What are your opinions.

That’s all for today.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP)—For nearly three seasons, the Tennessee Titans have
waited for Jared Cook to consistently perform up to his potential.

Now Cook has put together the best two games of his career, with 169 yards
receiving in the last game to set a new team record for most yards receiving by
a tight end.

He’s’ also just 73 yards shy of Frank Wycheck’s franchise record of 769
yards receiving by a tight end going into Sunday’s game at Houston (10-5).

“We know what a good player he is. I think since the first day (offensive
coordinator) Chris Palmer came in here and in the first press conference, I
think he is the first guy he talked about,” Titans coach Mike Munchak said of
Cook. “I think there has been an emphasis to try to get him the ball.”

In last week’s 23-17 win over Jacksonville, Cook had eight catches for 169
yards including a 55-yard touchdown. That bumped aside Casper who had 150 yards
receiving Nov. 30, 1980, against Cleveland for the then-Houston Oilers. That
also marked Cook’s second straight 100-yard receiving game and put him over
1,000 yards receiving fo rhis career.

Cook has 45 receptions for the season. His biggest challenge since being
drafted out of South Carolina is being an up-and-down player. He has 17 catches
the past two weeks, but none in either of the two previous games.

“There are going to be roller coasters in seasons, you just got to roll
with it,” Cook said. “Sometimes the offense expects to do great things, but
sometimes we don’t. You’ve just got to keep riding the roller coaster.”

The tight end is just happy that things are finally going well for him.

“It feels good,” he said. “Hopefully, this is kind of a preview of what’s
to come for the offense. It feels good to be out there and offense is clicking
and everybody is catching balls.”

As for why Cook has been so inconsistent, that appears to remain a bit of a
mystery.

“Things are trending the way where it’s either feast of famine with him
more so than anything,” Munchak said. “It just a multiple of factors … and
it doesn’t mean that we are not trying to get him the ball. There could be
things about what Cookie is doing and what he is not doing, the quarterback
getting a read wrong, how they are covering, it’s all of those things going into
the equation.”

Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck agreed, saying it was good to see Cook
involved in the game from start to finish against the Jaguars.

“It was nice to see Jared Cook come out and play so well,” Hasselbeck
said. “He’s always been kind of a big-play threat for us in a way, but he
consistently played well for us in that game, catching the ball, pass blocking,
all of it. That was great to see. He’s a matchup problem for a lot of people.”

The Titans (8-7) hope to keep up that trend Sunday at Houston. They must win
to maintain their playoff hopes and need help from later games to earn a playoff
berth.

They head into the game relatively healthy.

Defensive end Jason Jones remains in a walking boot with a high ankle sprain
and is doubtful. But running back Chris Johnson (right ankle), receiver Lavelle
Hawkins (ankle), tight end Daniel Graham (illness), defensive tackle Shaun Smith
(knee) and linebacker Gerald McRath (knee/ankle) all practiced fully Friday and
are questionable.

What do you guys think about this.

The three Titans quarterbacks rank potential plays in the game plan each week, letting offensive coordinator Chris Palmer know which ones they think will be most successful against a particular opponent.

This week, all three quarterbacks — who do their homework separately — ranked the deep crossing route to tight end Jared Cook as an excellent option.

The coaching staff apparently agreed, which is why the Titans went to Cook again and again during their 23-17 win over the Jaguars on Saturday.

When all was said and done, Cook had hauled in eight catches for a career-best 169 yards, a total that included a 55-yard touchdown. He broke the franchise record for receiving yards by a tight end, set by Dave Casper (150) in 1980.

“It was awesome,” Cook said. “I just wanted to kind of prove to the players what I could really be. (Palmer) kind of gave me the opportunity to do that today. He kind of mixed it up, came out gunning, so it worked in our benefit.”

There were at least a couple of reasons the Titans went pass-heavy against the Jaguars.

Running back Chris Johnson was gimpy all week, missing two days of practice because of a sore ankle. Also, the Jacksonville secondary has been ravaged by injury — 11 defensive backs on injured reserve.

“We talked a lot about that,” Cook said. “Their whole defense lost a lot of guys and put them on the IR, so we felt like we could take advantage of that.”

