The Tennessee Titans parted ways with two coaches on Wednesday. 

Secondary coach Marcus Robertson and assistant secondary coach Curtis Fuller were informed they will not be retained for the 2012-2013 season.

“I want to thank Marcus and Curtis for their time here. After meeting with the coordinators over the last couple of days, we decided to make this move today,” headcoach Mike Munchak said in a release.

Robertson had been with the Titans organization for 19 years and served as a coach for five years.

“Letting Marcus go was not an easy thing. He spent so many great years with this organization as a player, front office employee and a coach. I respect both men, but I wanted to move in a different direction for both of these spots. The interview process might take some time, but we will find the right fits for the secondary room moving forward,” Munchak said.

No additional information was immediately released.

For more information on the Titans, visit their Web site.

Bucs want Gray

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested in interviewing Titans defensive coordinator Jerry Gray for their head coaching job, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
Tampa Bay fired Coach Raheem Morris on Monday.
In his first season as defensive coordinator with the Titans, Gray’s unit finished 18th overall (24th vs. the run, 14th vs. the pass).

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The Tennessee Titans will spend the off-season thinking of the three games that cost them a playoff berth and looking ahead to a promising second season under coach Mike Munchak.

Just how many are back for 2012 remains to be seen with contracts of more than 20 Titans expiring. With Munchak taking over a team that went 6-10 and didn’t have an off-season due to the lockout, the Titans have high expectations for what’s next.

“Who would have thought we’d be 9-7?” fullback Ahmard Hall said Monday after the Titans cleaned out lockers. “Who would give us a chance to be 9-7? Munch is building something great here, and everybody wants to be a part of that.”

Hall is among those whose contracts are up, meaning the Titans have plenty of personnel work ahead.

For a franchise that got rid of a quarterback and head coach a year ago, handling a secondary where four defensive backs are pending free agents should be much easier. Defensive captain and cornerback Cortland Finnegan and safeties Chris Hope, Michael Griffin and Jordan Babineaux all are up with no contract talks since Finnegan bolted training camp in August.

Finnegan doesn’t sound as if he expects to be back, though he hopes to return after six seasons in Tennessee.

“Coach Munchak is building something really special around here,” Finnegan said. “He plans to talk to everyone. We’ll see what the future holds.”

Munchak said the salary cap will decide how many players they keep. He hopes they keep as many as possible in free agency along with another crop of rookies to go with a promising draft class where three started on defence.

“You got a nice little core here, so I think it’s something we can build on,” Munchak said. “I think that’s part of the excitement of selling to the guys that are in this room is that yeah, 9-7 was OK. It wasn’t quite good enough this year, but a lot of good things happened at 9-7 that we’re excited about as an organization, as a team and that we can build on.”

The Titans finished the season beating the Houston Texans 23-22, missing out on their first playoff berth since 2008 when the Jets lost to Miami and Denver lost to Kansas City. That left Tennessee tied with Cincinnati but losing the head-to-head tiebreaker due to a Nov. 6 loss to the Bengals where the Titans blew a 10-point lead in losing 24-17.

“Hopefully the lesson we learned is you can’t hope that someone else can do your job for you,” Munchak said. “We had to earn our way in, and we didn’t.”

Tennessee also lost its opener 16-14 in Jacksonville and became the first team to lose to the previously winless Colts 27-13 on Dec. 18 when a win would have put the Titans into the AFC’s sixth and final playoff spot.

At least Munchak has his quarterbacks in veteran Matt Hasselbeck and Jake Locker going into a full off-season to push for the starting job. Hasselbeck started all 16 games and became the first quarterback for this franchise not named Warren Moon to throw for at least 3,500 yards. He finished with 3,571 yards passing with 18 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions. Locker threw for four TDs with a 99.4 passer rating coming off the bench in five games.

Munchak said the quarterbacks will compete again with the player who should start being an obvious decision when the time comes.

He plans on keeping his co-ordinators, giving Chris Palmer to work on an offence that ranked 17th in the NFL in passing even though top receiver Kenny Britt tore his right ACL in September.

The biggest focus will be on a run game that ranked 31st in the league averaging a measly 89.9 yards.

Chris Johnson ran for a career-low 1,047 yards after missing the pre-season before getting his new contract extension. He has plenty of incentives in that deal to spend plenty of time working in the Titans’ off-season program, and he said the Titans simply need to improve their execution.

A full off-season will help Jerry Gray’s defence too.

“We were limited in what we could do because guys were learning it on the run,” Finnegan said. “That’d be huge for this defence.”

A fourth rookie, Karl Klug, led Tennessee with seven sacks, and the Titans ranked eighth in the NFL in points allowed per game. But Tennessee still must find a way to tighten up a run defence gashed for big runs far too often, leading to a No. 24 ranking giving up 128.3 yards per game.

Notes: The Titans will pick 20th in April’s draft. … The Titans’ 2012 home schedule features visits from Houston, the Colts and Jaguars in the AFC South along with the Patriots, the Jets, the Steelers, Chicago and Detroit. Tennessee will visit its AFC South divisional rivals along with trips to Minnesota, Green Bay, Miami, San Diego and Buffalo after finishing second in the division.

HOUSTON — The Tennessee Titans’ regular-season finale came down to a 2-point conversion. Their playoff hopes officially ended a few hours later.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes, and Tennessee staved off Houston’s last-minute rally in a 23-22 victory Sunday.

Tennessee (9-7) earned its first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak’s first season, but its postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

When the Broncos lost to Kansas City, the Titans were knocked out of playoff contention.

“I was proud of the guys for bouncing back the last two weeks and putting ourselves in the position to reach the playoffs,” Munchak said in a statement, “but we also put ourselves in the position of needing help and it didn’t work out for us today.”

The Titans got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but then had to sweat out the final two minutes when Ahmard Hall fumbled, and Jake Delhomme drove Houston for a touchdown with 14 seconds left.

“We knew that was the situation we were in and we could only do what we could do,” Hasselbeck said. “We were focused on taking care of business and handling the things that we could control. Finishing 9-7 is something we can be proud about whether we get the help or we don’t.”

The Texans (10-6) were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs before the game began. They will play Cincinnati (9-7) next Saturday in the franchise’s first postseason game. Houston beat the Bengals 20-19 on Dec. 11.

With their position secured and nothing to lose but more players to injury, coach Gary Kubiak called for a 2-point conversion to avoid overtime and win the game in regulation.

“You would never go for 2 there in any other situation,” Kubiak said. “But where we were physically, at the end of the game, I had a tight end (Garrett Graham) playing linebacker. Our team, I had to get them to next week.”

But tight end Joel Dreessen was flagged for illegal motion, and then backup center Thomas Austin flipped the snap over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The victory turned out to mean nothing for the Titans.

Tennessee needed the Bengals to lose to Baltimore and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a playoff berth. And that would’ve landed the Titans right back in Houston next week to play the Texans.

But a 27-13 loss in Indianapolis two weeks ago proved costly, and the Titans will sit out the playoffs for the third straight season.

“We knew that after we lost to the Colts, which was kind of a low point for us, at that point we were 7-7,” Hasselbeck said. “Coach Munchak came and said: `Hey, there’s a lot of things this season that could have gone better, that we could have done better, but we didn’t. That’s in the past and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

The Texans, meanwhile, will head into the franchise’s first postseason on a three-game losing streak and new concerns about their quarterback.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by the 36-year-old Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday), at this point.”

Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes in his first action since December 2010.

Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee.

“It was an interesting ending,” Munchak said. “Our goal was to come in here and win this game. We did that. We’re 9-7 and that’s all we can control.”

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Ben Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans’ next possession.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Notes: Hall and Titans LT Mike Otto left with “probable” concussions, Munchak said. WR Damian Williams has a rib injury, Munchak said, and would be re-evaluated Monday. … The Texans dropped to 5-1 in season finales under Kubiak. … Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

HOUSTON – The Tennessee Titans’ regular-season finale came down to a 2-point conversion. Their playoff hopes officially ended a few hours later.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes, and Tennessee staved off Houston’s last-minute rally in a 23-22 victory Sunday.

Tennessee (9-7) earned its first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak’s first season, but its post-season fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

When the Broncos lost to Kansas City, the Titans were knocked out of playoff contention.

