Titans expect another big year from Bironas

[Sect309Fan]

http://www.tennessean.com/article/20090728/SPORTS01/90727013/Titans+expect+another+big+year+from+Bironas

Heading into his fifth season with the Titans, Bironas plans to keep on keeping on. By connecting on 84.5 percent of his attempts, he’s currently the fifth most accurate kicker in NFL history (minimum 100 made field goals). Already he’s made seven game winning field goals in his career.


Things have changed for Bironas since last season, however. In February he received a new four-year, $12 million contract, something that should give him peace of mind.


“He is probably more relaxed now, yet is still focused and it means a lot to him,’’ special teams coach Alan Lowry said. “But I think his whole deal is about consistency because that is what separates kickers. Getting into that 90 percent area is important.’’

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I do want to say that I really like Bironas, and I think he is an excellent regular season kicker. But he has been a big disappointment in the playoffs, going a paltry 3-2, with both misses having a huge effect on the outcomes of both games.

I was looking back at the San Diego game. In a 6-10 game at the beginning of the 4th quarter, the Titans drove into the red zone. Unfortunately, they were stuffed and pushed back to the 20 yard line. Bironas had a 36 yard field goal to make it a one-point game, and he missed. And of course San Diego scores a TD on their next possession to put the game away.

The point is, kickers can't miss in the playoffs if their team is going to win. Baltimore made all of their kicks, and they won. The Titans didn't, and we lost. So many playoff games are decided by made or missed field goals, and the Titans just never had a reliable kicker in the playoffs.

Hopefully Bironas can learn from these two playoff games and go perfect in the next one. We will need him to if we expect to finally win a playoff game.

[titan122]

you make excellent points 309 but i wouldnt put either one of the playoff games on bironas' shoulders. it was not him who turned the ball over in the redzone in both games.:sad

with that being said it was our offense as a whole in the sd playoff game and then add our west coast fall off. that game was not winnable with just a fg.

now the ratbird game last season a fg could have at least tied the game and maybe taken it to o.t. and then we pound them into the ground because their d was running out gas as we all saw in the championship game.

but to put both on bironas I myself would not do.

[Sect309Fan]

but to put both on bironas I myself would not do.

I don't blame both losses on Bironas, but he was definitely a factor in both of them. You look at the playoff history of the Titans, and missed field goals happened in every one of our playoff losses (except Oakland, where the other aspect of special teams killed us).

1999-2000 Super Bowl - Del Greco missed 2 of 3 field goals.

2000-2001 Baltimore - Del Greco missed 2 and had the 3rd blocked for a TD. That 3rd field goal would have give the Titans the lead, but instead becomes the winning score for the Ravens

2002-2003 Oakland - no misses

2003-2004 New England - 31 yard field goal blocked (down 7-14), lost by 3

2007-2008 San Diego - 36 yard field goal missed (down 6-10). Miss led to game-breaking TD.

2008-2009 Baltimore - missed a 51 yarder with a strong wind at his back that would have given the Titans a lead; lost by 3

[Parddy]

Field goal misses are due to a teams inability to score TD's... Every one of the plays you mention above began by somebody not executing on third down the play before. Blaming a field goal kicker on any team is sour grapes .

The San Diego game? The field goal miss was the least of the Titans problems in that game...IMO

[Sect309Fan]

The San Diego game? The field goal miss was the least of the Titans problems in that game...IMO

I disagree. It was a huge play. It was disappointing enough that the Titans got into the red zone and couldn't score the go-ahead TD, but to miss the field goal at that range just killed the Titans. That ended all hope for the team.

If he would have made that field goal, the Titans would have been in that game to the final whistle. Instead, it pretty much ended when the Chargers scored.


The Titans are not a big TD scoring team. They rely on field goals to win games, and missing them is one of the top reasons the Titans have not won a Super Bowl.

[Parddy]

Any team that relies on field goals to win games does not deserve to win a Super Bowl. Football is about playing defense and scoring TD's, always has been, always will be...

The Titans inability to move the ball AT ALL in the Charger game was the reason they lost. Disagree all you want.

