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Quite a stand-in O'Donnell fills in for McNair, leads Titans past Browns
Posted: Monday September 20, 1999 12:28 PM
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -- Neil O'Donnell proved how valuable a quality backup quarterback can be in the NFL. Rookie Tim Couch showed he has plenty of growing up left to do along with the rest of the Cleveland Browns. O'Donnell, filling in for injured Steve McNair, completed 31 of 40 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown as the Tennessee Titans beat the expansion Browns 26-9 Sunday. "When things happened with Mac, the guys had a lot of confidence that Neil could do the job," said receiver Yancey Thigpen, who was a teammate of O'Donnell's with the Pittsburgh Steelers. "Right now, he's the guy, and we have to go with him. ... He picked the right receivers and made all the right reads." Eddie George scored on a pair of 1-yard TD runs for the Titans, who improved to 2-0 for the first time since 1991. The Titans rolled up 412 yards under the guidance of O'Donnell, who was starting for his fourth team in five years. O'Donnell threw a 14-yard TD pass to Thigpen, George rushed 31 times for 97 yards, and Al Del Greco kicked a 35-yard field goal for the Titans. "It's not like it's new for me," said O'Donnell, who was signed to a one-year contract just before training camp as an insurance policy. "As the game went on, I felt better. I was seeing the field and seeing what they were trying to do." McNair reinjured his back during practice Friday and underwent surgery hours before Sunday's game. He is expected to be out six weeks. Couch had a rough time in his first NFL start, getting sacked seven times and completing 12-of-24 for only 134 yards. The Browns (0-2), who were routed by Pittsburgh 43-0 in their opener last week, totaled just 173 yards against Tennessee. Cleveland coach Chris Palmer defended his decision to start Couch over Ty Detmer, who led the Browns to only 40 yards in offense last week. "I have no second thoughts on it," Palmer said. "I thought it was the right decision during the week. I thought he showed his composure. He was very calm, and he never got rattled." Couch matched last week's total offense with his feet alone as he ran five times for 40 yards. The No. 1 overall draft pick also threw a 39-yard TD pass to Kevin Johnson with 2:51 left in the third quarter to make it 19-9. Couch drove the Browns the length of the field in the final three minutes before fumbling the ball away on the Titans' 6 with 8 seconds left. "I didn't want to let him down," Couch said of Palmer. "He put a lot of confidence in me, putting me in as starter in the second game of the season." The Titans took a 2-0 lead when Eddie Robinson sacked Couch in the end zone for a safety in the first quarter. Tennessee took the ensuing kickoff and drove 59 yards for a touchdown on George's short run with 12:59 left in the second period. Couch finally got the Browns moving on their third possession, connecting with rookie Mark Campbell for his first NFL completion, an 11-yarder. But Jevon Kearse, the Titans' No. 1 draft pick, knocked down Couch's next pass and sacked him two plays later. Kearse finished with three sacks. Cleveland got its best field position of the game when Kevin Johnson returned a punt 3 yards to the Titans 49, and a face-mask penalty on Doug Colman moved the ball to the 34. That set up Phil Dawson's 41-yard field goal with 6:50 left in the second quarter. Tennessee responded with a 66-yard drive that George capped with his TD run, giving the Titans a 15-3 halftime lead. Notes: George has gone nine straight games without gaining 100 yards, but it was his first two-touchdown game since October 1997. ... O'Donnell topped 300 passing yards for the 11th time in his career. ... Titans tight end Frank Wycheck has caught a pass in 41 consecutive games ... Tennessee tackle Joe Salave strained a calf muscle and missed the second half. ... Browns tight end Irv Smith sprained his knee ... Del Greco extended his club record of consecutive field goals to 20 with a 35-yarder in the third period, a streak that ended in the fourth when he missed 44-yarder. ... Dawson's field goal was the first of his NFL career. He spent last season on New England's practice squad. ... The Titans are the first team to record safeties in back-to-back games since the Kansas City Chiefs did it in 1997. ... Cleveland safety Tim McTyer fractured his forearm.
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