Titans: 22 Positions in 22 Days: QB

Over the next 22 days, I'll be doing a series covering the Tennessee Titans roster by doing an in depth write up of each position.  Each day I'll address the position that is being covered, the depth chart (and predict how the depth chart will look on September 7th), the money spent at the position, and give the position a grade of A,B,C,D, or F plus (+) or minus (-).  Today is the beginning of 22 positions in 22 days.

Position 1:  Quarterback

Depth Chart:  

1. Jake Locker
2. Charlie Whitehurst 
3. Tyler Wilson 

Average Salary

• Locker: $3,146,501
• WhiteHurst: $2,250,000
• Wilson: $495,000
• TOTAL: $5,891,501

The quarterback position has not been stable for this organization since 2004, which was Steve McNair's last season.  The team has gone from Kerry Collins to Vince Young, back to Kerry Collins to Vince Young, to Matt Hasselbeck to Jake Locker, back to Matt Hasselbeck to Jake Locker, then to Ryan Fitzpatrick.  Throw Rusty Smith in there for a few games, and you have the quarterback carousel of the Tennessee Titans.

This year promises no difference than what we've seen over the past ten years.  The season will start with a 4th year unproven starter and backup that no-one has ever seen play over a significant amount of time.  Locker is going to be given one final chance.  What he does with that chance could possibly make or break this season for the Titans.  I'm a believer in Jake Locker, but his time is running short.  He's easy to root for and seems very genuine.  He's a guy that people want to see succeed.  It's on him, though.  This season will be his last shot.

The Titans are expected to take a quarterback somewhere in the draft this May.  Jim Wyatt says that there is a greater than 50/50 shot that they'll take one in the second round.  Teddy Bridgewater and Johnny Manziel are both two possible quarterbacks that could fall into round 2.  That said, this year's quarterback class has been one of the most fluid I've seen in some time.  Any of the top six could fall into round two and could be wearing two toned blue next season.  Rustin Webster probably has three out of those six guys in mind.  If neither of those three are there in the second round, look for the Titans to wait until a later round to draft a QB.  It wouldn't hurt them to take a running back in the second round, anyway.

Final Grade: D

The state of the quarterback position is in limbo.  It is the most important position on the field and the Titans don't quite know what they have.  That should send up red flags to the organization and the team.

Image Credit:  http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcR6bBkLbkpN2pAZfqSZeEp0iRT6ntPuPsGAfPSwxnbpLbEBQtqY:farm7.staticflickr.com/6226/6348930967_373fcb37a9_o.jpg

Trey Frisbey
Boy Meets Sports
4/23/2014
Twitter: @boymeetsports 

 

 

Titans Schedule to be Released Tomorrow

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They've announced the announcement, and finally the announcement announced the time when the 2014 NFL schedule will be released.  We don't know much about it yet, but we do know which teams will be facing the Titans in the upcoming season.

Home Opponents:
Browns
Cowboys
Giants
Jets
Steelers
Texans
Jaguars
Colts

Away Opponents:
Ravens
Bengals
Chiefs
Eagles
Redskins
Texans
Jaguars
Colts

The question every year is how many games will we have that aren't played at 12:00 p.m. central time? Judging from the opponents that aren't in the division, there won't be many (maybe 0) games played at 3:05 or 3:15 this season.  they aren't playing any west coast teams (home or away) and should stay at the 12:00 time-slot unless they get flexed late in the season.

Another question asked is when the BYE week will be.  I always thought there was a formula to figure out when a team's bye week will be.  I've done some research, and I can't find anything to support this theory.  A good bye week for NFL teams is somewhere in between weeks 6 and 8. That gives them a good midway point break from the start of the preseason to the end of the season.  The bye week will be unveiled tomorrow.

The ultimate question everyone has about the NFL schedule is when their team will be playing in prime time.  The Titans had a 7-9 record last season and are a small market team, which doesn't fare well with the league in terms of highlight games.  They are playing some well-recognized teams such as the Ravens, Eagles, Chiefs, Cowboys, Jets, Steelers, and Giants which will give them a better chance of playing under the lights more than once in 2014.  Expect no more than two games in prime time, though.  Don't be surprised if both of them are away games.

We are all excited about tomorrow night's big announcements.  Titans fans, don't get too excited.  Like every other mediocre year, expect mediocre to bad scheduled games.  Don't expect to be respected by the league in a small market.  Not to mentioned, the Titans lost any star power they held when they released Chris Johnson earlier this month.

