draft picks...............????

Personally, I'd buy the D first and build the O thru the draft................Defense is portable and can be brought anywhere and keep you in any game.............think 2004 Bears................let the O gel as youngsters..................together. Discuss...............I am interested in other views and reason why they have those views.

Washington prove you can't buy a good team.

I'd buy both an O-Line and D-Line if the quality is there.

Having a good O and D line will help the team immensely.

i would submit very little needs to be done to the OL.............depth is it..........the DL needs work............but we have 40 mil to spend............and we need alot...............the questions asks a different issue.............how do you allocate your dollars...............best way to get better fast is bring in some talent that you know can play.........and play right away......................that is tougher on O than on D................that is why I like the idea of allocating most of our money on D for FA and the rest via the draft on O

First of all JF & FR need to go, but thats a different story for a different time

But we desperately need more talented/impact player(s) on the DL(besides AH & KVB) and in the secondary (Besides Hope & pac)

Tulloch needs to start over Sirmon, let the kid learn, run wild & make plays
LB is set with Keith Steve & David

this defense is just atrocious right now

I'd definitely go after Clements in the offseason & find some sort of impact D-lineman, so the money needs to go the Defense by far IMO

My 3 choices in the draft that i'd like would be Calvin Johnson, LaRon Landry or Gaines Adams.

Either of the 3 will most likely be impact players in there own ways

The offense is pretty much set with Vince, LenDale, BJ & Givens, and Troupe & Scaife. Even though i do agree Calvin Johnson would actually give us an impact player a defense would have to gameplan around. Probably find a future replacement for Mawae through the draft if they feel Amano isn't the answer. I'd also find a replacement for Olson this offseason also, most likely through FA.

Well you brought in 3 on the D side this year. And you brought in 2 on the O side. I say you have to see who's available.

First I'd sign Haynesworth to a very friendly deal... has he given any of that signing bonus back yet, you can use that as leverage. Try and get Robaire back and Rien Long might come cheap. Bennett the only thing close to a real WR we have.

You need a good corner with experience for the "kids" to learn from, you have to figure Pac is a smigin away from going to jail or being off the team at any point.

Middle linebacker, were going to have to have one. Sirmon stinks!

An offenseive playmaker that every D will have to scheme around. A great TE and/or WR. RB can be gotten in the draft.

Defensive end... yep the "buckshot draft" failed.

I say grab nothing but studs in the draft, even if it means drafting up and getting nothing on the 2nd day. We need at least 2 first rounders and 2 second rounders. All this late talent is almost a waste, we find a jewel sometimes but here lately it hasnt paid off.

the reason I ask................the team coming to Nashville this week likely will be broken up...............next yr...................they have alot of Defensive talent we are looking for.................there is a chance Rolle MacCallister Reed AThomas all could be shown the door.......even Ray ray maybe moved..........................more likely is a combo of the above..................one of those CB's would be nice...............Reed is a FA and he will command major dollars........and maybe even he gets tagged............if he does several current Ravens will have to go............plus ray ray is on record of needing more dollars..............JLewis is also a FA next yr....................AThomas is the one most likely gone...............he will command major dollars but he is 29 yrs old but is a great edge rusher and can play 5 different spots....................he is a guy i'd go after.

Ed Reed signed a 6-year contract extension this past offseason.

http://www.thepurplecurtain.com/ed-reed-signs-a-6-year-extension

I am certain Ed Reed was resigned.

Heck if he is available I'd spend it all on him, that guy can just play.

spend most of the money on the D (I agree with you a good defense keeps you in games, and with VY we will win a lot of those close ones), but get an offensive playmaker through the draft and one through FA- Calvin Johnson and if your rumor is true Bongo possibly Willis McGahee would be my plan- LenDale, Willis, Calvin, and Vince would just be demoralizing for a defense, man we would be the best rushing offense next year- LenDale can pound it at you, line Willis and LW in a split back run option with Willis, then lineup Willis keep LW in the backfield, and drop back and throw it deep to Calvin Johnson- now thats the stuff dreams are made of...

also get my sleeper of the draft this year Johnathon Wade, a more physical Devin Hester...

I'd spend my defensive money on adalius thomas, ken hamlin, and nate clements. Those 3 alone would significantly improve each level of the defense.

i would submit very little needs to be done to the OL

Dont know about you, but I am not happy with a 2.7 yard per carry average.

Reed did sign a new deal but there are rumblings that deal may cause them to lose several others on that team..................

i would submit very little needs to be done to the OL.............
I don't see any of our interior guys being there in '08 when Young should be hitting his stride and the Titans beginning their run. Unless the GM is willing to draft OL talent earlier, I don't know if I wouldn't use some of that cap on a couple of road graters.

