Titans-Bengals Preview

SCOUTING REPORT

Even without VY, Titans just too much for BengalsTennessee got a leg up in the AFC South with a victory over Jacksonville. It was a vintage Titans win, in which they recorded seven sacks and limited the vaunted Jaguars run game to 33 yards. A Titans defense that returns nearly intact from last season should give the rudderless Bengals fits. Cincinnati struggled to get anything going on offense in Week 1 and eventually succumbed to Baltimore. It has been far too long since QB Carson Palmer has played like a dominant football player. The Bengals failed to reach the 100-yard passing mark and mustered just eight first downs and three points. Meanwhile, the Ravens gashed Cincy's run defense for a whopping 229 yards. Even with QB Vince Young sidelined (knee), this matchup appears lopsided.

· Full Scouting Report

Matchup
	W-L	PF	PA	HOME	ROAD	DIV	CONF
TEN	13-3	375	234	7-1	6-2	4-2	9-3
CIN	4-11	204	364	3-4	1-7	1-5	3-9
· Complete Standings

Individual Leaders

Tennessee Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Young 58.7 1879 10 7 Collin... 55.1 1225 6 8

Cincinnati Passing   CMP% YDS TD INT Palmer 60.5 3094 21 13 O'Sull... 36.4 40 0 0

Tennessee Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Johnso... 358 2006 5.6 14 Young 55 281 5.1 2

Cincinnati Rushing   CAR YDS AVG TD Benson 301 1251 4.2 6 Scott 74 321 4.3 0

Tennessee Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Britt 42 701 16.7 3 Washin... 47 569 12.1 6

Cincinnati Receiving   REC YDS AVG TD Ochoci... 72 1047 14.5 9 Coles 43 514 12.0 5

Full Player Stats: Tennessee | Cincinnati

TEAM AVERAGES & NFL RANKS
TEAM OFFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Total Yards	TEN	314.0
	CIN	245.0
Yards Passing	TEN	176.2
	CIN	150.4
Yards Rushing	TEN	137.4
	CIN	95.0
TEAM DEFENSE	TEAM	PER GAME AVERAGE
Yards Allowed	TEN	293.6
	CIN	325.5
Pass Yds Allowed	TEN	199.8
	CIN	205.4
Rush Yds Allowed	TEN	93.9
	CIN	120.1

HEAD TO HEAD MATCHUPS (SINCE 2001)
Tennessee leads 4-3
Nov 25, 2007	TEN 6, CIN 35
Oct 16, 2005	TEN 23, @CIN 31
Oct 31, 2004	TEN 27, @CIN 20
Oct 27, 2002	TEN 30, CIN 24
Jan 6, 2002	TEN 21, @CIN 23
Nov 18, 2001	TEN 20, CIN 7

There's still a lot of mystery surrounding troubled Tennessee quarterback Vince Young. One thing that's certain is that he won't be in the lineup as the Titans try to open a season 2-0 for the first time since 1999.

With Young sidelined by a sprained medial collateral ligament in his left knee, 14-year veteran Kerry Collins is expected to start as the Titans visit the Cincinnati Bengals on Sunday.

Young struggled in his season opener, completing 12 of 22 passes for 110 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Fans booed heavily as he was slow to head back onto the field late in the fourth quarter. Four plays later, Young hurt his knee and left the game.

That was a blow to the Titans, but the aftermath was far more disturbing. Coach Jeff Fisher called police Monday night to help locate Young, whose mental state was in question. That led to four hours of uncertainty before Young contacted the Titans and met with Fisher, a psychologist and police crisis negotiators at the team's headquarters before driving himself home.

Fisher wasn't specific about why he called the police. On Friday, The City Paper reported on its Web site it had obtained a copy of a "matter of record" supplement report on the search obtained through a public records request.

It said the police were called because Young's therapist told Fisher the quarterback had mentioned suicide several times before driving away from his home with a gun.

The therapist said Young talked of quitting, mentioned suicide, and discussed his mood and emotions over his injury.

Young spoke publicly Thursday for the first time this week. His mother, Felicia Young, also told a local newspaper that the quarterback had indicated he didn't want to play football anymore because of all the negativity he faced.

Young said he's committed to the Titans.

"Football, this is my life. This is my dream. All I did all these years growing up to get to this point and never had an injury like this before in my life," he said.

"It's a hard time because I'm a competitor, and I definitely want to be out on the football field with my teammates."

Fisher ruled out Young's return for Sunday's game on his TV show Tuesday. The coach would not give a timetable past that, calling the test results good news and saying that Young needs to rest his leg.

In Young's place, Collins will start for the fifth time since the beginning of the 2006 season. He went 0-3 in 2006 and 1-0 last year. The Titans signed Chris Simms on Wednesday to back up Collins.

While Young and the Titans struggled offensively last week, the Tennessee defense stepped up to help deliver a 17-10 win over AFC South rival Jacksonville. The Titans had seven sacks, forced three turnovers and held the Jaguars to 189 total yards -- third-fewest in the NFL in Week 1.

