billy volek on sportsline

Discussion in 'Tennessee Titans and NFL Talk' started by nickel, Sep 12, 2006.

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  1. Vigsted

    Vigsted Starter

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    Umm, McNair deciding not to retire anyways maybe?


    You're still assuming Fisher ever had any intention of letting him compete for the job. Considering he wanted out so quickly tells me he knew very well that he was never to see the field, regardless of Collins performance.
     
  2. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    That came from Rosenshark. I never heard of Volek marking into anyone's office. If anything, unlike Brown, he set the record straight.

    As the #3? I can't blame Volek for wanting the trade if he had no doubt Collins was brought in to be the #1 and he was reduced to being the emergency QB the rest of the year. That's why I am convinced he demanded the trade because he knew he was demoted.

    Why walk away from a shot to be the #1 to be the #2 somewhere else?
     
  3. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Vig...

    Under these circumstances, I would have left VY's reps as is and split Collins and Volek's reps. Depending on Volek's comfort level, I might have even Kerry a few more.

    Volek had all last year to learn and be familiar/proficient with this offense. He also had the entire off-season and training camp and half the pre-season.

    He's gotten PLENTY of reps in this offense.

    And VY is not ready to handle the starting job fulltime should Volek have gone down. That would have put us in a worse position...Volek starting and if he got injured (which he probably would because he's brittle and our OL has a lot of problems), we'd have no backup. What then? Start Kerry Collins on LESS than 1 week of practice? That would be WORSE than what SHOULD have happened.

    Since the most important thing is the development of VY, we can't cut his reps. That leaves try to play our best ball for the first 2 weeks and risk the next 2, or you split the reps and potentially lower Volek's performance a bit to get Collins up to speed and then get the best QB in there with the other being a solid backup.

    You might choose to sign Collins and give him no reps, but then there is no point in signing him since it'd be nearly the same as not signing him at all if he gets no reps. And then you have the strong possibility of Volek making it to week 3-5, Collins decides to retire and then Volek gets hurt. Then what? Chuck VY to the wolves?

    I completely understand where you're coming from and in general, the starting QB gets 90% of the reps, the backup 10% and the 3rd string guy runs the scout team offense. But we're still rebuilding so we want to temper playing our best with making sure VY gets the most out of his development with HAVING to start a game.

    I did find some evidence that Volek criticized the offense and some players. I can't link the article but here's the jist. If you want word for word you can track it down...

    Article Summary
    Publicly, Volek put on the best face possible. He said all the right things. He even muzzled uber-agent Drew Rosenhaus, which is like getting Rosie O'Donnell to clam up.

    Privately, it's a different story. It hasn't been pretty.

    Volek and Fisher had a meeting. There, Fisher critiqued Volek's preseason performance and suggested that a lack of field presence led to the signing of Collins.

    In response, Volek critiqued the offense and wondered aloud how any quarterback would succeed in that system, given the team's personnel shortcomings.

    This was an article by David Climer in the Jackson TN Sun paper.


    As far as McNair NOT retiring...Volek should have known that McNair would almost definitely retire after this past season or be dealt. Therefore, he only needed to wait one season (in which he had a good chance to get some playing time) before getting a shot at starting. Getting traded to another team would NOT have given him that shot...

    So what did he have to gain from doing that? NOTHING! Same as this time...he stands to get nothing and he's put himself in a worse situation in terms of playing. If he just wants to go to a playoff team and hope he gets a ring, he should have left when he had the chance and not come back to a re-building team.



    If Fisher had no intention of giving Volek a shot, why would they not have signed a QB right after McNair was traded...even before that since they knew they'd be locking McNair out and he wasn't coming back. If Volek wasn't gonna get his chance, they would have signed someone else at that time. They didn't.

    More circumstantial evidence is that Fisher said Volek was their starter after McNair left...also after they drafted VY...also after they signed KC.

