Desperation, thy name is Jeff Fisher
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by user Mdc
So far, it has been my goal to discuss Texans' news almost exclusively and to bring up other teams only as they relate to the Texans' news I am discussing at the time. Along with just generally not caring enough to write about them, this "Texans only" policy is why I have not opined on Mike Vick v. PETA, random Bengals arrests, or Plaxico Burress bailing on his tab when it didn't look like he would get some funk on his hangdown.
That said, this whole " Keyshawn to the Titans " angle merits some words on my part, if only because it reeks of such incredible desperation. (Also, it relates to the Texans, so I suppose it doesn't violate my policy too badly. Moving on...)
As of this moment, the Titans starting WRs are Brandon Jones and David Givens. Who? Exactly. I imagine Demarcus Faggins looks at the Titans roster and thinks, "wow...even I can cover those guys, and I suck something fierce."*
Luckily for Titans fans, Jeff Fisher is smart enough to realize that Ben Troupe and/or Bo Sciafe are not enough to create a passing game. Luckily for Texans fans, Fisher did not come to this realization until after the NFL draft. With Dwayne Bowe still on the board, the Titans took a safety, Michael Griffin. (Here is where a Titans fan will likely jump in with something "we were losing Pacman and we needed a DB!" Really? You needed a DB more than you needed someone for Vince Young to throw to? Interesting. I would think that a complete lack of offensive weapons would be something you'd want to address for your young franchise QB.)
With Steve Smith still on the board in the second, the Titans took a RB, Chris Henry. I don't dispute that the Titans needed a back--LenDale White is trying to convert himself into an offensive lineman and Travis Henry is receiving his mail in Denver now. Still, Chris Henry is not Reggie Bush; if anything, C. Henry is a project with good upside but little ability to step in and make a difference right now. Unlike, say, a WR who played on National Championship teams in a pro-style offense.
In the third, Fisher and Co. finally took a WR when they selected Paul Williams out of Fresno State. A quick look at the Scouts, Inc., report for Williams offers the following flags:
- (D: DURABILITY) Player that can't stay healthy
- (M: MENTAL) Does not retain and learn the system
- (U: UNDERACHIEVER) Player that doesn't play up to ability
We also get the always fun
- There is speculation that he'd rather be playing DB and he spent some of his senior season complaining about being forced to play offense.
Nice. He complains about playing the position they drafted him to play and he would rather be keeping other people from catching the ball than catching it himself. This can only end well... from a Texans perspective.
The Titans also spent a sixth round pick on WR Joel Filani, who Scouts graded at a whopping 49. (Which I think means he's roughly as good as Andre Johnson... if you stabbed Johnson repeatedly in the kidneys with a rusty screwdriver.)
Given all of this, you can see why the Titans would suddenly find themselves desperate for a real WR. If this were, say, 2001, Keyshawn would be an excellent option. You see, back then Keyshawn was only 29 and had the ability to do amazing things like outrun LBs. In 2007, though, signing Keyshawn gets you the equivalent Wayne Chrebet--only with enough (undeserved) ego to have earned the nickname MEshawn.
- I'm not in rental mode. You're not going to rent me for six months because someone with my career warrants more than that," Johnson said Thursday. "I just laugh when I read that stuff. [...] I'm not playing for $750,000, $850,000, $1 million or $2.5 million. You can write that down.
Wow. Not only are the Titans considering overpaying for a washed-up, egocentric possession receiver, they are apparently considering doing it for more than one year. Brilliant!
So, why are they doing this? Like I said earlier, it is almost certainly out of desperation. They are desperate to find something (anything!) that will force defenses to at least consider respecting the passing game. They are desperate to cobble together an offense around VY after failing to do so in the draft. Most importantly (from the team's perspective), however, they are desperate to sign a name that fans recognize--even if that name offers next to nothing in terms of value or production--so that they can point to said player as "proof" of a commitment to win now.
As a football fan, I find these moves puzzling at best.
As a Texans fan who is often derided for his team's failure to draft Vince Young, I find this somewhat poetic.
But, more than desperate or puzzling or poetic, I find this whole thing incredibly amusing. Go Texans.
- I suppose it is possible--likely, even--that Demarcus does not think he sucks. However, in my imagination, all of the Texans think on a very existential level. This probably illustrates something wrong in my head.
