Free Agency Looms For Titans
The free agent period of the NFL year is just over one week away and the Tennessee Titans remain a mystery. What will they do? Where will they spend? Will they spend.
The answers will start to come March 5th when it gets underway, that’s also the last day to negotiate a new labor deal for the 2010 season. Without a new deal it will be an “uncapped season”, leaving teams to spend freely.
The first date to look for though is March 4th, that’s when teams have to tender offers to restricted free agents and the Titans have more than a few of those including Tony Brown and LenDale White. Brown would seem to be a target for a longer extension, but don’t expect the Titans to just let him slip away.
If you’re looking for a superstar in free agency, you’ll be disappointed. That’s not the way this organization rolls and it rarely seems to work. In the past they’ve spent mid-range money on quality players like David Thornton, Chris Hope, Nate Washington and Kevin Mawae. That type of player will likely be back on the radar this spring.
The Indianapolis Colts declined to Franchise Tag defensive captain Gary Brackett, but contend they would still like to work out a long term deal. This could be another opportunity for the Titans to strengthen their defense and tear down the Colts at the same time.
Who Needs Fighting? Not Olympic Hockey
I’ve had this discussion before, but I’ll bring it up again. Over and over I tell people I don’t believe the NHL needs fighting to be successful. 99 percent of the time they tell me I AM WRONG!!! The buildings would be empty because of all those non-traditional hockey fans who show up to see the gloves come off. That’s not true, just look at the Olympics.
True, Olympic hockey is loaded with the best players in the world, but it’s spectacular. The speed, passion and skill brought in each game is riveting and I don’t ever say to myself, “Man, that would have been better with a fight”.
Hockey logic says without enforcers and fighting teams would take “liberties” with skill players. Maybe, but not if the punishments actually fit the crimes. Head shots can’t be tolerated and neither can the blows to the back.
That’s that. How about Team USA!? I am thrilled to see us back in medal contention and couldn’t be prouder of the effort of Ryan Suter and company.
Another Tragedy With Too Many Victims
At this point, I just don’t know what to think anymore. Another life taken much too quickly. 18-year old Ragaan Bennett shot and killed at home today by his mother’s ex-boyfriend. Bennett is a runningback out of Powder Spring, Georgia and is arguably the most highly rated recruit of the Bobby Johnson era at Vanderbilt.
I feel terribly for him, his family, but also Bobby Johnson. Say what you want about his record, Bobby Johnson is a good man. Would I let my kid play for him? Absolutely.
This is the third time he’s had to pick up the phone and hear one of his players has been shot and the second time that he’s dead. That’s 3-times too many. He has to be asking himself some very difficult questions today and I hope he’s able hang in there and figure it all out. Time is suppose to heal wounds, but Johnson’s seem to keep being reopened.
End of a Titans Era
No, it was not a shock that Craig Hentrich officially retired today after 17 NFL season. Frankly, I would have been much more surprised had he decided to come back. It’s a sentimental day though for Titan fans because it’s the end of an era.
Hentrich and Jevon Kearse are the last 2 remaining members of the Titans Super Bowl team. Hentrich is gone and Kearse won’t be far behind, he becomes a free agent March 5th and I can’t see any way the team brings him back.
The Super Bowl doesn’t seem that long ago, but 10 years is certainly longer than the average NFL career. So, now we have a new cast of Titans desperately in need of building a new legacy, a new defining moment, a new moment in time that connects everyone.
I could run down the stats, but I won’t. I’ll just say “thanks” to Craig for a great career and always being a pro. By the way, if you see him on the golfcourse DO NOT play for money!
Loss Bad For Preds, Reason Worse...
There are a lot of ways to lose games, almost all of them bad. A lack of effort has to be the worsed, but stupidity isn’t far behind.
Tuesday night the Nashville Predators had a nice road win locked up against the Islanders. They led 3-2 with :40 to play when Martin Erat’s brain inexplicably EXPLODED! He put to hands on his stick and planted squarly across the back of one of the Islanders driving him face first into the boards. Even a hockey novice like me knows that call, boarding.
The Islanders pulled the goalie for a 6 on 4 advantage and tied it up with :11 seconds to play before winning in a shootout. It was the kind of loss that makes fans throw out their jerseys! It’s what I call snatching defeat from the jaws of victory and at the “pro” level it is completely unacceptable!!!!