If Cook still had any doubt as to how much influence he might have Saturday, it was answered when he saw the script for the first 15 plays.

“I saw there was a little change-up from the normal and we kind of got excited,” Cook said. “So kudos to coach Palmer for kind of doing that and catching the defense off guard.”

Cook caught three passes for a combined 47 yards on the Titans’ first two series, but it was his fourth catch that provided the afternoon’s biggest highlight.

He sprinted down the middle of the field, past Jaguars middle linebacker Paul Posluszny, and made a 55-yard touchdown reception.

“We all talk about him, what a great talent he is, and today he put it all together,” Coach Mike Munchak said. “It was a huge game by him and it was great on us for getting him the football as much as we did. It made a big difference.”

It was the deep crossing route that paid huge dividends late in the game, with the Titans holding on to a six-point lead and facing a third-and-five from their 22.

Hasselbeck hit Cook for a 29-yard gain, which helped the Titans run out the clock on their final drive.

Only a couple of weeks ago, Titans fans were wondering what had happened to Cook, who went without a catch for consecutive weeks against the Bills and Saints.

But he’s responded with two huge games — a combined 17 catches for 272 yards.

“There are going to be roller-coasters in the season, but you just have to roll with it,” Cook said. “Sometimes the offense is going to do great things and sometimes we don’t. We just have to keep riding the roller-coaster.”

Cook is apparently someone who enjoys coming down the stretch, as he made 15 of his 29 catches in 2010 over the final three games of the season.

“Jared has always had it in him,” safety Michael Griffin said. “You just don’t know when you’re going to get it from him. … He’s a basketball player, but he has the ability to be a great football player. It’s just a matter of having that confidence.”

What do you guys think about this.

Leave any suggestions in the comment box.

The New Orleans Saints’ last three games have been high profile victories over the Atlanta Falcons, New York Giants and Detroit Lions. But this week’s road game against the Tennessee Titans has quietly turned into an equally tough test.

For one thing, the Saints have struggled on the road this year, posting a 3-3 record, and this will be their first road game in four weeks. For another, the Titans (7-5) have won three of their last four games, with dangerous tailback Chris Johnson finally getting hot over the last few weeks. And Titans quarterback Matt Hasselbeck certainly won’t be intimidated by the Saints defense after he picked them apart during last season’s playoffs as the quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks.

“It’s a combination of all those things,” Saints linebacker Scott Shanle said when asked which threat looms largest. “I think playing the last two games the way we’ve played, at home, in the environment, having our fans behind us, and now you’ve got to leave that atmosphere and go play on the road against a good team, against a really good running back, and they’ve been playing solid defense as well. So that’s just the challenge of getting away from home, where it’s felt comfortable, we’ve been playing well. Now we have to go back and see if we can do it away from home.”

Safety Malcolm Jenkins agreed that all of those factors will keep the Saints’ attention this week.

“Hasselbeck, we all know what he’s capable of, especially from last year. Chris Johnson is coming on real hot lately. And that team has been playing well in the last couple of weeks,” Jenkins said. “They’re a hot team and going into their house playing on the road, especially after the last four games have been emotional games, some real intense games. It will be a challenge for us to continue with that intensity, continue with that same focus to go on the road and try to get a win.”

Two of the Saints losses this season were outdoor games – at Tampa Bay and at Green Bay. But Jenkins said he’s not worried about this team coming out flat again this season.

“I think we’ll do a good job,” Jenkins said. “I know from the leadership on this team and from the coaches, we’ll do a good job of getting guys emotionally ready for this game. It’s too late in the season to really have one of those lulls as far as what we’re trying to accomplish and our focus. I think we know what’s on the line, we know what’s at stake, and we’ll continue to show up.”

What are your opinions.

Orchard Park, N.Y. —

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Associated Press

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Running low on time today, i’ll be back tomorrow hopefully with some more news.

Talk about your decision to leave school early and enter the NFL draft?

