Mariota and Green-Beckham Make the Titans Relevant, and Potentially Very Good

CHICAGO — Do you remember how good Steve McNair and Eddie George were when together on Tennessee? Do you?

They were the Titans. They scared defenses. They drew media and eyeballs and ratings. McNair was not the best passer, but he was good enough. His ability to extend a play was as good as any running quarterback in history. George was a fast, bruising runner who could take it outside or run your ass over.

McNair paired ability with a warm smile as electric as his play. He was a go-to player for national media covering the league. I spoke to him sometimes once a week on the phone. McNair and George were alike in that they both loved being football players. They cherished the sport, and at its height, the duo was one of the epicenters of the NFL.

Most of all, they were not boring.

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The Titans have not been to the playoffs since 2008. But being terrible isn't the worst crime the Titans have committed. They've been irrelevant.

That is about to change in a big way with the addition of Marcus Mariota and Dorial Green-Beckham, the team's first- and second-round picks, respectively. A huge way. This could be the kind of transformational shift we saw McNair and George bring to Tennessee.

The Titans, in two days, have overcome years of being a stale franchise. What I think we might see is Tennessee entering the realm of giving a damn. It's possible that in a few years, the Titans will be one of the more exciting teams in football.

I know: crazy, right? Yes, there are some pretty big caveats here.

The first is Mariota has to adapt to the pro game; but I think he will. The Titans bet on his work ethic and ability. He'll work through all of the needed machinations to develop into a top passer. It will happen.

The bigger issue is Green-Beckham. It's possible he's the most absurdly freakish wide receiver in this draft. As one scout told me, he's a faster Calvin Johnson. Green-Beckham is 6'5", almost 240 pounds and ran a 4.49 40-yard dash at the combine. There's a chance he will destroy defenses.

He also may not be a very nice man. Oh, I know, I'm the judgmental one. I tend to not like a man, especially a brutish, large one, who (in a case that did not result in any arrest) allegedly pushes one woman down a flight of stairs and then grabs his girlfriend by the neck, dragging her out of a residence. No, I don't like those kind of people. I know: I'm so crazy!

So, let's recap. The Titans take a quarterback in the first round who rarely passed out of the pocket, and in the second round, they select a wide receiver who was thrown off his college team.

Yes, huge ifs here, but somehow, I think this will work. It sounds crazy. It seems insane. But I think Mariota and Green-Beckham will help each other.

Green-Beckham will provide Mariota with a ready-made receiver. If he stays out of jail. Or stops allegedly smoking blunts (he's got a track record there, too), since they drug test in the NFL.

Then Mariota will give Green-Beckham a calming, steady presence. I think what a player like Green-Beckham needs is an example like Mariota, the consummate professional. The only time Mariota will get irritated is deciding between wearing a long-sleeve Titans shirt and a Titans hoodie.

There is a chance—a chance—this potentially problematic blend becomes something special. A chance.

What is certain is the Titans are relevant again. They are worth watching again.

Whether they implode or explode will be the key.

Mike Freeman covers the NFL for Bleacher Report.