LANDOVER, Md. -- Observed and heard in the locker room after the Tennessee Titans' 19-17 loss to Washington:
Among the worst: A win over the Jaguars last week saved the Titans from a complete drop into the very bottom group of teams in the NFL.
But they deserve their place there now.
The Titans enabled Washington to collect its second win of the season on the same day the Browns, who stormed back for a historic win over the Titans, lost to Jacksonville. (Not that I believe in the transitive value of such things. The Titans lost to Cleveland and beat Jacksonville, and nothing changes head-to-head results.)
“The last three games, it came down to the last couple of seconds,” safety Michael Griffin said. “Do I think we belong there [grouped with those teams]? Not exactly.
"We hung in there with a lot of teams, we’re just not capitalizing when we have opportunities to capitalize. We had opportunities to put teams away, we’re not putting teams away. We’re hurting ourselves. We keep saying the same thing every week. One day it’s going to have to turn into actions outside of words.”
Sorry, Grif, at 2-5 the Titans absolutely deserve to be grouped with those teams as well as the Jets, the Buccaneers and the Raiders as the worst the NFL has to offer.
Not talking: Outspoken safety Bernard Pollard declined to talk to reporters after a 41-17 loss in Indianapolis (which was before he suffered a season-ending Achilles injury).
After this one, the team’s most outspoken player on offense -- who also ranks as the team’s most productive player -- declined to speak.
Tight end Delanie Walker is entitled to a pass, for sure.
The Titans' struggles are enough to quiet two talkative guys and leave them unable to gather themselves enough to put bad results into perspective in short order.
Back in the lineup: After sitting out two games with a bruised right thumb suffered against Cleveland, Jake Locker should be in line to return against Houston next Sunday at LP Field.
“I would expect him to be able to go next week,” coach Ken Whisenhunt said. “But until we go out and practice, I don’t know that for sure.”
Pictures: Check out my Instagram account for some postgame video and pictures, including Brian Schwenke lamenting his two penalties for hands to the face.
