Highlighted Year: Rob Bironas, 2007

Placekicker, Tennessee Titans

Age:  29

6^th season in pro football, 3^rd in NFL & with Titans

College: Georgia Southern

Height: 6’0”   Weight: 205

Prelude:

Bironas originally attended Auburn University and was successful on 12 of 16 field goal attempts in 1998. He transferred to Georgia Southern for his final year of eligibility and went to training camp with the Green Bay Packers in 2002, Tampa Bay Buccaneers in ’03, and Pittsburgh Steelers in ’04, but failed to make it to the regular season in each instance. Bironas was with the Charleston Swamp Foxes, a minor league arena team, in 2003 and in the Arena Football League with the Carolina Cobras in ’04, where he was successful on 18 of 40 field goal attempts, and New York Dragons in 2005, connecting on 7 of 16 field goal tries. Bironas finally caught on in the NFL with the Titans in 2005 and, in his first two years with the club, made good on 45 of 57 field goal attempts, including a 60-yard game-winner against the Colts in 2006, one of several clutch kicks.

2007 Season Summary

Appeared in all 16 games

[Bracketed numbers indicate league rank in Top 20]

Kicking

Field goals – 35 [1]

Most field goals, game – 8 at Houston 10/21

Field goal attempts – 39 [1, tied with Mason Crosby]

Most field goal attempts, game – 8 at Houston 10/21

Field goal percentage – 89.7 [4]

PATs – 28

PAT attempts – 28

Longest field goal – 56 yards at Denver 11/19

Scoring

Field Goals – 35

PATs – 28

Points – 133 [4]

Postseason: 1 G (AFC Wild Card playoff at San Diego)

Field goals – 2

Field goal attempts – 3

PATs – 0

PAT attempts – 0

Longest field goal – 44 yards

Awards & Honors:

1^st team All-NFL: AP, Sporting News

Pro Bowl

Titans went 10-6 to finish third in the AFC South. Lost AFC Wild Card playoff to San Diego Chargers (17-6).

Aftermath:

Bironas spent another six seasons with the Titans. He remained consistent and his leg strength continued to make him accurate from long range and accounted for many touchbacks on kickoffs. His post-2007 high for field goals was 29, which he reached in both 2008 and 2011, and his best field goal percentage was 92.3 in 2010, when he was 24-of-26. The Titans chose to release him following the 2013 season and he tragically died in a car crash in September 2014. Over the course of nine NFL seasons, all with Tennessee, Bironas kicked 239 field goals in 279 attempts (85.7 %) and was successful on 315 of 317 tries for extra points, never missing one after his first year, for a total of 1032 points. His eight-field goal performance against the Texans in 2007 remains the league record.

--

Highlighted Years features players who were consensus first-team All-League* selections or league* or conference** leaders in the following statistical categories:

Rushing: Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Passing: Yards, Completion Pct., Yards per Attempt, TDs, Rating

Receiving: Catches, Yards, TDs (min. 10)

Scoring: TDs, Points, Field Goals (min. 5)

All-Purpose: Total Yards

Defense: Interceptions, Sacks

Kickoff Returns: Average

Punt Returns: Average

Punting: Average

*Leagues include NFL (1920 to date), AFL (1926), AFL (1936-37), AAFC (1946-49), AFL (1960-69), WFL (1974-75), USFL (1983-85)

**NFC/AFC since 1970

2008: Andre Johnson Gains 207 Yards as Texans Edge Titans

The Houston Texans were coming off three straight wins and, while not in playoff contention, looking to achieve the first winning season in franchise history as they hosted the Tennessee Titans on December 14, 2008. In their third season under Head Coach Gary Kubiak, the Texans had a productive offense directed by QB Matt Schaub (when healthy), who had an outstanding target in WR Andre Johnson (pictured at right), plus rookie RB Steve Slaton to bolster the ground game. The defense, however, was less proficient and streaky Houston had a 6-7 record.

The Titans, coached by Jeff Fisher, were 12-1 and had already clinched the AFC South, but were still looking to gain home field advantage throughout the playoffs. Third-year QB Vince Young had been benched in favor of veteran Kerry Collins, to good effect, and rookie RB Chris Johnson was exceeding expectations. The defensive line was anchored by star DT Albert Haynesworth and there were other fine players in LB Keith Bulluck, CB Cortland Finnegan, SS Chris Hope, and FS Michael Griffin. Rob Bironas also provided reliable placekicking.

