| Jeff Risdon. 5th September, 2006 - 7:30 pm
 Last season: 4-12
Coming: C Kevin Mawae, LB David Thornton, QB Kerry Collins, WR David Givens, S Chris Hope
Going: QB Steve McNair, C Justin Hartwig, LB Brad Kassell, T Brad Hopkins, S Tank Williams, WR Tyrone Calico
Rookies of note: QB Vince Young, RB LenDale White, FB Ahmard Hall
What I like: The defense features a lot of pretty solid young talent. LB Keith Bulluck is one of the best run stoppers in the game, and new acquisition Thornton is a decent all-around LB. The left side of the 4-3, with DE Kyle Vandenbosch and DT Albert Haynesworth (when he’s not on the right side) in front of Thornton, is as good as any in the AFC, and is just as good at run stuffing as pass rushing. Chris Hope brings a much-needed leader and sure tackler to the secondary. Both CBs, Pacman Jones and Reynaldo Hill, have lots of physical ability and showed progress as rookies in 2005. The Titans have a stable of 3 RBs that all have feature back ability. Adding Givens at WR will really help the guy on the other side, Drew Bennett, a great route runner with excellent hands. Givens isn’t really a strong #1, but it gives the Titans a very good #2 in Bennett and buys time for the kids behind them to improve. They have three TEs who are all capable of starting, and the team uses lots of multiple TE sets very effectively. Rookie QB Vince Young offers long-term hope and a dynamic playmaker and leader for an offense with a major vacuum in that capacity with the loss of McNair. Bringing in a vet like Kerry Collins allows Young to come along at his own pace, something the Titans organization has a good history with in developing a raw but ultra-talented rookie QB. Punter Craig Hentrich is still great, and doubles as a good holder and kickoff specialist. Head Coach Jeff Fisher is an outstanding coach and leader of men.
What I dislike: So much youth and inexperience at so many positions. They have 3 RBs that all look better on paper than on the field, and the battle for playing time has not gone well. None are happy with the arrangement, yet none have stepped forward enough to end the battle for playing time. The OL has two decent starters (Mawae and G Benji Olson) and lots of overmatched, undertalented youngsters in the mix. The team has mishandled the ongoing soap opera at QB quite badly, from the locking out of McNair to the surprise drafting of Young (over Coach Fisher’s objections) to the hamhanded demotion of Billy Volek after the signing of journeyman Kerry Collins. All that upheaval behind a line that looks highly suspect and with scant depth at WR is not a recipe for success in 2006. The young CBs both have considerable talent, but both are weak tacklers and succumb to double moves and play-action passes. Some of the other youngsters on defense are in a similar boat: the talent is evident, but on a good team they would not be depended upon so heavily. The rest of the roster, including some expected contributors at DB and WR, is journeyman backups with little upside. Tennessee has nothing to show for the 2000-02 drafts except Haynesworth, subpar nickel back Andre Woolfork, and backups Donnie Nickey (FS) and Chris Brown (RB). That’s one starter in three drafts that involve players that should be at entering their prime years, even worse than the notoriously bumbling Matt Millen in Detroit. That lack of depth and veteran quality severely lowers the ceiling for this team in 2006.
Best case: Year 3 of the rebuild shows progress, with playmakers and team leaders emerging on both sides of the ball. Vince Young takes over and proves his dynamic performance at Texas was merely an appetizer, not dessert. Vandenbosch and Haynesworth stay disruptive on the DL, and the young CBs mature into a strong unit.
Worst case: All the QB turmoil in the offseason and the battles at RB divide the team and set back progress another season. Fisher loses interest in coaching as a lame duck and all the youngsters stagnate. The depth issues at WR, OL, and LB become major problems, and the team struggles to equal 4 wins again.
Prediction: I liked this team a lot better in the spring than I do right now. They have the potential for a pretty solid defense, but there are so many questions. The QB and RB tumult, coupled with a weak OL, really slows down positive momentum. Unless Vince Young emerges as the 2004 version of Daunte Culpepper, there’s not more than 5 wins on the schedule. They might go another season without beating a team that finishes with a winning record, finishing 4-12. |
