NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Tennessee Titans defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch practiced Saturday and indicated that the groin injury that has limited him feels better than at any point last week.
Vanden Bosch originally suffered the injury in the first half of a victory at Baltimore on Oct. 5 and was on the field for just three plays at Kansas City last week. The Titans had a bye the previous week.
Injury report: Week 8
"If nothing else, it was a confidence booster. I went out there and felt good, better than at any point last week. I've still got two days," Vanden Bosch said.
Vanden Bosch has started 54 consecutive regular-season games for the Titans and certainly wants to be on the field when Tennessee hosts division rival Indianapolis Monday night. But he said the long-term picture is much more important than any short-term issues.
"It's important for me to be 100 percent. I want to go as hard as I can on every play," Vanden Bosch said. "To me, I don't want to be 80 percent the rest of the season. I don't want this thing to kind of string out. I want it to be 100 percent by Monday night, and hopefully, I will be, and it won't be an issue. If not, then we'll have to make a decision."
The Titans (6-0) are playing their first home Monday night game in nearly four years, and Vanden Bosch doesn't want to miss it.
"To me, other than last year, this is maybe the biggest regular-season game of my career," Vanden Bosch said. "It's a big deal to me to play, and I want to be out there with my teammates. I want to be out there, but at the same time I have to do what's best for the team."
Elsewhere, wide receiver Justin McCareins, who was sidelined by a hamstring injury last week, said he expects to play after practicing for the first time this week on Saturday.
"(I did) more than I thought. I went hard on a bunch of routes, and it felt good, no problems," said McCareins. "(It felt) more than decent. Barring any unforeseen disasters, I definitely will play."
Both Vanden Bosch and McCareins are listed as questionable on the injury report, something Coach Jeff Fisher said would not change.
Only linebacker Colin Allred (groin) missed Saturday's practice.
Tony Brown and Nick Harper, both held out Friday, were back at practice on Saturday.
Copyright 2008 by The Associated Press