There were 70,831 fans present at Houston’s Reliant Stadium. The Titans had the first possession and moved into Houston territory largely on the strength of Chris Johnson’s running as he gained 29 yards on three carries. But after reaching the 37, Kerry Collins threw a long pass that was intercepted by CB Fred Bennett in the end zone and returned 23 yards. However, after Matt Schaub passed to Andre Johnson for 15 yards, he fumbled while being sacked by DE Jevon Kearse and Albert Haynesworth recovered at the Houston 32. Six plays later, Rob Bironas (pictured below) kicked a 26-yard field goal.

The Texans responded by putting together a long, 16-play drive that covered 70 yards. Schaub connected with Johnson for 22 yards on a third-and-ten play and followed right up with another pass to Johnson that gained 14 yards. A roughing-the-passer penalty helped Houston out of a third-and-23 jam and Steve Slaton had a 19-yard run along the way. Finally, on the first play of the second quarter, Kris Brown kicked a 32-yard field goal to tie the score.

The Titans went three-and-out on their next series, and after the ensuing punt had the Texans starting at their own 11, Schaub went long for Johnson down the middle for a 65-yard gain to the Tennessee 24. After three running plays, Schaub went to Johnson again and the result was a 13-yard touchdown. Brown added the extra point and Houston was ahead by 10-3.

The teams traded punts before the Titans reached midfield and Collins threw to WR Justin McCareins for 17 yards, only to have the receiver fumble and DE Tim Bulman recover for the Texans at their 31. The clubs returned to exchanging punts until, with 39 seconds remaining in the half, the Titans took over the ball at their own two and quickly moved 93 yards in four plays. The biggest was a pass from Collins to WR Brandon Jones for 40 yards and that was followed by a 36-yard gain on a pass interference penalty. Bironas kicked a 23-yard field goal and the score was 10-6 at halftime.

Following a short possession to start the third quarter, the Texans punted and Tennessee drove 30 yards in nine plays. Collins completed two passes, both to TE Bo Scaife, and RB LenDale White ran three times for 18 yards. Bironas kicked his third field goal, this time from 51 yards, and Houston’s lead was down to one point.

That was the way it stayed for the remainder of the period. A long series by the Texans reached the Tennessee seven, but it was all for naught when Brown missed a 26-yard field goal attempt. As the game headed into the fourth quarter, the Titans had the ball deep in their own territory and had to punt. An apparent 23-yard return by WR Jacoby Jones was wiped out by an illegal block and the Texans had to start at their 36. But a pass interference penalty got them to midfield and back-to-back pass completions to TE Owen Daniels – the second of which was good for 19 yards in a third-and-five situation – got them to the Tennessee 12. Once again they tried for a field goal, and this time Brown was successful from 24 yards to give the home team a 13-9 lead.

The Titans reached the Houston 48 on the next series and punted. The Texans had a short series that also resulted in a punt, with Matt Turk booming it 57 yards but DB Chris Carr returning it 17 yards to the Tennessee 39. Collins immediately went long and WR Justin Gage caught it for a 28-yard gain to the Houston 33. Chris Johnson ran for 13 yards but the drive finally stalled at the 16 and Bironas was once again called on to kick a field goal, which was successful from 34 yards.

Schaub threw to Andre Johnson for 40 yards on a series that reached the Tennessee 41 and resulted in a punt. The Titans came right back with a big pass play of their own as Collins connected with Gage for 34 yards, but facing fourth-and-three at the Houston 32, Tennessee passed up a long field goal attempt and came up empty when Collins tossed an incomplete pass.

That came with just under two minutes remaining to play, and proved to be Tennessee’s last shot. The Titans used all three of their timeouts on the next series, but a 12-yard carry by Slaton gave the Texans a game-clinching first down as they were able to run out the clock. Houston was the winner by a final score of 13-12.

The Texans had the edge in total yards (375 to 281) and first downs (22 to 14). However, they hurt themselves with 11 penalties at a cost of 127 yards, as opposed to 7 flags thrown on Tennessee totaling 64 yards. Houston also gave up three sacks while not getting to Kerry Collins at all. The Titans turned the ball over twice, to one suffered by the Texans.