Trey Frisbey
Boy Meets Sports
4/22/2014
Twitter: @boymeetsports

Be Careful in the Locker Room: My Staph Infection Story

MRSA infections are becoming a big issue in locker rooms.  From the NBA to little league baseball, nobody is safe from this horrible infection.  It is mostly antibiotic resistant and can lead to serious injury or even death.  I almost lost my leg to this infection.  Here is my story as told by me on my reddit account.

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"Sure. It happened during the summer between my sophomore and junior year in high school. I played a lot of basketball and was attending a camp over the summer at a local college in the Nashville area. The day after the last day of camp, I noticed what looked like a pimple on my right knee. I squeezed, puss came out, but nothing out of the ordinary.

The next day I woke up and my leg was swollen (around the pimple that I squeezed the day before). My mom and I decided to go to the doctor because it was a bit painful. They told me it was a spider bite, gave me a shot, and I was on my way.

The next day, I woke up and my leg had gotten worse. It was painful to walk and it was swollen up to mid-thigh. Puss was oozing out every time I touched the area. We met up with my doctor outside of his office (I believe it was a Sunday), and he said that I should go straight to the hospital. 

As soon as I arrived at the hospital, a doctor (ended up being my surgeon) drew a line around the swelled area with a pen so they could monitor it. Five hours later, the infection had spread up my leg about an inch or two past the line that was drawn. They put me on antibiotics to try to stop the swelling before they operated (the operation consisted of several incisions to give the excess puss and gunk a way to travel out of my body other than the small pimple hole). The infection wasn't responding to any of the treatment, and the doctors were getting worried. Talk about a terrible feeling. Finally, my body responded to the last strain of antibiotics the hospital had. 

I went under the knife a day later and still have a few pretty big (wide) scars on my leg because part of the healing process consisted of letting the incision grow together naturally so all of the infection would leave my body. Because of this, I didn't receive stitches. The scars look like shark bites.

During this process, I had one of the biggest needles I've ever seen stuck into the inside part of my knee/thigh (it had to be big enough to draw the infection out so they could test it). Oh and I watched a lot of Boy Meets World in the hospital. I like to think it helped. Ha! (about the only non-medical event that I remember about that six day hospital visit)."

Trey Frisbey
Boy Meets Sports
4/22/2014
Twitter: @boymeetsports

Cal to Laker Land?

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Right before the championship game started tonight, rumors began to swirl about John Calipari heading to the west coast to coach the Los Angeles Lakers next season.  The Lakers have yet to announce if they are going to bring back head coach Mike D'antoni for the 2014/2015 season.  He's been a huge disappointment in LA and his relationship with Kobe Bryant is largely unknown.  From the Lakers standpoint, trading Cal for D'antoni would be a huge upgrade.

Coach Cal would bring an excitement and flexibility to the Lakers that they have been searching for since Phil left. The talent level is down, yes, but if Cal can get along with Kobe, next year could be a different story for the largely disappoint Lakers in 2013/2014.  The marriage would be the last of Kobe's career, as he looks for one final championship before he rides off into the sunset.

Why would Calipari leave Kentucky, though? He's currently participating (losing at the moment) in his second championship game there.  He received plenty of hate mail during the middle part of this season when the team was a becoming a huge disappointment, but he's back to the ship and he has the opportunity to continue his legacy.  One of the greatest legacies in college basketball history.  NCAA sanctions, maybe?  Is there something going on in Kentucky that we don't know about?  If Cal leaves for LA, don't be surprised if Kentucky gets the hammer from the NCAA and Cal leaves Lexington the way he left Memphis not too long ago.  He's like the hot girl friend everyone wants.  Once you get her, it's great.  Then she screws you over and you're left crying for the next 6 months.

Regardless of what happens tonight, coach Cal leaving for the LA Lakers would be a beautiful thing for the purple and gold.  Kentucky fans would rage.  Couches would be burning everywhere.  They would feel a feeling that they haven't felt since the Christian Laettner shot.  Alright I've convinced myself that I would love nothing more than to watch Coach John Calipari leave Kentucky for the Los Angeles Lakers.  Make it happen, Bus.

Trey Frisbey
Boy Meets Sports
4/7/2014
Twitter: @boymeetsports