NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) -Vince Young has lofty expectations for the Tennessee Titans. Nothing short of the playoffs will do next season.
And that's exactly what his coach wants to hear.
"That's Vince. He's got the same expectation level that I do and all of the rest of his teammates," coach Jeff Fisher said.
A franchise that won a combined nine games in 2004 and 2005 accelerated its rebuilding phase dramatically in 2006 with an improbable six-game winning streak that ended Sunday with a 40-23 loss to New England.
The Titans fell short of becoming the first NFL team to start 0-5 and reach the playoffs, but they learned to win again and secured Fisher's job by finishing 8-8. Owner Bud Adams picked up Fisher's option for 2007, and talks on an extension will start soon.
Linebacker Keith Bulluck said the Titans, with 37 players in their third season or less, took a big step and now want much more.
"Everyone on this team is hungry," Bulluck said Tuesday as the Titans packed up their lockers. "It's been a while since we've been in a situation where we could actually go into the postseason. Next year, we want to go sprinting in."
Tennessee spent last offseason adding players who already knew how to win, signing center Kevin Mawae, safety Chris Hope, linebacker David Thornton and receiver David Givens as free agents to settle down the young locker room.
Then they drafted Young fresh off his national championship with Texas at No. 3 overall and running back LenDale White of Southern California in the second round. They traded Young's mentor, Steve McNair, to the Baltimore Ravens in June.
That freed up money to sign Young and his fellow rookies, leaving enough to sign veteran defensive tackle Robaire Smith just before the season.
Young didn't miss any of training camp, and the Titans made him the starter after they started 0-3 under veteran Kerry Collins. Fisher promoted running back Travis Henry to starter over Chris Brown, and Henry and Young helped the Titans finish with the NFL's fifth-best rushing offenses at 138.4 yards per game.
This team didn't lack for drama, and the low point overshadowed Young's debut as starter when defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth kicked the helmetless head of Dallas center Andre Gurode.
That drew an unprecedented five-game suspension from the NFL - more than twice the previous punishment for an on-field act. The Titans required him to continue anger management counseling as a condition of his return.
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