Dont know about you, but I am not happy with a 2.7 yard per carry average.
agree but the current avg has alot do with how bad they were before VY got in................I think the OL change has helped but I think the play calling has got to be questioned...............especially yesterday.

I like Wade, and I like Hefney too. They're a big part of UT's defense.

On D-Line, I want us to draft Justin Harrell (Anyone else see the common pattern?). Harrell is one of the best DTs I've seen play in a while. Unfortunately, he missed most of this season with a torn muscle in his arm. I'll never forget watching him throw Florida offensive lineman around with his one good arm. He should be a steal. We desperately need another bigtime DE this offseason, too.

And how about a couple of O-Linemen?

I don't see any of our interior guys being there in '08 when Young should be hitting his stride and the Titans beginning their run. Unless the GM is willing to draft OL talent earlier, I don't know if I wouldn't use some of that cap on a couple of road graters.i bet you bell and mawae are still there and there is a 75% chance Benji is there too...................The biggest issue on O now is the lack of separation at wr and VY is still cot comfortable throwing into the smaller windows this league requires...............even when the WR separate they have to be able catch the balls...............i still think this coaching staff is making huge mistakes not playing the rookies at S MLB and RB...............

LenDale needs to get the majority of carries this week

Tulloch & Fuller need to be in game

and yes the play calling was highly questionable yesterday

the Titans have had horrible success with UT players................none of them I think will be titans

Give me D or give me my money back.

I think the OL change has helped but I think the play calling has got to be questioned...............especially yesterday.

for sure.

the Titans have had horrible success with UT players................none of them I think will be titans

Mahelona is pretty good, jury still out on Henry, Haynesworth can be the most dominating DT in the NFL at times...

i bet you bell and mawae are still there and there is a 75% chance Benji is there too...................
Mawae will be 38 1/2 when the Titans enter the 2008 season. I don't see it happening.

Though I think he has played well at times and is an upgrade over Piller, I don't know if Bell is best at G. I hope Olson can be upgraded as well.

McGahee, Freeney, CJ, Blalock, and Wade

Mahelona is pretty good, jury still out on Henry, Haynesworth can be the most dominating DT in the NFL at times...
mahelona is over matched AH is inconsistent and very immature and Henry is a recovering addict who best yrs are over.................

Mawae will be 38 1/2 when the Titans enter the 2008 season. I don't see it happening.

Though I think he has played well at times and is an upgrade over Piller, I don't know if Bell is best at G. I hope Olson can be upgraded as well.Kev has told me he plans on playing until he is 40 or 41 and he is still in great shape..............I think he honors his full 3 yr deal...............Bell will be resigned...............and Benji has been told he is going to come back...............he is building a monster house here and construction was not begun until he knew he was staying here..................both OT are young and going no where..............

So i'd say the top 3 needs are DL, a safety to go opposite Hope, and an impact offensive player (hoping its Calvin Johnson)....

I think where you spend your money simply depends on who is available. But I'd be happy spending on either offense or defense based on who is there.

The only guy scheduled to be a free agent that I'm really sold on is Clements (I'm assuming Freeney is franchised). Who else gets cut? We'll see. But with the jump in the salary cap I don't expect many really good players to get the axe. Mostly guys who are older or way overpaid.

Either way, I'd be giving whomever we sign a big roster bonus so his salary cap hit happens up front rather than spreading it out over 6 years with a signing bonus. At least as much as possible.

I think where you spend your money simply depends on who is available. But I'd be happy spending on either offense or defense based on who is there.


I agree.

I want the old Titans, dominating D and run game. D being the most important. But I wouldn't just spend on one side for the sake of trying to fix that side.

we need 1 to sign a shutdown cb...that is most imporant

then 2 sign a pass rusher opposiite KVB (hopin that the eagles relase kearse b/c they signed the rookie that replaced him to a 5 yr extension - making him a starter) so kearse and KVB would be an amazing combo

then 3 sign a solid safty oppiste hope...get rid of lamont...he had it in college the pac 10 record and all that...but he is not doing well in the pro's perhaps w/ a different team he might have more success

then 4 draft an impact WR in calvin johnson.

then 5 draft in the second round a good OL.....to help solidify the line...

then we are talking about a winnineg record next season.

Corner BY FAR is our most pressing need

Corner BY FAR is our most pressing need

not even close.

Run Defense is by far the most pressing need

In spending FA money, I think you have to go after pieces that are hard to find in the draft...CB and DE. I'd target Freeney, Justin Smith, or Thomas at DE and then target Samuel or Clements at CB.

