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| Thursday, August 28, 2003 - 7 pm at Lambeau Field |
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1st |
2nd |
3rd |
4th |
Final |
| Titans |
7 |
10 |
7 |
3 |
27 |
| Packers |
0 |
3 |
0 |
0 |
3 |
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Packers Player Of The Game
Antonio Chatman helped his chances of making the team with his 47-yard kickoff return. Chatman finished with 88 yards on three kickoff returns. He also had a pair of receptions worth 45 yards. Also not to be forgotten was the steady punting of Josh Bidwell, who was used often in the first half. Although his first punt went for only 37 yards, Bidwell finished with a 42.9-yard average on nine attempts, demonstrating his dependability in conditions that were less than ideal.
Titans Player Of The Game
Backup quarterback Neil O'Donnell looked sharp in relief of Steve McNair. O'Donnell was 7-for-10 on the night for 95 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Of The Game
With Brett Favre and Ahman Green on the sideline, the Packers offense mustered three first downs in eight possessions prior to the storm delay. At the end of the game, the Packers were 3-of-17 on third-down conversions.
Play Of The Game
Antonio Chatman's 47-yard kickoff return had the Packers near midfield when lightning forced teams to the locker rooms with 2:05 left in the second quarter at 8:28 p.m. The game didn't resume until 11:01 p.m., when Doug Pederson and Tony Fisher combined for a 14-yard catch-and-run on third-and-10.
THEY SAID IT
GM/HEAD COACH MIKE SHERMAN --
On the NFL's decision to finish the game: "As many times as I take all the information that is given and have to make a decision that has to be questioned by hundreds of people and some of them in this room, I am not going to question the NFL's decision to finish this game. I actually wanted to go out and finish the game. There was no danger on the field. The field was not sopping wet like our field in Canton was. The time delay was the only disadvantage that we had. There was no lightning when we went out there and I am glad we had the opportunity to finish the game. It gave me a further evaluation on players that I needed to have. I was actually considering bringing guys back for practice tomorrow just to get further evaluation. This was beneficial to me."
On whether there were guys that benefited from finishing the game: "I would have to reserve judgment for the tape. I thought Antonio Chatman - and I can't guarantee anything at this point - but I thought he made good decisions catching the football, had a nice kickoff return, a nice catch that got us into the red zone that we did not convert into a touchdown...I thought he kind of jumped out there tonight. I thought a couple of the defensive lineman did some nice things at different times, but really I have to look at the tape and view it from that advantage point to be honest in my evaluation."
On whether he was surprised they finished the game: "No, the longer we waited I knew we would go back on the field. You don't wait that long and then cancel the game. So I thought that they really had information from the weather service that would prove that we could finish this game. The field was dry enough, the grass held up nicely and there was no danger or risk other than the delay itself.
"I agree with what was decided tonight."
On how he kept guys occupied: "Well they occupy themselves by sitting around and talking, but we did meet with them and went over some scheme issues from the first half that needed to be addressed. We stretched inside and did our work inside so when we came out onto the field we were ready to go."
On keeping Brett Favre out: "I decided that last night and it was strictly for injury purposes. Brett had the opening drive last week. This preseason he has had 90-some plays and last preseason he had 82 plays. He was ahead of the numbers and the last time he was on the field he drove us seven plays, 76 yards for a touchdown. To put him out there for a series or two I didn't think the risk was worth the reward. Same thing with Ahman Green, he has had more touches this preseason...he has practiced more. He is as good as I have ever seen him. I didn't see a reason to put him out there and plus, I wanted to look at those other backs. I got to look at Lamar Smith, Luchey at fullback, Fisher, and Herbert Goodman."
On injuries from the game: "Ford had the MCL, Paris Lenon had a shoulder stinger I believe, nothing significant, and I do not know about the lengths on those injuries."
Antuan Edwards --
On starting role: "I'm ready to go. Preseason is over with. The real deal starts next and I'm ready to rock."