    Why would he say that if they brought Collins in to start? And why did Volek say he 'figured it out' when in reality he made an assumption. Volek could have said that Fisher told him in a private meeting that they brought Collins in to start and that he'd remain a backup. That DIDN'T happen...according to Volek.

    Gut
     
  4. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Tj...

    According to Fisher, Volek AND his agent went on the practice field to demand a trade prior to last year. Volek being accompanied by his agent is hardly his agent spouting off at the mouth. The marching into Fisher and Reese's office happened the day after Collins was signed this year.

    So Volek did exactly the same thing last year...and to quote you...

    "Why walk away from a shot to be the #1 to be the #2 somewhere else?"

    And as for being the #3, he was really the #2 because if Collins got injured (assuming Collins was handed the job), he'd be starting the next week, not VY. And if Fisher really had no intention of Volek having any shot, why did Volek get ANY reps. From what I've read, Collins got reps out of Volek's reps and even got a few more than Volek, but Volek still got more reps than your avg #2 QB gets.

    How would you explain that?

    If Fisher was flat out demoting Volek, why give him a single rep? No #3 QB's get reps unless they are the VY of their franchise. Wouldn't you keep VY's reps the same and give every single other rep to KC?

    Gut
     
  5. Vigsted

    Vigsted Starter

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    And how do you know this didn't happen? Remember that as soon as Collins was signed there was a gagorder put on the media regarding what was going on with the quarterbacks at practice.

    Considering Volek had 2 plays I think against the Packers, one being a handoff to the RB, I wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't getting any reps at practice at all.

    Edit:
    I'll answer your other posts tomorrow, right now I'm to tired to type straight though.
     
  6. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    That's not how I remember this going down, Gut. I'll dig around and see what I can find.

    Where did you read of the reps breakdown? I never heard any exact counts but that they all came from Volek. Again, I'll try to find out more.

    I suppose it could be to save the arm of his #1 and #2. Mauck is getting reps now though doesn't have much of a chance to ever be active unless Collins goes down.
     
  7. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    Okay Gut, I'll post links to the trade talks from last year. I don't have the actual Tennessean article yet but I think this give you a good idea of how this went down based on the summaries we posted here.

    6/5/2005
    Though backup QB Billy Volek is content to play another season behind Steve McNair, it doesn't appear to be in his long-term plans. "Right now, this year, yes, I am (OK) with my role," said Volek. "I am a back-up and I plan on being the best back-up in the NFL. I'll do whatever I can to help this team win." But if McNair's career continues beyond next season, Volek could waive his no-trade clause and allow agent Drew Rosenhaus to look for a starting QB opportunity. "(If McNair comes back) there is no question that (a trade) is something we'd pursue at that time," said Rosenhaus. "But I don't want to make a controversy over something that may or may not happen."

    AND

    8/16/2005
    Drew Rosenhaus, agent for Titans QB Billy Volek, said he wants to work with the team on a trade to find a starting job for his client. "When you look around the league and see guys getting injured and you see some of the teams who have starters that are not in Billy's class, it begs the question: Is it in Billy's best interest to be here?" Rosenhaus spoke with GM Floyd Reese and Coach Jeff Fisher yesterday but did not receive permission to seek a trade though Rosenhaus felt the Titans would consider one if the trade offer was good enough. "To me, that wouldn't make sense," Fisher said. "You have to have two good quarterbacks to have a chance to win. We have two quarterbacks. Why would you give one away unless you have a chance to get a better one? We are not in the business of developing players to play for other people right now. We are developing players for our future."

    FOLLOWED BY

    8/18/05
    Backup QB Billy Volek is downplaying comments made by his agent Drew Rosenhaus concerning his desire to be traded. Earlier this week, Rosenhaus was in town and spoke to GM Floyd Reese, Coach Jeff Fisher and many in the media about Volek's desire to be a starting QB in the league which would mean a trade to a team with the need for a starter. Volek has said he wants to keep any further talks out of the media and has instructed Rosenhaus to do the same. "I want to be here and everybody knows that now," Volek said. "What happens in the future is in the future and right now I am focusing on Pittsburgh and trying to help us get back to where we were in '99." The reference is to the Titans regular season opener at Pittsburgh and the year the Titans played in the Super Bowl.

