Tuesday, 08/08/06

Base visit is wakeup call for Titans

CLARKSVILLE — Reveille for the Tennessee Titans arrived before 0500. It was still dark. The air was thick. The Titans were fast asleep.

Members of the 101st Airborne joined Titans coaches and a handful of Titans veterans in rousing the NFL players out of bed. Ten minutes to get on the bus, the drill instructors barked.

Coach Jeff Fisher had a surprise field trip to Fort Campbell.

How long did it take the Titans to buy into the military way?

"When (the drill instructor) told them to get on the bus in double time and they sprinted to the bus at five 'til five, they were into it,'' Fisher said.

First stop was Air Assault School, where Sgt. Rhonda Myree put the Titans through a morning round of physical training, complete with an 8-pound rubber simulated M-16.

Sgt. Myree had them doing grueling overhead lifts, reverse curls, military presses, squat and bend exercises.

Forty minutes later, 8 pounds never weighed as much.

"GI Jane was tough on us,'' said linebacker Keith Bulluck.

"I think they were surprised to see a female up there. She smoked them,'' said Maj. Nik Guran. "But then she smokes us, too.''

Myree caught Fisher's attention.

"Given the chance, she'd still be up there ripping reps off. She brought a number of them to their knees,'' Fisher said. "Then she showed up with a 7½ month old baby on top of that.''

After a rappelling demonstration, it was off for a one-mile run. The Titans got into running while singing cadence.

At the end some Titans broke into a sprint, racing the soldiers. Pacman Jones took the challenge.

"To see Pacman racing the DI coming in — that DI was in shape, ripped up and to see Pacman pass him up, our guys applauding them, it was unbelievable,'' said assistant head coach Dave McGinnis, whose close relationship with the late Army Ranger Pat Tillman is well known.

Next stop, the chow hall for breakfast. Even the military can't mess up breakfast.

The Titans mingled with the soldiers, signed autographs, getting a sense of what young men and women who put their lives on the line go through daily.

Bulluck understood the correlation between the professions.

"Being there and talking to the soldiers and they talk about how they work in teams and some of their war stories, and you see how important a team concept is in that way of life as well as here,'' Bulluck said.

Fisher and some Titans headed for the post-exchange to sign autographs, meet soldiers and dependents.

The rest of the Titans headed to the weapons simulation center, a state-of-the-art simulated combat center, which included a variety of weapons used to kill the bad guys.

Let's just say Bulluck gets more hits on the field.

"I let off about 90 rounds in one session and only killed one person, so I don't know if you want me fighting for our country,'' Bulluck laughed.

Center Kevin Mawae grew up in a military family. It brought back memories as they rolled onto the base.

"You learn to appreciate what they're doing for us, especially when you see most of them are 18, 19, 20 years old and they're giving up their lives for us,'' he said. "We're out here sweating, thinking how hot it is and feeling sorry for ourselves and you go there and you get a taste of reality.''

It was exactly what Fisher hoped for. The Screaming Eagles delivered.