Titans over Colts on a SIXTY Yard Figgie at the Gun

Sorry for the lack of football picks in advance for this weekend, but I really didn't have too much invested in the college games going on over the weekend, and sometimes, there are definitely more important things in life that require our attention, as was the case this weekend :).

After sleeping in thanks to coming home late from Nashville, I got up in time to watch the Titans play the Colts in Nashville on TV yesterday. Having beaten the Titans sevent straight times by an average of 17 points, yesterday should have been an easy win for the Colts, and as they went up 14-0 in the first half, it looked like it might be 8 in a row...BUT, the Titans had gone 4-4 with Vince Young as the starting QB after starting 0-5, they played the Colts very tough at Indy a few weeks ago, and they pulled off a miraculous comeback against the Giants last week, so I wasn't ready to count them out. Slowly, they began chipping away at the lead, they came up with a few defensive stops they needed, and found themselves tied with the mighty Colts in the final minute. Vince Young drove them down the field, but on the last play before the field goal, he slipped, hurt his ankle, and limped off the field...not a good omen if they have to play OT.

As they set up for the final play, it would be a 60 yard FG try for Titans' PK Rob Bironas (who had a career long of 53 coming in), and I had a sinking feeling that if he missed it and the game went to OT, the Colts would steal this one...BUT, the Titans are a young team playing with confidence and the wind was at his back. I actually was a place kicker, among other things, when I played football in HS and college. The longest kick I ever made was 50 yards, and that was in practice, with no rush, and certainly not with 60,000+ fans screaming in my ear...so I knew it would be a tough kick. I watched the kick attempt unfold, the snap was good, the kick looked solid, it cleared the line (always a concern with long FGs b/c the ball comes out at a lower trajectory), and I thought, hey, it looks accurate, wait, it could make it, HOLY CRAP, the guy behind the goalposts caught it...IT'S GOOD!!! Titans' color man Mike Keith was just about as speechless as I was, I ran around my hotel room like a little kid, yelling, "No way, he made it, Oh my God, no freakin' way, I can't believe what I just saw!" That, my friends, was a fun game to watch. Now, the Titans are 5-4 since Vince Young took over, the D is starting to come together, and the special teams are among the best in the league. They won't make the playoffs this year, but they are a legitimately frisky and dangerous young team that is going places in 2007 and that no one wants to play down the stretch this season...should be interesting and fun to watch.