“I was proud of the guys for bouncing back the last two weeks and putting ourselves in the position to reach the playoffs,” Munchak said in a statement, “but we also put ourselves in the position of needing help and it didn’t work out for us today.”

The Titans got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but then had to sweat out the final two minutes when Ahmard Hall fumbled, and Jake Delhomme drove Houston for a touchdown with 14 seconds left.

“We knew that was the situation we were in and we could only do what we could do,” Hasselbeck said. “We were focused on taking care of business and handling the things that we could control. Finishing 9-7 is something we can be proud about whether we get the help or we don’t.”

The Texans (10-6) were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs before the game began. They will play Cincinnati (9-7) next Saturday in the franchise’s first post-season game. Houston beat the Bengals 20-19 on Dec. 11.

With their position secured and nothing to lose but more players to injury, coach Gary Kubiak called for a two-point conversion to avoid overtime and win the game in regulation.

“You would never go for two there in any other situation,” Kubiak said. “But where we were physically, at the end of the game, I had a tight end (Garrett Graham) playing linebacker. Our team, I had to get them to next week.”

But tight end Joel Dreessen was flagged for illegal motion, and then backup centre Thomas Austin flipped the snap over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

The victory turned out to mean nothing for the Titans.

Tennessee needed the Bengals to lose to Baltimore and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a playoff berth. And that would’ve landed the Titans right back in Houston next week to play the Texans.

But a 27-13 loss in Indianapolis two weeks ago proved costly, and the Titans will sit out the playoffs for the third straight season.

“We knew that after we lost to the Colts, which was kind of a low point for us, at that point we were 7-7,” Hasselbeck said. “Coach Munchak came and said: ‘Hey, there’s a lot of things this season that could have gone better, that we could have done better, but we didn’t. That’s in the past and there’s nothing we can do about that.”

The Texans, meanwhile, will head into the franchise’s first post-season on a three-game losing streak and new concerns about their quarterback.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by the 36-year-old Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday), at this point.”

Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18-of-28 passes in his first action since December 2010.

Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee.

“It was an interesting ending,” Munchak said. “Our goal was to come in here and win this game. We did that. We’re 9-7 and that’s all we can control.”

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Ben Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favouring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans’ next possession.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Hasselbeck completed 22-of-35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Notes: Hall and Titans LT Mike Otto left with “probable” concussions, Munchak said. WR Damian Williams has a rib injury, Munchak said, and would be re-evaluated Monday. … The Texans dropped to 5-1 in season finales under Kubiak. … Defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

HOUSTON (AP) — The Tennessee Titans‘ regular-season finale came down to a 2-point conversion.

The Texans botched it, and the Titans stayed alive in the playoff hunt — at least for a few more hours.

Matt Hasselbeck threw two touchdown passes, and Tennessee staved off Houston‘s last-minute rally in a 23-22 victory Sunday.

Tennessee (9-7) earned its first winning record since 2008 in Mike Munchak‘s first season, but its postseason fate depended on the outcome of later games in Cincinnati, Oakland and Denver.

The Titans got some early help when the New York Jets lost in Miami, but then had to sweat out the final two minutes when Ahmard Hall fumbled, and Jake Delhomme drove Houston for a touchdown with 14 seconds left.

The Texans (10-6) were locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs before the game began.

With their position secured and nothing to lose but more players to injury, coach Gary Kubiak called for a two-point conversion to avoid overtime and win the game in regulation.

“You would never go for 2 there in any other situation,” Kubiak said. “But where we were physically, at the end of the game, I had a tight end (Garrett Graham) playing linebacker. Our team, I had to get them to next week.”

But tight end Joel Dreessen was flagged for illegal motion, and then backup center Thomas Austin flipped the snap over Delhomme’s head and the game was over.

Kubiak and Munchak shared a chuckle at midfield after the game.

“I think if they were shooting for the playoffs, they probably kick the extra point and go to overtime,” Munchak said.

Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan took offense to Kubiak’s decision.

“I think they wanted to show that no matter who they put on the field, they want to embarrass us and beat us,” Finnegan said. “And we ended up winning.”

