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Titans coach knows fans want team to lose, possibly get No. 1 pick

There comes a point for every NFL team that's pretty bad when they have to make a choice: just how bad do we want to be? Granted, the NFL isn't like the NBA, where tanking can get you a franchise-changing player, but when you've got the opportunity to hold the first pick in a stocked draft, how much are you willing to do to get it?

The Tennessee Titans face such a choice, and head coach Ken Whisenhunt understands that his fans' desires and his team's desires may not run in the same direction. The Titans want a victory, the fans want the opportunity to pick up a player who could get them many more victories down the road.

"From a fan's perspective, I understand that, but you want to win. That's what you're geared in to do," he said. "That's why we're in this business. We're trying to do that. I don't worry as much about that until the season's over, but I certainly respect their feelings on that."

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Worth noting: Whisenhunt is 3-24 over his last 27 games. That's not a typo. It's also a painful reminder of the last two season in Tennessee. The Titans now stand at 2-13, tied with Tampa Bay for the worst record in the game. A Tampa Bay victory over New Orleans, certainly a possibility, combined with a Tennessee loss to Indianapolis would give the Titans the inside track on a player like Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.

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Jay Busbee is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Contact him at jay.busbee@yahoo.com or find him on Twitter.

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