O’Donnell to Rescue for Titans

Neil O’Donnell proved how valuable a quality backup quarterback can be in the NFL. Rookie Tim Couch showed he has plenty of growing up left to do along with the rest of the Cleveland Browns.

O’Donnell, filling in for injured Steve McNair, completed 31 of 40 passes for 310 yards and a touchdown as the Tennessee Titans beat the expansion Browns, 26-9, Sunday.

“When things happened with Mac, the guys had a lot of confidence that Neil could do the job,” said receiver Yancey Thigpen, who was a teammate of O’Donnell’s with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Eddie George scored on a pair of one-yard runs for the Titans, who are 2-0 for the first time since 1991.

The Titans rolled up 412 yards under the guidance of O’Donnell, who was starting for his fourth team in five years. O’Donnell threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Thigpen, George rushed 31 times for 97 yards, and Al Del Greco kicked a 35-yard field goal for the Titans.

“It’s not like it’s new for me,” said O’Donnell, who was signed to a one-year contract just before training camp as an insurance policy. “As the game went on, I felt better.”

McNair injured his back during practice Friday and underwent surgery in Los Angeles hours before Sunday’s game. He is expected to be out six weeks.

Couch had a rough time in his first NFL start, getting sacked seven times and completing 12 of 24 passes for only 134 yards. The Browns (0-2), who were routed by Pittsburgh, 43-0, in their opener last week, had 173 total yards against Tennessee.

Couch matched last week’s total offense with his feet alone as he ran five times for 40 yards.

The No. 1 overall draft pick also threw a 39-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Johnson with 2:51 left in the third quarter.