Finally...
The inevitable has finally become a reality and Pacman Jones is now “packing” his bags for Dallas. The Titans reportedly get a 4th round pick this year, a 6th round pick next year (if he plays) and some cap relief (about $1.75-million). The Cowboys get a highly skilled cover corner with the ability to take it the distance every time he touches it and a guy who’s been a ticking time bomb.
Some think the Titans are taking a chance by giving up on Jones and only get a 4th round pick for him. I think the Cowboys are the team that’s gambling. He’s one incident away from being done, finished, over with in the NFL and let’s face it the track record isn’t real strong there. Oh, and by the way, he still has to be reinstated by the NFL and that’s not what anyone would call an automatic at this point.
The words I use are “addition by subtraction”. The Titans missed his playmaking ability last season, but certainly didn’t miss the distractions. Now they can all move on and I talked with more than one player who was relieved to get passed it.
Maybe Pacman Jones will make the most of his second chance, maybe he won’t. The Titans are one team that will be rooting for him to make it thru 2008, if he does they get another pick!
So, what are your thoughts? Did they get enough? Too much?
Here Comes The Draft
The NFL Draft is almost here and it’s almost time to see just what the Tennessee Titans have in mind. I love mock drafts! I especially love how we call them “mock drafts” instead of “hey, here’s my guess on who everyone is going to take”. After the first 3, 4 or 5 picks it really is a guessing game.
Unfortunately, or fortunately for the Titans they don’t pick in the top 5, they pick 24th. The question remains the same for them, what do they do? It could be as simple as “best player available” or it could be a specific position or the best player available at the most specific need. Many of the “mock drafts” have the Titans taking a wide receiver. Makes sense, that’s seen as a clear cut need. I’m not buying it. Not many receivers make an immediate splash and this team has other needs, big ones. By big I mean bodies.
The Titans just lost Jacob Bell, Antwan Odom, Travis LaBoy and Randy Starks. They were all important players on the offensive defensive lines and they all need to be replaced. Good defensive lineman make everyone on defense better, just look at the different Albert Haynesworth made this season. So, I never frown on a DT or DE in the 1st. On offense not only is Bell gone, but Mawae isn’t getting any younger and Stewart and Roos could be headed for Free Agency. Yes, Vince Young needs targets, but he needs to stay upright and healthy if he’s going to get them the ball.
I’m going lineman.. Either way… Your on the clock, who’s your pick?
..........A Good Day......................
(From the palatial sports offices at News2 overlooking downtown Nashville)
Before I got into TV (my friends can attest to this), I had about 45 jobs in about a five-year period. Regardless of what I did, I wanted to have a job where I actually enjoyed going into work. I got so tired of seeing my friends start complaining Sunday afternoon that they had to get up and go to work the next day, and were mad about it.
Fast-forward about ten years and I feel especially blessed that I get to get up and go to a job that I love and am very passionate about. But still, there are moments when I think to myself, “How did I get here?”, ”What are you doing?” and “When are they going to figure out that I don’t belong here?”.
…Just kidding, of course. But I had one of those moments on Monday when I got to interview Dan Marino, not so much about a sports story as it was a life-learning story (Marino’s son has autism and Vanderbilt has one of the leading autism centers in the country; he was in town visiting the research center, as his foundation generously donated $1 million to the Vanderbilt Kennedy Center) .
As I was talking to him, I was thinking to myself, “Hey - he was in Ace Ventura, Pet Detective“.
Not really, but what I wasthinking: “Joe, what are you doing? Dear Lord, this is Dan Marino you are talking to. Does he know, for the most part, you don’t have a clue what’s going on??? And at what point is he going to say, ‘You really don’t have a clue as to what’s going on, do you?’”
But in all fairness, he was perfect. Very nice, very cordial and took the time out of his busy day to talk about the Titans, Vince Young & Jeff Fisher.
Dan, you ARE the man. And it was a good day.
......The Day After.....
****Random thoughts while sitting in our palatial sports offices, overlooking a wonderful Nashville, Tennessee***
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It is the Day After for the Preds and their fans. Now is the time to not remember that tough playoff loss to the Red Wings, but to remember what a great season it was. Winning their first two of the year, then losing 6 straight, then winning 7 straight, something like that, it was truly a roller coaster for everyone involved.
