Why did the Titans let it come to this?

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by NewsGrabber, Feb 22, 2009.

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  1. NewsGrabber

    NewsGrabber Guest

    <em>Posted by ESPN.com's Paul Kuharsky</em> <p>INDIANAPOLIS -- David Climer asks <a href="http://tennessean.com/article/20090222/COLUMNIST0202/902220339/1002/SPORTS" target="_blank">the big question</a> regarding <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=3543" target="_new">Albert Haynesworth</a> this morning: Why did the Titans let it come to this?</p> <table border="0" cellspacing="2" cellpadding="2" align="right"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" bgcolor="#c0c0c0"> <tr> <td> <table border="0" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" width="100%"> <tr> <td bgcolor="#ffffff"><img src="http://a.espncdn.com/i/headshots/nfl/players/65/3543.jpg" alt="" hspace="1" vspace="1" width="65" height="90" align="left" /></td> </tr> </table> </td> </tr> </table> <font face="Verdana" size="1" style="line-height: 1.5em"><font color="#808080">&nbsp;Haynesworth</font> </font></td> </tr> </table> <p>I've been a bit outspoken on this, saying the team gave away the right to franchise Haynesworth a second time too easily in negotiations to ensure he'd be in camp on time last year.</p> <p>These were the incentives:</p> <ul> <li>Make the Pro Bowl.</li> <li>Play 60 percent of the team's defensive snaps.</li> <li>Play 53 percent of the team's defensive snaps and the Titans win 10 games.</li> <li>Play 53 percent of the team's defensive snaps and the Titans finish in the NFL's top five in total defense.</li> </ul> <p>Haynesworth only needed to hit one to be freed of the threat of being franchised again. He hit the first three but not the fourth.</p> <p>I asked Jeff Fisher if the Titans didn't negotiate the right to tag Haynesworth too easily.</p> <p>"I believe he was a big part of our defensive success last year, particularly because he was in training camp and he worked and he was conditioned and he started off fast," Fisher said. "There was always that possibility he would not have come to training camp had he not signed the franchise, then you've got all those other things."</p> <p>In many ways, this is a first for the Titans. Yes, they let <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=1057" target="_new">Jon Runyan</a> walk away and didn't try to retain <a href="http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/players/profile?playerId=1767" target="_new">Jevon Kearse</a> when he jumped to Philly. But most of their departures have been because of limited cap space or because they judged a guy to be done, almost always accurately. When they've had the financial resources they've locked up their top guys well in advance of free agency. If/when Haynesworth heads elsewhere, the Titans will be answering for something they haven't really faced since coming to Tennessee.</p> <p>"It is unique, it's also not unique because we did do, I thought, everything we possibly could last year to try to get the deal done," Fisher said. "We made a decision which guaranteed us his services last year and we put a deal together which was good for both sides. He made three or of the four stipulations and it gave him an opportunity not to be franchised again. It doesn't mean we don't have a chance to sign him."</p>

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    #1 NewsGrabber, Feb 22, 2009
  4. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    The goal here was that if AH meets any of the incentives, it means the Titans have had a good season. He did. They did. But the offense didn't follow through.
     
    #2 TitanJeff, Feb 23, 2009
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  7. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    Wow- I didn't realize we finished 21st in total offense regular season in 2007 AND 2008.

    We would have done better- gone farther in 08 if not for the turnovers in the Ravens game. All the pieces were there except the turnovers.

    I hope the FO plans on doing more this year than just franchising Scaife and "matching" KFC's offer. We HAVE to have a solid possession WR AND a legitimate downfield threat. We don't have either on our foreseeable roster.

    Anybody who says that Fisherball works is blind to the obvious- He hasn't won a Super Bowl. Yes- it IS successful in producing a higher percentage of wins in regular season, but that style isn't enough to capture play-off games. Letting the win come to you just doesn't work in the playoffs.
     
