Tennessee Preaches Sirmon
Peter Sirmon, the Tennessee linebacker, missed the entire 2004 season through injury and came into this season healthy and recovered. He then sprained his knee, followed by a team-mate accidentally hurting his right ankle. This forced him to sit out two of the last three games.
Sirmon said of the injury: "It's something that goes up and down with me. Hopefully, this little bit of time will get it behind us."
The linebacker is probably looking forward to this week's bye. Sirmon has tried playing through the injuries most of the season. He was there as an emergency option but did not play in last week's 20-14 loss at Cleveland.
Sirmon has been working out carefully this week and both he and coach Jeff Fisher think the rest might help him put the injuries behind him.
"Hopefully soon. We just have to wait and see how the rest helps," Sirmon said.
The Tennessee Titans could use the Sirmon back on the field. The 6-2, 240 pound linebacker became their starter in 2002 and had three interceptions, followed by a 141 tackles in 2003 that ranked second only to linebacker Keith Bulluck.
Middle linebacker Brad Kassell has moved in to fill the void while Sirmon has been off the field. Fisher said having Sirmon on the field helps the Titans line up correctly with a settling effect on the defense. He is more than just a player.
"He'll trigger things. He'll offer subtle reminders across the board. Those kind of things are very, very important. When a guy's ninety-nine percent sure of what to do and it's reaffirmed, then he can play. Those are the kind of things Pete does for us. It looks as if things will be behind him once we get on the practice field next week." This would put Sirmon's comeback game on track for Nov. 20 against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He still ranks sixth on defense with thirty-two tackles and has a sack and a fumble recovery.