The victory might turn out to mean nothing.

Tennessee needed the Bengals to lose to Baltimore and victories by Oakland and Denver to earn a playoff berth. And that would land the Titans right back in Houston next week to play the Texans.

“Of course, having a chance to still make the playoffs is a great thing,” running back Chris Johnson said. “That’s one of the team goals around here to make the playoffs and hopefully make it to the Super Bowl.”

The Texans, meanwhile, will head into the franchise’s first postseason on a three-game losing streak and new concerns about their quarterback.

Rookie starter T.J. Yates left the game after one series and was replaced by the 36-year-old Delhomme. Kubiak said Yates had a bruised left shoulder but could’ve returned if necessary.

“Obviously, I didn’t want him to go back in the game,” Kubiak said. “We’ll know better where we’re at (Monday), at this point.”

Delhomme, signed Nov. 29 in the wake of season-ending injuries to starter Matt Schaub and backup Matt Leinart, completed 18 of 28 passes in his first action since December 2010.

Johnson ran for 61 yards to go over 1,000 for the fourth consecutive season, and Rob Bironas kicked three field goals for Tennessee.

“It was an interesting ending,” Munchak said. “Our goal was to come in here and win this game. We did that. We’re 9-7 and that’s all we can control.”

Yates was sacked on Houston’s first snap by Jurrell Casey and Derrick Morgan. He completed passes to Dreessen and James Casey for first downs, before Ben Tate and Derrick Ward started alternating touches for the rest of the drive.

Tate plowed into the end zone with 5:15 left in the first quarter, but Yates came off the field favoring his left shoulder and went to the locker room.

Yates jogged back to the Houston sideline for the start of the second quarter. But after Bironas kicked a 21-yard field goal, Delhomme returned for the Texans’ next possession.

Titans defensive end Dave Ball sacked Delhomme and knocked the ball loose, and safety Chris Hope recovered at the Texans 33. Hasselbeck threw a 25-yard pass to Jared Cook, then found Donnie Avery in the corner of the end zone to move Tennessee in front.

Hasselbeck completed 22 of 35 passes for 297 yards without an interception.

Delhomme threw a 16-yard pass to Andre Johnson to get Houston moving again. Johnson caught two passes and sat out the second half after missing the previous three games with a strained left hamstring.

Notes: Hall and Titans LT Mike Otto left with “probable” concussions, Munchak said. WR Damian Williams has a rib injury, Munchak said, and would be re-evaluated Monday. … Chris Johnson is the third player in Titans history to reach 1,000 yards rushing in at least four straight seasons, joining Eddie George (1996-2000) and Earl Campbell (1978-81). … Bironas extended his own NFL record by kicking a field goal of at least 40 yards in his 10th consecutive game. … The Texans dropped to 5-1 in season finales under Kubiak. … Defensive coordinator Wade Phillips worked from the press box after missing two games following kidney and gall bladder surgery.

HOUSTON – The Tennessee Titans and Houston Texans have different objectives in mind heading into Sunday’s regular-season finale.

For the Titans (8-7), the goal is clear-cut — win at Reliant Stadium and then hope for the magic combination of losses involving Cincinnati, Denver, Oakland and the New York Jets to earn their first playoff berth since 2008.

And that would set up a rematch with the Texans in the first round of the post-season right back in Houston.

“If we don’t take care of our business, there will be no scoreboard watching,” kicker Rob Bironas said. “We’ll be on the couch watching — for all of January.”

For the Texans (10-5), the incentive is more intangible — regaining the momentum they seem to have lost in two consecutive defeats after reeling off seven straight wins to clinch their first AFC South title.

Houston has nothing at stake in terms of post-season positioning. The Texans are locked into the No. 3 seed in the AFC, and will host a game on the first weekend of the playoffs, no matter what happens.

But no one in the locker room wants to go into the franchise’s first post-season game riding a losing streak.

“This game is more important than most people will ever know,” defensive end Antonio Smith said. “You think that since it doesn’t hurt us or help us as far as the playoff run, that it doesn’t matter.

“You’ve got to be firing on all cylinders when you go into the playoffs,” he said. “If not, man, ain’t no telling what will happen.”