    The second summary was when Rosenhaus came to town to talk to Reese. As you can see, it clearly wasn't Volek demanding a trade. It wasn't even his agent demanding a trade. It WAS Volek looking like he'd waive his no-trade clause for the opportunity. And two days later, Volek downplays everything. Maybe that was just a public show and they continued to push it behind the scenes but I don't see this as anything close what happened after they signed Collins.
     
  8. TitanJeff

    TitanJeff Kahuna Grande Staff

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    As for the reps, I can't find anything which gives the percentages of snaps Collins took from Volek.

    8/31/2006
    Because the Titans want to continue to give the same number of reps in practice to rookie Vince Young, the snaps for Kerry Collins today came from Billy Volek's share of work which didn't sit well with Volek. "I guess they want a quarterback who's perfect in every throw and every read, and that's going to be hard to find," he said. "I guess they're unhappy with my production. It's hard when you're only getting a quarter a game." Despite no passing touchdowns so far in the preseason, Volek is 24-for-38 for 266 yards and one interception. "And when you get two quarters in a game last Saturday against Atlanta and throw for 140 yards and they're still disappointed in you. I don't quite understand it," Volek continued. "Like I said, it's out of my control. Everyone knows I like to push the ball down the field. That's what I'm good at."

    Collins certainly credited Volek for helping prepare him for the Jets.
     
  9. Vigsted

    Vigsted Starter

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    There's a lot of circumstantial evidence pointing to Reese not being willing to sign Collins. Maybe, just maybe, Reese knew Collins was washed up. They seemed genuinely interested in Culpepper though, but his price was too steep.

    Can you give me a link to that? All I remember was Fisher saying that if they had to play the Jets the next day (after they signed Collins) Volek would be the start. In that same interview though he says there's a possibility that Matt Mauck will be on the roster against the Jets, so obviously he's already thinking of getting rid of either Volek and Collins, and do you really believe he's thinking of the just signed $2mill QB?

    I also didn't find any statements from Collins about being brought in as a potential backup or if he's been told he would start. He always just says that feels comfortable with the offence and that he could be the starter.
     
  10. Gut

    Gut Pro Bowler

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    Tj...

    Fisher is the one who said Billy and his agent came onto the practice field last year to demand a trade. He said this during his bash Billy comments to the media when he was 'revealing' more than he normally does about a player.

    Obviously I wasn't at practice last year to see if this is exactly how it went down, but clearly Volek is looking to be a starting QB which is why he wanted a trade last year (and now this year). I think he got himself into a worse playing situation but a better chance at getting a ring.

    As for the reps, I'd read in a couple of places that they'd basically split Volek's reps. It was only in the last article I read in the last couple of days...SI, Mort or someone (I don't remember off hand) where they mentioned KC was not only getting reps from what Billy used to get, but he got a few more.

    Even still, it makes NO sense to give Volek ANY reps if he was gonna be out of here and given no chance at competing. I think the idea was that Volek would start til Collings knew the offense which is why they didn't give ALL of Volek's reps to KC. This tells me Volek would have at least a game or 2 to show what he could do. We know Collins wasn't ready in the first 2 games.

    I think the article that mentions reps was linked from someone's post on this board though I don't remember the thread. It was something like...The Mess in Tennessee.

    Gut

    PS - No starting QB's arm is tired in training camp. That only happens with rookie QB's late in the season or older QB's later in the season. It doesn't happen to any QB's in training camp unless you were a Chad Pennington coming off 2 shoulder surgeries. Everyone's arm is fine for all our QB;s so this is not a reason why.

     
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