Official Offseason Thread

Jared Allen and Ocho Cinco are the only two that really jump out there

 

My off-season take - sorry about the length!!

Quarterback

No. We should not (and are not) going to trade or cut Vince Young this off-season. Had he stayed at Texas for his senior year he would have just finished his rookie campaign in the NFL. For all his struggles this year he did increase his completion percentage by 10 percentage points and made some reads and some throws he couldn't have made 12 months ago. He obviously needs more weapons and more work, and if we are still having this conversation in 12 months time, then I can accept there is a possibility he will never develop into the QB this team needs, but for now, I'm happy to hitch our wagon to him.

Kerry Collins will be back as Vince's backup and we'll probably invite a couple of rookie free agents and career back-ups (in the Rattay mold) to camp as an extra arm. If one of them shows something special, we may keep 3 next year, but more likely scenario is to stick with the 2 QBs.

Running Back

Lendale proved that in this offense, he can carry the load as an effective starter. If we can upgrade our passing game he might benefit more than anyone. But we do have a decision to make here. LW is one-dimensional. He is an inside power back who lacks the explosiveness to break long runs or be effective running to the outside. Losing 5-10 lbs is unlikely to turn him into Bo Jackson, as some seem to think. The jury is still out on Chris Henry (and the jurors that are returning don't look too positive). He'll be on the roster without a doubt, but on Sundays he didn't show enough to be more than a #3 just yet. Chris Brown is done in Tennessee. The two returning guys are both on their rookie contracts and are relatively inexpensive. I'm not convinced bringing in another rookie or low-tier free agent to sit at #3 on our depth chart is the right thing to do. I'd like to see the Front Office look at the money that some of the better free agents will be chasing to determine whether or not there is an affordable option to be a 1B on the depth chart next to Lendale. A quiality back that returns kick-offs would obviously also be a boost because even before Pac was suspended this was an area needing upgrade (Pac was primarily limited to punt returns). The rookie RB class does look very deep with a number of quality underclassmen declaring.

Fullback
Ahmard Hall is a RFA but I would imagine we at least tender him. Casey Cramer hardly saw the field this year, so I'd be surprised if he is back. Unlikely we go 2-deep at FB again next year unless it is to carry a special teams stud. Roster spot will probably go to a 4th TE.

Wide Receiver

Uggh!! Current receivers under contract - Gage, Moulds, B.Jones, Roydell Williams, Mike Williams, Paul Williams, Biren Ealy, Chris Davis, David Givens. Moulds is gone. Givens will be 28 by the time the season starts and will have not played a game for about 22 months. His ability to be a big contributor next year is a huge question mark. If he is back, that is a real boost for this unit, but he can hardly be counted on at this point. Roydell is certain to return. Gage is a free agent, and hopefully we can work something out to keep him, but it's not set in stone. I think he probably returns. Brandon Jones probably gets one more year. Mike W, Paul W, Chris Davis and Ealy are probably fighting for 2 roster spots (maybe 1 if Givens returns). Expect at least 2 new faces here. The obvious missing piece is a speed guy who can stretch the field (and catch the ball). I don't see us trading for Ocho Cinco or Roy Williams (nor do I see their teams letting them go) but the speculation will be plenty of fun no doubt. Of the free agents available I think Bernard Berrian, DJ Hackett and Bryant Johnson are three guys we could target. Berrian may get Franchised in Chicago and is likely to draw the most interest, but he is also the most proven of this bunch. I'd be surprised if we don't make offesr to at least 1 of these 3 WRs when the free agency perios starts. The other avenue is the draft. There are plenty of WRs speculated to go late in the first round (including Malcolm Kelly, Limas Sweed, Adarious Bowman) and they are sure to be of interest to the Titans, but obviously none of them are a sure thing. Trading up for DeSean Jackson is also an attractive possibility given his excellent return skills. If the Titans land a big name free agent, look for them to address WR via a mid-round pick - with a focus on guys who can help on returns as well. Jordy Nelson from Kansas State would help in the receiver rotation and as a return guy. The final avenue is players that may be let go by their current teams. Particularly look at teams that have had turnover in their coaching staff and may be looking to clean house. One name in particular comes to mind. In Baltimore, there is speculation that D-Mase could be a casualty of a youth movement and a new coaching staff. As a slot receiver he sure would look good to me back in a Titans uniform.

