Craig Stevens

Alex, I think you have a really thick skull.

If you want a Superbowl trust the teams to make picks before that position becomes an immediate need. The Steelers had 1 start by a rookie. Limas Sweed sucked it up too.

So you want a DE or a WR with the third pick? We got both of those in the 4th round. We got a DT in the 2nd, were we suppose to take another so that he could be 5th string?

It would be cool if every pick the Titans every made would be starters their first year and in the Probowl by their third year. That just doesn't happen that often.

 

I probably do have a thick skull, but I'm really not saying anything different than Gut here. So I'm not sure why my comment receives such criticism.

People here are talking about how drafting Stevens was such great planning for the future... but why?

We were devoid of talent at WR and it showed last season. We have an aging starting CB that HAS to be replaced in 2010. Amano is iffy at guard and could use competition. Most people realized it was unlikely we would resign AH during the 2008 season, or I did because that's the Titans track record. So a DT or DE would make sense too.

Scaife is young and we have cap room. Crumpler was signed on for 2 seasons. I don't see drafting Stevens as great planning for the future.

Sorry, but that's my opinion. I'm a huge Titans fan, but that doesn't mean I am going to applaud every move they make.


4everyoung, why am I suggesting we take a WR or DL in the 3rd round instead of the 4th? Because you assume you can get a player with more talent/potential in the 3rd round over later rounds. Did that really need explaining?

 

Jason jones rd 2, william hayes rd 4 pick one.

We should have taken a defensive linemen for 3 straight picks?

My goodness think before you write!

 

CB-DL-WR in rd 3

CB was not feasible at all. 10 CBs came off the board just in the first 2 rounds. All the guys we might have hoped to get in rd 3 were gone. Guys like godfey, terrell, wheatley.

Even a couple of the hybrid CB/S guys were gone.

The only CB of note available when we picked was justin king and he didn't do squat this year. Nothing!

The WR we most likely would have wanted in rd 3 was early doucet and he was off the board before we picked. Same with harry douglas who did produce for atlanta last year.

Maybe if someone looked at what was there rather than blindly complaining they could make more sense.

Maybe we could have traded up a couple of spots using out 5th rd pick to get doucet but then we would have risked not getting hayes.

All in all we did pretty good getting a good value on a prospect with every pick in the first 4 rounds.

 

Like Chris Davis? Or like Lavelle Hawkins?

 

Quite simply...

We could have (IMO SHOULD HAVE) traded our 3rd to move up to middle of rnd 2 to get DeSean Jackson. With one of the best WR's in the draft still available there...it makes perfect sense.

I'd give up Jason Jones and Craig Stevens for DeSean Jackson! But there were many options. First off, people keep calling Jason Jones a DT. We'll see IF he can bulk up and play DT full time. From game film, he has not done that well at holding up against the run...especially vs the Ravens in the playoffs. He STILL may need to move back to LDE.

And what Alex is saying is completely valid. It is not optimizing your starting lineup and important secondary players (people who make a difference) by taking a Craig Stevens in rnd 3. We can always find a 3rd string TE. Plan for the future? Did Stevens need to be on the roster last year to sit behind Scaife and Crump again this year to 'plan for the future'? No...it's basically wasting 2 years of his rookie contract.

The Titans have done this before with guys like Shad Meier. How much did he contribute coming in as a 3rd string TE and being our 'plan for the future'?

Gut

 

For me it just seems that you are attempting to emulate your avatar. You appear (to me) to be doing a lot of yapping without applying critical thinking skills first.

Yes, you don't like the Stevens pick. I get it.

It is a damn shame that we didn't pick a super stud instead that started from day 1, but guess what? There wasn't anyone that fit that description available.

Life is a biotch, but whining endlessly because you thought we should have gone with depth at different positions instead is just pointless and implies that you know what is better for the long-term success of the team than the GM.

Just my $0.02.

 

I enjoy discussing the strategies the Titans use to improve the team. So to me, it's part of my entertainment being a Titans fan.

I don't view it as whining endlessly. Re-read my post. I state my opinion and also state that I could be wrong.

At this point though, if Stevens is third TE on the roster and has next to nothing contribution in 2010, there is no good reason we used a 3rd round pick on an unnecessary position. He would have to become one of the top TEs in the league consistently for multiple seasons to be worth sitting on the bench for two years.


My "critical thinking" skills really aren't needed here. For me it's simple, draft spots that are needed for immediate success OR for the future. TE isn't one of them and wasn't last season.

There are bigger puzzle pieces to fill than a TE that will (most likely) barely see game time for 2 seasons. I'm sorry if it's hard for you to accept that the Titans might have made a mistake. Or if you view it as "endless whining" because I defend my position instead of remaining mute.

 

If that's the case and Stevens significantly contributes in 2009 then I'm wrong, and he was worth the pick.

I'm not writing off Crumpler yet though. Big year for him. Will he come back strong after the fumble in the playoffs? Will he add something more in the receiving game after being in the system a year?

For whatever the reason, it doesn't seem that most posters here are as big on Scaife as I am. I'm a big Scaife fan, and I hope we sign him longterm after 2009. I realize he'll never get to top5 TE level. But he's a top10 I think.

Also having to replace a position where we've already been solid, isn't really improving the teams chances. It's like, taking away a puzzle piece and then adding the same piece back.


I realize TE is an important position in our offense, but honestly, having 2 good TEs is still a luxury. It's not worth having 2 good TEs at the expense of no good wrs or no CB/DT depth.