I am not satisfied with the OLINE just yet and if money allowed would bring in Steinbach.

We need to find VY some weapons. I think the 1st rnd pick goes offense again unless we can't get a DE or CB in FA or unless we trade down to a spot that makes MLB/safety a value pick.

Draft the O, speed. Buy the D.

I think where you spend your money simply depends on who is available. But I'd be happy spending on either offense or defense based on who is there.

I'm in the spend the FA money on the D camp. I'm not in the spend it for spending it sake camp though. Your right, everyone else will have a wedge of cash too & we may not be able to do a trolley dash around the league

Either way, I'd be giving whomever we sign a big roster bonus so his salary cap hit happens up front rather than spreading it out over 6 years with a signing bonus. At least as much as possible.

No matter who comes in this is the most important part of how the money is spent :thumb:

Kev has told me he plans on playing until he is 40 or 41 and he is still in great shape..............I think he honors his full 3 yr deal...............Bell will be resigned...............and Benji has been told he is going to come back...............
Just because Mawae wants to play until he's 40 doesn't mean it'll happen. Bruce went into a steady decline his last few years. And I don't expect anyone to tell a player at mid-season that they are not a part of the team's long-term plans.

We do need to look for depth at OG and C so when Benji and Mawae hang it up we have guys to step in. Some of that can come through the draft where we have had good luck with 4th and 5th round picks. Amano looks like he might be a keeper for a cheap price now as a backup so I'd resign him.

Bell looks fine to me at OG and he can back up the other OL positions. If we draft a quality OG that can unseat Bell or Olsen then fine.

I agree with Bongo that much of our inability to run the ball for the last two seasons has been the play calling. Chow has virtually ruined the run game with his scheme which only works if we are playing a panzy defense. Chris Brown can vouch for that as well. The OL has done well protecting the QB IMO.

I tend to disagree. I think it is more about individual matchups. If you can't get a push on the player across from you, no scheme is going to overcome it.

I'm tired of seeing a RB hit two yards in the backfield.

I think it's both. When we have good matchups, the scheme is better, but I don't think we've seen a "great" offensive scheme by Chow yet. We've got two power backs now, lets work with that power.

Keep A-Rod and sign some starting pitching.

Oh, wait!!! We're talking about football off-season. When's that start?

Corner BY FAR is our most pressing need
completely disagree............MLB and DT are above CB.........we can win with 32 21 and 39..............we cant with 59 90 94 99 .................

D is the way to go in FA. I'd go after Thomas, Allen and Clements. Thomas could take over at MLB for us while also filling in at other positions. Allen might resign with KC, but he's still worth going after. Finally, Clements is a solid vet CB which would be quite useful to us. Come draft time I'd go with BPA or an absolute stud playmaker on either O or D - depending on who we get in FA, where we pick and who's gone.

Just because Mawae wants to play until he's 40 doesn't mean it'll happen. Bruce went into a steady decline his last few years. And I don't expect anyone to tell a player at mid-season that they are not a part of the team's long-term plans.and conversely, just because he is 39 or 40 does not mean he cant play well....................bottom line he is signed cheaply for three yrs.............right now we dont need to get somebody to play for him..............we have bigger needs elswhere.............and we have Amano backing him up.

I tend to disagree. I think it is more about individual matchups. If you can't get a push on the player across from you, no scheme is going to overcome it.

I'm tired of seeing a RB hit two yards in the backfield.

You would have more of a point if the OL in 2004 was drastically better than the one we have now. Hopkins, Bell (rookie), Hartwig (converted to OC), Olsen and Miller. So if Bell isn't good enough to play OG now then why was he in 2004 when our running game was darn good and puny Volek was lighting it up. Is Mawae as good as Hartwig was in 2004? Olsen might have lost some so I agree with maybe replacing him. IMO our OTs are as good run blocking now as before however Miller was not given his due while he was here but Hopkins sure wasn't a road grader.
Just to make the point further how about the Bronco's. They have a very good scheme running the ball and it seems whoever is their RB has room. Who is their OC?

Just to make the point further how about the Bronco's. They have a very good scheme running the ball and it seems whoever is their RB has room. Who is their OC?
i know shannahan calls the plays, but i think heimerdinger is the OC...

Dinger puts in the game plans and they script the first 25 plays. Shanahan decides who goes in to run those plays. Their zone scheme has been there over ten yrs now so the system is the same. The titans run system has been changed three times in the last ten yrs due to coordinator changes. The broncos kept the same system regardless of who was the OC. Their is a difference and it shows. They also draft different OL than anyone else in the league to meet their schemes needs................we still have some road graders when our O has not had a road grading RB since 2001. That is all on the HC and staff.

