The Steelers haven't allowed a 100 yard rusher this year, but they haven't faced Crazy Legs and this offensive line either.  I'm hoping Dinger can give the kid a rest over the next few weeks, but still have him be very productive (i.e. high YPC average) against these next 2 tough opponents.

 Looking for a guide to hating the Steelers?  You can always count on KSK to come through in the clutch.

 Why did Titans LB Keith Bulluck get snubbed from the Pro Bowl?  Thank the sack numbers outside rushers get to collect in the 3-4 defense.  Nice to see an NFL star get snubbed for not being a one trick pony.

 A lot of people have justifiably been day pole-jocking the Steelers D (lord knows I would be if the Titans' D had those stats), but lets not pretend like anything other than points matter, and we're only .4 points behind them on a per game average.

 Finnegan vs. Ward should indeed be a heck of a match-up, but I'm really hoping it shakes-out where Finnegan is on the speedy Santonio Holmes more often, and Ward is covered by the crafty Nick Harper.

 Vince Young filed a lawsuit against some jokers from Houston who copyrighted "VY" and variations on the theme "InVinceable", rookie CB Cary Williams is headed to the IR after getting hurt last weekend and new practice squad DT Amon Gordon will be active for Sunday's game to take the place of Haynesworth and Vickerson.

 Rookie Jason Jones has been a huge addition to our D-line and a big reason there's a lot more depth this year, but did you know he's also got a little Columbo in him?  Observe:

  • Rookie DT Jason Jones, who gets the start in Albert Haynesworth’s spot on Sunday, has been wearing the jerseys of fallen teammates Haynesworth and Kevin Vickerson (currently serving a four-game suspension) in practice in recent days. But it is not out of tribute that he donned Vickerson’s No. 96 last Friday or Haynesworth’s familiar No. 92 on Wednesday.

It is much simpler than that for the rookie, who usually wears No. 91.

"Rookie pranks are still going on in the locker room right now. Right now, I can’t find both of my practice jerseys," Jones said. "I’ve got a couple of suspects in mind right now. I’m doing a little private investigation. I’m not going to release (the names) right now. There are some funny guys in this locker room."

 Savor the late season match-up of teams with this good of combined records, because they a few times a decade:

Since 1995, there have been only five previous games in the final two weeks of the regular season featuring teams with five or fewer combined losses.

The Titans were part of such a game in their Super Bowl season in 1999 -- when a 13-1 Jacksonville team came to play the 11-3 Titans and lost.

 For the Nashville area fans, The Sporting News has a great read with TSU product Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

I know you good people are reading more great articles than I can track down each day, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

This Kerry Collins song writing thing isn't going away:

"I am a songwriter who has a little hobby, a second career," Collins joked by phone from his Brentwood home, during his only day off this week from football.

I guess being in Music City gives the Titans a leg-up when free agency roles around this off season!

 Carolina is trying to steal the 'Smash and Dash' nickname.  It doesn't have the radio appeal of a song about someone stealing your woman, but I'd still like to hear Kerry write a ballad about it.

 The Titans didn't get any of their last 3 games flexed for various reasons the Tennesseean doesn't bother to list here, but mainly it's because CBS wouldn't give-up the Steelers game (they can protect 1 game per week since flexed games go to NBC) and everyone expects the Colts to already have their playoff spot locked-up by the time we meet for the season finale.

 In the most unsurprising news item of the week, Jeff Fisher polled the highest in ESPN's head coach approval ratings with 91%.  Also unsuprising, Tony Dungy came in second with 78% approval. 

 Paul Kuharsky makes a pretty solid argument that the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't anymore successful against good teams than our Titans, despite the league's observers clamoring to hold them up as grizzled vets ready for playoff battles:

But Pittsburgh has played seven games against teams that currently have winning records and the team is 4-3 in those games, with two wins by 7 points or less. Tennessee has played five games against teams that currently have winning records and is 4-1 in those games with two wins by seven points or less.

 This year's seventh round draft pick, CB Cary Williams, has been promoted to the active roster to fill the spot left by Kevin Vickerson.  Cary is a tall, rangey DB with loads of potential, and it'd be nice if he could model himself after another seventh round CB on the roster who is probably headed to Honolulu...

 Brett Cervenka of houstontexans.com scouts the Titans, and sticks to the nitty gritty.

 Bucky Brooks is among the many who are already etching Matt Ryan's name on the ROY trophy. Could some late season heroics from Crazy Legs change their minds?  I'd love to see him try!

 It ain't just Houstonians hoping we slip-up against the Texans: Ravens fans hope that a loss this week would keep the Steelers game the following week relevant, thus helping their chances of winning the division should we knock-off the boys from Pitt. 

 I swear I'm going to start a sporadic blog just to track people who insanely think Tim Tebow is going in the first round, or to be a good NFL QB.  It ain't happening folks.

I know you good people are reading more great articles than I can track down each day, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0! 10-0!

 Would everyone else here please join me in welcoming Justin Gage to the season.