"I thought this defense was capable of playing really well," Pro Bowl end Kyle Vanden Bosch said. "I knew we would play well today, but I was surprised. We did well in all facets of the game today."

Tennessee's defense could be without All-Pro tackle Albert Haynesworth, who missed a second straight practice Thursday because of a mild concussion.

"Obviously, he's a very important part of our defense, and we're hoping we have him available for Sunday," Fisher said.

Last week's defensive effort put the Titans in position to go 2-0 for the first time since 1999, when they finished the regular season 13-3 and fell one yard short of a game-tying touchdown in the final seconds of a Super Bowl loss to St. Louis.

Cincinnati is all too familiar with stingy defense after suffering a 17-10 loss to AFC North rival Baltimore last Sunday. The Bengals, who ranked in the top 10 in total offense each of the last two seasons, were held to eight first downs and an NFL-low 154 total yards.

"We got beat," said quarterback Carson Palmer, who was 10-of-25 for 99 yards with an interception and a passer rating of 35.3. "We got outplayed. It was just an ugly game offensively."

Palmer didn't get much help from his offensive line, which gave up two sacks after allowing only 17 all of last season. Palmer was also knocked down repeatedly as the pass protection continued to break down.

"It was spread out -- everybody takes some of the blame," coach Marvin Lewis said.

The inauspicious opener didn't do much to calm the controversy surrounding the Bengals, long considered a team in turmoil. Their latest tumultuous offseason featured trade demands from receiver Chad Johnson, who later legally changed his last name to Ocho Cinco.

Ocho Cinco and fellow Pro Bowl receiver T.J. Houshmandzadeh both skipped voluntary workouts over the summer, then combined for only four catches and 66 yards in the opener.

Despite his team's ongoing reputation as one of the league's most dysfunctional, Lewis said he's confident it learned something last week.

Palmer was just as optimistic.

"I think it's already fixed," he told the Bengals' official Web site. "We've all seen it on film. It's one of those film sessions you feel sick. You're healthy, but you feel sick to your stomach watching it. Watching the opportunities slip by.

"This is a great test for us. We got beat last week and we have another physical group coming in for our home opener. We can completely change the feeling we had ... if we come out and be physical, running the ball, throwing the ball and coming out with a win."

The Bengals have won their last two games against the Titans, including a 35-6 rout on Nov. 25. Palmer completed 32 of 38 passes for 283 yards, three touchdowns and one interception in that game.

Hoppes: Into the mind of Chad Ochocinco

Page 2 takes a glimpse into the mind of Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chad Ochocinco

Scouts Inc.: AFC offseason needs

You can think of this as the ultimate primer for the NFL offseason, or at least the AFC offseason: Gary Horton of Scouts Inc. breaks down all the squads in the AFC and tells you their top three needs to address, be it via the draft or free agency.

Sources: Bengals' Maualuga will enter rehab

Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga will check into the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., later this month for at least 30 days, according to multiple NFL sources.

Owners talk labor situation; status quo reigns

NFL owners have met for several hours to discuss the labor situation, although it appears they are no closer to reaching an agreement with the players' union for a new collective bargaining agreement.

Vince Young: play me or let me go

If the Titans don't want him to play, Vince Young is ready to move on. The No. 3 pick of the 2006 NFL Draft told a Baltimore television station Monday that he wanted to become the starting quarterback for the Titans - regaining the job he lost last season to Kerry Collins in dramatic fashion - or find another team.

Quarterback steps out of bounds again

Will Vince Young ever get it? Just when you believe the Titans' backup quarterback is beginning to absorb the big picture of what it takes to be an NFL quarterback, he gives you reason to doubt him.

Titan sharpens focus after eye surgery

Titans cornerback Nick Harper could blame his hands for not having more interceptions last season, but the bigger problem was his eyesight.

McNair says he believes Young is maturing

Steve McNair touched on a variety of subjects at his eighth annual football camp at Goodpasture Christian School on Friday.

Nick Harper overcomes age, vision to stick in Titans' secondary

Titans cornerback Nick Harper could blame his hands for not having more interceptions last season, but the bigger problem was his eyesight.

Chad Ochocinco: I will be at Bengals minicamp

Besides warmer weather, what is another sure sign that Bengals minicamp is drawing closer? Talk about a wide receiver not at the team?s OTAs starts to dominate the conversation.

Palmer: We still need Chad

Carson Palmer has always been about loyalty, which is why during the past two weeks he has talked about the progress of the receivers who are participating in the Bengals offseason program.

Bengals' Hall pleads guilty to reduced charge in DUI case

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Leon Hall pleaded guilty to a reduced charge in his drunken-driving case Monday, allowing him to avoid jail time.

Odom: I know I have to play better

You would expect when someone adds 28 pounds, that it would slow a player. Not in the case of Antwan Odom.

Bengals counting heavily on Henry

This time last year, Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Chris Henry was entering a dark period of his NFL career.