The question really is...what do the Titans want to do...try to win now or try to win later...they are currently using both approaches which is not really a good idea. At some point, you have to decide which direction to take....and the timing for that decision is NOW.
For example, the signing of Thornton, Hope and Mawae suggest a win-now approach.
The drafting of VY suggests a win later approach.
So what do we do...trade McNair for whatever we can get then use Volek/Collins to tread water til VY is ready and prepare our cap for our next window of opportunity while hoping that VY develops into everything we hope he will?
Or do we make some tough cuts to keep McNair at his current contract and have him start and mentor VY but at the cost of some vets and having to start some rookies and lose some valueable depth?
Both approaches have serious risk. The win-now approach has 23mil of our cap tied to McNair who is oft injured, was hit a lot behind a leaky OL last year and potentially may never play at an MVP level. In addition, if Mac9 goes down and a few other key guys are injured, we'll have little backup talent. But suppose McNair doesn't get hurt, the OL plays well, Mac9 regains his form...it will all be worthless if the D doesn't drastically improve! As you can see, a lot has to go right for this to work!
The win later approach has several risks as well...If VY busts, we could choose to lose for a few years developing him and then be stuck in cap hell for a few years (when we have re-signed him and he doesn't work out) chewing up 6-8 years before we have another legit shot. Also, a lot of our current players will be ready for retirement or will be too expensive to keep 5 years from now (probably have to replace Pillar, Olson, Mawae, Kinney, Bennett, KVB, Bulluck, Sirmon, Woolfolk at least). Obviously, we'd also need to draft well for this approach to work correctly as well and to maximize our next window of opportunity.
The Cut/Trade McNair option also has one big problem....LOSING! While VY develops, the Titans could continue at a .500 level for a few years unless the defense takes an unexpected jump in improvement. 5 years from now when the team may likely be ready for a Super Bowl run, it is unlikely Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese will be around to run it. No matter how exciting VY is, Bud Adams is unlikely to accept mediocrity for the next few years after the last couple. He IS spending a lot of money on this.
The win-now approach is obviously complicated AND dicey. McNair will be a huge cap hit and to sign our rookies we'll have to make some severe (but makeable) cuts. This will leave us especially vulnerable to the injury bug as we'll have a depleted bench. We will need the D to step up bigtime - a 17th ranked D won't get us into the Superbowl...let alone allow us to win it - which is the point of this approach. However, this approach obviously gives us our best chance to win and that is the only way we can have a shot at the SuperBowl in the next couple of years and the only way Jeff Fisher will make it to the VY era of Titans football.
So what approach would you take?
Gut
For example, the signing of Thornton, Hope and Mawae suggest a win-now approach.
The drafting of VY suggests a win later approach.
So what do we do...trade McNair for whatever we can get then use Volek/Collins to tread water til VY is ready and prepare our cap for our next window of opportunity while hoping that VY develops into everything we hope he will?
Or do we make some tough cuts to keep McNair at his current contract and have him start and mentor VY but at the cost of some vets and having to start some rookies and lose some valueable depth?
Both approaches have serious risk. The win-now approach has 23mil of our cap tied to McNair who is oft injured, was hit a lot behind a leaky OL last year and potentially may never play at an MVP level. In addition, if Mac9 goes down and a few other key guys are injured, we'll have little backup talent. But suppose McNair doesn't get hurt, the OL plays well, Mac9 regains his form...it will all be worthless if the D doesn't drastically improve! As you can see, a lot has to go right for this to work!
The win later approach has several risks as well...If VY busts, we could choose to lose for a few years developing him and then be stuck in cap hell for a few years (when we have re-signed him and he doesn't work out) chewing up 6-8 years before we have another legit shot. Also, a lot of our current players will be ready for retirement or will be too expensive to keep 5 years from now (probably have to replace Pillar, Olson, Mawae, Kinney, Bennett, KVB, Bulluck, Sirmon, Woolfolk at least). Obviously, we'd also need to draft well for this approach to work correctly as well and to maximize our next window of opportunity.
The Cut/Trade McNair option also has one big problem....LOSING! While VY develops, the Titans could continue at a .500 level for a few years unless the defense takes an unexpected jump in improvement. 5 years from now when the team may likely be ready for a Super Bowl run, it is unlikely Jeff Fisher and Floyd Reese will be around to run it. No matter how exciting VY is, Bud Adams is unlikely to accept mediocrity for the next few years after the last couple. He IS spending a lot of money on this.
The win-now approach is obviously complicated AND dicey. McNair will be a huge cap hit and to sign our rookies we'll have to make some severe (but makeable) cuts. This will leave us especially vulnerable to the injury bug as we'll have a depleted bench. We will need the D to step up bigtime - a 17th ranked D won't get us into the Superbowl...let alone allow us to win it - which is the point of this approach. However, this approach obviously gives us our best chance to win and that is the only way we can have a shot at the SuperBowl in the next couple of years and the only way Jeff Fisher will make it to the VY era of Titans football.
So what approach would you take?
Gut
honestly, putting my mind into the organization....i see floyd, jeff, and bud wanting to win now, especially with the 4 very good free agent signings. and with mac here and healthy, this team can go far in my mind...everything is here now...the winning experience and leadership from kevin mawae, david givens, david thornton, and chris hope. 2 young and upcoming corners with pac and reynaldo, speed and upgrade @ all the needed positions. call me a homer if you want, but this team can be good, especially if mac comes back, we have what it takes now....
i think they might be taking the steelers approach in surrounding a young qb with a solid veteran team.