 Chris Carr got his shot as a DB, and boy did he ever seize the opportunity.  Between Carr and the outstanding play of our reserve defensive lineman like Ball and Vickerson, how could any team claim more depth or talent on defense?  Now we just need to get guys like Boom King and Jason Jones healthy again...

 With Kerry's play over the last few weeks ad this defense making opponents question their life-path, it's safe to say we're never going to be out of a game this year.

 Harper is hurt, Eric King is out for 6 weeks, Bulluck is in more pain and the rib is getting worse, Hill has a hip pointer injury and is generally terrible on defense... at least coaches said 7th round draft pick Cary Williams has been showing improvement on the practice squad because he may get the call this week.

 Peter King finally jumps on board the Titans bandwagon, and he gives our guys the first 4 paragraphs of this week's MMQB column:

Maybe if I keep picking against them, it'd be a lock. "Make sure u pick jets next week!'' was the text message from Tennessee defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz an hour after the Titans came back to beat the Jags convincingly on the road, 24-14. No can do, coach.

 Well whatdaya know, Florio jumped the gun again...

 Paul Kuharsky and I had the same thought after Brandon Jones' odd celebration: did he just reference that off season arrest for gun possession at Nashville International Airport?  If you're going to get a flag, maybe he should get with Crazy Legs and come up with some better celebrations.

 ESPN The Magazine writer Ishita Singh digs up some hilarious Fun Facts on Kerry Collins, including a hilarious Onion Headline:

What a career for Kerry Collins. First he overcomes alcoholism, then racism and now his own incompetence.

 Here's a good sign your team is having an epic year:

And how about this for sheer conference dominance: If the Titans beat the New York Jets next Sunday in Nashville, they'd have a four-game lead in the so-called battle for homefield advantage through the playoffs with five games left.

There's a whole lot of internet out there, so if you have a link you'd like to submit for tomorrow's Morning Links, email me at mcmaugustwest@gmail.com!  (Be sure to include your commenting handle so I can give you semi-anonymous credit.)

Jack Del Rio doesn't think the Titans are an elite AFC team, and Fisher wants the boys in 2 toned blue to know it.

 Jeff Fisher runs down his 10 most defining moments of the past 10 years in Tennessee, and the 2002 beard that lead us back from a 1-4 start makes no appearance. I call shenanigans!

 The Titans start the season at 16 in ESPN's Power Rankings, just above the Bucs and Jets... eww gross.

 Michael Griffin becomes the first player kicked out of practice since Big Albert in 2003 after blowing up on Cary Williams, and Rob Bironas is finally off of the injury report; now if we can just teach Rob to catch passes...

 A sportswriter thinks the pressure is on for Vince Young.  In other news the sun rose in the east today and water is expected to be wet.

 Bud Adams unveils the new Titans Ring of Honor that covers the Oilers years as well, but my favorite part is reading the comment left by an irate Houston fan at the bottom:

Disgusting. Those are basically ALL Oilers who played in a city hundreds of miles away. Who really cares that much in Tenn about these guys? Just Bud trying to rececitate the team he KILLED once again.

Comment boards > barstools for laughably bitter and irrational comments.

 Using caveman era standards that provide no context, the Titans D was ranked 5th last year and looking to improve on that ranking, according to the Tennessean.  However a closer and smarter analysis shows they were the tops last year, which I guess means they were double first place while Albert was healthy...

 Hang on, those same smart stat guys predict that we'll bomb this year?  Those idiots can make numbers say anything!  Stats are worthless!!!!  Note: They also have been touting the Texans as a wildcard-or-near-wildcard team... I'm a much bigger beliver in stats as analysis for why things happened, than what will happen, especially in the NFL where the sample size in miniscule.

 I'd like to extend a special finger to Roger Godell for needlessly urinating on Ryan Fowlers reputation, then backing off because there was never any reasonable evidence.  Jerk.

From the City Paper Confidential:

When camp breaks, the dizzy bat race involving the rookies is usually the most noteworthy item. Not this time, however. While all the other Titans rookies were being spun around and pelted with ice and Gatorade, injured rookies Lavelle Hawkins and Cary Williams got it 10 times worse. They were taped to a light pole by Keith Bulluck, Albert Haynesworth and Rob Bironas, then sprayed with mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise, chocolate syrup and baby powder. On top of that, it then began to rain, drenching them in the mess.

Terry McCormick also mentions that Steve McNair paid a vist to practice.  It is the first time Air McNair has been at the Titans facility since he was locked out before the 2006 season.  McNair is still my all-time favorite Titan.  I am glad to see that he has put that whole incident behind him.

Jim Wyatt tells those of us who want Anquan Boldin to dream on.  I think all of us are aware that it won't happen, but it is nice to dream.  I don't know why Wyatt feels the need to take that away from us.  It would really be awesome if it did happen now since he came out with such a matter of fact statement.

Wyatt also has 5 things we know from camp, and 5 questions we still have.  # 2 in 5 things we don't know is are the receivers up to the challenge?  I think that should be in the 5 things we know because the answer is obviously no.