Keith Bulluck joined the Titans in 2000 and over the next 10 seasons he became one of the most popular and productive players in franchise history.
The linebacker racked up 1,265 tackles and 19 interceptions with Tennessee, while his outspoken nature lit a fire under teammates and connected him with fans.
Bulluck will officially announce his retirement from the NFL on Friday after 11 seasons. He played for the Giants in 2010 and sat out the 2011 season.
About 24 hours before officially calling it a career, Bulluck shared his five most memorable moments as a Titan:
1) Draft day 2000
The Titans selected Bulluck with the 30th overall pick in the 2000 draft. He credited owner Bud Adams, former coach Jeff Fisher and former general manager Floyd Reese for giving him a chance.
“It was frustrating because I expected to go higher and it didn’t happen,” Bulluck said. “But I got drafted to a runner-up in the Super Bowl that was a great team and a great nucleus. It ended up being a blessing in disguise.
“And to be in place like Nashville where there weren’t too many distractions, I was able to concentrate on football and I think that helped my game elevate to the level it was at.”
2) The 2002 season
After two years as a reserve, Bulluck became a starter in 2002. The Titans started 1-4.
“We really didn’t have an identity,’’ he said. “Then a lot of us got (angry) and we won a game and things went from there.”
Bulluck and safety Lance Schulters conjured up the label “Tennessee Tyrants.” The Titans won 11 of their next 12 games and finished one win short of the Super Bowl.
“We had no regard for anyone we were playing against that year,” Bulluck said. “We just wanted to play football and hit people in the mouth. We were young, brash, and we didn’t know any better. We went from nothing to something real quick that year. It was a lot of fun. I remember that. It was football at its best.”
3) New contract
Bulluck was named All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl in 2003. The Titans rewarded him with a six-year, $36 million deal, making him the second-highest paid linebacker at the time behind Ray Lewis.
“I knew all my hard work had paid off,” he said. “All the offseason work and what I had done during the seasons, I knew it had been worth it. And it allowed me to know — or at least I thought — I was going to be a Titan the rest of my career.”
It didn’t work out that way, however. The Titans let Bulluck become a free agent in 2010 when the contract expired.
4) “Mr. Monday Night”
Bulluck coined the phrase and lived up to it, making six of his 21 career interceptions in 15 Monday night games.
On Sept. 24, 2007, Bulluck had a career-high three interceptions in a Monday night win at New Orleans. Before the game, a reporter unfamiliar with Bulluck asked him if he’d ever played on a Monday night.
“It all started off as a joke, and the media of Nashville held me to it. I had to make something happen,” Bulluck said. “I loved playing under the lights. In high school we never had night games. In college at Syracuse, we played in the dome. So I feel that is the biggest stage, other than the Super Bowl.”
5) Blown opportunity
The Titans finished the 2008 regular season 13-3 and were the top seed in the playoffs. Then they lost their postseason opener to the Ravens.
“It was never the same again,” Bulluck said. “That’s why you have to seize the moment.”
The following season the Titans went 8-8. It was Bulluck’s last year in Tennessee.
“Guys like Chris Johnson and Michael Griffin and Michael Roos, they haven’t seen the playoffs again since,” Bulluck said. “I went off in the locker room after that loss. As those guys mature, as they have, they will understand even more where I was coming from.
“That was a tough one to accept. We had great chance to do something great that season, and we didn’t get it done.”
