Can Titans Achieve Perfection?

So here we are midway through the NFL season, a season marked with big name injuries (see Brady, Tom), off the field drama (see Johnson, Larry), coaching changes (see Kiffin, Lane), and big disappointments (see Bengals, Cincinnati). The biggest surprise thus far, however, has been the Tennessee Titans.

A team that many wrote off before the season began as the third best team in its division is now the only unbeaten team left in the NFL. But can the Titans match the Patriots feat of last season? Is this a team poised for a perfect season?

To answer these questions, we look at how the Titans got to 7-0 and also the trials that lay ahead.

Their first game of the season somewhat set the tone for the weeks to come, establishing the defense as a mainstay for a winning program. The speedy Chris Johnson also made a strong case to be the feature back, or at least take a number of carries from big, lumbering LenDale. They followed this program in the following weeks, taking down the Bengals, Texans, and Vikings by a staggering combined margin of 85-36. This, while their franchise quarterback Vince Young had been standing on the sidelines, watching an old legend, Kerry Collins, run what was supposed to be his show. With a full head of steam the Titans faced a team cut from the same mold as themselves, the Ravens. Touting a quick, aggressive defense, the Ravens fought the Titans back and forth, with both offenses having trouble fighting for yards on every drive. In the end, Kerry Collins was able to lead his team on an 80-yard drive, showing why the team has been so keen to keep him on the field and their strong, young, dynamic, expensive quarterback of the future off the field.

Coming off the bye week, the Chiefs were hardly a hinderance, and the Titans were heading into this weeks matchup against the Indianapolis Colts brimming with confidence, even faced with a team that many believed to be exponentially better than their 3-3 record. It was a game that was a statement game for both sides. The Titans on one hand had an opportunity to put themselves leaps and bounds above any other team in their division, and also to take down the perennial division leader. The Colts on the other hand, almost needed to win this game. At 3-3 they were shooting par, regardless of how good they or anyone else thinks they are. A win would also bring them a bit closer to the top of the division, a spot they were starting to be a lock for year in and year out (see Patriots, New England).

The score isn't a very accurate measure of how the game went. While the Colts' offense looked out of sync against the stifling Tennesse defense, they were still leading 14-6 with ten minutes left in the third quarter. After a Titans drive ending in a LenDale White touchdown and a 2-point conversion, Colts coach Tony Dungy made a few questionable calls on 4th down situations, and after the Titans' D stopped them short, momentum began its shift.

It seemed as if the Colts were easily going to make it downfield and score, but were faced with a short 4th down at midfield. With the score the way it was, and with over a quarter left to play, Dungy left Manning on the field (or Manning forced Dungy to leave him in), and the Colts were stopped short. After that play, the Titans went on to score 17 more unanswered points, thanks to another turnover on downs and a Manning interception. (On a side note I use this time to lobby for a change in NFL stats keeping, Dallas Clark clearly should have made that catch and had he not let the ball clunk off his head, there would have been no interception. My point: somehow credit Clark with the turnover, not Manning.) Needing three scores with less than four minutes to go, the Colts were inevitabily doomed to mediocrity for the first half of the season, and the Titans could sleep dreaming of sugar-plum fairies dancing around a 16-0 final record.

Only time will tell if the Titans can remain undefeated, but they face a daunting second-half schedule, with games against the Packers, Bears, Jaguars, Steelers, and Colts. The Pack is coming off a bye, so expect Aaron Rodgers to be throwing with a healthier arm. Chicago brings the threat of a hard-nosed defense and a cold weather game. Jacksonville looks to avenge its earlier loss with a healthy offensive line. The Steelers always play the Titans tough and hope their Pro Bowl running back Willie Parker can return sometime soon. Should the Titans remain lossless going into the final game, the Colts have a chance to play spoiler in Indianapolis. Undoubtedly they have a tough road ahead, but they have plenty of confidence and are playing the best football since Wycheck to Dyson.

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Why, Reggie, Why?

Reggie Bush, arguably one of the best players to ever wear a Trojan uniform, was a god at USC. As an incoming freshman in 2005, I had inherited one of the strongest football teams that college football had ever seen. Among the laundry list of offensive weapons that that particular team had, Bush was easily the most dangerous. Each time Bush touched the ball, you were forced to hold your breath from fear of having it taken away. Unfortunately, even gods make mistakes.

Back in 2006, rumors surfaced about the possibility that Bush and his family had broken NCAA rules by accepting improper benefits from prospective sports agents. A lawsuit was filed against Bush by sports agent Lloyd Lake, who claimed that Bush and his family had accepted almost $300,000 in financial benefits during his career at USC. According to NCAA legislation, an athlete must retain his amateur status in order to compete for his respective school. An athlete loses his amateur status if he uses his athletic skill for financial compensation in any form, or if he accepts any promise of pay, even if it comes after his collegiate career is over. According to the allegations of the suit, Bush and his family had started asking for money in late 2004, claiming that they had fallen on financial troubles and were no longer able to support the particular lifestyle they wished to have...

Supreme Court Judge Joan Lewis recently denied a motion brought by Bush’s attorneys to settle the lawsuit through confidential arbitration as opposed to a public trial. This spells good news for the NCAA, which will have greater access to evidence from a public trial.
However, even if Bush is found guilty of accepting improper benefits while competing as an amateur collegiate athlete, it remains to be determined whether the University of Southern California will be punished as well.

Back in 2001, the NCAA amended its policies that relieved some of the responsibility that schools bore for their amateur athletes who are constantly approached by agents and organizations. The deciding factor on whether or not the University of Southern California will be punished will be how much the university knew of Bush’s actions, and when they knew it by.

If Lake’s allegations are found to be correct, Bush will almost undoubtedly be found guilty of breaking NCAA regulations. What IS debatable, however, is how exactly Bush and USC should be punished for their wrongdoings. According to experts, if Bush and USC are both found guilty of breaking NCAA regulations, Bush may have to give up the Heisman Trophy he won in 2005, and USC may have to retrospectively forfeit games won in 2004 and 2005. Most importantly, USC may have to cough up the national championship they won in 2004 by defeating Oklahoma.

In my opinion, the punishment should always fit the crime. NCAA rules are very specific about an athlete’s amateur status. If Bush and family are found to have accepted improper financial assistance while Bush was supposedly an amateur athlete at USC, he will be found to have forfeited his amateur status at USC, meaning he was never eligible to play football for USC. It would thus make sense for Bush to relinquish his Heisman Trophy from 2005, likely handing it over to Vince Young. And since it is alleged that Bush’s family began accepting improper finances in 2004, it would also make sense for USC to forfeit their national championship in 2004 for suiting up a non-amateur running back.

As a Trojan myself, I will be the first to express my disappointment at the emergence of these allegations against Reggie Bush. But I will also give my fellow Trojan the benefit of the doubt, and will choose to believe nothing until all the evidence is revealed at the trial.

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