The problem for me is that hockey starts back up in September when football is just starting. In the south that is a problem and it is in Nashville to a lesser degree. It seems that one December rolls around and it gets cold all day and night, people start going to games and hockey becomes a big interest.
Preds Fault? Absolutely not. Just like the CFL in Canada. There is a reason they play in the summer and wrap up in the late fall. Because hockey is starting and they want to be done.
The atmosphere yesterday and for games 3 and 4 was incredible. I told a fellow sports reporter, ‘this is why you live in a big city.’ Great crowds, great fun, to bad they lost.
The Day After is much better than the day that never was. Word!
...........McNair Did It His Way....
Back in 1994, I went down to Birmingham to catch a college football game of where I played many years ago at Samford. The weekend I was there, they were playing a team from MIssissippi called Alcorn State.
I had heard about their quarterback named Steve McNair but down in the D1 level, there are many great players that go unheard of but McNair had a certain buzz about him and I wanted to see.
3 hours later, I was stunned. Alcorn State ran 70 offensive plays, and Steve McNair was involved in 69 of those, either passing or running. He handed the ball off one time but every other time, it was him. And Samford battered him that day, knocked him silly and it didn’t faze him one time. He had more energy in the 4th than he did in the first.
Fast forward to Thursday, April 17th and now McNair is calling it a career. He is going out in his terms, his way, instead of hanging out just to be hanging on. But he is saying so long, it is time to go.
Although I am not the biggest Titan fan in the world, I do admire great players and Steve McNair was a great player. His tenacity, his never-say-die attitude was so refreshing in today’s climate.
Also, every time you needed an interview from him, he always obliged. He may not get to the hall of fame, but to every titan fan, he is in their hall of fame.
Steve McNair retires after 13 NFL seasons
Former Tennessee Titans quarterback Steve McNair has announced he is retiring after 13 NFL seasons.
McNair, who left the Titans for the Baltimore Ravens two years ago, informed teammates of his decision during an emotional meeting Thursday morning.
McNair, 35, led the Ravens to a 13 and three record in 2006.
In 2007, however, groin, back and shoulder injuries limited him to just six games where he threw just two touchdown passes while losing seven fumbles and throwing four interceptions.
The Ravens struggled with a five and 11 record.
McNair led the Titans to the Super Bowl in 1999.
He was also named co-MVP of the league in 2003, sharing the award with Peyton Manning.
.....MUSIC CITY MANIA OVER THE PREDS....
Back in 2007 when Vandy made it to the sweet 16 and lost to Georgetown in the last second of the game, I went on tv saying how bad I felt for Vandy cause no one gave them a chance and they almost got to the elite 8. When I got back from New Jersey where the game was being played, I had an email from a viewer thanking me for thanking Vandy on their excellent season. Then someone told me at the gym that he thought newscasters were supposed to be partial to everything that we cover.
You know that sounds good but who ever said that has to be the template or the blueprint for what and how we cover? Vandy is in our backyard, we went out to practice with them for 3 months, went on the road with them and you start a small affinity for the team, win or lose. I did feel bad for them and just because I am a ‘newscaster’, am I not supposed to show any emotion.
Baloney! The reason I bring it up is that the Predators have had two incredible games in the playoffs at home, winning both of them and tying the series. They are like Vandy to us, we are out there everyday, those guys are stand up athletes who have never, ever backed down from any of our questions. Last year when Chris Mason gave up 6 goals in a game, he stood there for 15 minutes and answered every single question. And that is the entire team, they will answer everything and go out of their way to help and gasp! even apologize for running late to an interview.
Heck yeh, I cheer them on because I am a sports fan too and I live here and I want to see these teams do good. It is just sports afterall, not life or death or anything else. People like reality tv, I love sports for my ‘getaway.’
So as long as the Preds, Vandy, Titans are here in town, people in the media will be cheering them on, cause after all, it is only a sport.
