Official Tennessee Titans Forum Thread

[Herm]

12:17

Twitter tnsports: Titans tight end Alge Crumpler looking beyond fumble. http://tinyurl.com/ryvqah
12:17
Jim Wyatt: You must not read the paper. His injury was well-documented immediately after the game, and around Pro Bowl time when he missed the Pro Bowl because of the injury. CJ couldn't have gone back in and played. He was hurt -- a high ankle sprain.
12:18
[Comment From Adam ]
Is Heimerdinger working on a package where both Lendale and CJ are in the backfield at the same time?
12:18
Jim Wyatt: They worked on some of that last year but didn't use. It's in the arsenal. They'd like to do a lot more with CJ in 09, from using him with different personnel and it different formations
12:19
[Comment From Herm ]
any LBs or CBs that you know of that will be released this summer the titans might have interest in?
12:20
Jim Wyatt: Will know that if guys are released. They had Jamie Winborn in for a visit a few months back, but haven't signed him yet because he's not know for being a special teams ace. They'll add more depth at some point, probably at both spots with a vet
12:20
[Comment From volfangary ]
What do you see the future holds for Young as TN qb? Does he have his mind straightened out?
12:20
12:21
Jim Wyatt: Vince has made some positive steps in recent months. I like his attitude a lot better. But Kerry will play unless he gets hurt
12:21
[Comment From Herm ]
Boldin isnt happening, too much money and they drafted Britt to go with Justin and Nate
12:21
Jim Wyatt: agreed
12:21
[Comment From Jeff Lyons ]
Is WR still their biggest need until proven otherwise or are you satisfied with what they've done and see another area at the top of the list?
12:23
12:23
Jim Wyatt: I like what they've done at WR, but there are some questions that will have to be answered this offseason. A lot hinges on Britt, and whether a guy like Hawkins can step up. Keep in mind Heimerdinger doesn't rotate his guys much, so he only needs 3 or 4. Veteran depth at corner has to be a concern for them too if someone goes down
12:24
[Comment From Mark ]
Do you see the Titans giving Bulluck the big contract he deserves next offseason?

 

[Herm]

12:25
Jim Wyatt: That's going to be very interesting. They have so many guys scheduled to be free agents, from KB to KVB to Tully to Mawae to Kearse to Mawae to Harper. The list goes on and on. I think they'll offer KB, but if he wants a huge deal, well, I can only point you to the Haynesworth result
12:25
[Comment From B. From Long Beach, CA ]
Unlike some people, I thought drafting Jevon Ringer was a good move. How has he looked so far?
12:26
Jim Wyatt: I like RInger too. He has a chance to help. We've only seen him one day when the rookies were in town right after the draft. He'll be back in town next week with the vets and I'll get a better read. He's not as big as I thought...
12:27
[Comment From Michael - Portland ]
Safe to say the team in '10 compared to this upcoming season will look a lot different with all the free agents coming up. Who are some guys you think management is looking at locking up before the season starts?
12:27
Jim Wyatt: Yeah, but they have cap room and will try and re-sign many of them
12:27
[Comment From Shawn, Denton, TX ]
Why do you think the Titans have historically downplayed the WR position? Why do you think there hasn't been an uproar over this glaring flaw in coaching?
12:28
12:29
Jim Wyatt: If you follow this team closely you know they stress the running game, so they don't feel they need the high-paid WRs. If they don't fumble the ball away a few times in the playoffs last year they would've been in the AFC title game with a so-so group of receivers ...s
12:29
[Comment From Jeff Lyons ]
I can't imagine the Titans without Fisher, and it would be tough to see any other HC on our sideline. Is it a countdown until Fisher moves on / retires or do you get the sense that he has no quit in him and is going to go for another 5/10/15 yrs?
12:30
Jim Wyatt: I can't see him hanging it up any time soon. He's under contract through 2011, all his kids are about to be off to college or beyond and he has buddies around him on the coaching staff. He's not going anywhere, I don't think
12:31
[Comment From Adam ]
How's the D-Line looking, specifically filling the gap left by Albert?
12:32
Jim Wyatt: I think they'll be OK there. Jones is looking good, Haye is there and Marks should add to rotation with Brown and Vickerson. They won't have the one dominant guy like Albert, but should be OK
12:32
[Comment From chris nichols ]
looking at schedule anythimg less than 12 wins a disappointment ?

