That One Last Yard

Remember when Kevin Dyson came up one yard shy of the end zone on the last play to tie the Super Bowl? Of course you do. What you may also remember is that two years earlier, Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese, then the brain trust of Bud Adams’ NFL organization (at that time, the Houston Oilers), were looking to draft a receiver in the first round of the (1998) draft. They chose to go with Kevin Dyson over this guy named Randy Moss.

Some Titans fans have wishfully proclaimed that if the Titans had drafted Moss, who is three inches taller and was perhaps a half step faster than Dyson, we get into the end zone on that final play. It’s more of a joke than a realistic hypothetical, of course. But that play, as you may have guessed, is the inspiration for the name of this blog. Just to clarify: it has nothing to do with Moss. It’s just an allusion to the Titans being just short of that Super Bowl win that Bud Adams has never seen. That last yard is the last thing the Titans need to do to get there, whether it’s a slight adjustment to our offensive or defensive strategy or some final piece of the roster puzzle.

And now we might be witnessing another one of those full-circle stories that only happens in sports. The Titans grab Randy Moss off waivers from the Vikings. Yes, there is the chance that he’ll be the disgruntled, wasted talent that he was in Oakland (and Minnesota for the last month). And if that’s the case, it’ll be another one of those you-shouldda-seen-it-coming stories that… only happens in sports. But let’s think positively.

Moss is the greatest deep threat in the NFL. He’s a home run hitter on the outside. Chris Johnson is a homer run hitter from the backfield. You’ve got to pitch to one of them. If you double-team Moss, that leaves 9 guys for the rest of the Titans team. That puts Chris Johnson is a pretty good position to get back to the pace he was on last year. If you don’t double team Moss, Vince Young can just throw it up to Moss down the field. And if you’ve watched the Titans play this year, you know that Vince is much more comfortable (and accurate) throwing down the field than he is on short- and medium-range passes. Either way, I like our chances.

Don’t be surprised if the Titans’ already second-ranked scoring offense picks up even more. And if Fisher and company can put it all together, don’t be surprised to see them playing late into the postseason. It’s always been a wishful hypothetical, but now it might become reality: Randy Moss might just give the Titans that one last yard.