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Sift through the Tennessee Titans' worst moments and the odds are the Baltimore Ravens are involved.
-- Who snapped the Titans' NFL-record 12-game winning streak at The Coliseum? The Ravens with a 24-23 victory on Nov. 12, 2000.
-- Who spoiled home-field advantage in the 2000 playoffs? Again, the Ravens in a game whose lasting image was Ray Lewis taking the ball away from Eddie George in a game that Baltimore used as a springboard to an eventual Super Bowl victory.
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-- Even as the Titans reeled off 10 victories in 11 weeks last season to reach
the playoffs, one team spoiled the run: Baltimore in a 13-12 victory in which
receiver Kevin Dyson was lost for the season.
George sounds ready to put that history to rest as the Titans (12-4) prepare to visit the Ravens (10-6) Saturday in an AFC wild-card game.
``We all know what's happened in the past with this team,'' George said. ``They've been a thorn in our sides, and sometimes to move on in the future, you have to be presented with the past. Maybe this is one of those times.''
For the Titans, nobody represents that more than Baltimore.
The Ravens have won five straight games and six of the past seven in this series. That's against a Tennessee franchise tied with St. Louis for the NFL's best record since 1999 at 56-24.
``There's always been a rivalry with this team,'' Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Monday.
Fisher even complimented coach Brian Billick for how the Ravens have recovered from salary cap woes.
That couldn't have been easy for Fisher. He once previewed one game saying his players should bring two-by-fours because it would be so physical. After Baltimore won, Billick said the Titans should have brought bigger sticks.
``We've kind of gone in different directions. It'll all come back together this weekend,'' Fisher said.
Indeed, Billick runs the ball with Jamal Lewis exactly how Fisher used to with George. The Titans now throw downfield with Steve McNair, the NFL's top-rated passer, the way Billick used to toss the ball around when he was offensive coordinator in Minnesota.
Fisher said he won't dredge up history for his Titans this week.
``This is a must win for us,'' Fisher said. ``We wanted to get in the playoffs. This is our first opportunity, our first game.''
For 37 Titans, the talk is just hearsay because they weren't on the roster when Tennessee lost twice to the Ravens in 2000. Another 13 have never played Baltimore.
``I've only known what I've watched on TV and what reporters make of it when I was in San Francisco,'' Titans safety Lance Schulters said.
The Titans are pretty confident now, having won three straight games with three different quarterbacks. Steve McNair, who missed two games, is feeling better than he has in five weeks and should even practice this week.
Left tackle Brad Hopkins said winning in Baltimore would rank right up there with downing Buffalo in January 2000, a wild-card game decided by the Music City Miracle touchdown return. The Titans used the momentum of that victory to reach the Super Bowl.
``The odds are so stacked
against us coming out of there, especially with them trying to take advantage
of being in the playoffs themselves,'' Hopkins said. ``It's going to be real
important for us to come out of there with the right attitude.''