Monday, January 08, 2001
Ravens-Titans Notebook
Pickens' stay with Titans over?
By Mark Curnutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Carl Pickens' first playoff game in nine NFL seasons was a fitting end for his first season with Tennessee: A big disappointment.
Pickens, whose 530 receptions and 63 touchdown catches are Bengals' records, had no receptions Sunday in the Titans' 24-10 loss to Baltimore.
And it closed a season in which Pickens had been inactive in six games and did not play in a seventh. Pickens, who once caught 13 passes in a single game for Cincinnati, had only 10 receptions this season and just two in the past three months.
He played in only a handful of plays, primarily as a fourth wide receiver on third downs. A nagging hamstring injury and related inactivity pushed Pickens to the bottom of the team's depth chart.
As a result, Pickens' future in Tennessee is unclear. He reportedly will count $5 million against the salary cap if he returns next season. The combination of his inactivity and age — he will be 31 in March - mean he could be released. The thought around Nashville is the Titans should cut Pickens and Yancey Thigpen, another aging, often-injured free agent, in order to free enough money to re-sign Derrick Mason.
Close calls
For only the third time in their previous eight meetings, a Ravens-Titans game was decided by five or more points Sunday.
The series stands at 6-5 Tennessee.
Vindication
Ravens linebacker Ray Lewis, the NFL's defensive player of the year, made the most Sunday of his national stage.
He led the Ravens with 12 tackles, and he intercepted a McNair pass and returned it 50 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Lewis is still trying to overcome what he's best known for nationally, murder charges that were dropped when Lewis pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of obstruction of justice in connection with the deaths of two men in Atlanta on Super Bowl night.
Ravens owner Art Modell is a big Lewis fan.
“He's a very special guy,” Modell said. “For him to hold up under the vicious attack on this man in Atlanta, in a politically motivated trial that should never have been brought to trial. He was determined to show what he can do on a football field.”
Ravens tight end Shannon Sharpe encouraged Lewis on the sideline to make the most of his time in the spotlight.
“I told him, "You're defensive player of the year. You've got to show why. There aren't a lot of people who've seen you play, and a lot of people are saying they gave you that because of what they did to you in the offseason. Show them why,”' Sharpe said.
“On the next possession, he intercepted the ball and returned it for the touchdown.”
Lewis' thoughts were on the Oakland Raiders.
“They are a similar team like the Titans,” he said. “They ride off their running game. They have the No.1 rushing game in the league, and we have the No.1 rush defense in the league. It will be a great battle.”
Thought of the day
The Ravens and Titans are AFC Central rivals of the Bengals. In four games this season, they were a combined 4-0 against Cincinnati and outscored the Bengals 122-24.
Give that back
The Ravens' time of possession of 19:31 Sunday was the lowest for a winning playoff team since 1970.
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Pickens' stay with Titans over?