On Minnesota opener: "It's always a great game when the two teams get together. It's going to be a big fight. They have Randy Moss and Daunte Culpepper and other guys who we're used to see playing, so we'll be ready and we're very excited."
Tony Fisher --
On getting back into game shape: "Physically, I was a little winded. I still have some more to go, but I think I took a step in the right direction."
On mental effects of delay: "We've got to go out there and play. Once it was time to go back out there, we had to go out and do our jobs."
Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila --
On playing in rainy conditions: "It's fun to play in these conditions. When you think of the old-time football games, this is what you think of - playing in the rain or the snow. So it's cool to play out here."
On the defense's play heading into the regular season: "I think we're playing good. We have a lot to build on from the preseason. We're playing well, but we have to continue to get better as the weeks go on.
On being double-teamed: "It doesn't affect my game. I try to be a team player and when I'm getting double-teamed, that means someone else is opening up, it means the coach can find ways to get others involved. Eventually, if they keep double-teaming me, something else is bound to open up. For me, it just means I have to get better at beating two people."
Ahman Green --
On suspended game/preseason: "I've never seen a preseason like this in high school, college or as a professional. It will create a very distinct memory that I can talk to kids, my grandkids and their kids about. When it's all said and done, there's a lot to remember about this season so far."
Aaron Kampman --
On preseason/start of regular season: "We've definitely had a wacked-out preseason, but all that is behind us now. We're totally concentrating on Minnesota and we'll prepare accordingly."
Chukie Nwokorie --
On his individual performance: "I just came out to do what I was supposed to do. The game was unorthodox, but I knew I just needed to go out there and do what I had to do."
Doug Pederson --
On suspended game: "It was pretty crazy to have two preseason games have weather issues. In my 13 years in the league, this is the first time I've seen anything happen like this."
On preseason overall: "We had the weather games and the power outage and some weird things happen. You just don't get that in a normal preseason and it makes you stronger as a football team when you can overcome those things. You're going to have some bumps even in the regular season, so I think this was a good test for us. We got the preseason out of the way and now we have to get focused on what we have to do. We're looking forward to next week (against Minnesota)."
Lamar Smith --
On returning to play after injury: "It felt pretty good. When I first went in, I was a little nervous because I hadn't been hit in over a month. Once I took that first hit, I was fine. It's just like riding a bike: you never forget."
On suspended play: "I've never seen anything like this with the delay. I've never been involved in a delayed game. I don't think we lost focus. I just don't think we played well."
GAME NOTES
Thursday night's attendance was 69,126.
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End of 4th quarter. Game over.
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On fourth-and-goal at the Tennessee 8-yard line, Craig Nall was sacked to end the Packers' scoring threat. Earlier on the drive, Nall hit Javon Walker for a 57-yard gain.
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Joe Nedney's 45-yard field goal increased the Tennessee lead, 27-3 (6:18, 4th quarter). Nendey made a 35-yard attempt that was nullified by a holding penalty. Kenny Peterson sacked Jason Gesser on third-and-4 force the field goal try. The Titans scoring drive was 11 plays, 52 yards. Time of the drive was 5:33.
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After catching a 10-yard pass from Jason Gesser, Chad Hayes fumbled. Chukie Nwokorie recovered for the Packers at the Green Bay 32-yard line (13:18, 4th quarter).
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On third-and-5 at the Green Bay 47-yard line, Craig Nall fumbled a snap, which was recovered Marcus Spriggs. The play resulted in a loss of 20 yards and forced a Green Bay punt.
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End of 3rd quarter.
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On fourth-and-2 at the Tennessee 3-yard line, Craig Nall fired incomplete for Karsten Bailey (2:09, 3rd quarter). Earlier on the drive, Nall hit Tony Fisher for a gain of 16. Bailey had a 15-yard grab. Herbert Goodman had a 5-yard run on third-and-1. David Martin had a pair of 8-yard receptions.
