Commentary: Titans writing perfect story in 2008

This almost seems too good to be true.

It's almost like some Hollywood screenwriter put the 2008 Tennessee Titans together. Or the writer of one of those hip, gritty behind-the-scenes television shows on HBO.

Either way, it's entertaining. After all, these Titans seem to have it all.

You've got the veteran quarterback in Kerry Collins who's seen everything. He was a No. 1 draft pick, then a flop, then a Super Bowl QB, then a Super Bowl loser. Now he's the grizzled journeyman who's getting a chance because of a young QB's fall from grace.

You've got the hotshot rookie in Chris Johnson with blazing speed who simply goes out and performs. You've got the (formerly) hothead defensive lineman in Albert Haynesworth who's still trying to prove himself off the field and earning respect on it. You've got the intense linebacker in Keith Bulluck that comes straight out of central casting.

Heck, you've even got the lovable, chunky guy in LenDale White.

With the Titans now 7-0 after a 31-21 win over the division rival Colts on Monday Night Football at LP Field, the story is now officially in must-see territory.

For a while there, it looked like Monday Night Football was going exactly according to Peyton Manning's script.

Manning, coming home to the state where he was a college star, led his Indianapolis Colts to a 14-6 lead over the Titans with two touchdown passes to Dallas Clark. At that point, it seemed like the magic that had worked through six games this season for the Titans had run out.

Then the Titans wrote the ending on an electric night in Nashville with a familiar formula — they used some tough defense, good kicking and a punishing running attack to pull away. The Titans stopped the Colts twice on fourth-down, Chris Hope intercepted Manning twice and Tennessee got two touchdowns from White and another from Johnson to pull away and possibly slam the door on the division race in the AFC South.

It was a validation for a Titans team that hadn't been showcased nationally this season. And the storylines kept getting better.

Collins threw for 193 yards and was not intercepted. Johnson remained the lightning-fast weapon the team has missed the last couple of years. And White continued his role as the team's goal-line battering ram with his 9th and 10th touchdowns of the season.

Admit it — after Hope's second interception and Johnson's 16-yard TD run sealed it, the phrase Super Bowl danced in your head.

Why not? It would the the ultimate ending to this incredible story.