Tampa Bay cornerback Ronde Barber recovered the ball only to fumble himself after Titans running back LenDale White slammed into him. Tennessee receiver Justin Gage threw himself down on the ball, ending the play and keeping the ball in the Titans' possession.
"It got us some field position," Gage said Thursday. "It got us down the field farther and a new set of downs. When a play like that happens and it comes back to our side, it gives the offense confidence as opposed to a turnover that hurts our offense."
No matter if Vince Young's strained right quadriceps muscle heals quickly or if it's backup Kerry Collins at quarterback Sunday in Houston (3-3), the Tennessee Titans must find a way to hold onto the ball after eight turnovers over the past two games.
Subtract the fumble that Gage recovered, the number drops to seven for the Titans (3-2). That turnover total could have been even higher if not for a bit of luck mixed with help from replay review.
Barber thought he had two interceptions except for challenges that overturned both plays. But officials upheld an interception by Phillip Buchanon in that game when Titans coach Jeff Fisher thought the cornerback stepped out of bounds.
Fisher isn't happy with turnovers, and he said all could have been avoided.
"You have to go back and discuss them, go into detail and emphasize, as much as you can, that they don't happen again. Again, it will be a key part of this ballgame," Fisher said. "The team that can protect the ball and not give it up has got a pretty good chance of winning."
The Titans protected the ball pretty well in 2006 with 26 giveaways. In the NFL, only 13 teams had fewer.
They started off this season fairly stingy, losing the ball only five times through the first three games combined. With the struggles since the bye, the Titans now are halfway to last year's total of giveaways with 13 and 11 games still remaining.
Now, only five NFL teams have more giveaways.
"To me, we've had enough for the season already," tight end Ben Troupe said. "Hopefully, we've got all our turnovers out of the way for the season."
The Titans have gotten lots of help from the defense to erase those mistakes. They have 10 takeaways that have turned into 28 points, including two interception returns for touchdowns by Vincent Fuller
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