The Quest For The Greatest Titan: Bishop vs. Finnegan

Yesterday's matchup between Derrick Mason and Nate Washington was a little closer than the McNair and Verner matchup, but still a blowout. Today's matchup between our 4 and 5 seeds has the chance to be a little closer. Both Blaine Bishop and Cortland Finnegan had similar careers as defensive backs. It will be very interesting to see if this could be the first upset of the tournament.

(4) Blaine Bishop: Bishop was just a classic Titan. He was drafted in the 8th round, and always played with a chip on his shoulder because of that. He was a key player on the Titans' late 90's-early 2000's defenses, and perfectly matched the unit's identity with his toughness. He was a very hard hitting, tough, emotionally driven safety and thanks to those characteristics, developed into a pro bowl player. He also provided some leadership on a defense and team that had a lot of established veterans and personalities. His value was fully on display after his extremely unfortunate exit during the 1999 Super Bowl against the Rams. After a neck injury caused him to have to leave the game on a stretcher, there was just something missing in the secondary, and on the defense as a whole. He was a key cog on that unit. One can only imagine how that game would have gone if Blaine Bishop remained healthy. He still remains very active in the Titans community, working for Titans radio, and though he did spend time at the end of his career as a Philadelphia Eagle, he will always be identified as a classic Tennessee Titan.

(5) Cortland Finnegan: Though there was no Super Bowl appearance for Finnegan, he had a very similar career to Blaine Bishop. He was drafted in the 7th round by the Titans, and also always played with a chip on his shoulder. His toughness on the field will always be remembered by Titans fans. Every Sunday, you could count on Finnegan agitating the other team's number one receiver. Like Bishop, Cortland Finnegan also evolved into a pro bowl defender and team captain. One thing that separates Bishop and Finnegan is the two's respective departures. In 2011, Finnegan left Titans' training camp overnight and went on a short hiatus due to his unhappiness with his contract. As soon as his contract expired, he was out of Nashville. There was never much serious discussion about bringing him back, even after having a fantastic year playing as a slot corner. This left both sides with a somewhat bad taste in each other's mouths. Nevertheless, Cortland Finnegan was always a fan favorite. Considering he was hated by just about every other fanbase, it made Titans fans rally around him even more. He was also a great man in the community. Personally, despite all of the contract nonsense, Finnegan will always be one of my favorite Titans ever.

My vote: This was a pretty tough one. As previously mentioned, both had very similar careers, so it is hard to put one over the other. However, I am going to go with Blaine Bishop here. Two major things put him over the edge for me--his Super Bowl appearance and value in that game, and his continued activity in the Titans community. That being said, I could see this vote going either way. It'll be very interesting to see who comes out on top.

Updated Bracket: