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NO TIME TO COAST FOR TITANS, CARDINALS

November 12, 2008 12:36 am

BY STEVE DeSHAZO

Few observers would have pegged Tennessee and Arizona as Super Bowl contenders before the season, but both teams can start making their playoff plans.

With seven weeks left in the season, the Titans (9-0) and Cardinals (6-3) have seemingly insurmountable four-game leads in their respective divisions--and no real reason to fear a turnaround.

Both have plenty of motivation to keep playing well. Tennessee would like to match New England's perfect regular season of 2007, and Arizona is in the running for a first-round bye.

With playoff bids all but certain, coaches Jeff Fisher (Titans) and Ken Whisenhunt (Cardinals) would love to rest some of their older players in the final weeks of the regular season. But history and circumstance suggest that's a risky proposition.

Both teams' huge leads are the result of good health, strong play--and weak opposition. Arizona's three rivals in the NFC West (San Francisco, St. Louis and Seattle) are each 2-7.

The Titans also have benefited from struggles by their division opponents. Five-time defending AFC South champion Indianapolis is 5-4, due largely to age and injuries, and Jacksonville (4-5) is arguably the NFL's most disappointing team.

Barring a collapse, Tennessee could wrap up home-field edge for the AFC playoffs by Dec. 14, when the Titans complete a three-game run against Detroit (currently 0-9), Cleveland (3-6) and Houston (3-6).

If the Titans are still unbeaten at that point, Fisher may have to keep playing his regulars in pursuit of perfection. If they stumble before then, he could give veterans a little time off.

But with a likely first-round bye, he'll need to be careful to avoid the rust that plagued the Colts in 2005, when they went from 13-0 to a first-round elimination.

This is all new to the Cardinals, who have had one winning season since 1984 and have made the playoffs in just one non-strike season (1999) since 1975.

Arizona has veterans like MVP candidate Kurt Warner and Edgerrin James who have experienced playoff success elsewhere. So have head coach Ken Whisenhunt and lieutenant Russ Grimm.

But a franchise whose postseason history fits on a quarter-page of its media guide needs all the positive reinforcement it can get--particularly since it trails the Giants (8-1) and Panthers (7-2) in the race for two first-round byes. They're 4-0 at home this year.

Given his team's historic lack of success, Whisenhunt isn't likely to change a thing between now and the playoffs--unless injuries force him to. If it ain't broke

RUN TO DAYLIGHT

Quarterbacks get the MVP awards, the girls and the big contracts, but it's a long-standing truth that the best way to win in the NFL is on the ground.

The league's top seven teams (and 11 of the top 12) in terms of rushing yards per game all have winning records. Not surprisingly, No. 1 is the New York Giants, who average 168.9 yards per game and ground out 219 in Sunday night's big victory at Philadelphia.

CLOSE DOESN'T COUNT

Give credit--but no glory--to coaches Herm Edwards (Chiefs) and Mike Singletary (49ers) for their play-calling guts as underdogs last weekend.

Edwards went for a two-point conversion (and failed) in the final seconds of a 20-19 loss to San Diego.

And Singletary called a running play that was stopped short of the goal line in the final seconds of Monday night's 29-24 loss to Arizona. Curiously, though, he didn't give the ball to his best player, Frank Gore.

Neither play worked, but when you're coaching teams as lousy as these men are, you have to take risks.

UPSET PICK

Still winless for the season, we'll go with 3-point home underdog Seattle (which gets Matt Hasselbeck back) to cut into Arizona's lead just a little.

Steve DeShazo: 540/374-5443
Email: sdeshazo@freelancestar.com