    #3 Riverman, Feb 23, 2009
  10. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    It's hard for me to argue Fisherball doesn't work. Going -3 in turnover ratio will kill any offense.
     
    #4 TitanJeff, Feb 23, 2009
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  13. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Lol...

    There are a lot of coaches who have not won a Super Bowl....until they did. Was Dungy a better coach AFTER he won a Super Bowl? Was Gruden...who just got fired? Fisher took this team to a Super Bowl and was close to winning it. They were facing the highest powered passing attack in NFL history without our Pro Bowl FS and our heart and soul on defense - Blaine Bishop...our SS...was carried off on a stretcher. And yet, we came back to almost win that game. If not for Al Del Greco choking and kicking the ball into the Ravens, we would have won that game against the Ravens and gone on to face the Giants in the Super Bowl. If not for the turnovers on the last ravens game, we probably beat the Cards this year in the Super Bowl.

    Of course, sometimes that's the way things go. Did his coaching have anything to do with our Safeties getting hurt, Del Greco folding when he had been a clutch player, Crumpler - mr. professional and NOT a fumbler - fumbling or CJ getting hurt? We moved the ball all day against one of the best D's in football and beat down the eventual Super Bowl champs (with their best D) a few weeks before.

    Fisherball works fine. It's not the most exciting of offenses, but it works. We've caught some bad breaks. But this team is again near the top (even after most thought we'd be in the basement last year). Not bad!

    Gut
     
    #5 Gut, Feb 23, 2009
    • High Five High Five x 1
  16. Soxcat

    Soxcat Pro Bowler

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    Winning a SB takes players, coaching and quite a bit of luck. We just haven't had the luck with guys getting hurt, a kicker ending his career and turnovers coming at the wrong time.

    Tom Coughlin was on the brink of being fired after an 8-8 season in 2006 but suddenly became a superior coach in 2007 when the Giants won the SB. If you don't remember Caughlin was the guy who couldn't beat the Titans in all three games in 1999 despite his team having a 14-2 record (all their loses that year including the AFC championship game were to the Titans coached by...Jeff Fisher, the now inferior coach?).

    It really comes down to all the chips falling in place. The team being healthy and hot at the right time, the competition cooperating by not playing well or having injuries and that strange shaped ball bouncing right.

    Really, all things considered Fisher is gaining my respect as the years go by and eventually we will win the big one.
     
    #6 Soxcat, Feb 23, 2009
  19. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    In case you guys have forgotten (or were never aware), the point of the whole process is to win the super bowl. So carve any excuses you want, but there is only ONE winner per year and 31 teams that didn't.

    Fisher is the longest tenured coach and only has one Super Bowl appearance and no wins. His playoff record is 5-6 with 6 out of his 14 years making the playoffs.

    Like I said, Fisherball IS successful in producing a higher percentage of wins in regular season, but that style isn't enough to capture play-off games. You can't let the win come to you in a playoff game- you have to go get it. We need a premiere possession WR and a legitimate downfield threat to go get those playoff wins.
     
    #7 Riverman, Feb 23, 2009
    • High Five High Five x 1
  22. Eddyc85

    Eddyc85 Go Bucks!

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    My concerns with Haynesworth are the fact that he has yet to play a full season, will command more money than any defensive player in history and his only two pro bowl years were contract years. One Haynesworth gets his money how do I know he wont just be an above average DT and not the dominate force he was the last two years?
     
    #8 Eddyc85, Feb 23, 2009
  25. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    Would you say the Cardinals have a premiere possession WR and a legitimate downfield threat?
     
    #9 TitanJeff, Feb 23, 2009
  28. Riverman

    Riverman That may be.... Tip Jar Donor

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    Yes. That was why they made it to the super bowl.

    They did NOT have an above average defense during the regular season or playoffs. (You know better than that TJ :)) That defense didn't make the critical stop.

    I've never advocated a less than average defense.
     
    #10 Riverman, Feb 23, 2009
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