 

[Herm]

12:33
Jim Wyatt: I've picked 12-4. But you never know. One injury -- to collins? - and everything changes. And I won't be shocked if they don't get to 12, I'll say that. The schedule has some winnable games , but some tough ones too
12:34
[Comment From B. From Long Beach, CA ]
I think Jevon Ringer will beat out and replace Lendale. Not a coincidence that all of a sudden he loses lbs, AND it's his contract year...
12:35
Jim Wyatt: I don't think Ringer will "beat out" LenDale. They're different style backs. Titans need a bigger back like White. I'm taking White at his word in that his drive this offseason came from his fumble in playoffs. The whole contract year thing is overrated in my opinion. Guys are playing for their jobs and pride every year, it just takes some longer to "get" it
12:36
[Comment From Herm from the Boro ]
Is Stephen Tulloch the long term answer at MLB? I know Fisher's teams usually dont value the MLB too highly, but he is still small for the position.
12:37
Jim Wyatt: He is small, but I like Tulloch. He's a tough kid with good instincts I wouldn't be looking to replace him
12:37
[Comment From Moses ]
Do you see Chris Henry on the titans roster in august?
12:37
Jim Wyatt: In August, yes. In September, no

 

[Woy]

[Comment From Moses ]
Do you see Chris Henry on the titans roster in august?
12:37
Jim Wyatt: In August, yes. In September, no

YES!

 

[Herm]

Big Al thinks VY needs a change of scenery:

http://www.profootballtalk.com/2009...-vince-young-needs-a-ticket-out-of-nashville/

There might be 5 people in the state that dont think he needs a change of scenery, it will happen AFTER this season when the Titans dont have to take the cap hit.

 

[Woy]

Do you guys think I should post my season preview in here or in the regular NFL section when I get it finished?

 

[Herm]

Really,really sad how fickle most Tennessee Titan fans are.Two seasons ago they were singing VY's praises,now they want him out.We have the greatest fans in the world don't we??

When you have one qb who limits mistakes and leads your team to the playoffs and another who quits on his team, and throws more interceptions than touchdowns its not hard to figure out who most fans will root for.


The team went to the playoffs in spite of Vince, they overcame all the mistakes he made. I will give him credit for winning the Houston game in his playoff season. The titans went to the playoffs because Kerry managed the game so well while he played.

 

[Herm]

woy post both places

 

[Woy]

Sorry for the delay on the preview guys - I haven't had the time to work on it yet.

Look for it to be posted sometime next week.

 

[Herm]

wow.you officially made my point. I really laugh at these people who keep bring up Vince quit on his team.I also laugh at the people who bring up his TD to INT ratio. Half Vince's pics bounced off receivers hands who couldn't catch. You really put your stock in Collins??? Did you not notice him fade down the stretch? Did you not see him throw a crucial pick off his back foot( a QB cardinal sin) in the playoffs? Did you not see how he couldn't manage squat after CJ went down? 1 Do you not think the defenses are gonna catch on to him this season?

2 Be as it may,Vince made plenty of mistakes,but as a 3rd year QB with a young receiving corps,it's to be expected.It's just funny;the fickle fake fans of Nashville gave up on Vince WAAAAY before he ever gave up on them. He may not be the answer (yet) as the QB of the Titans, 3 but neither is Collins.

1. Defenses are going to catch on to him this season? You mean more so than in his nearly 15 year career? Defenses know what he can do and he still does it well.

