Countdown to Kickoff: 70 Days
The countdown to kickoff continues.
The Tennessee Titans will open the 2020 regular season Sept. 14 at Denver. That is 70 days away. So, today we look at one way the number 70 figures into the team’s recent history.
Frank Wycheck was an easy guy to root for.
He was affable and easy-going and gave the impression that he gladly would sit down for a beer with just about anyone. During the Titans’ first few years in Tennessee, he also produced.
Each of the first four years after the franchise relocated from Houston, it was Wycheck, a tight end, who led the team in receptions. He topped out at 70 catches – twice (1998, 2000).
During those four years (1997-2000), Wycheck caught more passes – 272 of them – than any tight end in the league. By comparison, Hall of Famer Tony Gonzalez had 261 receptions over the same time frame. Shannon Sharpe, also a Hall of Famer, had 226.
In each of those seasons he finished among the top five tight ends in receptions, and in 1998 (the first time he had 70), he finished first at his position despite the fact that 91 passes were thrown his way. His 76.9 catch percentage that season was his career-high and second among that season’s top 10 tight ends, based on receptions (teammate Jackie Harris topped him at 78.2 percent).
Wycheck set a standard for Titans tight ends that has continued through to Erron Kinney to Bo Scaife to Delanie Walker and now – most likely – Jonnu Smith. During the Titans era (1999-present), only Walker, with 381 receptions, has caught more passes among Tennessee tight ends than Wycheck (256). Likewise, only Walker with 94 in 2015 and 74 in 2017 topped Wycheck’s single-season high of 70.
