From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2003 Tennessee Titans season
2003 Tennessee Titans season
2003 Tennessee Titans season • Director of Player • Defensive
Personnel – Rich Assistant/
Head coach Jeff Fisher Snead Quality
• Director of College Control –
Home field The Coliseum
Scouting – Mike Chuck Cecil
Ackerley Special Teams
Results
• National Coordinator Coaches
Record 12–4 of College Scouting – • Special Teams
C. O. Brocato – Alan Lowry
Division Place 2nd AFC South
• Director of Pro Strength and
Playoff finish Lost Division Round Scouting – Al Smith Conditioning
Timeline
Head Coaches • Strength and
• Executive Vice Conditioning
President/Head Coach – Steve
Previous season Next season
– Jeff Fisher Watterson
2002 2004 • Assistant Head Coach/ • Assistant
Offense – George Strength and
The 2003 Tennessee Titans season was the team’s 44th Henshaw Conditioning
season and their 34th in the National Football League. At • Assistant Head Coach/ – Sammy
12–4[1] the Titans posted the 15th season with at least ten Linebackers – Gunther Cribb
wins in the franchise’s history dating to their Houston Cunningham
Oilers days. Quarterback Steve McNair threw for 3,215 Offensive Coaches
yards and 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions; he • Offensive Coordinator
also rushed for 138 yards and four touchdowns, all de- – Mike Heimerdinger
spite missing two games to injury, and was named the • Quarterbacks – Craig
NFL’s co-MVP with Peyton Manning of the Titans’ divi- Johnson
sion arch-rival Indianapolis Colts. Eddie George rushed • Running Backs –
for 1,031 yards and five touchdowns while Derrick Mason Sherman Smith
had 1,303 receiving yards and eight touchdowns. Justin • Wide Receivers –
McCareins had 586 punt/kick return yards and a return Steve Walters
touchdown. • Offensive Line – Mike
Munchak
Personnel • Offensive Assistant/
Quality Control – Ned
James
Staff
2003 Tennessee Titans staff
Front Office Defensive Coach-
Regular season
• Founder/Owner/ es
Chairman of the • Defensive Schedule
Board/CEO – Bud Coordinator –
Adams Jim Schwartz Standings
• President/Chief • Defensive
Operating Officer – Line – Jim Game summaries
Jeff Diamond Washburn
• Executive VP/General • Defensive • September 7 vs. Oakland Raiders:
Manager/Director of Backs – In a rematch of the 2002 AFC Title Game the Titans got a
Football Operations – Everett measure of revenge in a game that featured 28 combined
Floyd Reese Withers penalties (17 by the notoriously penalty-prone Raiders).
The Titans took an early 9–3 lead on a Tyrone Calico
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2003 Tennessee Titans season
Week Date Opponent Result TV Time Attendance
1 September 7, 2003 Oakland Raiders W 25–20 ESPN 7:30pm 68,809
2 September 14, 2003 at Indianapolis Colts L 33–7 CBS 12:00pm 56,999
3 September 21, 2003 New Orleans Saints W 27–12 FOX 12:00pm 68,809
4 September 28, 2003 at Pittsburgh Steelers W 30–13 CBS 12:00pm 63,244
5 October 5, 2003 at New England Patriots L 38–30 CBS 12:00pm 68,436
6 October 12, 2003 Houston Texans W 38–17 CBS 12:00pm 68,809
7 October 19, 2003 at Carolina Panthers W 37–17 CBS 12:00pm 72,851
8 October 26, 2003 at Jacksonville Jaguars W 30–17 CBS 12:00pm 55,918
9 Bye
10 November 9, 2003 Miami Dolphins W 31–7 CBS 12:00pm 68,809
11 November 16, 2003 Jacksonville Jaguars W 10–3 CBS 12:00pm 68,809
12 November 23, 2003 at Atlanta Falcons W 38–31 CBS 3:05pm 70,891
13 December 1, 2003 at New York Jets L 24–17 ABC 8:00pm 77,710
14 December 7, 2003 Indianapolis Colts L 29–27 CBS 12:00pm 68,809
15 December 14, 2003 Buffalo Bills W 28–26 CBS 12:00pm 68,809
16 December 21, 2003 at Houston Texans W 27–24 CBS 12:00pm 70,758
17 December 28, 2003 Tampa Bay Buccaneers W 33–13 FOX 12:00pm 68,809
AFC South
W L T PCT DIV CONF PF PA STK
Indianapolis Colts 12 4 0 .750 5–1 9–3 447 336 W1
Tennessee Titans 12 4 0 .750 4–2 8–4 435 324 W3
Jacksonville Jaguars 5 11 0 .313 2–4 3–9 276 331 L1
Houston Texans 5 11 0 .313 1–5 3–9 255 380 L4
touchdown catch (with a missed PAT) and 50-yard field by returning a Tommy Maddox interception 60 yards.