2. Yes if by Waaaay you mean the fans gave up on him when they booed him in the first half of that jacksonville game and he gave up on the team in 2nd half. Then waaaaaaaay dude.

3. The front office and coaching staff disagree with you.




Kerry Collins did everything in his power to help TN win the Baltimore playoff game. I put that loss on the shoulders of Lendale White and Alge Crumpler for fumbling away 14 points.


IF Kerry went down due to injury and Vince had to play i hope he has a MVP type season, i havent given up on VY. You just have to call the situation for what it is. This is Kerrys team whether you like it or not.

 

[Woy]

Kerry Collins did everything in his power to help TN win the Baltimore playoff game. I put that loss on the shoulders of Lendale White and Alge Crumpler for fumbling away 14 points.

And LenDale wouldn't have gotten all those carries if Chris didn't get hurt. He was absolutely killing that "amazing" Ravens defense.

IF Kerry went down due to injury and Vince had to play i hope he has a MVP type season, i havent given up on VY. You just have to call the situation for what it is. This is Kerrys team whether you like it or not.

I haven't given up on Young either, but right now Collins needs to be starting. Right now we're good with a game manager and Kerry does that very well. Remember how the old saying goes; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

 

[Irish]

Ive given up on Vince

 

[Herm]

Ive given up on Vince

lol well im not cheering for him to be the starter but if something happened to Kerry i would want VY to do well in there

 

[Helicopter]

lol well im not cheering for him to be the starter but if something happened to Kerry i would want VY to do well in there

I have given up on Vince. I just can't forgive the guy for quitting on his team in the season opener, no matter how many times I hear people try to refute it. I heard it straight from Keith Bulluck's mouth two weeks after it happened while having beers with him and a few of his buddies at a bar in Nashville.

If something does happen to Kerry, I will be cheering for Patrick Ramsey.....quite possibly.

 

[Herm]

I have given up on Vince. I just can't forgive the guy for quitting on his team in the season opener, no matter how many times I hear people try to refute it. I heard it straight from Keith Bulluck's mouth two weeks after it happened while having beers with him and a few of his buddies at a bar in Nashville.

If something does happen to Kerry, I will be cheering for Patrick Ramsey.....quite possibly.

If they wear two tone blue i'll cheer for them to a fault... unless their name is Lamont Thompson or Reynaldo Hill. I couldnt stand those two guys and Fish gave them playing time after so many screwups it was unreal.

 

[Woy]

I have given up on Vince. I just can't forgive the guy for quitting on his team in the season opener, no matter how many times I hear people try to refute it. I heard it straight from Keith Bulluck's mouth two weeks after it happened while having beers with him and a few of his buddies at a bar in Nashville.

If something does happen to Kerry, I will be cheering for Patrick Ramsey.....quite possibly.

I have never seen anything out of Patrick Ramsey, ever. I really hope he's not pushed in there after a Collins injury or something. I have no confidence in the guy at all.

 

[Woy]

August is just around the corner and that means two things: college kids are starting to go back to school, and the NFL pre-season is upon us. This NFL season should be as good as any, with many teams being considered as contenders to get to the Super Bowl. There isn't one set favorite as there was during the Patriots dynasty a few years back.

In Nashville, spirits are high. Why should they though?

The Titans had the best record in the NFL last year at 13-3, but in the divisional playoffs they fell to a team they beat in the regular season, the Baltimore Ravens. The game had its share of controversial moments, but it doesn't matter how many excuses you make, you can't go back and change the outcome of the game.

After the playoff loss, the 0-16 Detroit Lions scooped up Titans defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz to become their new head coach. Then in the off-season - more specifically, the first day of free agency, the team's biggest defensive star Albert Haynesworth left Nashville to sign a nine-figure contract with the free-spending Washington Redskins. It looked like Big Al put out a lot more energy on the field last year and was definitely a key to the Titans success. But yet, spirits are still high.

The press welcome first-round pick Kenny Britt to Nashville.

