Titans Tracker

I’ve been intentionally quiet this preseason. It’s easy to make too much out of player performances this time of year, good or bad.

Vince Young did not play well Friday night against the Raiders, but by no means is this indicative of an overall lack of progress in his game. Here’s a great quote from Titans center Kevin Mawae:

“Fans and people are putting a whole lot of stock into a whole lot of nothing right now. He is a better leader in the huddle and on the field than he has been in the past … and he is becoming a better quarterback each and every week,” Mawae said. “I’ve heard the radio shows and (read) the articles in the paper and some of the fans, that Vince isn’t throwing the ball well and the timing is off. Well, you know what? We are only using a quarter of our offense right now and there are things he can do that other quarterbacks can’t do in this league.’’ (source)

‘Nuff said.

Young is currently learning to execute a second offense in his third professional season. Let’s wait until week ten before seriously asking if VY has what it takes to succeed in the NFL.

After last season’s playoff loss to the San Diego Chargers, I recognized that the fundamental difference between the Chargers and the Titans was the presence of playmakers in San Diego’s offense. The Chargers playmakers are running back LaDainian Tomlinson, tight end Antonio Gates and wide receiver Chris Chambers.

In order to win a playoff game, the Titans need to match the Chargers by adding playmakers to its offense.

The Titans now have two bonafide playmakers on offense.

One of the playmakers is rookie running back Chris Johnson. He provides a one-two punch with incumbent starter LenDale White. I wonder if White realizes he may become the “two” in the one-two punch.

In case you missed this play last night, Chris Johnson is really fast.

Alge Crumpler is the other new playmaker. He will prove to be an experienced and reliable option for VY.

The Titans still do not have a gamebreaker at wide receiver. However, the the two Justins — Gage and McCareins — are solid.

From all reports, Vince Young is having an excellent training camp and is gaining the approval and confidence of new offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger.

Last year’s great defense has one talented newcomer: former Titan and Eagle Jevon Kearse.

I have a good feeling about this football team.

Indianapolis is due for a bad season. I do not believe the Colts have significantly upgraded its roster. Additionally, Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison are battling injuries.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are the class of the division. Quarterback David Garrard is flawless. The team is confident after its recent playoff performances against the Steelers and Patriots.

Houston, is, well, Houston. I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid about the Texans playoff prospects. The team is not starting its best quarterback (Sage Rosenfels), backup running back Chris Brown is already injured, and its secondary is horrible.

The Titans prospects are good. I anticipate an 11-5 season and a wildcard playoff victory.
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I will not be writing in depth about the preseason. One can only make the most general of conclusions from the outcome. Last night, in the Titans 34-13 victory, we learned that the Rams rushing offense is terrible and that the Titans defense is still sharp. That’s it.

We will get a sense of Vince Young’s progress in the team’s third preseason game against the Atlanta Falcons. Last night’s 3-for-6, 17-yard passing performance told us nothing, good or bad.

All-Pro defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth has not signed a contract with the Tennessee Titans.

The Titans chose to designate Haynesworth as its franchise player instead of signing him to a lucrative, long-term deal. As of today, Haynesworth has not signed the one-year contract offer which would pay him $7.25 million this season (source).

The lack of a contract for Haynesworth figures to be the biggest distraction for the Titans going into training camp.

Haynesworth was the Titans defensive MVP in 2007. He was the lynchpin for a defense which was ranked fifth in the NFL. He had six sacks and 40 tackles in 13 games. The Titans lost each regular season game Haynesworth missed last season.

So why haven’t the Titans resigned Big Al?

Is it his outspoken nature? Is the team afraid to commit to the player who stepped on Dallas Cowboy Andre Gurode’s neck during a game in 2006? Or does the team not want to give big bucks to a defensive tackle?

Or, perhaps, the Titans see Haynesworth as an injury risk.

Albert Haynesworth has only played one full season. During his rookie year in 2002, he played 16 games and started three. The most games he has played in a season is 14 (2005).

Perhaps what the Titans want to see is not whether or not Haynesworth will repeat the Gurode incident. Team management might want to see if he can stay healthy for a full season.

Trouble didn’t leave the Titans when Adam Jones left Nashville.

News broke today that The Freak was arrested and charged with DUI by the Vanderbilt University police Sunday morning. This will damper some of the enthusiasm generated when Jevon Kearse decided to resign with the Titans earlier this year.

Equally as distressing, Titans linebacker Ryan Fowler is under suspicion for buying performing enhancing drugs from a convicted steroids dealer who recently committed suicide.

In the meantime, Adam Jones is campaigning to be known as the cornerback formerly known as Pacman:

“There’s really just a lot of negativity behind it,” Jones said. “It’s just time for a change, man. I’m doing everything to make sure that I’m all right as a person, mentally and emotionally.”

Tennessee took a step forward by separating itself from a public relations nightmare, only to gain two new PR headaches. So much for ridding itself of problem athletes.

My point isn’t to dwell on the mistakes of Kearse and Fowler. I think the problems of today’s athletes are overblown … there was no ESPN in the 1960s and 1970s and I’m sure there was plenty of bad behavior taking place on and off the football field by NFL and AFL players.

I’m still bothered that the Titans were willing to let go of the sixth pick of the 2005 NFL draft — and a very talented player — because they grew tired of dealing with the young man’s character issues, only to face new issues with Fowler and Kearse’s public mistakes.

Are the Titans a better team now Adam Jones is gone?

Last November, I speculated that Vince Young might be thinking about retiring. He seemed to me to be the type of person who places a lot of pressure on himself and who might not want to deal with the added pressure from unreasonable fans. There were whispers that Vince’s formerly incarcerated father was back in his life and this was another source of stress for the quarterback.

In a recent article, Vince Young admitted that he thought of retiring after his rookie season with the Titans.

“I really thought long and hard about it,” Young said on Thursday after practice. “There was so much going on with my family. It was crazy being an NFL quarterback. It wasn’t fun anymore. All of the fun was out of it. All of the excitement was gone. All I was doing was worrying about things.

Well, in the macho sports kingdom, such revelations only invite criticism. Who cares about Vince Young’s feelings? He’s a millionaire athlete, right? Shut up and play!

This is not how I see things.

If I had so-called fans calling me stupid because of my Wonderlic score, critics saying that I can’t read defenses (which is code for “he’s a black quarterback who likes to run first and can’t play the position well”) and insensitive sportswriters criticizing my every move, along with family members and acquaintances coming out of the woodwork because I’m a new millionaire, I might decide the money isn’t worth it and move on.

Nevertheless, I still expect great things out of Vince Young. He will help the Titans win at least one Super Bowl … and retire after playing ten seasons.