Finding Their Place
So, Nashville FINALLY did it. The new lease for the Nashville Predators is a done deal and the immediate future of the team is looking good. The question is what took so long? I understand not wanting to give away the farm and making sure the deal is “right” for Nashville, but you know what would have been absolutely WRONG for Nashville? Letting a Pro Sports Franchise leave town! Folks they don’t come around often and when they leave, believe me it leaves a stigma on the community. Nashville would have looked a failure.
I am not here to tell you that you have to support the team and you have to like hockey. Soccer’s been trying to tell the U.S. the same thing for 50 years, it just doesn’t work that way. I’m simply here to say this, if you like the Preds, great. If you don’t, that’s great too. Hockey doesn’t have to be for everybody, it just has to simply be for “enough”. What is enough? Enough to keep it financially operating. The Predators averaged well over 13-thousand paid this season and while that does need to improve it’s certainly not an “empty” arena and it certainly doesn’t make the team a failure. Do the math, 14,000 times 41 games equals almost 600-thousand fans showing up this season.
This afternoon I spent an hour with the students at Rutland Elementary in Mt. Juliet and one young man asked me a question I’d never been asked before. He asked, “why do we have 4 News stations?” My answer, “because we can”. The Preds are very similar. We don’t have to have them, but we can and in this day and age it’s a privelage, just ask Kansas City!
I’m big on the future Middle Tennessee and I think that’s something everyone has to keep in mind. Nashville is GROWING and it’s doing it every day. Industries and people move here every day and the Predators are just one more thing we have to offer as a community and one more focal point that can bring us all together. In the not too distant future Middle Tennessee will top 2-million people. As our area grows the support for the Predators will grow with it. Will they ever be the Titans or Vols? No, but they don’t have to be. They just need to be exactly what they are and last night that was a pretty good thing.
2 late goals with 17-thousand going crazy, it was absolutely thrilling and tremendous drama. It was a great moment for Jason Arnott, for the Predators AND for the city of Nashville and you don’t have to be a hockey fan to admit that.
'08 Titans' schedule released
The Tennessee Titans’ schedule for the 2008 season was released Tuesday.
The team will open up the season at home against Jacksonville on September 7 and conclude the regular-season as they did last season, against division rivals, the Colts.
Additionally, the team will play a big Monday night game at LP Field against the Colts and on Thanksgiving, against the Lions in Detroit.
The schedule is as follows: (All times are listed in Central.)
Sept. 7: Jacksonville Jaguars @ 12 p.m.
Sept. 14: at Cincinnati Bengals @ 12 p.m.
Sept. 21: Houston Texans @ 12 p.m.
Sept. 28: Minnesota Vikings @ 12 p.m.
Oct. 5: at Baltimore Ravens @ 12 p.m.
Oct. 12: Bye
Oct. 19: at Kansas City Chiefs @ 12 p.m.
Oct. 27: Indianapolis Colts (Mon.) @ 7:30 p.m.
Nov. 2: Green Bay Packers @ 12 p.m.
Nov. 9: at Chicago Bears @ 12 p.m.
Nov. 16: at Jacksonville Jaguars @ 12 p.m.
Nov. 23: N.Y. Jets @ 12 p.m.
Nov. 27: at Detroit Lions (Thurs.): @ 11:30 a.m.
Dec. 7 Cleveland Browns @ 12 p.m.
Dec. 14: at Houston Texans @ 12 p.m.
Dec. 21: Pittsburgh Steelers @ 12 p.m.
Dec. 28: at Indianapolis Colts @ 12 p.m.
...In case you missed January, here is April....
Ok, this is utterly ridiculous. April 14th and it is colder outside right now than most of January and February were. It is the middle of April and fans at the Sounds game on Sunday looked the crowd that witnessed the outdoor hockey game back on January 1 up in Buffalo.
I am all about the seasons, when the seasons are in perfect order. It is April, that means spring and I know the mornings will sometimes be a little chilly but usually by 9, it starts to warm up. Now, I don’t know. I am sick and tired of the cold gray days and especially the bitter cold mornings. In fact, I am going to the hockey game Monday night, just so I can warm up. (Laugh track inserted here.)
So bring on the 100 degree days, this is getting (c)old.
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