The Texans kick-started their regular season with a 41-7 victory in Nashville on Oct. 23. They stayed in first place for the rest of the regular season, despite playing most of their games without star receiver Andre Johnson.

The five-time Pro Bowl selection has been practicing this week, and coach Gary Kubiak expects Johnson to play in the finale. Johnson sat out six games with a right hamstring injury that required minor surgery, started the next two games and then strained his left hamstring. He’s been sidelined for the last three games, and he’s eager to see some action on Sunday, just so he can regain some stamina and timing.

“I’m excited,” Johnson said. “I feel like I haven’t played football all year. It’ll be fun to get back out there and run around a little bit.”

Houston also hopes to have defensive co-ordinator Wade Phillips back calling the plays, but from the press box instead of on the sideline. Phillips, 64, returned to practice this week after undergoing kidney and gall bladder surgery on Dec. 15.

“It’s awesome to have him back,” rookie outside linebacker Brooks Reed said. “He just has that personality where no matter what goes wrong, he’s always calm and I think that is kind of contagious throughout.”

The Titans, meanwhile, only have flickering playoff hopes because of a 23-17 victory over Jacksonville last week. They lost to the previously winless Colts on Dec. 18, a setback that now looms large.

And they also remember how the Texans manhandled them on their home field, holding Tennessee to 148 yards and 11 first downs. Quarterback Matt Hasselbeck conceded that the Titans took their divisional rivals too lightly the first time around.

“I think we probably underestimated how good they were physically,” Hasselbeck said. “They’re one of the premier teams in the NFL this year and it just hasn’t been the case sometimes in the past.

“They were fantastic that game we played against them here,” he said. “They were making plays all over the field in all phases and they really took it to us. I think that’s probably the toughest game we’ve played this year in terms of just, we were feeling one thing and they really disrupted what our thoughts were and took it to us.”

Chris Johnson rushed for only 18 yards in that game, but he’s had three 100-yard games since, all Tennessee victories. Johnson needs only 14 yards rushing on Sunday to reach 1,000 yards for the fourth consecutive season.

“We’re fully aware that he can just break out any time,” Reed said, “and we just need to secure edges and just make sure he doesn’t get out in too many open spaces because that’s where he’s dangerous.”

The Texans’ running backs dominated the earlier meeting.

Arian Foster and Ben Tate both went over 100 yards, and Foster also had 100 yards receiving. Foster, named to the Pro Bowl for the second straight season, has seven 100-yard games this year and has topped 100 yards rushing in Houston’s last two season finales, both victories.

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak has “no interest” in becoming the next head coach at Penn State University, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

It was reported today that Munchak had emerged as Penn State’s top choice to replace Joe Paterno as the Nittany Lions’ next head coach. Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements also ranks highly with the school’s search committee, and may now become the favorite with Munchak out of the running.

Munchak has led the Titans to an 8-7 record through 15 games in his first year at the helm in Tennessee. The former offensive lineman played with the Houston Oilers franchise from 1982-1993, and has been a coach with the Oilers/Titans in some form since 1994.

Penn State is looking to fill their head coaching position for the first time since 1965 after longtime head coach Joe Paterno was fired due to the Jerry Sandusky sexual assault scandal. Paterno became college football’s all-time winningest coach while at Penn State, posting a record of 409-136-3.

Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Munchak has “no interest” in becoming the next head coach at Penn State University, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean.

It was reported today that Munchak had emerged as Penn State’s top choice to replace Joe Paterno as the Nittany Lions’ next head coach. Green Bay Packers quarterbacks coach Tom Clements also ranks highly with the school’s search committee, and may now become the favorite with Munchak out of the running.

Munchak has led the Titans to an 8-7 record through 15 games in his first year at the helm in Tennessee. The former offensive lineman played with the Houston Oilers franchise from 1982-1993, and has been a coach with the Oilers/Titans in some form since 1994.

Penn State is looking to fill their head coaching position for the first time since 1965 after longtime head coach Joe Paterno was fired due to the Jerry Sandusky sexual assault scandal. Paterno became college football’s all-time winningest coach while at Penn State, posting a record of 409-136-3.