By Terry McCormick, sports@timesfreepress.com

When the Tennessee Titans review game tape of the Minnesota Vikings, they should recognize something familiar even in an unfamiliar opponent.

The teams follow a similar blueprint both offensive and defensively.

Minnesota, once a pass-happy team in the days of superstar wide receivers Randy Moss and Chris Carter, now does its damage primarily on the ground with second-year running back Adrian Peterson the primary weapon.

The Titans are trying to build the same type of explosive run game around rookie Chris Johnson, whose 276 yards leads the AFC through three games.

And each team has a complementary power back: Chester Taylor for the Vikings and LenDale White for the Titans.

The similarities are readily evident at quarterback as well, as both teams have benched struggling young starters in favor of more low-risk veterans.

Kerry Collins has steadied the Titans offense that had continued its 2007 struggles early with Vince Young under center. The decision to go to Collins was made out of necessity when Young hurt his knee, but then Titans coach Jeff Fisher said Collins would remain at quarterback.

The Vikings moved from Tarvaris Jackson to 37-year-old Gus Frerotte last week. They simply decided after a week-two loss that Jackson wasn’t getting the job done and turned to Frerotte, who rallied the Vikings past Carolina last week.

The teams also are constructed similarly on defense. Both have strong lines that dictate the tempo, shutting down the run and unleashing a strong pass rush. The Titans are led by Kyle Vanden Bosch, while the Vikings traded for Jared Allen last offseason. Both were on the AFC Pro Bowl roster last year.

Fisher said Monday he noticed the likenesses in the teams, who haven’t faced each other since 2004.

“I think there’s some similarities,” Fisher said. “I haven’t had a real opportunity to really break them down. They have a very good defensive front. Jared Allen is an exceptional rusher. They have a solid group of linebackers, a physical group in the secondary and they play hard. Then offensively they can run — they can really run it. I guess in a lot of ways, yeah, there’s some similarities.”

Titans linebacker David Thornton said whichever team can control the line of scrimmage Sunday will probably come out on top.

“I think this game is going to be decided in the trenches. They have a great offensive line and defensive line, and so do we,” Thornton said. “They hang their hats on running the ball, just like we do. And they hang their hats on playing strong defense, just like we do.

“So it’s going to be a game that’s really going to be decided by the guys up front, who can really control the line of scrimmage for 60 minutes. In the running game, they have a two-headed monster just like we do. It’s really similar in that aspect.”

Linemen stop by

The Titans hosted five offensive linemen Tuesday to add to their emergency list in case of injuries during the season.

Those who worked out were Pete Clifford of Michigan State, Clifford Louis of Morgan State, Pete McMahon of Iowa, Clint Oldenburg of Colorado State and Jonathan Palmer of Auburn.