NFL DRAFT 2009
Pick #30 (1) - Kenny Britt, WR, Rutgers
Pick #62 (2) - Sen'Derrick Marks, DT, Auburn
Pick #89 (3) - Jared Cook, TE, South Carolina
Pick #94 (3) - Ryan Mouton, CB, Hawaii
Pick #130 (4) - Gerald McRath, LB, Southern Miss
Pick #135 (4) - Troy Kropong, OT, Tulane
Pick #173 (5) - Javon Ringer, RB, Michigan State
Pick #203 (6) - Jason McCountry, CB, Rutgers
Pick #206 (6) - Dominique Edison, WR, Stephen F Austin
Pick #239 (7) - Ryan Durand, OG, Syracuse
Pick #242 (7) - Nick Schommer, FS, North Dakota State

For the first time as a Titans fan, I was completely satisifed with our draft.

In the 1998 NFL Draft, the Oilers drafted Utah receiver Kevin Dyson with their first round pick. (Randy Moss was still on the board, but that's for another debate) It's been 11 years since a receiver has been introduced as the Titans first-round pick. Now that streak ends with the pick of Rutgers receiver Kenny Britt.

Britt is a big receiver (6'3", 218) with big play potential. He ran a 4.56 forty and had a vertical of 37.0 inches at the combine. Although his hands are inconsistent at times, I see Britt making a big impact in his rookie year. The thing that I love the most about the rookie is his blocking. This kind of blocking will help out the Tennessee running game a lot, especially when speedster Chris Johnson gets to the outside. Here's a little highlight from the Ball State-Rutgers game.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HYzZzufMRU"]YouTube - Kenny Britt Crackback Block[/ame]

Sen'Derrick Marks was a good value pick. In some mock drafts, he was projected to go late first round, but instead he slipped to the second round into the Titans' laps. He'll join last year's second rounder from Eastern Michigan, Jason Jones, to add depth to a already deep defensive line.

Jared Cook was the first of two third round picks for the Titans. His coach at South Carolina, Steve Spurrier, compared him to Lions star receiver Calvin Johnson. I wouldn't go that far, but Jared is really athletic for a tight end. He's 6'5", 246 pounds, ran the fastest forty of all tight ends at the combine (4.50) and had a 41.0 inch vertical jump. He didn't put up eye-popping statistics with the Gamecocks, which worries me, but he was overall a great pick.

The other third-rounder was Hawaii corner Ryan Mouton. I expect big things from the former teammate of Colt Brennan. He's not the biggest (5'9", 187 lbs.) but is really athletic and scrappy. He ran a 4.48 forty and had a 39.5 inch vertical at the combine. Reminds me a little of current Titans star corner Cortland Finnegan. If these two start beside each other in the near future, look for a lot of upset receivers and possibly a few personal foul penatlies. He has return abilities as well.

The last pick I'll talk about won't make a big impact this year, but I'm really high on him from his body of work in college. Javon Ringer, runningback from Michigan State, fell to the fifth round and will be probably third on the depth chart behind Chris Johnson and LenDale White. He ran for 1637 yards last year on 390 carries and had 22 touchdowns, putting him on the All-American second team and as one of the finalists for the Doak Walker Award.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------​

That's just the first part of my preview; nothing special, just discussing some of our draft picks mainly. I wanted to post it now, that way I know where it's at for when I finish the rest of the preview.

 

[Woy]

Don't worry, I'll finish that here sometime. I was planning on that going to be my first article for as a VSN writer, but even though Rush got rid of that, I'll still finish this and post it.

 

[Herm]

Some quick stuff....

All 11 draft picks are signed now, Kenny Britt's deal was finished yesterday.

Britt then goes on to pull a hammy in practice and has been placed on the PUP list for a week, so i guess we wont see him this Sunday?

 

[Herm]

http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/c...-unveils-new-nickname-new-weight-new-approach

LenDale White has a slimmer waistline, a new approach and a brand new nickname.

