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Monday, December 16
Updated: December 17, 3:22 AM ET
 
Despite limited role, Kearse's presence huge

By Len Pasquarelli
ESPN.com

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- It was not the equivalent of Willis Reed limping onto the court for Game 7 or Ted Williams returning from the cockpit of a bomber and striding into the batter's box after years of inactivity.

But make no mistake about it, when Tennesee Titans defensive end Jevon Kearse ran out of the tunnel for pregame introductions on Monday night, the emotions of his teammates and of the sellout crowd at The Coliseum were heightened exponentially.

"He elevates you, on the field and off the field, whatever," Titans defensive end Kevin Carter said. "When he's around, it's just a different feeling. It was great to look across and see him back on the field and chasing people around."

His cameo role, one in which Kearse logged 21 snaps by unofficial count, represented the first playing time for the Tennessee standout pass rusher since the opening game of the season, when he broke his left foot less than a minute into the game. At the time, no one could have predicted Kearse would have been out so long, but the injury was slow to heal and Titans officials definitely erred on the side of caution.

No small feat there, of course, not with Kearse badgering coaches and trainers every week to let him play.

"Tell the truth, I played less than I thought I would," Kearse said. "I felt like I could go at it pretty good. But I'm still not in good football shape yet. I'd say two more weeks, maybe, and I'll be at least close to where I need to be."

Running onto the field Monday, he was so psyched up he tossed his helmet, slid to his knees, pointed to the sky and then into the jam-packed stands, where his loyal fans were on their feet. It was, Kearse acknowledged, a semi-choreographed moment, but one in which he also allowed his adrenalin to run free.

Before the game, general manager Floyd Reese sidled up to Kearse and told him to save a little for the final two regular-season games and the playoffs. But there was no legitimate concern of overwork on this night, not with Titans head coach Jeff Fisher and his aides carefully monitoring every snap. If the Kearse gas tank hit "empty" -- and he certainly appeared to be a man spent as he slowly dressed afterward -- it was more a function of passion than playing time.

In the first half, Kearse played a dozen snaps, moving back to left end, the position at which he began his career before switching to the right side to accommodate the Carter acquisition in 2001. He played only in obvious passing situations, and rushing from the left side, used a different foot on which to push off, which put less pressure on his still-healing injury.

Said Fisher: "As much as Jevon wants to be out there, you don't want to rush him. (Playing time) will come. He got enough snaps tonight to wet his whistle."

The official statistics showed Kearse with one assisted tackle and no solo stops. But the game plan put him in a variety of positions and, somewhat surprisingly, he spent nearly as much time in zone blitzes, dropping into coverage, as he did rushing Pats quarterback Tom Brady.

Arguably his best effort, though, came in a pass-rush situation. On a third-and-five in the second quarter, he exploded into Pats right tackle Kenyatta Jones and drove the second-year veteran back two yards, basically compressing the pocket on Brady, and forcing him into the arms of Tennessee end Carlos Hall for a seven-yard sack.

"You see, that's an example of what he can do, even playing on just one foot," Titans defensive tackle Henry Ford said. "Nobody will think much about his role in that play, but it was huge. Come to think of it, merely having him out there, that was huge."

Len Paquarelli is a senior writer for ESPN.com.






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