I want to start by saying thank you to August West for picking up a lot of writing while I have been out.  We are finally back home, so the writing on the site should be back to normal.  Here are my thoughts on the game:

1^st Quarter

-It was good to see Chris Hope make a good play early in the game after what happened to him in Cincinnati last season

-Why can't we find anyone to return punts or kicks?

-Note Kerry Collins career TDs 174 to INTs 172

-Mawae should have blocked Rivers on that first play instead of the inside backer

-Big whiff by Amano on the 2^nd play

-Jail break on the 3^rd play. Bad first series for the offensive line- you don't see that very often

-The defense scared me a little early, but they ended up playing very well

-The defense forced 2 fumbles on the second drive but weren't able to recover either

-I love the look with KVB standing up and playing linebacker

-Hope was all over the field early in the game

-Collins makes very quick decisions

-The D line was a little excited in this game

-Chris Perry made a really nice catch on the swing pass from Palmer, of course the Titans were all over it

-Why in the world did the Bengals run into Carr when he called the fair catch?

-The Round Mound is still running it hard

-Gage had a big drop right at the end of the first quarter

End of 1^st Quarter

2^nd Quarter

-Brandon Jones learned how to catch. Great throw by Collins on time

-The throw to Bo Scaife was dangerous, but I think it would have worked if he didn't get tripped

-Great push by the O line plus Ahmard Hall on The Round Mound's TD plunge

-I love it when the other team runs on first and second down and ends up with 3^rd and 13

-The Titans got really lucky to get the ball back on the Collins fumble. It takes Collins a long time to wind up and throw when he is trying to go deep

-Alan Lowry better be putting in some extra time this week after his unit got a punt partially blocked for the 2^nd straight week

-Chad Johnson's catch with 7:45 left in the 2^nd quarter was the first catch by either he or Housh

-Ryan Fowler had some big plays in this game. He is an unsung hero against the run

-Johnson turned around our boy Finnegan

-The Titans defense looked pretty bad on the Bengals TD drive that covered 63 yards in 11 plays. Glad to see they made the necessary adjustments afterwards

-It is great that the Titans have a guy like Chris Johnson who can break a play even when Fisher is being conservative It would have been nice to see him get out of bounds there, stopping the clock, and not get thrown to the ground

-Nice throw by Collins and move by 12 Gage to get the TD

-Finnegan looked bad on the 2 screen plays right before the half. Did you notice who made the tackle 36 yards down the field on the second one? That's right, KVB

Halftime

Second half after the jump

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Thanks, as always, to everyone who participated in Sunday's open game thread.  We had more comments than last week, and the same number of users.  Let's keep it going on Sunday when the Titans improve to 3-0.

HEAD COACH JEFF FISHER

Initial comments ...

"Someone pointed out to me a few minutes ago that this is the first time we've started out 2-0 since 1999. It's hard to believe that, but the reason we're 2-0 is because we had everyone contribute for the second consecutive week. Today was a great effort in very unusual circumstances. I've been in a lot of games, including games at the Meadowlands, and never can I remember a game where wind was more of a factor than it was today. I thought for the most part that both teams did a nice job adjusting to the wind and respecting the wind. Overall, we liked the game plan going into this week. Despite some stuff we had going on earlier in the week, the guys stayed focused. I give my congratulations to them because this game was important for us to win. Injury-wise, we have some bumps and bruises. I'll have more information later, but I don't think anyone is at risk to miss playing time next week."

How much impact do you think the wind had on the game?

"Obviously it affected the kicking game. We adjusted and went to the tight punt. We narrowed down Craig Hentrich's distance, and just one-stepped it out. When you do that, you hinder your ability to cover because everyone is so tight. We felt like we had a shot to get our hands on a punt if we had them backed up. We just made a push and Keith Bullock made a great play. I don't think we threw a pass in the fourth quarter because we couldn't afford to. Both offensive game plans were shrunk down do to the wind."

You guys seemed to be persistent when it came to sticking with the run ...

"You've go to stick with the run, especially when you're protecting a little bit of a lead and trying to run some time off the clock."

At what point did you know the wind was going to be such a big factor in the game?

"It was during warm-ups. The wind was swirling, primarily from the south. We knew it was going to affect the passing game either way. They elected to take the wind in the fourth quarter, which didn't end up working to their advantage. I would have made the same decision Marvin Lewis did, because we had talked about it before the game."

Does the fact that Kerry Collins has such a strong arm help in a game like this?

"Mike Heimerdinger did a good job with Kerry, not asking him to do too much. He didn't want to take too many chances down the field because the ball sails."

You brought Chris Johnson in to change games, and that 50-yard run at the end of the half really changed this game, didn't it?

"That is why he's here. That was a huge play. The way Carson Palmer is (with less than two minutes left on the clock), you don't want to give them the ball back. We were just going to be patient. It was the first false start where I can almost thank a player, because we had a different play called. So we ran the draw and got a big play."

Are you potentially a better team with Kerry at quarterback?

"We won this game with Kerry, and we won last time he started. I think Vince is 18-11 as the starter."

You have to be happy with the defense's play in the red zone ...

"I'm pleased with the defense's play overall. We gave up a touchdown by missing a tackle, and that can't happen."

Were you worried that the situation with Vince Young would be a distraction to the team this week?

"No, I wasn't worried about it at all. I watched these guys practice, they met with him, and they're his teammate. They care about him, and they just went about their business."

How good a job did Kerry do in these conditions, managing the game and not turning it over?

"Kerry played well."

What do you have to see from Vince once he's healthy in order to get him back in the lineup?

"He's going to have to grasp the game plan and be the quarterback we drafted him to be. I felt all along that he had a good training camp and a good preseason."

Is that something he must show you in practice?

"I think this is going to be a good experience for Vince - to sit here and watch Kerry do what Kerry did. He's never really had an opportunity to sit behind a veteran quarterback and watch him grasp a game plan and put it into play. That experience will be very useful to him over the next week or so."

Kerry Collins after the jump.

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It feels good to be 2-0.  The Titans have typically been slow starters so it is a relief to see them win their first two.

Kerry Collins looked good today.  His numbers weren't staggering, 14-21, 128, 1 TD, but he put up exactly the numbers this team needs from thier quarterback. 

Chris Johnson was really good again.  I think we will see a lot of games like this where he goes for carries of something like 2,3, 2, 4, and then 51.  It is exciting every time he touches the ball.

This defense is outstanding.  They gave up some yards today, but they were able to make the big plays when it counted.  They said on the radio that Jason Jones got a piece of the missed field goal, and of course their was Keith Bulluck who blocked a punt and recovered it for a touchdown to put the ball away.

The special teams was pretty bad again, but we won't talk about that right now.  Let's enjoy 2-0.  August will have the links in the morning.

     VS.     

NUTS AND BOLTS

Date: September 14th, 2008
Time: 12:00 p.m. Central
Location: Paul Brown Stadium, Cincinnati, Ohio
Records: Titans (1-0) Bengals (0-1)
Weather: 77 degrees, 30% chance of rain, Wind SW 11 mph
TV: CBS
Radio: 103.3 WKDF
Bengals Coverage: Cincy Jungle and The Cincinnati Enquirer
Titans Gameday Central

This is a bit of a revenge game for the Titans.  Hopefully they will come out and hit them in the mouth from the opening kickoff.  Continue the conversation below.

GO TITANS!!