From Here to There: What the Tennessee Titans Need To Do Now

The Titans played a heartbreaker of a season in 2008, and with the right adjustments, they’ll be the ones breaking hearts next year.

Most critics would continue to say that the Tennessee Titan’s greatest need is a playmaker in the slot, and I would typically agree, but after watching the injuries the Titans sustained, and some of the shortcomings they were dealt during the season, I think I may have to believe otherwise.  

A playmaking wideout is the Titans' second greatest need.

Let’s start with their absolute greatest need: more depth in the defensive backfield.

Cortland Finnegan, Nick Harper, Chris Hope, and Michael Griffin are all fantastic DBs, but let’s face it, if any one of them were to be sidelined, practically any team could go deep on the Titans and win the game every time.

 Look at the Jets game. Chris Carr is a great return man but definitely not the best option for at corner, and Reynaldo Hill can’t normally hold his own for 60 minutes against any team’s top receiver. 

Tennessee should use their first-round pick and grab a good corner, with my best suggestion being Victor Harris out of Virginia Tech. He’s got the speed, the hands, and he’s been incredibly wily against any pass game he’s played against.

Now, I’m going to get to the playmaking receiver that everyone has been saying Tennessee needs for years, and yes, Jeff Fisher, you need an (expletive deleted) receiver.

Yes, their offense definitely got an enormous jolt of energy with the presence of running back Chris Johnson in the backfield. He’s got the speed and capability to carry that offense on his back, but if he gets hurt, like we saw in the Ravens game, Tennessee is, to be blunt, screwed.

I believe they should get their next big playmaker through a trade or the free agency. They’re first round pick is too deep to pick up a quality slot receiver and they don’t have much cap room to sign a big name without releasing one.

So I believe that Titans should wholeheartedly accept the fact that Vince Young has been a draft bust for them, and send him on to a better place, where they will gracefully accept Young’s style of play.

Vince Young is taking a big chunk of Tennessee’s salary cap (almost four million of it). So trade him away and get some talent where you need it.

Am I saying that Vince Young is a hack? No. I am not. Never. Vince Young has amazing ability that unfortunately simply cannot be utilized by the Tennessee Titans offensive unit.

The Titans need a patient, studious quarterback who doesn’t get antsy in the pocket. Watching Vince Young stand in the pocket when the field opens up in front of him is painful. It’s like watching a dog sit on the floor beside the dinner table waiting for the scraps to fall in front of them.

When the Titans decided to try and turn Vince Young into a pocket passer, they signed their own death warrant.

In my opinion, one of the best options for the Titans would be a win/win trade with Washington. Jason Campbell has struggled as a starter this year, leaving the Redskins without a playoff berth.

I can see the 'Skins being open to letting go of either Santana Moss or Antwaan Randle El in return for the potential explosiveness that Vince Young could offer. And let's not forget that T.J. Houshmandzadeh is going to be up for grabs in Free Agency this offseason, and if the Titans don’t have an eye on him, I don’ think they’ll ever want to find a good receiver.

So who should the Titans bring in to back up Kerry Collins? The answer is no one; they’ve got Chris Simms as a backup. A good backup, who I’m sure is at home this very moment studying every inch of Mike Heimerdinger’s playbook, just like Kerry Collins did when he got his chance with the Titans.

Chris Simms has the skill set to lead the Titans offense after Kerry Collins retires (do you really think that O-Line is going to let him get hurt?).