“I think things happen for a reason. God had a plan for me. I felt like I was ready to play at the next level. I knew I could run, block and catch and be a dynamic player in the NFL. There really wasn’t one reason I left early. It was a combination of things. I wasn’t sure about the new offense they were bringing in (at Clemson), and I wasn’t sure what my role in that offense might be, so I felt like it was a good time to leave. I have no regrets about leaving early.”

Clemson certainly has turned things around offensively. How do you think you’d have done in that offense?

“That offense has been unbelievable. Those guys are my brothers and I couldn’t be happier or more proud of them. Tajh (Boyd) is having a great season, and Andre (Ellington) is running great. They are all stepping up and playing great, and I think they are finally going to get that ACC championship this year. A little part of me wishes I was back there running in that offense, but I made the right decision.”

What’s Chris Johnson really like?

“He’s a great guy. He always tries to keep things loose. He works harder than anyone on the team, and I’ve learned so much from him this year. He likes to laugh and joke around, but when it’s time for work, he wants to work and you better bring your A-game. He’s a perfectionist. He practices like he plays and that’s what makes him one of the best running backs in the NFL?

How fast is Chris Johnson? Faster than C.J. Spiller?

“They are two of the fastest guys I’ve ever been around. When Chris hits a hole, he hits it full speed and C.J. is the same way. You think a guy has an angle on Chris and he blows right past him. I’d love to see those two guys race each other. I’m not sure who’d win. They both have crazy speed. But on a track, I’d have to go with Jacoby Ford all day.”

At 6-2 and 235 pounds, you’re big enough to be a fullback. Any talk of playing some at fullback?

“Not really. They use me a little bit as a back-up to Ahmard Hall, but there’s no talk about moving me to fullback. Being a fullback is a totally different mentality. If they need me to play some fullback, I’ll do it. Whatever gets me on the field.”

You’ve got Jared Cook and Shaun Smith, both former USC players on the team. With the Clemson-USC game this week, what’s that been like?

“Shaun is a good bit older than me, so we don’t talk much, but Jared and I played against each other and we’ve been talking a little trash all week. You have to stand up for your school. Jared comes into the locker room with his South Carolina gear on and I have my Clemson gear on and we’ll go at it, but it’s all in good fun. We’re friends and teammates now.”

Compiled by Andrew Miller

Comment Below!.

I’ll never forget the 2008 Thanksgiving Classic. To date, it’s the Tennessee Titans’ only. It may not have been the most exciting game in sports history, but it was certainly a day I’ll always remember.

In my family, football has always been as much a Thanksgiving staple as turkey and cranberry sauce. But my family is full of die-hard Tennessee fans.

Some years, the game’s on but not everyone is watching. The handful of devoted sports fans plant themselves on couches to watch the game in my grandmother’s living room, while everyone else sits around the dining room table or at the breakfast table catching up on each other’s lives over dessert and coffee.

But when the Titans played the Detroit Lions in 2008, it was a whole different ballgame. Four generations gathered around to see Chris Johnson, Titans’ runningback, make two touchdowns. (He ended up with over a 1,000 yards rushing that season.) The Titans defeated the Lions by 37 points in a game that ended 47-10. And a group as diverse as the members of my family, for once, found one common theme to rally around: a Titans Thanksgiving Day victory.

But what excited me even more than seeing the Titans’ win that day was getting to see my octogenarian grandfather screaming and cheering alongside my grandmother. The two of them divorced over thirty years ago. And for a few hours in time, it seemed like everything was right in the world.

It’s funny how a game like football can bring so many people together and cause them to put aside all their differences for a short while.

For memory’s sake, here are some highlights from that unforgettable game.

Born and raised in Tennessee in a family of Titans and Vols fans, Angela has been watching Tennessee football since she can remember.

Sources:

http://www.nfl.com/thanksgiving

http://www.profootballhof.com/history/stats/thanksgiving.aspx#2000

http://www.nfl.com/teams/tennesseetitans/profile?team=TEN

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Titans punt returner Marc Mariani (83) races up the field with a 79 yard punt return for a touchdown against the Panthers in the first quarter at Bank of America Stadium Sunday, Nov. 13, 2011 in Charlotte , N.C. (GEORGE WALKER IV / THE TENNESSEAN)