Signing Day 2010
Another signing day is in the books and once again I have mixed emotions. Some fans love signing day and I can not emphasize the word “love” enough, it can be an obsession. I am not one of them. I understand it’s important, but it is not the be all and end all.
I do however get excited for the kids. To see the happiness on James Stone’s face this morning when he signed with Tennessee and the tears welling up in his mother’s eyes as she swelled with pride, that’s what signing day is all about.
By the way, here are the rankings according to Rivals.com of our local teams.
8. Tennessee
61. Vanderbilt
96. Middle Tennessee
A huge “congratulations” goes out to Derek Dooley for the job he did in two weeks. I think Vol fans will enjoy his brand of coaching over the last staff’s bravado.
This is also the highest ranked class of the Bobby Johnson era at Vanderbilt and hopefully is an indication of better things to come. Good luck to all!!!
Pro Bowl... Nice Honor, Bad Game...
Believe me, I am the last person you would ever expect to hear this from, but it is time for the NFL to make the Pro Bowl go away.
I love football, especially the NFL and can watch almost any teams play, but the game has lost its luster. Name the team and then figure something else out from there. A player shouldn’t be a Pro Bowler because someone else couldn’t play. Congratulations to Vince Young on a great year, but there’s no way he should be a 2-time Pro Bowler and when Keith Bulluck is sitting on one.
Oh, and then there’s the injury factor. When I do watch moments of the game almost the entire time I’m wondering, “man, how bad would this be if suchandsuch blew out his knee in a meaningless game?”
Make it an honor not a game.
P.S. My alternative is to send them to Hawaii 1 month after the season and have the “skill” players compete in a “superstars” style competition and have the lineman compete as “strongmen”. Not realistic, but I always enjoyed watching both of those programs in the past.
Favre Being Favre
First, I know I’m going to get hammered on this so let me say, Brett Favre is a great player, one of the best ever at his position. Now let me say this, he’s also one of the most selfish.
He makes plays, he’s daring and in the process puts himself above the team. He put himself about the team when he left Green Bay and then New York, oh and then again when he “acted” like he wasn’t sure he was going to play until the offseason ended and training camp started.
His last pass illustrates clearly. The Vikings were in position to kick a field goal, a long one, but a field goal to win the game. There were 2 things he could not do on that play, take a sack or turn it over and obviously the latter occured. He’s been playing quarterback for 100 years and knows you don’t make that throw back across your body over the middle, but he’s Brett and he always does what “he” wants and despite his greatness he robbed his team of the “opportunity” to win the NFC Championship and go to the Super Bowl.
Taking Stock in Middle Tennessee
A pretty amazing turn of events in Murfreesboro over the last few days. MTSU Head Football Coach Rick Stockstill was offered a deal believed to be worth $4 or $5-million over 5 or 6 years to be the next head coach at East Carolina, but turned it down. That means he turned down an extra $2 or $3-million!
When Coach Stockstill was originally hired he produced a program he put together for Athletic Director Chris Massaro titled “Taking STOCK In Middle Tennessee”. We thought it was witty and clever at the time, but today it obviously means a whole lot more. He didn’t just take a job, he took THIS job and it’s a job he cares deeply about.
In a statement released this morning Stock talked about the importance of being a man of word with recruits and parents, but most of all having too much respect and admiration for his players. As a rock solid recruiter he knows his players are his lifeblood and he treats them that way.
The response to Stockstill was amazing. He’s no Lane Kiffin. There would have been no riot, no burning mattresses, only a pat on the back, words of thanks, maybe some tears, but most of all understandings. No one, NO ONE would have blamed him for taking that job, but everyone seems pretty darn happy that he didn’t.
.....A Wanted Man....
The Clash had a great song in the 80’s called ‘Should I stay or should I go?’ That pretty much sums up what MTSU head coach Rick Stockstill is dealing with right now.
Stock, according to several sources, is in the running to be the new head coach at East Carolina. We caught up with the coach Saturday night at the MTSU football banquet where he confirmed he has talked with ECU but no offer has been made and nothing else is going on. He did say he would listen if they called him back out of respect for his family.
Middle has hit unprecedented heights under him. Winning a bowl game, getting to 10 wins and the part that really impresses a lot of administration types, he graduates players.
This should be a very interesting 72 hours for Rick Stockstill. Should he stay or should he go?
Pages (51): « 1 2 [3] 4 5 6 » ... Last »
