Yesterday was weird for me because after the game I felt OK. Sure I was sad, but I was able to tell myself that this stuff happens in sports. I went to sleep last night with no real problem...
...Then the dreams came. I had at least two dreams about the game and have been playing it over and over in my mind ever since. I think the reason it hurts the most is two fold:
1. There are about three plays in the game that if just one of them goes the other way we are probably talking about the AFC Championship game this morning. 2000 was different because we could really blame all of it on Al Del Greco. That was by no means fair to Del Greco, but that was the easiest thing to try and move on for the loss. There is no one person to blame for that loss yesterday. Penalties, a missed field goal, blown coverage, and fumbles. It is really impossible to blame any one person for all of that.
2. There is no reason this team couldn't have won the Super Bowl. Last season I never really bought us as a legitimate Super Bowl contender, so when we lost it was a lot easier to sit back and say it was a great season and something awesome to build on. This year there is not a single team out there that is just flat out better than the Titans. The Ravens were better yesterday when it mattered the most, but they aren't a team the Titans couldn't beat if they play good football.
In the NFL you don't get too many chances like the one the Titans had this season. You can tell that by all of the comments already on this site about what happens with a lot of key guys on the team in the offseason. 1999 was a miracle run, but 2000 and 2008 were years that this team really had a solid shot to win it all. That is why I have this feeling in my stomach.