Miami wins 10th straight opener; McNair hurt

September 10, 2001

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- The Miami Dolphins don't really care how

they play in the preseason. They know exactly what to do once the

games really count.

Jay Fiedler passed for 225 yards and two touchdowns as the

Dolphins beat the Tennessee Titans 31-23 Sunday night, their 10th

straight victory to open the season, the second-longest such streak

in NFL history.

McNair leaves game

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee's Steve McNair hurt his

passing shoulder Sunday night when he was hit as he was throwing a

third-quarter touchdown pass in the Titans' 31-23 loss to Miami.

Miami tackle Jermaine Haley hit McNair just as he released the

ball and drove him into the turf. McNair, replaced by Neil

O'Donnell at the end of the third quarter, completed the pass to

Derrick Mason for a 29-yard scoring play.

McNair spent the rest of the game on the sideline with what the

Titans called a "burner" in his right shoulder.

"I'm very worried," McNair said. "Hopefully, it's not

long-term, and we can get this thing healed in a week or so and get

me back in there."

McNair walked off the field with his arm in a sling and was not

available after the game. Tennessee coach Jeff Fisher said McNair

had bruised his shoulder.

McNair, 11-for-19 for 118 yards with the touchdown and an

interception, had a mysterious infection in the shoulder last

winter that resulted in doctors operating and using 15 gallons of

water in an attempt to flush out the problem. McNair didn't throw a

football for nearly four months.

-- The Associated Press

Only the Dallas Cowboys have done better, winning 17 consecutive

openers from 1965 through 1981.

"Any time you come into this place like this and get a win,

it's a great feeling," Fiedler said.

It looked like the Dolphins' streak might end Sunday night. Only

the Baltimore Ravens have won since the Titans moved into Adelphia

Coliseum in 1999, and they had a record crowd of 68,798 to cheer on

a franchise that has won 26 games here.

But Miami, the only team ever to shut out the Titans under coach

Jeff Fisher, won its fifth straight in this series by giving

Fiedler plenty of time to throw, grabbing three interceptions and

knocking quarterback Steve McNair out of the game.

"This is not what I expected to see out of our football team

tonight," Fisher said. "Obviously, we didn't give ourselves a

chance from the start."

The Titans brought in a defense that was the NFL's best against

the pass last season and featured offseason addition Kevin Carter.

The Titans didn't sack Fiedler once, and he responded by hitting

seven of his first eight passes.

"For him to come down here and play in front of this crowd

against that kind of defense and take the kind of hits he took, for

him to hang in, he showed he's a tough guy, a real tough guy,"

Miami coach Dave Wannstedt said.

Fiedler made it 17-7 at halftime as he connected with Oronde

Gadsden on a 23-yard TD toss in the second quarter, and Lamar Smith

gave Fiedler the longest pass play of his career in the third as

Smith took a screen pass and went 65 yards up the middle for a TD

and a 24-7 lead.

Tennessee was even worse on offense.

The Titans got just 8 yards total offense in the first quarter,

and they hurt themselves repeatedly with nine penalties for 61

yards by halftime. They didn't pick up a first down that didn't

come by penalty until midway through the second quarter.

When Tennessee did score, new kicker Joe Nedney missed an extra

point.

All-Pro running back Eddie George, who carried only 11 times in

the preseason coming off toe surgery in February, never really did

get started. He rushed 18 times for 49 yards and couldn't think of

another game when the Titans played this poorly.

"We didn't take advantage of the opportunities we had as an

offense and, when that happens, the result is going to be that

you're going to get blown out at home," George said.

The Dolphins did plenty to keep George in check.

"We knew we had to keep his numbers down," Dolphins linebacker

Derrick Rodgers said. "Every time that he got the ball, we had to

make sure we had people around him to take the handoff with him.

Any time that big guy gets rolling downhill, he's tough to stop."

Not even a helping hand from the replacement officials could

make a difference for the Titans.

Chris Sanders had his hands on Dolphins cornerback Patrick

Surtain's head and shoulder on a pass down the sideline, but the

officials called defensive pass interference for a 34-yard gain on

the penalty. Still, Miami forced the Titans to punt.

Dolphins cornerback Sam Madison, who intercepted McNair three

times the last times these teams met in 1999, added another one

that kept the Titans from scoring just before halftime.

Miami linebacker Zach Thomas intercepted a pass by backup Neil

O'Donnell in the fourth quarter and returned it 34 yards for a

touchdown. O'Donnell was also picked off by Brian Walker.

The Titans finally looked like they were getting untracked in

the third quarter as McNair hit Derrick Mason for a 29-yard TD

pass. But Dolphins tackle Jermaine Haley hit McNair as he released

the ball, and McNair spent the rest of the game on the bench with

what the Titans called a "burner" in his throwing shoulder.

Game notes

Madison has 22 career interceptions, tying him with Terrell

Buckley, Curtis Johnson and Tim Foley for seventh in Dolphins'

history. ... Thomas has four career interceptions. ... Fisher said

doctors think cornerback Dainon Sidney ruptured the ACL in his left

knee. The Titans planned to X-ray safety Blaine Bishop for a

possible broken rib. ... Titans guard Bruce Matthews has played in

281 games, moving him just a game behind Jim Marshall on the career

list among non-kickers. ... Titans safety Bobby Myers' 14-yard

return of a fumble for a touchdown was the first of his career. It

was the first against the Dolphins since Chad Cota returned a

fumble 25 yards for a touchdown on Dec. 5, 1999.