Andre Johnson, who was largely shut down by the Titans when the two teams met earlier in the season, had a huge performance with 11 catches for 207 yards and the game’s only touchdown. Matt Schaub completed 23 of 39 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown with none intercepted. Steve Slaton (pictured below) ran for an even 100 yards on 24 carries.

For the Titans, Kerry Collins was successful on 15 of 33 throws for 181 yards and no TDs with one intercepted. Chris Johnson rushed for 65 yards on 13 attempts. Justin Gage caught three passes for 76 yards. Rob Bironas was the scoring star as he was successful on all four of his field goal attempts – but one that he didn’t get to try on Tennessee’s last possession might have made the difference in the outcome.

The Texans lost the next week but won their season finale to finish at 8-8 for the second straight year, again missing out on a winning record and placing third in the AFC South. They would finally finish over .500 for the first time in 2009. Tennessee split its last two games but ended up with the conference’s best record at 13-3. The season ended in disappointment with a loss to the Ravens in the Divisional round of the postseason.

Andre Johnson, in his sixth year, led the NFL with 115 catches and 1575 receiving yards. He averaged 13.7 yards per catch and scored eight touchdowns. It all resulted in his receiving consensus first-team All-NFL recognition as well as selection to the Pro Bowl for the third time. His 207 receiving yards against the Titans set a franchise record that he broke in 2012.  

2007: Rob Bironas Kicks 8 FGs as Titans Nip Texans

In his first two seasons with the Tennessee Titans, placekicker Rob Bironas had demonstrated that he had a strong leg and the ability to make kicks in the clutch. While there had been occasional accuracy issues, his 78.9 % success rate on field goals was solid. In his third year, 2007, his memorable performance on October 21 served notice that he had reached the level of the league’s premier kickers.

The Titans were 3-2 as they traveled to Houston to take on the Texans at Reliant Stadium. Tennessee, under 14th-year Head Coach Jeff Fisher, was coming off of an 8-8 season and seeking improvement under second-year QB Vince Young. However, Young had suffered a quadriceps injury the week before in a loss to Tampa Bay and 34-year-old veteran Kerry Collins was starting in his place. Houston was under second-year Head Coach Gary Kubiak and had a new quarterback in Matt Schaub, obtained from Atlanta during the offseason.

The Titans started off the scoring on their first possession as Bironas boomed a 52-yard field goal. The clubs traded fumbles and then Houston went three-and-out and punted. But on Tennessee’s first play, Collins fumbled when sacked by LB DeMeco Ryans, who picked up the loose ball and ran 26 yards for a touchdown that gave the Texans a 7-3 lead.

On Houston’s next possession, Schaub suffered an ankle injury and left the game. His replacement, Sage Rosenfels, threw an interception on his first play to give the Titans good field position at the Texans’ 38 yard line. The resulting drive stalled at the seven and Bironas kicked his second field goal, of 25 yards, to narrow Houston’s lead to 7-6, which was the score at the end of the first quarter.

The second quarter was all Tennessee as Bironas kicked field goals of 21, 30, and 28 yards and RB LenDale White scored on a one-yard touchdown run. Meanwhile, Schaub had returned to the lineup, but the Texans were forced to punt three times and lost a fumble. A hip injury near the end of the quarter knocked Schaub out of the game for good, and Bironas’ fifth field goal as time expired staked the Titans to a 22-7 lead at the half.

Rosenfels started the third quarter by throwing an interception, and that set up a sixth Bironas field goal of 43 yards seven plays later. After another three-and-out possession by Houston, Tennessee’s offense again marched downfield on a 12-play, 73-yard drive that ended with RB Chris Henry scoring on a four-yard run. With the score at 32-7, and the Texans’ offense having accumulated only 34 total yards, the game appeared to be a rout.

But as the third quarter wound down, Rosenfels began completing passes and early in the fourth period he completed a seven-yard touchdown throw to WR David Anderson. With a successful two-point conversion on a Rosenfels pass to WR Andre’ Davis, the Tennessee margin was narrowed, if ever so slightly, to 32-15.

Now it was the turn of the Titans to not move the ball. After a 28-yard run by White to start the next possession, Tennessee could go no further and punted. However, Craig Hentrich’s kick pinned the Texans down at their two yard line.