Only differences are...
The Steelers have a top 5 D...we don't.
The Steelers have one of the best running attacks in the NFL....we don't.
The Steelers have all the weapons on offense except they had Maddox as an achilles heel. We're hardly in the same situation!
Gut
The Steelers have a top 5 D...we don't.
The Steelers have one of the best running attacks in the NFL....we don't.
The Steelers have all the weapons on offense except they had Maddox as an achilles heel. We're hardly in the same situation!
Gut
I think they could have it both ways... I think with Steve not getting a release they might force his hand and keep him. He has one more year on his contract, and they could release Volek to gain some cap room.
Gut said:
Doesn't this sound like 1994-2003 all over again? A few bad seasons, a few average seasons, and then some great ones?
Man, I hope they don't release Volek. He's gotten his hopes up for being the projected starter. I was not so keen on him ever starting last season or before, but I think that he is a sleeper that can make a difference at a cheaper cost. Don't get me wrong. I like McNair, but he is expensive and not the guy he once was. The Raven's fans even admit this on their forums. Why cut the depth of key positions in a team just to keep one player for one or two more years? I would hate to hand a bunch of young guys with potential pink slips only to keep THE face of the franchise one more year. As soon as Young steps in, we may never look back at Steve again. How will Steve handle that? I don't think he will. I wouldn't. However, the Raven's fans are speculating that they only want McNair around for a year or two also to mentor Boller. It sounds like anywhere McNair goes now, he will be teaching the one who will knock him off his throne. I could see a Mac, Volek, VY QB line-up, but I see too much green there. That's my opinion...
Gut said:
So, Willie Parker, Duce Staley and Verron Haynes are a better trio than Brown, Henry and White? I think not.
You could argue now that Willie Parker is better than Brown and Henry cause of his experience in the SupeBowl but oh well.
I think Bud wants the Titans to do well this season, well at least better than last season, while planning for the future. He may have drafted the next QB, RB duo for the next 8 years or so in Young and White, so he's obviously thinkng ahead
Bud wants a title run probably in the next couple of years. By releasing Mcnair, it probably indicates that he doesn't want to win now, if he did want to win now, he would sign Mcnair to a 2 year deal, and that would cost a lot, plus he's have to sign a decent O-Lineman meaning a lot of beas n honey.
With our new defensive signings, I say we about middleish in the league in terms of our Defensive ranking. This means we're not going for the win now approach, I think thats years off...............................
I think Bud wants the Titans to do well this season, well at least better than last season, while planning for the future. He may have drafted the next QB, RB duo for the next 8 years or so in Young and White, so he's obviously thinkng ahead
Bud wants a title run probably in the next couple of years. By releasing Mcnair, it probably indicates that he doesn't want to win now, if he did want to win now, he would sign Mcnair to a 2 year deal, and that would cost a lot, plus he's have to sign a decent O-Lineman meaning a lot of beas n honey.
With our new defensive signings, I say we about middleish in the league in terms of our Defensive ranking. This means we're not going for the win now approach, I think thats years off...............................
I think the Titans are clearly taking a win-now approach. That's why they brought in the vets. That's why they are going the lengths they are to keep McNair another couple of seasons. But I don't see the Titans any better than .500 this season.
Having said that, you must invest in the future. You have to be ready to re-tool, especially at the QB position. To me, everything points to the Titans pushing for a Wildcard in '07 and being ready to challange in '08 and beyond.
Hopefully, the worst is behind us.
Having said that, you must invest in the future. You have to be ready to re-tool, especially at the QB position. To me, everything points to the Titans pushing for a Wildcard in '07 and being ready to challange in '08 and beyond.
Hopefully, the worst is behind us.
TitanJeff said:
Well, aside from Mawae, the "veterans" we signed are probably going to be around for a good number of years. I don't think it was a win-now signings, in that case we'd have seriously looked at Arrington and Law among others.
I agree. I didn't mean to imply an all or nothing approach. Reese said he wanted experience and guys with a future.Vigsted said:
well i think that our defence is going to be much much better this year, with those two new signings and our offense since we have another receiver that we can rely on to catch the ball beside bennet, i truly believe we can have a .500 season this year
we have a tough schedule this year.
.500 would be optimistic unless we have a standout like KVB this season.
.500 would be optimistic unless we have a standout like KVB this season.
Back when they gave Big Ben the keys, the Bus was in the mix as wellSledge said:
Man, I hope they do...Sukrillux said:
Volek cant stay healthy...neither can McNair
Volek hasnt proven himself a consitent starter....McNair has
Volek, imo, is suited best for mop up duty, a couple of games here and there, and holding the clipboard
A few major differences...
While the 94 Oliers weren't good, we had a smashmouth D and slowly built up the offense.
Here, we already have a ton of talent on D but don't have a good D - if you catch my drift - and we already have the pieces for the offense.
Based on that, I don't want to see us have a few mediocre seasons followed by a few good ones (9-7) but never making it anywhere because we never become dominant again.
Gut
wplatham said:
While the 94 Oliers weren't good, we had a smashmouth D and slowly built up the offense.
Here, we already have a ton of talent on D but don't have a good D - if you catch my drift - and we already have the pieces for the offense.
Based on that, I don't want to see us have a few mediocre seasons followed by a few good ones (9-7) but never making it anywhere because we never become dominant again.
Gut
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