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On third-and-11, Billy Volek hit Shad Meier, who shook the tackle of Jeremy Unertl and run for a 41-yard touchdown, 24-3 (8:09, 3rd quarter). Earlier, Volek hit John Simon for a 2-yard gain on fourth-and-1 to keep the drive alive. The Titans scoring drive was 7 plays, 51 yards. Time of the drive was 4:04.
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Craig Nall replaced Doug Pederson at quarterback (13:21, 3rd quarter). Pederson was 9-of-22 for 121 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
Paris Lenon has suffered a strained neck muscle. His return is questionable
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Boosted by Eddie Berlin's 45-yard catch and run, the Titans answered with a 33-yard field goal by Joe Nedney before the end of the half, 17-3 (0:05). The Titans scoring drive was five plays, 53 yards. Time of the drive was 0:53.
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Ryan Longwell's 40-yard field goal put the Packers on the scoreboard, 14-3 (0:58, 2nd quarter). The Packers drive spanned more than two and half hours of real time, starting with Antonio Chatman's 47-yard kickoff return before the storm delay. Tony Fisher had a 14-yard catch on third-and-10, plus a 15-yard catch. The Packers scoring drive was 9 plays, 31 yards. Time of the drive was 1:25.
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At 11:01 p.m. the game resumed with the Packers facing third-and-10 at the Tennessee 47-yard line. Doug Pederson hooked up with Tony Fisher for a 14-yard catch-and-run for a first down (1:57, 2nd quarter).
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After a 2 hour and 13 minute delay, teams were let back on the field at 10:41 p.m. After a warm-up period the game will resume, playing out the rest of the first half and moving immediately into the second half.
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The game was temporarily suspended due to lightning at 8:28 p.m. (2:05, 2nd quarter)
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Starting at the Green Bay 42-yard line, Billy Volek hit Tyrone Calico down the right sideline for a touchdown, 14-0 (2:22, 2nd quarter). The Titans scoring drive was 1 play, 42 yards. Time of the drive was 0:06.
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Eddie Berlin let Billy Volek's pass slip through his hands and into the arms of Marques Anderson, who was tackled at the Green Bay 4-yard line (5:58, 2nd quarter).
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Joe Nedney's 46-yard field goal attempt missed wide right (12:52, 2nd quarter). Joe Johnson tackled John Simon for a 3-yard loss on third-and-3 to force the field goal try. Earlier on the drive Neil O'Donnell completed a 24-yard pass to Erron Kinney.
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End of 1st quarter.
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Doug Pederson fumbled the quarterback snap and Tennessee's Peter Sirmon recovered at the Green Bay 42-yard line (3:33, 1st quarter).
Carl Ford twisted his knee earlier in the Packers' third possession. He will not return.
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Amidst a driving rain and occasional lightning flashes, Neil O'Donnell hit Justin McCareins for a 16-yard touchdown pass to put Tennessee ahead, 7-0 (6:28, 1st quarter). Earlier on the drive, O'Donnell hit Drew Bennett for a 17-yard pass on third-and-14. Derrick Mason had a 24-yard reception. The Titans scoring drive was 6 plays, 59 yards. Time of the drive was 2:55.
Steve McNair took three snaps on the Titans' first possession before being replaced by Neil O'Donnell.
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A thunderstorm warning has been issued for the area.
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The following Packers players are not expected to play in tonight's contest: Gilbert Brown, Najeh Davenport, Na'il Diggs, Brett Favre, Ahman Green, Jorg Heckenbach, Bobby Jackson, Chris Johnson, Jermaine Petty, Marco Rivera, Darren Sharper, Adam Tate.
Rod Walker will start for Gilbert Brown. Marcus Wilkins will start for Na'il Diggs. Doug Pederson will start for Brett Favre. Nick Luchey will start for Ahman Green. Bill Ferrario will start for Marco Rivera.
Marques Anderson and Antuan Edwards will be the starting safeties. |
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