and the Titans’ management pulled the trigger Wednesday and claimed four-time All-Pro wide receiver Randy Moss off waivers. A lot of the guys were lobbying for it, and we’re all hopeful Randy will be a valuable asset (and potent weapon) for our offense. So if you see Randy on the streets anytime soon, make sure to give him a big Nashville welcome!

Talk to you again after we return from Miami. If all goes right, we’ll be back on track with another notch in the WIN column!

-RB2

Week 7 (10.24.10)

Hey everyone! What another exciting win on the field — were you there? I hope so, but even if you weren’t, you probably heard about what went down this past Sunday at LP Field. It was a windy day, but the rain held off until the game was over… and I’m happy to report that despite trailing at halftime, we came from behind to beat the Philadelphia Eagles!

I got to see a few old friends as well — on the opposing team! Philly kicker Dave Akers is a longtime friend of mine; I used to train with him in his offseason, back home at the University of Louisville, before I made it to the NFL. John Dorenbos was once a Titan, long snapping when Ken Amato got hurt; I was glad to see him and know he’s doing well. And Matt Naggy, who quarterbacked my Arena Football team in Carolina, was on the Eagles’ sideline as a coach’s assistant. I even saw Eddie Kyatt, another reminder of my Arena Football career — he was my coach for the Carolina Cobras — and still preaching the same things: Save your money and invest it right!

My first kick was closer than I wanted it to be, but it stayed true and just squeezed through — my arms were up quick to celebrate! And I nailed a 40-yarder to make it a two-score lead at the end of the game… and then watched as a Titans’ “Pick 6” finished it off.

Brett Kern had another awesome day punting (and holding my field goals, of course)… We need to lock him down and keep him in town! As usual, Kerry did a great job leading our team while Vince recuperated on the sidelines, and if you’d never heard of Kenny Britt before Sunday, you’ve definitely heard of him now!

Make sure to tune in at 3 p.m. Sunday for our game at San Diego, and don’t let their record fool you! They’ve got league-topping stats on both offense and defense, and they’ll be itching for another win — we’ve just got to stick to our plan, play our hearts out and make sure we leave sunny California with the victory!

Until next time,

—RB2

Week 6 (10.19.10)

Were you ready for some football? Now that was a serious business meeting! It doesn’t get much better than that! Once again, we dominated as a team in all three phases of the game — and what better way to do it than on a national stage and the millions of households tuned in for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football”! It was a ton of fun to win like that — now we just need to keep the train going and bring the momentum home to LP Field! Once again, we beat our opponents and not ourselves. We protected the football, made smart decisions and kept our penalties to a minimum — exactly what we need to keep doing as we go deeper into the season. I like what we’re doing, and I know you’re having fun watching us play like this!

Most notable was the defense, which kept the Jags out of the endzone for all 60 minutes. Even when they almost scored, Vincent Fuller took the ball from the receiver before he could gain control. No. 22 always seems to find his way to the ball in crucial situations. Michael Griffin and Alterraun Verner each had an interception each as well. Our defense played lights out, allowing just 3 points on the scoreboard from a 33-yard Josh Scobee field goal. They virtually shut down Jacksonville’s ground attack, allowing only 76 yards on their 25 carries, and stuffed Maurice Jones-Drew’s 17 rushing plays to a mere 57 yards, averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Heck of a job by the entire defense!

Kerry Collins stepped up and continued where Vince Young left off when he got twisted up at the line of scrimmage. The offense did everything right again, throwing the ball and making plays both in the air and on the ground. C.J. put together another 100-yard game — 111 on the ground, to be exact, and with a touchdown on our final drive — and Javon Ringer ran well too, gaining 42 yards while Johnson took some rest on the sidelines. Bo Scaife led the way in receptions with four for 53 yards and a touchdown. Kenny Britt also found himself with another touchdown. And rookie receiver Damian Williams contributed with another four catches and 48 yards, one of those 20 yards… a big night for the new guy under the lights! I have to give him a shout out, since I’ve been hearing about him before he got into Nashville — we have the same agent in Dave Dunn at Athletes First, another shout out! It’s always more fun to joke around when we leave the field after a victory!

Finally, we get into the special teams stats, where guys were once again making plays. Brett Kern punted great, giving the guys plenty of time to get downfield and make tackles before the returner had time to gain much ground. Brett averaged 49 yards on his two punts and netted a huge 50 for the night. Speaking of Kern, heck of a job holding for my field goals and extra points! This guy is making it easy for me… reminds me of my first four-and-a-half years with Craig Hentrich out there. I hope the Titans get this guy locked down with a long term deal, because we need to be sure he doesn’t go anywhere! I’d love to finish my career — many years down the road! — with both Kern holding and Amato long-snapping! We have put together a great rhythm and built the chemistry it takes to make my job so much easier.

It was a fun night for me. There’s nothing like knocking through a couple short ones! Of course, I was ready to go if we needed a long one or two… I was actually hoping for one, believe it or not. I thought we might get to kick a real long one at halftime, but we took a knee and headed to the locker room instead. I was hitting everything in warmups and the weather was perfect: warm, good humidity and a slight breeze in one direction. But I’ll take it just the way it played out: Final count was 30-3, and a well-deserved victory to put us top of the division with the Texans. Twelve points for me wasn’t too bad either; I hope that helped your fantasy teams, but if you were playing against me, sorry… you should have picked me up earlier! Kickoffs weren’t too bad either; I was having a great night and drilling the ball with good distance and great hangtimes, allowing our guys to get downfield and make plays. You may have noticed that one returner, Deji Karim, made it through all the other guys, and I had to step in and attempt to tackle him! I thought I took his legs out, but I didn’t see a tackle stat on the sheet… who knows. It doesn’t matter, though — I’m not trying to rack up those stats. I was upset at Karim for bringing out one of my better kicks from about five yards deep in the endzone… serves him right to slip as he made his cut on the field and be tackled inside the 15-yard line! That was yet another touchback stolen from me this year — but don’t these guys know they’ll get the ball on the 20 if they just take a knee? Maybe they’ll learn not to do more than they need to when I put them a few yards deep with an above-average hangtime! But again, those are just stats; when we pin the guy inside the 20, it works out even better for us than any touchback. I’m just glad to be hitting the ball like I am!

