National Football League

Titans coach no longer at home;Jeff Fisher's words have mellowed since early jabs at Jaguars.

Published Oct. 19, 2010 10:12 p.m. ET

foxsports

Even if some of the bite has softened and some of the mutual dislike dulled, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Tennessee Titans have a past.

"It seems the fans that were haunted by '99 continue to come out," Jaguars coach Jack Del Rio said on Thursday. "Doesn't matter how many times we've actually beat them since then. We just know one more will help ease the pain a little bit. We'll see what we can do."

That season was just one in a long line of Titans victories against the Jaguars just when Jacksonville's morale and confidence were high. If that weren't enough, over the years Titans coach Jeff Fisher hasn't been shy about taking verbal jabs at the Jaguars. It's been a few seasons, though, and Fisher's words have mellowed since.

Monday night, the Jaguars will host the Titans, hoping to continue the momentum of two consecutive wins and take first place in the AFC South.

"Certainly, this is our first division game, and I don't have to tell you how the division's stacked up right now," Fisher said. "It takes on a significant importance. I think it's going to be a great ballgame."

In 1999, the Jaguars only lost three games. All three of those losses came at the hands of the Titans.

The Jaguars suffered their only two regular-season losses to Tennessee, then lost the AFC championship game to the Titans 33-14 at home.

Having beaten the Jaguars twice at what was then Alltel Stadium, Fisher joked during Super Bowl week that Alltel was like another home field for the Titans.

Told this week that his other home field had a new name now, Fisher replied diplomatically.

"I noticed that there was a change," Fisher said. "That's good for the organization."

The Titans didn't win in Jacksonville in 2000 or 2001, but between 2000 and 2003, Tennessee won six of the eight games in the series.

The Jaguars started the 2002 season optimistically at 3-1 before traveling to Nashville. There, the Titans won 23-14, and Jaguars quarterback Mark Brunell suffered a concussion in the first quarter. The Jaguars then went on a four-game losing streak, finished the season 6-10, and Tom Coughlin was fired after the season.

Fisher played off the infamous wood-chopping incident in Del Rio's first season as head coach. That year, Del Rio brought an ax and a tree stump into the locker room. Punter Chris Hanson cut his leg with the ax and had to go on injured reserve.

When the Titans were set to face the Jaguars in October of 2003, Fisher said: "The big thing for us this week is that we just keep chopping wood."

The Titans beat the Jaguars 30-17. During the game, defensive lineman Marcus Stroud committed two late-hit penalties against Titans quarterback Steve McNair. Stroud and Fisher engaged in a verbal battle afterward.

Criticized by Stroud, Fisher questioned the player's intelligence. He said he considered drafting Stroud in 2001 but had concerns about Stroud's Wonderlic score. Stroud actually did well on the Wonderlic (scoring 23). Fisher apparently confused him with fellow defensive lineman John Henderson, who scored an 8 on the test.

Fisher later apologized to Stroud.

"I think you can count on one hand the comments, and they were a response to something that had taken place," Fisher said on Thursday. "But again, that was a long time ago."

Fisher's words cooled shortly thereafter as the Jaguars began turning the series around. Jacksonville won three of four meetings in 2004 and 2005.

But Tennessee wasn't through torturing Jacksonville.

The Jaguars entered the 2008 season with expectations soaring a year after going 11-5 and winning a playoff game. That turned into a 5-11 season that began with a disastrous opener in, yup, Nashville.

The score was 17-10, but the Jaguars also lost both starting offensive guards from a line that was already missing center Brad Meester. Vince Manuwai tore his anterior cruciate ligament on the first play of the game, and Maurice Williams injured his biceps during warmups.

Last season, the Jaguars beat Tennessee in Jacksonville, helping the Titans open 0-6. But the Titans turned around their season with a win over the Jaguars at home. Tennessee won eight of its last 10 games and finished the season 8-8.

For the most part, the verbal jabs are a thing of the past.

Reminded of his home-field jab earlier this week, Fisher wouldn't bite.

Said Fisher: "Was that 11 years ago, or 12?"

tania.ganguli@jacksonville.com, (904) 359-4401

TITANS AT JAGUARS

When: 8:30 p.m. Monday.

Where: EverBank Field.

TV/Radio: ESPN; WOKV (690 AM, 106.5 FM).

Records: Both teams are 3-2.