Tight End

The box'o'rocks era is over and Ben Troupe will almost certainly depart via Free Agency. Bo Scaife is a good, but not great, TE. And Hartsock is a keeper in this offense (particularly as a #3). LJ smith is clearly the top free agent at TE, but his injury history is concerning. Same goes for Todd Heap and Alge Crumpler, who are both potential cuts from their respective teams. All of these guys would be a huge upgrade, however, if healthy. Another position that might warrant an early draft pick, but if WR can be upgraded, then keepeing Scaife as our #1 TE is palatable for another season.

OL
The tackles are set. I'd like to see Roos get an extension this off-season and Stewart is probably the next priority (although he did struggle with speed rushers toward the end of the season). Otto got a spot on the roster by the end of the season, so look for him to hang around, and we'll probably use another late round pick on a T to compete as a back-up. Holding on to Jacob Bell may be harder than you think. Rosenhaus has been talking him up all season and there is a good chance they want to go and see what the market holds for them. He is a very good, young G but he is not yet elite and if someone offers him ridiculous money (like happened with the G's last year) then he is probably not back. If he goes, then Amano (who is also a Free Agent) will probably get the start at LG next year and will certainly be cheaper (if Mawae returns). I think the Titans like their chances of bringing in a mid-level player and letting Munchak coach them up. At the other G spot, Olsen is likely to retire, so there will be change there. Loper looked ok when in action this year and was very good in the run game. Still needs work in pass protection, but the early results were promising. He'll be tendered and a Titan in '08. Mawae is interesting. He played really well for most of the season, but did slip badly towards the end of the year. Not sure how much of that was injury related. Amano certainly showed that he could step in at C and carry the load. If the team really wants to keep Bell, then they may sacrifice Mawae to do so. That would leave Loper the starter at RG with no depth behind them. We may be active in picking up another second-tier internal lineman to help the rotation, but I don't see us chasing Alan Faneca. Of all the spots on this team, this is the one area where I have the most faith in our ability to identify talent and coach it up, so I am not too concerned.

DL
Albert gets franchised. It would be great to work out a long-term deal, but I think the most likely scenario is we Franchise Albert, he holds out for training camp and has another good season next year. Either way, there is no way we let him walk. KVB is obviously back, as is Tony Brown. I'd pay what it takes to keep Odom. He has shown me enough, and he has played tough this year. He'll command some big offers, and it won't be cheap, but we need an impact player on that side and Odom played hard all year this season. LaBoy is harder. His concussion history is worrying although this was clearly his best year on the field. He generated a good pass rush and he played the run better than I ever thought he could. He won't be easy to replace. (Bryce Fisher and Sean Conover aren't the answer). Jared Allen, Terrell Suggs and Justin Smith are all Free Agents, but I don't see us going after these guys. Another ex-Titan (Kearse) may be released and as a 3rd-down pass rusher, I'd welcome him back. Unlikely to happen though. Obviously the Titans will be hoping for Jacob Ford to show something after missing his entire rookie season, but a mid-rd draft pick on someone like Wallace Gilberry from Alabama would not surprise. At DT Randy Starks is almost certainly gone. Behind Albert and Tony Brown, we are awfully thin. This is an area where I could see us being particularly aggressive in Free Agency. Isaac Sopoaga from San Fransisco and Ian Scott from Philly are two legitimate targets.

LB
Yesterday's game showed me that Fowler's starting MLB spot next season is anything but safe. Steve Tulloch had a great game and should be in the mix to start from day 1 next season. As much as I'd like to see us invest in a stud MLB (like Vilma), it just isn't worth it for our defense with the amount of nickel and dime that we play. Bulluck and Thornton are set as the starters at OLB for now. However, if we were to get involved in any trade disussions, I think both of these guys could be part of the equation. Bulluck didn't finish the season that impressively to me. Thornton is as good as he is going to get. Depth behind these two is woefully thin and we will certainly be looking to upgrade. Gilbert Gardner likely won't be back. I don't see us as being big players in the Lance Briggs sweepstakes, but guys like Brandon Chillar, Teddy Lehman and Jamie Winborn would certainly upgrade our depth. Bulluck is contracted through '09 and Thornton through '10, so drafting their replacements isn't urgent yet. Having said that, I'd rather fill the spot a year too early than a year too late, so using an early pick on an OLB would sit fine with me.