goal from ex-Raider Joe Nedney while the kicker who re- The Titans triumphed 30–13.
placed Nedney in Oakland, Sebastian Janikowski, drilled • October 5 at New England Patriots:
a 47-yarder in the first quarter. Nedney himself was in- One of the most ferocious games of the season for both
jured during the game, so Craig Hentrich came off the clubs, the game lead changed on almost every possession.
bench and booted three additional field goals for the Ti- Two Titans field goals (by Craig Hentrich and Gary An-
tans. The Raiders kept the game close as Steve McNair derson) in the first were followed by a 58-yard Tom Brady
managed two touchdown throws and Rich Gannon added touchdown to Troy Brown. Adam Vinatieri missed two
two for the Raiders, but Hentrich’s 33-yard boot in the fi- field goal tries while Anderson also missed, leaving the
nal minute sealed a 25–20 Titans win. halftime score 13–7 Tennessee, but from the start of the
• September 14 at Indianapolis Colts: second half the two teams erupted as the Patriots behind
Peyton Manning defeated the Titans for the first time in 153 rushing yards by Antowain Smith and reserve back
his career in a 33–7 rout. Mike Vanderjagt kicked four Mike Cloud scored on all five second-half possessions.
field goals and Nick Harper snatched a Steve McNair INT McNair rushed in two touchdowns to go with a total of
and ran it back 75 yards for a fourth-quarter touchdown. four Anderson field goals, but with the Patriots leading
The loss put the Titans in an early hole in the AFC South 31–27 McNair was picked off by a hobbled Ty Law for
division race. a 65-yard Patriots touchdown. The final Anderson field
• September 28 at Pittsburgh Steelers: goal was followed by an onside kick recovered by the Pa-
McNair missed only one throw in sixteen attempts, com- triots for a 38–30 Titans loss.
piling 161 passing yards and three touchdowns. Rocky • October 12 vs. Houston Texans:
Boiman added his own touchdown in the fourth quarter
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2003 Tennessee Titans season
to just ten points in a 10–3 win over the Jaguars. Gary An-
derson booted a 33-yard field goal and Justin McCareins
caught a five-yard score from McNair. Jacksonville was
limited to a Seth Marler field goal in the fourth as Byron
Leftwich was sacked six times and threw two picks.
• November 23 at Atlanta Falcons:
The Titans surrendered 21 first-quarter points on an
Allen Rossum punt return, a T.J. Duckett rushing score,
and a Doug Johnson throw caught by Warrick Dunn at the
Falcons 20 and run in for an 86-yard touchdown. But in
the second the Falcons dropped a punt at their five yard
line and the Titans recovered; McNair then rifled a touch-
down to Frank Wycheck, but had to leave the game with
a strained calf. Billy Volek threw for 117 yards and one
touchdown while Eddie George rushed for 115 yards and
a score, ultimately securing a 38–31 Titans win, the club’s
largest comeback win since the 1978 Oilers season.
• December 1 at New York Jets:
With an epic 38–34 loss to the New England Patriots the
day before, the Indianapolis Colts gave the Titans an
opening to take the division lead, but on Monday Night
Football against the 4–7 Jets the Titans came out flat at
The Meadowlands. Future Jet Justin McCareins caught a
59-yard touchdown from Steve McNair in the first quar-
The Titans take the field against the Texans on October 12. ter, but from there the Jets behind Chad Pennington
erupted, scoring 24 points over the next three quarters.
In the first of the two teams’ semi-annual "Houston Oilers The Titans were stopped on downs when McNair tried to
Bowls" matchups the Titans honored former Oilers de- rifle a pass on 4th and 3 at the Jets goalline, and later
fensive end Elvin Bethea during halftime. McNair threw clawed to 24–17 in the final 1:52 but the Jets recovered
for a career-high 421 yards and three touchdowns in a the ensuing onside kick. McNair competed despite the
38–17 rout of the Texans. David Carr of Houston threw strained calf from the previous week and was 21 of 35 for
two touchdowns but was picked off three times and An- 272 yards, two touchdowns, and two picks.
dre Dyson returned one pick for a 51-yard Titans score. • December 7 vs. Indianapolis Colts:
• October 19 at Carolina Panthers: Following losses to AFC East teams the week before the
A week after the Panthers ended the unbeaten streak of 9–3 Colts and 9–3 Titans squared off for the division lead.
the Indianapolis Colts, the Titans ended Carolina’s own Five Mike Vanderjagt field goals helped the Colts build a
win streak in a 37–17 runaway. After rushing in a seven- 29–13 fourth-quarter lead, but the Titans stormed back
yard touchdown in the first quarter, Steve McNair gave with McNair touchdowns to Robert Holcombe and Der-
way to backup Billy Volek on a fake punt; Volek took the rick Mason; Mason’s score came with 2:52 to go in regu-
snap and threw a 50-yard score to Eddie Berlin. McNair lation, but a two-point conversion was stopped when the
returned to the game and added a touchdown throw to Colts swatted down a McNair throw. The Colts killed the
Drew Bennett and Keith Bulluck ran in a 23-yard fumble clock afterward for a 29–27 Titans loss that ended any
for a touchdown. Jake Delhomme of the Panthers man- hope of the division title.
aged two touchdown throws in his first loss as Panthers • December 14 vs. Buffalo Bills:
starter. A failed two-point conversion wound up deciding the
• November 9 vs. Miami Dolphins: outcome of a Titans game for the second straight week.