What about Jevon Kearse...?

Trent Cole got a new deal up in Philly, both him & howard are signed long-term to be in the DE's on that defense.

I think its a good possibility that Jevon will get cut/traded this offseason

any chance of him coming back to nashville?

After Jevon's knee surgery, he may never even play again...

After Jevon's knee surgery, he may never even play again...

Actually, they came out a couple weeks later and said it wasn't nearly as serious as they originally thought. Had they not already IR'ed him, Jevon might have been available for the playoffs this year.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2606669

Who is their OC?

Well when talking about the offensive line scheme I believe credit has to be given to Alex Gibbs, who coincidently went to Falcons at the same time their offence started really clicking in the rushing department..... the 2 years before Gibbs went to Atlanta they averaged 4.5 yards per carry, in his years there they've averaged 5.1, 4.8, 5.8 (all league leading years)

What about Jevon Kearse...?

Trent Cole got a new deal up in Philly, both him & howard are signed long-term to be in the DE's on that defense.

I think its a good possibility that Jevon will get cut/traded this offseason

any chance of him coming back to nashville?Jevon has a chance to be cut but looking at his deal the chance is greater he is cut loose a yr later.................

and conversely, just because he is 39 or 40 does not mean he cant play well....................bottom line he is signed cheaply for three yrs.............right now we dont need to get somebody to play for him..............we have bigger needs elswhere.............and we have Amano backing him up.
Okay. Let's hope Mawae is a freak and actually maintains a high level of play at age 40. Here's an honest question...

Why can't this team run the football in the red zone?

you have to get in to the redzone to run it in the redzone. i think we are fairly efficient running the ball when we get in the redzone, we just 1. dont or 2. have trouble actually getting inside the 25.

You would have more of a point if the OL in 2004 was drastically better than the one we have now. Hopkins, Bell (rookie), Hartwig (converted to OC), Olsen and Miller. So if Bell isn't good enough to play OG now then why was he in 2004 when our running game was darn good and puny Volek was lighting it up.
What about 2004 was a good running game? We finished 14th with a 116.9 per game average. That's close to average in the league. As bad as we are now, we are 12th with a 113.4 average. You get a boost from Young's carries and two games against weaker run defenses.

Obviously, it's hard to run the football when you have to abandon it as the Titans have many times this season. But I think a better indication is how effective the Titans are running in on third and short and in the red zone.

Best I remember, we struggled running the football on third down and short and in the red zone in 2004 as well. I honestly think that points to an inability of the interior to get a push.

Just to make the point further how about the Bronco's. They have a very good scheme running the ball and it seems whoever is their RB has room. Who is their OC?
They were an excellent running team long before Dinger joined them.

What about 2004 was a good running game? We finished 14th with a 116.9 per game average. That's close to average in the league.

Keep in mind, Chris Brown and most of the O-line were lost about halfway through the season, and the latter half of the schedule was mostly the Billy-and-Bennett show. But when CB was on the field and the O-line was more or less intact, the Titans' running game was among the best in the league.

But when CB was on the field and the O-line was more or less intact, the Titans' running game was among the best in the league.
for the first half of the game at least.

Keep in mind, Chris Brown and most of the O-line were lost about halfway through the season, and the latter half of the schedule was mostly the Billy-and-Bennett show. But when CB was on the field and the O-line was more or less intact, the Titans' running game was among the best in the league.
From memory, I don't recall a great running game. The Titans finished about the middle of the league. Brown broke some big runs which are a credit to him but I remember a bad and hurting Titans D that season which forced the offense to abandon the run and throw the football. Teams pulled back to prevent the big pass which opened some opportunities for the running game when it was used and make Volek look like the second-coming of Elway.

I do remember the Titans being unable to convert third and short with the run game and the same difficulty we have now running in the red zone. To me, that gives a better picture of the run game then and now.

From memory, I don't recall a great running game......

I do remember the Titans being unable to convert third and short with the run game and the same difficulty we have now running in the red zone. To me, that gives a better picture of the run game then and now.

Point well taken.

Brown averaged a very impressive 4.9 yards per rush in 2004....in fact, he led the league. But it's hard to call it a strong ground game when they couldn't pick up one or two yards when they needed it.

Point well taken.

Brown averaged a very impressive 4.9 yards per rush in 2004....in fact, he led the league. But it's hard to call it a strong ground game when they couldn't pick up one or two yards when they needed it.
Exactly my point. I think you have to give credit to the OL for Brown's season but much of his yards were big gainers when the Titans were in the middle of the field. They weren't able to do it when teams stacked it in to stop them.