A 53-yard pass completion to Davis was nullified by a penalty, but completions by Rosenfels of 40, 23, and 8 yards to WR Kevin Walter, plus a 15-yard toss to RB Ahman Green, got the ball down the field and set up a six-yard Rosenfels-to-Walter touchdown pass. With the successful PAT, Houston was now only ten points behind at 32-22.

Tennessee went three-and-out on its next possession, but the Titans got a break when Anderson muffed Hentrich’s punt and it was recovered by Tennessee CB Reynaldo Hill at the Houston 33. Five plays later, the Titans were forced to punt again and the Texans took over at their 12 yard line.

With 4:30 left on the clock, Rosenfels immediately went to the air and was intercepted by LB Keith Bulluck. Four plays later, Bironas kicked his record-tying seventh field goal from 29 yards out.

The score was now 35-22 with under four minutes remaining. The Texans advanced from their 25 to the Tennessee 43, converting two third downs along the way, but at the two minute warning faced a fourth-and-five situation. Rosenfels completed a 12-yard pass to TE Owen Daniels to keep the drive alive and then followed up with a 24-yard completion to David Anderson down to the Tennessee seven. On the next play, Rosenfels connected with TE Jeb Putzier for the seven-yard touchdown, and with the extra point the score was 35-29.

Houston successfully executed an onside kick, recovered by LB Zac Diles at his own 34 yard line. Four plays later, Rosenfels completed a 53-yard pass play to Davis for a touchdown, and with Kris Brown’s successful point after, the Texans were ahead, 36-35, capping an amazing comeback.

There were still 56 seconds remaining, however, as the Tennessee offense returned to the field. Collins completed passes of 17 and 46 yards to WR Roydell Williams, and LenDale White’s six-yard run to the Houston 11 set up a last-play 29-yard field goal attempt for Bironas. The kick was successful, the Titans pulled out the 38-36 win, and Rob Bironas set a new single-game record with eight field goals in as many attempts.

Tennessee had 23 first downs to 18 for the Texans and also gained the most total yards with 422 to Houston’s 333. The chief disparity came in rushing yards, as the Titans piled up 155 on 39 carries to the Texans’ 39 on 12 attempts, but that reflected the need for Houston to resort heavily on the passing game in catching up in the second half.

Kerry Collins completed 25 of 42 passes for 280 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions - while he performed capably, the failure to reach the end zone after getting in scoring position set the stage for Bironas to set the field goal mark. LenDale White ran for 104 yards on 27 carries with a TD, while Chris Henry added 57 yards on 11 attempts and a touchdown as well. Roydell Williams gained 124 yards on 5 pass receptions and TE Bo Scaife caught 6 passes for 49 yards. CB Nick Harper intercepted two passes as part of an outstanding day on defense.


In relief of Matt Schaub, Sage Rosenfels (pictured above) went to the air 35 times and completed 22 of those passes for 290 yards with four touchdowns and three interceptions (all four TD passes came in the fourth quarter, which tied an NFL record). Kevin Walter caught 6 passes for 97 yards and a TD to lead the club while Andre’ Davis added four receptions for 88 yards and a score. Ahman Green gained all 39 of Houston’s rushing yards on 11 carries and contributed 5 pass receptions for 32 more.

Tennessee went on to finish the regular season with a 10-6 record to place third in the highly-competitive AFC South and claim the second wild card spot. They lost in the first round of the playoffs to San Diego. Houston was in fourth with an 8-8 tally – it was the franchise’s first non-losing year.

In kicking eight field goals, Rob Bironas doubled his field goal total for the season to date. He also set a record for points scored by kicking only, with 26. The previous record of seven field goals in a game had first been set by Jim Bakken of the Cardinals in 1967 and was tied by Minnesota’s Rich Karlis in 1989, Chris Boniol of the Cowboys in 1996, and Billy Cundiff, also of Dallas, in 2003. Cincinnati’s Shayne Graham kicked seven in a game a few weeks after Boniol set the new mark.

Bironas ended up kicking a league-leading 35 field goals in 39 attempts for an 89.7 % success rate (fifth in the NFL). His 133 points ranked fourth. He was a consensus first-team All-Pro selection and was chosen for the Pro Bowl.