The Titans forced three interceptions from Dolphins Lingering injuries to McNair put Billy Volek into the
quarterback Brian Griese and also recovered two Dol- starting role for this game. The Buffalo Bills erupted to a
phins fumbles en route to a 31–7 win. McNair had two 17–6 third quarter lead, but Volek threw two touchdowns
touchdown throws and 223 yards passing while the lone and ran in a third as the Titans took a 28–20 lead late
Dolphins score came from future Texans quarterback in the fourth. Drew Bledsoe led the Bills down the field
Sage Rosenfels on a fourth-quarter score to Donald Lee. and threw a six-yard touchdown strike to Mark Campbell
• November 16 vs. Jacksonville Jaguars: with 24 seconds to go in regulation, but the two-point try
After seven straight games where they scored at leats 27 was dropped in the endzone, and the ensuing onside kick
points (six straight with at least 30), the Titans were held was recovered by the Titans, ending a 28–26 Tennessee
win.
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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia 2003 Tennessee Titans season
Week Date Opponent Result Attendance
Wild-Card January 3, 2004 at Baltimore Ravens W 20–17 69,452
Divisional January 10, 2004 at New England Patriots L 17–14 68,436
• December 21 at Houston Texans: triots faced off in a grinder. A 41-yard Tom Brady touch-
McNair’s final start of the regular season turned into a down to Bethel Johnson was answered with a Titans drive
hard-fought back-and-forth affair as the Texans strove ending in a 5-yard Chris Brown rushing score. Both Gary
for their first win over the team that left Houston after Anderson and Adam Vinatieri missed field goal tries in
1996. In the third quarter Marlon McCree ran back a the bitter cold, but Vinatieri broke a 14-all tie with 4:06
McNair pick 95 yards for a touchdown (10–10 score), then to go with a 46-yard field goal. Having used all their time-
the Texans fumbled the ball and Samari Rolle ran in a outs, the Titans were forced to go for a long throw on 4th
61-yard Titans score (17–10 Titans). A Domanick Williams and 12 at the Patriots 42 in the game’s final two minutes;
touchdown run with 2:48 to go in the fourth put Houston as a Patriots blitz stormed through McNair unloaded a
up 24–20, but McNair led the Titans down the field and desperation heave; Drew Bennett, who had just made two
threw the game-winning 23-yard score to Drew Bennett incredible sideline catches, was surrounded by Patriots
with 17 seconds remaining and a 27–24 Titans final. as he leapt for the ball, but it bounced off his fingers for a
• December 28 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers: game-deciding incompletion, a 17–14 Patriots win and a
Tampa’s nightmarish season as defending Super Bowl bitter ending to the Titans season.
champions finally ended in a 33–13 humiliation. Titans
backup Neil O’Donnell was the starter and threw for 232
yards and two touchdowns. Brad Johnson of the Bucs
threw three interceptions and backup Shaun King added
Playoffs
a fourth and in the fourth also fumbled the ball in his
endzone for a Titans score. References
• AFC Wildcard Playoffs at Baltimore Ravens:
[1] 2003 Tennessee Titans
Turnovers were an order of the night as Steve McNair
was picked off three times – Will Demps of the Ravens 2003 NFL season
ran back a first-quarter INT for a 56-yard tying touch- AFC East North South West East Nor
down – and Ravens quarterback Anthony Wright threw Buffalo Baltimore Houston Denver Dallas Chi
two picks. The Titans built a 17–10 fourth quarter lead
Miami Cincinnati Indianapolis Kansas NY Giants Det
before Wright tied the game with a 35-yard score to Todd
City
Heap with 4:30 left in regulation. But McNair led the Ti-
tans down the field and ran down enough clock that the New Cleveland Jacksonville Oakland Philadelphia Gre
game-winning Gary Anderson field goal (46 yards) came England
with 29 seconds left. The Titans advanced to the Division- NY Jets Pittsburgh Tennessee San Washington Min
al round with a 20–17 win. Diego
• AFC Divisional Playoffs at New England Patriots: 2003 NFL Draft • NFL Playoffs • Pro Bowl • Super Bowl XXXVIII
On a brutally cold night with temperatures barely above
zero and wind chills well below zero, the Titans and Pa-
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Categories:
• Tennessee Titans seasons
• 2003 National Football League season by team
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