DB
Will he be back, or won't he? I'm presuming yes. If he is back, all things are good at CB. Starting CBs of Finnegan and Jones, with Harper backing them up is a pretty healthy situation. May still want a nickel guy, although Harper could possibly fill this role. At safety, a lot hinges on whether or not Hope can return. Hopefully he can, because the free agent Safety class is very thin. Calvin Lowry is questionable as a starter, but as a back-up that can cover both positions, he is very valuable. Vinnie Fuller played well at times, and Reynaldo Hill again had his moments, but neither are irreplaceable. Both will hit the free agent market and could return for reasonable deals. Kelly Herndon was a dissapointment for his salary and at $1.4m next year he will have to take a pay cut or he'll be let go. I'm sure we'll pick up a CB or two late in the draft regardless of whether Pacman returns. If Pac doesn't come back, then look for the team to go after Drayton Florence in Free Agency. I'd take him ahead of Asante Samuel.

Specialists
Bironas will be back without a doubt.
Looks like it's the end of the line for Hentrich. Josh Miller is the obvious replacement, but being an Australian homer, I'd love to see them go after this guy (no 21) to continue the trend of Australian Rules footballers making the tranisition to NFL punter. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKU7WqlCKxA)

The return game obviously needs a boost - and Pacman is only half the equation. We need someone to step up and return kick-offs and to be able to take double duty of we lose Pacman again.

Coaching
Schwartz is going to get some looks as a head coach, and this may be the year he goes. If so, McGinnis will likely step up into that role. Hopefully (I never thought I'd be saying this) we can hold onto Schwartz and keep some contunity with our coaching staff. I'd like to keep Chow as well and if we can get a couple more weapons on offense give him a chance with some better talent at the skill positions. Continuity is more likely to help us here than chasing a quick fix.

 

Very nice analysis, Carpy.

 

Something to think about..... Hall is a RFA and might be gobbled up since it would not cost a team a draft pick. This is how we got Fowler.

 

If the Titans make the lowest qualifying offer to Hall ($850k) then any team can sign him to an offer sheet and we would have the opportunity to match the offer sheet or lose him and receive no compensation. (The compensation is the equivalent of the pick for the round the player was drafted in - but as Hall was a UDFA that equates to no compensation)

Alternatively, we sign him to a 2nd round tender ($1.3m) and then if someone offers him a contract that we decline to match we receive their 2nd round pick as compensation. (I'd be very surprised if someone was willing to give up a 2nd round pick for Ahmard Hall).

I'd offer him the $1.3m tender.

 

It will be interesting to see what tender Loper gets. He was a 5th rd pick, so the $850k tender would net us a 5th rd pick if he were to get signed away. Should be a good gauge of whet the coahes see in him.

 

Is he signed through next season? I thought so, but may be wrong.

But he could get faster with losing weight (I'd say 15lbs or so if he's 245 like he says he is). It's not just weight, he doesn't seem to have a lot of muscle either. Lighter weight and strength could help....but we can't rely on this for more explosiveness from that position.

He had some good plays early, but was less impressive later on. Yeah I'd agree that #3 is where I'd put him for now. There's some FA options, and maybe some mid round options. I think the Titans should still look to upgrade here as well.

Amano got an extension through 2009. In Stewies defense, he was playing with an ankle sprain later in the season....but he's not a great pass protector. Good enough though, and I'd want him and Roos here long term. I think Loper looked good in his time on the field, even though it was short. He's quick, athletic, big, and fairly strong (probably does need more work for continuity). I wonder if they look at him as a starter next year if they lose Olsen and or Bell. I think we'd try to draft a mid round inside lineman in that case as well.

Anyone know how much cutting Mawae saves?

Man I'd really like to have Gilberry here. He does play some DT too, stronger than his size would indicate. I do think we'd probably still have to get one more guy. Hopefully Johnson can be ready to play some DT, but I would look at FA's too.

I hope he's back and not thuggish. Even so, how much can we trust him? I don't know about FA CB's this year, but maybe a mid round CB is needed (maybe even 2nd round). It seems there are some guys this year who may play CB and S. It could be good to pick up another guy like Griffin who can fill in in more than one spot if needed.

Good well thought out post Carpy.

 

I agree on the 2nd round tender for Hall. If Amano is worth it, so is Hall.

Not only what they think of him, but maybe it'll also be based on what they guess other teams think of him? He hasn't played much. Amano played a little more, and he got the 2nd tender, but was also only a 7th rounder.

This year and next will be more decisions about this young o-line. I hope we get it right for the long term.