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There is a perception Tennessee's running game doesn't really exist anymore because Eddie George is washed up. That the Titans just use Steve McNair and pass the ball all the time.
Check the stats over the past month or so, and the rushing statistics aren't that bad. The key: What used to be the Eddie George show has become a three-way act.
George rushed for
1,031 yards, giving him at least 1,000 yards rushing in seven of his eight seasons.
Rookie Chris Brown, who missed five games because of a hamstring injury, added
221 yards, and veteran Robert Holcombe had 201 yards as speedier changeup backs.
``The people that downplay the running game are obviously people that don't
pay attention to this team,'' Titans left tackle Brad Hopkins said. ``It's easy
to say because Steve is so hot that Eddie's not. You don't get a 1,000-yard
rusher by chance in this league.''
McNair was the NFL's top-rated passer this season, and the Titans run these days to keep defenses honest and set up play-action.
``We try to be effective enough in the run game to be balanced, to keep the pressure off the passing game, so Steve doesn't have to feel like he is all on his own,'' George said.
Statistically, the Titans have nothing to brag about.
They ranked 26th overall rushing the ball this season as they averaged 101.4 yards per game. But they were next to last in the yards per rushing attempt at 3.3, matching George's average per carry for the season.
That came with an offensive line featuring Justin Hartwig, who became a starter this season at center, a position he never played before August.
``He's made a great adjustment as the season has gone on,'' George said. ``He's gotten more and more comfortable with the position, making the right calls and understanding and learning what defenses are doing to him.''
The Titans (12-4), who play at Baltimore (10-6) in a wild-card game Saturday, have have had some of their best rushing performances as the season wound down. Their best was on Dec. 21 with 182 yards against Houston, with George getting 79 yards and Brown adding 69.
George has averaged more than 4.1 yards per carry in four of the past five games.
``He has a tendency at the end to get stronger,'' Titans coach Jeff Fisher said. ``He's done that in the last month. He's hitting holes, he's running. He's pushing piles. He's dragging tacklers. That's the kind of thing we need out of him the rest of the season.''
George certainly knows how to run in the postseason. He had the fifth-best postseason ever in 1999 when he ran for 449 yards and three touchdowns on 108 carries. But that was when the Titans' offense was centered on the 1995 Heisman Trophy winner.
He prefers to ignore all the talk his best days are past and plans to be ready when needed.
``Just give me opportunities. Let me show that I'm not `over the hill.' I'm in my eighth year. I know players that are in their 10th, 11th and 12th years and are still playing this game,'' George said.
``The reason why they're probably saying those things is I haven't put up the numbers that I have in years prior, and that's OK. Things go in cycles, and hopefully, I'll have the opportunity to show I can still play this game at a high level.''
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