[wari0]

Any team that relies on field goals to win games does not deserve to win a Super Bowl. Football is about playing defense and scoring TD's, always has been, always will be...

The Titans inability to move the ball AT ALL in the Charger game was the reason they lost. Disagree all you want.

i'll take you up on the offer to disagree... its about who scores the most points no matter how they do it.

Vinatieri quickly comes to mind when he was with the patriots. They had to rely on fieldgoals from him in 2 of their superbowl wins. If it was not for their kicker, they may have 2 less SB rings (from game winners in 2 superbowls) not to mention how many fieldgoals (5 in a single divisional playoff game) they had to rely on from him in the playoffs.

[Sect309Fan]

The Titans inability to move the ball AT ALL in the Charger game was the reason they lost. Disagree all you want.

They did the move the ball against the Chargers.
Drive 1: 13 plays, 61 yards, field goal
Drive 3: 12 plays, 60 yards, fumble by Brown
Drive 6: 11 plays, 39 yards, field goal
Drive 9: 9 plays, 54 yards, missed field goal

The Chargers only had 2 drives of 10 plays or more. (though they did have 4 drives of 50 yards or more, scoring all their points on 3 of them)

The Titans were in that game until that missed field goal.

[MrBean]

They did the move the ball against the Chargers.
Drive 1: 13 plays, 61 yards, field goal
Drive 3: 12 plays, 60 yards, fumble by Brown
Drive 6: 11 plays, 39 yards, field goal
Drive 9: 9 plays, 54 yards, missed field goal

The Chargers only had 2 drives of 10 plays or more. (though they did have 4 drives of 50 yards or more, scoring all their points on 3 of them)

The Titans were in that game until that missed field goal.


And they were only in the game due to his earlier 2 field goals. SO to hang him to dry on that one is kinda ridiculous.

[Parddy]

[QUOTE=Sect309Fan;22739]They did the move the ball against the Chargers.
Drive 1: 13 plays, 61 yards, field goal
Drive 3: 12 plays, 60 yards, fumble by Brown
Drive 6: 11 plays, 39 yards, field goal
Drive 9: 9 plays, 54 yards, missed field goal


Did the Titans not lead 6-0 at the half on two MADE field goals? Where are the 2nd half drives?
Drive 6: 11 plays for 39 yards and a MADE field goal. That drive started around mid-field and was an ugly penalty filled drive if memory serves.

The stats are nice but they DO NOT tell the story of that game. To say that the Bironas miss was a major factor is pure fabrication... I would go as far to say that the Defense and Bironas were the only reason the game was as close as it was..

[Parddy]

i'll take you up on the offer to disagree... its about who scores the most points no matter how they do it.

Vinatieri quickly comes to mind when he was with the patriots. They had to rely on fieldgoals from him in 2 of their superbowl wins. If it was not for their kicker, they may have 2 less SB rings (from game winners in 2 superbowls) not to mention how many fieldgoals (5 in a single divisional playoff game) they had to rely on from him in the playoffs.



Wari0,

True, however, last second field goals are a completely different animal. The Patriots did not rely on field goals they settled for them.... That is different than playing for a field goals as 309 stated. Which was my original point to begin with.

[Sect309Fan]

And they were only in the game due to his earlier 2 field goals. SO to hang him to dry on that one is kinda ridiculous.

I am not saying that he is the only reason we lost. The Titans probably should have a scored a TD on that drive. But the combination of the 3rd down sack, the missed field goal, and the Chargers drive for a TD ended all hopes for the Titans to win that game.


Field goals are so important to the Titans (and to most teams). The Titans needed a miracle to beat Buffalo after the Bills kick a field goal in the closing seconds (and Del Greco missed one earlier). They beat the Ravens in the 2003-2004 playoffs on a 44-yard field goal by Gary Anderson. They beat the Steelers in 2002-2003 after making, then missing, then making the game winner in OT.

I would expect almost every Titans playoff game to come down to a field goal. The Titans need to be perfect, and Bironas hasn't shown that yet. But he is young and likely can do it.