Hope to see you noon Sunday at LP Field as we take on the Philadelphia Eagles. We need to continue putting up the same effort and execution, notching a few more victories before the bye week. For now, it’s time to put this one behind us and get ready to play some hard-nosed football against Philly! Like always, we take it one week at a time — play by play, and defeating our opponents each Sunday. (And sometimes on a Monday!)

Catch up with you again next week,
-RB2

P.S. – Make sure to check out the completely revamped RobBironas.com, as well as the new gear at my online store. Remember, all proceeds go towards the Rob Bironas Fund, helping fund music education for the kids of Music City!

Week 5 (10.11.10)

Hey everyone! Did you see the game?

It was a tough one against a good football team — and with the whole nation watching! We left Nashville on Saturday for a business meeting, and taking care of business on Sunday is just what we did! It was a hard-fought game, and neither team grabbed a big advantage. Just like Coach Fisher told us it would, this one came down to the end. The Cowboys needed this win, but so did we — and in the end, it was the Titans on top by 7 points.

We played well as a team in all three phases of the game. And that’s our goal: to either win as a team and lose as a team. (And, more often than not, to win!) There’s no finger-pointing in our locker room, just a commitment to come out the next week stronger and more ready. That’s easier to do after a victory, but each player will still continue to find ways to strengthen their play on the field for the next game. It’s the only way to play in the NFL: Get better week in and week out, put the previous games in the rear view and leave them there.

I started this game off feeling great! My body was feeling the power and my leg was delivering effortlessly. Even with that, however, it started off a bit scarier than I’d have liked, as I barely got the first extra point over the crossbar and between the uprights. There was a mishap somewhere in our operation, causing me to hesitate as I waited for the ball to be placed on the field. When I kicked the ball, Kern hadn’t had enough time to get his right hand out of the way, and it made for one ugly PAT! Fortunately, it was just a 20-yard extra point, and the football still had enough momentum to get over and between the uprights… That could have been uglier with a miss, but it didn’t happen — we got the problem fixed, and we’ll leave it at that.

Next up was a huge 52-yard field goal that came off my foot like a rocket. No telling how far back it would have been good from! That one felt as good as they come. You’ve heard of hitting the sweet spot? Well I definitely made contact at the sweet spot on that one! The 40-yarder was another good one that had plenty of leg as well. I don’t get many kicks from the middle of the field, so it felt a little weird lining up between the hashes. Good thing I continue to practice kicks from all over the field!

There were two kickoffs I wasn’t happy with and one I know nobody liked! First was an awkward slip on a kickoff. I’m not quite sure what happened… my cleats just didn’t grab any of the turf when I planted next to the ball just before swinging my leg to make contact… it was as if I were on ice or kicking in my cleats on a concrete surface. Maybe there was water in that area from a previous timeout, I’m just not sure. I’m just glad I didn’t get injured! (I wonder what would have happened if I hadn’t been able to make any contact with the ball? Maybe a delay-of-game penalty? Who knows?) The other was the kickoff that I topped out of bounds. That never should have happened! I was trying to do too much, to overpower the ball into the left corner for a touchback. I barely mis-hit it, probably only by an inch or so — but that’s what happens with a mis-hit on the inside of my foot on a kickoff. I’m putting every last ounce of my strength and power into that one moment of contact, and any minor misalignment can cause either that or a high, short pop-up kick. Even though I never want to put the ball out of bounds like that, it happens; we as a team have to overcome that mistake. Fortunately, we were able to overcome it and bounce back with a long, long return of our own on the next kickoff return by Marc Mariani.

Game highlights through my eyes:

• The defense piled up a number of sacks, keeping Tony Romo laid out on the turf… I think we are tops in the NFL in this category.
• Michael Griffin’s great pick in the endzone to deny the Cowboys the opportunity to get points on the scoreboard.
• Vince Young’s ability to find open receivers and protect the football while making smart decisions.
• Nate Washington and Kenny Britt’s huge catches in the endzone for 7 points each.
• Chris Johnson’s 131 yards and two touchdowns for another 14 points.
• Alterraun Verner’s pick and return to the Cowboys’ 1-yard line.
• Mariani’s explosive kickoff return to the Cowboys’ 5-yard line — this guy’s got something special, as well as 10 great guys blocking well for him. (He just needs to beat the kicker next time… ha!)
• Stephen Tulloch’s interception, with just under a minute left in the game, to finish the Cowboys’ chances for a tie game in regulation

Oh — and I think I put up some points for my fantasy owners! Ten points alone plus a possible couple extra ones for the long field goal… Not too shabby! Hope you got the victory in your match-ups. I’ll work on Fisher to put me in for some of those other possible long ones… just kidding! I’m warmed up and ready to go each time I get the nod from Coach, but he’s got a lot more factors to weigh before sending me in for any field goal. More often than not, I’m going to knock the ball through the uprights, but every once in a while I’m going to miss. I just hope it’s never the points or field position that would have made the difference in a ballgame, nor at the end of a game for the win. I’m going to continue to be ready for Coach’s nod to add 3, and let him continue to make the decision of when I get out on the field!

Next up… our division rivals, the Jacksonville Jaguars, on another national stage for ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” — so tune in and get ready for another good one!

Until next time,
—RB2