White, who reported to training camp at 228 pounds and says he has finally learned that he needs to be in shape, has rechristened himself as “Save the Last Dance.”

During OTAs in June, Chris Johnson announced the breakup of “Smash and Dash” by saying he wanted to be known as “Every Coach’s Dream.”

Now, White, who had 15 rushing touchdowns last year, explains his new moniker, which he unveiled in his first training camp interview on Saturday.

“Don’t call me LenDale anymore. Call me ‘Save the Last Dance.’ I dance every time I hit the end zone, and I want to save the last dance for the Super Bowl,” White explained. “So until I win a Super Bowl my nickname is ‘Save the Last Dance.’ That’s my new name: ‘Save the Last Dance’ White.”

As a means to that end, White said he is showing his commitment and more professional approach by losing the weight and staying at a weight he has not had since high school.

White, interestingly enough, was brutally honest about how he has dropped nearly 30 pounds of weight from a year ago. He has quit drinking alcohol.

“I didn’t really change my diet all this much. I was a big Patron [tequila] consumer. That’s what it was,” White said. “I was drinking a lot and I drank a lot of alcohol. I cut it out of my diet all the way. I’ve stopped drinking for six months, and the weight just started falling off. I’ve got to be honest. There is no diet tequila.

“It’s been since January. I might have had some wine for dinner, but as far as drinking is concerned, I’ve X’ed that out of my game plan and it’s helped a lot.”

Not only is the change in White’s body shape very noticeable, so is his improvement as a running back early in camp. He caught a pass as the checkdown option in team drills, shifted downfield toward the sideline and juked his way past All-Pro cornerback Cortland Finnegan, drawing cheers from the crowd on hand.

“It was a long time coming man. I finally came to camp in shape. There’s a tremendous difference and I feel it in my body,” White said. “I’m not 260 no more. I’m 230. All those runs that were four yards and now going to be eight or nine yards. It’s a big difference, and I can tell my the way I’m hitting the holes.”

Teammates and others have taken notice as well.

“Keith Bulluck told me I looked good and Jevon Kearse told me. Bud Adams came in here today and told me I looked like a new person,” White said.

Safety Michael Griffin said White now reminds him of the back he faced in the Rose Bowl in 2006, when Griffin played for Texas and White for Southern Cal.

“He’s faster and quicker and looking like his USC days when they were getting his best production out of him,” Griffin said.

Center Kevin Mawae, who at times has been hesitant to praise White in the past, likes what he is seeing thus far of the rededicated running back.

“I think it speaks volumes. Obviously there is some sort of commitment there. He’s running the ball well from what I’ve seen the last few days,” Mawae said. “I think everybody knows what he is capable of doing. Being a guy who have been in the league for such a long time, you know how good guys can be if they take care of themselves and put themselves to it.

"The guys who take care of themselves have the ability to have long careers, and he has the potential to do that, it’s just what he wants to get out of it. But he certainly has the makings of a great running back and a guy who could be in the league a long, long time. It’s just all up to him.”

White said he finally has figured that a professional approach is necessary to maximize potential.

“It took me three-and-a-half years. I’m glad Jeff [Fisher] stuck with me. I’m still a Tennessee Titan, and I hope I’m going to be here for a long time,” White said. “I’m going to do the best I can to bring the Tennessee Titans a Super Bowl this year. I don’t have any long-term goals. My long-term goals are to win now.”

As for personal goals, White says he wants no fumbles, especially like the critical one that occurred in the playoff loss to Baltimore last season. And he believes he and Chris Johnson can each rush for 1,000 yards this season.

“The fly guy is my guy. The thing between us is it’s friendly competition,” White said. “The thing is I love Chris Johnson. It might not be Smash and Dash, but it’s forever Chris Johnson and LenDale. As long as we’re here on the same team our competitive nature is going to bring the best out in us.”

If he reaches all his goals, there will be plenty of opportunities for White to not only dance the last dance, but many in between.