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Special to ESPN.com

So, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers proved the St. Louis Rams offense was mortal after all. But what does that mean for the Tennessee Titans? Nothing if Jeff Fisher and his Titans coaching staff can't follow the Bucs' blueprint for success against the NFL's most explosive attack.

Can the Titans defense, led by rookie sensation Jevon Kearse, contain league MVP Kurt Warner, Marshall Faulk and the high-scoring Rams in Super Bowl XXXIV? We asked our NFL experts, who believe Tennessee has what it takes to put up a defensive battle in Atlanta.

Here is what they think about Tennessee's chances of overcoming the Rams offense:


Chris Mortensen
Yes
It's evident the Titans can contain the Rams. The Titans play a different style of defense than the Bucs. They play more man-to-man and take a few more chances than the Bucs. They won't hold the Rams to 11 points, but any time you hold the Rams to less than 28 points, you are doing something right. The Titans defense is capable of that, but I don't they will do what the Bucs did.


Merril Hoge
Yes
They will put pressure on Kurt Warner, and that's where it starts. The Titans can't try to match up with everyone. They have to first take care of the trigger man, Warner, and I think they will do that.


Mike Golic
Yes
Absolutely, they can. What Tampa Bay did to St. Louis was like an architect drawing up a set of blueprints. Tennessee can now look at that tape. The Titans defensive backs are better than Tampa Bay's in terms of coverage. The Bucs, though, were right on in coverage, knocking the ball away or making the tackle right away. Tennessee can do that as well. But can the Titans defensive line put pressure on Warner? He was definitely affected by the Bucs' pressure. Kearse, who rattled Fred Miller in their last meeting, might not have the benefit of the same noise he had in Tennessee. Still, he had a nice game against Miller. Tennessee can learn from what Tampa Bay did, tinker with that, and have success against the Rams as well.


Sean Salisbury
Yes
The Bucs showed what a good defense can do against the Rams. I don't know if they can be stopped, but the Titans can keep them within the realm of what they want to do if they get pressure from the defensive line. They did a nice job against Mark Brunell, and the Jaguars have almost as many weapons as St. Louis does on offense. The Rams will move the football, but the key is not letting them break your back with the big play. They can contain the Titans, and I expect it to be a low-scoring game.


John Clayton
Yes
The Titans defense probably can't do as good a job as Tampa Bay did, but I think they can contain the Rams. The Titans are tenacious and aren't as concerned about giving up yards or plays. They gut it out. They go in as probably the underdog again, and they love playing that role. They do have great defensive players and have a well-coached group. They have some of the most aggressive defensive schemes in football. They can play defense well enough to win the game.



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