1999 record: 13-3

Last five years: 44-36

Coach: Jeff Fisher (six years, 48-42)

Playoff past: After not reaching the playoffs since 1993, the Titans reached the Super Bowl last year for the first time in franchise history.

Outlook

Just because the Tennessee Titans are determined to get their offense out of the leather helmet era doesn't mean they've gone extreme.

"We're going to get No. 27 the ball," wide receiver Isaac Byrd said. "He's too good not to get the football in his hand 30 times a day."

Pro Bowl running back Eddie George will remain the focal point of the Titans offense. (Allsport)

But even with Pro Bowl running back Eddie George, who has rushed for at least 1,290 yards in each of his four seasons, the Titans still were 36 inches short of sending the Super Bowl to overtime. That's the distance wide receiver Kevin Dyson was away from the end zone after being tackled by St. Louis Rams linebacker Mike Jones on the final play.

The popular theory in Music City land is Super Bowl XXXIV wouldn't have come down to that play if the Titans had an offense worthy of the new millennium.

Gone is offensive coordinator Les Steckel and he has been replaced by former Denver Broncos assistant Mike Heimerdinger, who will try to bring some life and fresh ideas to the Titans' antiquated offense.

Heimerdinger won't get pass happy, not as long as coach Jeff Fisher is around. But he does promise to create better match-ups in Tennessee's passing game.

"We're not just going to throw the ball all over the park, but there are going to be more passes flying around," Byrd said. "We're going to do some different things in our passing game. We're going to throw the ball more wide."

Often, the ball could go in the direction of recently acquired wide receiver Carl Pickens, who was a malcontent for much of his career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

"He's going to come in and help us," Titans quarterback Steve McNair said. "I've played against him twice a year since I got into this league. He's a guy who will make big plays. He's a difference-maker."

And, boy, does someone need to make a difference in the Tennessee passing game.

A year ago, they had just three 100-yard receiving games. Byrd was the only receiver to have a catch longer than 50 yards.

But how much will Pickens really help? One of his former assistant coaches said recently that Pickens "can't run any more."

Pickens also could be a distraction. Fisher acknowledges that last year the team had few distractions. Maybe that's because for the first time, the players weren't commuting to Memphis or playing in a college stadium or worrying whether the coach would bolt after the season.

During the offseason, Fisher got a new long-term deal. He is signed through 2003.

The Titans also re-did George's contract, and he won't be going anywhere for seven seasons.

They lost massive right tackle Jon Runyan to Philadelphia in free agency but think they've adequately replaced him with ex-Ram Fred Miller.

Defensively, they think former Dallas Cowboys middle linebacker Randall Godfrey is an upgrade. But they are thin at cornerback and know defensive end Jevon "The Freak'' Kearse could have trouble repeating his rookie season when he was first-team All-Pro and had an AFC-high 14.5 sacks.

"I think there will be a whole lot of chipping (chip blocks) going my way, a whole lot of tight ends coming over to help on me,'' Kearse said. "But that's OK. The more I see, the more I'm going to get accustomed to it. I'm not expecting my numbers to go down. I set pretty high standards last year and expect a lot of myself again this year.''

At last week's scrimmage between the Titans and Rams, Fisher told a St. Louis coach he will be calling some of the offensive plays this year.

Could that be a return to the Titans' leather-helmet offensive days?

"We're going to do what it takes to win games,'' Fisher said. "We don't care about setting records. We want to win games. That's what our guys think about.''

Schedule preview: It starts off with a repeat of last year's "Music City Miracle" with a game in Buffalo. The Bills will want revenge. There also are two tough Monday night games -- at Washington and Jacksonville at home. The Jaguars will be trying to avenge three losses to the Titans a year ago.

1999 offensive ranking: No. 13 overall, No. 13 in passing (tied), No. 13 in rushing

1999 defensive ranking: No. 17 overall, No. 25 in passing, No. 10 in rushing.

Key players lost from 1999: OT Jon Runyan (to Philadelphia), LB Joe Bowden (to Dallas), LB Barron Wortham (to Dallas), TE Jackie Harris (to Dallas)

Key additions for 2000: LB Randall Godfrey (Cowboys), OT Fred Miller (Rams), WR Carl Pickens (Bengals)

Rookies to watch: With free-agent losses at linebacker, first-round pick Keith Bullock could start at ROLB. They think he adds athleticism to the position. Safeties Bobby Myers (fourth round pick from Wisconsin) and Aric Morris (fifth-rounder from Michigan State) could be groomed to some day replace starters Blaine Bishop and Marcus Robertson, both of whom will be over 30 this season.

Offensive line: Even with Runyan gone, the line could be a strength. Miller should be an adequate replacement for him. G Bruce Matthews, beginning his 18th season, remains one of the steadiest players in the league. LT Brad Hopkins doesn't get much publicity but could start for almost anyone. G Benji Olson is underrated.

Wide receivers/tight end: The Titans are hoping Pickens makes a difference. At least, he'll go over the middle and get the ball. But he might not be happy when he sees how much the Titans run the ball. Yancey Thigpen keeps battling injuries and Chris Sanders has been an underachiever. Dyson has great speed and made much improvement his second year in the league.

Running backs: Durability isn't a question with George, who hasn't missed a game in his pro career. He seems to get better the more he gets the ball. Last year, he had four 100-yard games in the final two months of the season. There is little behind him, however. If he gets hurt, the Titans will have to go with Rodney Thomas or Mike Green.

Quarterbacks: McNair went 9-2 as a starter, but he still isn't a complete quarterback. He has tremendous athletic ability but doesn't put up big passing numbers. There is no doubt the conservative offense was a problem, but many wonder if he'll ever become one of the league's best throwers. He still misses too many wide open receivers. If McNair goes down with an injury again this year, Neil O'Donnell is great to fill in. He won four of five starts last season.

Defensive line: Kearse has a chance to be one of the best to play the position. But this year he will have to get used to being double- and triple-teamed. Losing tackle Josh Evans to a drug suspension is a blow. John Thornton, a second-round pick a year ago, will have to step up. Ends Henry Ford and Kenny Holmes, both of whom were first-round draft picks, were much more effective a year ago with the offensive line's attention on Kearse.

Linebackers The Titans love Godfrey, who has tremendous speed. They think he is a big upgrade over Wortham in the middle. Eddie Robinson is more than adequate on the right side. How good this unit will depend on how quickly Bulluck develops. Fisher's defense is hard for a rookie to pick up quickly. If he's not ready, Greg Favors will have to do the job. The Titans lost a lot of depth here when Wortham and Bowden left for Dallas.

Secondary: The cornerback position is a mess. Samari Rolle is a solid starter, but he might never see the ball. Teams will just throw the other way. On the other side, Donald Mitchell and Denard Walker were expected to battle for the starting job. But Mitchell has been lost for the year because of a knee injury and Walker has been suspended by the league for the first game. The Rams picked on the Titans' corners in last week's scrimmage. Bishop and Robertson haven't slowed down much at safety.

Special teams: Few teams have a one-two punch at kicker and punter as good as Al Del Greco and Craig Hentrich, who is a tremendous weapon. Hentrich showed why the Titans spent $1 million on him a year ago. The Titans' return game is questionable. Derrick Mason needs to show he can do the job.