|
|---|
Tuesday, September 26, 2006
UPDATE 9/29/06 8:45 PM
Floyd Reese was on The Zone with Plaster this evening. I missed most of the show, but caught a little: this question was a stand-out (from my memory, sorry, but close)
CALLER: Ever since Jeff Diamond left the Titans Management, we've gone downhill, lost games and have seemed to have gone backwards. What's your take on this?
REESE: I've always liked Jeff Diamond, we've been close, I think he's still in the area...blah, blah, blah...(/dodge act on)
In other words, Caller asked a damn good question. Diamond's leaving gave Floyd a lot more 'elbow room', and he did what he had to do. I'm not saying Jeff Diamond was the reason the Titans won, but the 'figurhead' who replaced him as President (Bud Adams) gave Floyd a lot more leash. In fact, by 2004, the Salary Cap Nightmare was not just a warning, but was on us...
Floyd addressed the salary cap problem, repeating his mantra "we knew we had a window of opportunity, and we chose to play the window, playing the contracts like bagpipes. We knew we had to eventually pay the piper". (Not an actual quote; my memory may have added some embellishments on it's own!!)
Cuts started in 2003, with O'Donnell and Comella.
By 2004, money was gone. The promised 'cap-hit reflux' was here, and we know who was out: Robaire Smith, Jevon Kearse, and Eddie George. In 2005, The Big One: Mason, Rolle, Carter, Miller, Holcombe, and Nedney. Shad Meier and Eddie Berlin became UFA's. In 2006, Brad Hopkins retired, after being cut .
We know what the results were: a young team in 2005, injuries, McNair not practicing. He was missing his buddies? Then the beginning of the Quarterback Nightmare we've seen for the past 6 months. The only upside so far in 2006 are the draft picks, led by standouts Vince Young, and LenDale White.
Floyd said that we are rebuilding, and will return, given time. We're learning what it means to have Floyd manage the salary cap (take some lessons from New England, Floyd). And the fans need to learn some Salary Cap, and it's ramifications (and the concept of Dead Money, to keep from looking like ummm, well, uneducated...
______________________________________________________________
Titan's Coach Jeff Fisher is under fire from ignorant fans. I mean, Trailer-Park-Frenzy ignorant..."(In 1997, after Michigan's Charles Woodson won the Heisman Trophy, Tennessee fans, who believed the GameDay crew had stumped against the Vols' Peyton Manning, bombarded ESPN with hate mail. On a national radio show (Chris) Fowler referred to the harangues as a "trailer-park frenzy")".
The problem is one of perception. If the team is losing, then fans are edgy...especially Tennessee Titans fans. Why? Because they are spoiled.
In the first year the Titans played in their new stadium, after the season and during the playoffs, the Music City Miracle propelled the Titans forward to Super Bowl XXXIV, where they lost to the Rams...
the Yard that Wasn't...
Now we have an 0-3 start and a Quarterback Controversy that hasn't stopped since Steve McNair was locked out of Training Camp, and eventually was traded to Baltimore this summer.
Billy Voleck was unceremoniously dumped as starter in favor of Kerry Collins (brought in days before opening, after Billy failed to 'step up' during training camp and the preseason games). Collins has been unable to get 'up to speed' before his first games. Volek was finally dealt to San Deigo after the blowout loss to San Diego in Week 2.
Jeff Fisher had a bit of a public snit, answering Volek's parting comments...you really should listen to Fisher...he's pissed! Fisher's comments didn't set well with fans who got the notion that Volek had 'earned' the right to be the starter because of time spent as McNair's backup. Sorry that didn't work out, as Volek lacks the spark needed to start an NFL team. No charisma, no leadership. He's a backup for life.
Collins as a starter is also a placeholder for Vince Young, the franchise's future. Collins will be able to tutor Vince much better than Volek could (reminds me some of the O'Donnel/McNair symbiosis).
Fisher is a good Coach. He's got a problem with player talent, and that is an ongoing issue that reeks of Floyd Reese. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com sums it up best: "As to Reese and Jeff Fisher, we doubt that they would be on the same page while reading the contents of a fortune cookie."
"In 2005, Fisher wanted to draft cornerback Antrel Rolle, and Reese wanted Pacman Jones. Reese won, the team lost.
This time around, Fisher and offensive coordinator Norm Chow wanted quarterback Matt Leinart. Reese wanted Vince Young. Reese won again.
Indeed, the fact that the Titans actually made it to a Super Bowl on Reese's watch tells us that Fisher is one of the truly great coaches in the game."
In any event, we have a big mess right now, and the Cowgirls are coming to town Sunday, with the Tuna towing T.O. by the ear...now there's a coach who brooks no nonsense, and a player who makes PacMan look like a choirboy.
Better days...General Jackson waits for fans at Adelphia.
