Titans have changed considerably since Super Bowl against St. Louis

St. Louis won the teams' last meeting, in Super Bowl XXXIV.

ST. LOUIS -- A Super Bowl rematch from 2000 might not hold much cache for the Tennessee Titans. Coach Jeff Fisher asked for a show of hands at a team meeting and only five went up.

"The Super Bowl was eons ago," said offensive tackle Brad Hopkins, one of the few holdovers. "Half of the people on this team don't even remember that Super Bowl. They walk down that wall down there that has all the Super Bowl memorabilia on it and they have no idea who the people are."

Titans linebacker Keith Bulluck is one of those guys who couldn't make the connection.

"I wasn't here for the Super Bowl," Bulluck said. "That holds no weight for me. They're a 1-1 team just like we're a 1-1 team."

It's a lot different story with the St. Louis Rams, who number a dozen holdovers from the franchise's only Super Bowl victory. The list includes Isaac Bruce, who curled back to snare an underthrown long ball from Kurt Warner and then ran it in for the winning touchdown in a 23-16 victory.

"It'll stand out in NFL history as my favorite play," Rams tight end Roland Williams said. "Mike Jones, Ricky Proehl: there were plays in that season that were awesome, but that last one is what got us over the hump.

"I tell Ike all the time, 'Thank you very much for helping me get a ring.'"

Bruce is the Rams' No. 2 receiver now behind Torry Holt. But today, when the Titans (1-1) and Rams (1-1) meet in the regular season for the first time since 1999, Bruce expects to be in the spotlight again because of the signature play of his career.

"I have fond memories," Bruce said. "It was an amazing game."

Bruce gets asked about the play a lot, mostly he believes, because he lives in Memphis.

"I hear how hearts were broken," he said. "Someone had to win, someone had to lose. I thought that year the two best teams in the NFL played each other, so it was just an amazing game, an amazing stop on the 1-yard line by Mike Jones, and I thank God I got a ring out of it."

Turnover is natural in the NFL. But the Rams have three-fifths of the offensive line intact, plus center Andy McCollum -- a backup that year -- from their magical run to the title in the 1999 season.

"That does seem a little bit strange," Rams guard Adam Timmerman said. "I guess the old men are still serving it up the way it's supposed to be served up."

The four-year gap in meetings serves to dull the matchup a bit. The Rams and Titans played twice in 1999, held a joint training camp scrimmage in 2000 and met in the preseason in 2001, but since then nothing.

The Titans' main link to the Super Bowl is quarterback Steve McNair, the player who nearly brought them back to force overtime before Kevin Dyson was tackled at the 1 by Jones on the final play. McNair is enough to strike fear into the Rams.

"I know he's a great runner, and I know he's a guy you can't account for," Rams defensive tackle Damione Lewis said. "You might think you've got him covered up and he rolls out and makes a guy miss and takes it for 20 yards and keeps a drive alive.

"He's been doing that his whole career."

McNair is the constant on a team that is rebuilding yet dangerous after beating the Ravens 25-10 last week. In the offseason, the Titans let go nine starters, including wide receiver Derrick Mason, cornerback Samari Rolle, defensive end Kevin Carter and safety Lance Schulters.

"Steve understands some of the decisions we had to make," Fisher said. "He's very excited about some of the replacement players. He's a guy who accepts challenges."

From the Rams' standpoint, the Titans likely appear most vulnerable in the secondary, where they're young. Plus, nickel back Vincent Fuller is out this week with an ankle injury.

The secondary was not a big issue for the Titans the first two weeks against the more run-oriented Ravens and Steelers.

"They're in the NFL, so I'm sure they are above average," Bruce said. "We'll pretty much take what the defense gives us."

The Titans hope to compensate with a pass rush that created six sacks against the Ravens.

It'll be the home opener for the Rams, the only NFL team to play its first two games on the road. Counting the preseason, they've been on the road four of the last five games.

Including the playoffs, the Rams are 44-10 in their last 54 games at home. They've sold out every game since making the move to the Midwest in 1995.

"It can be intimidating," coach Mike Martz said. "The noise is not pumped into the speakers, it's real, and they're not cardboard cutouts."