DJ Hackett signed to the Carolina Panthers

by BeansCarter on Mar 17, 2008 12:13 PM CDT Comment 33 comments

Well... Looks like the last remaining free agent who is better than our receivers has been snapped up.

http://beta.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

I think unless we get a miracle trade we're likely to end up in the bottom quartile, receiving-wise. I just don't see how else it would work out. Williams and Gage have improving chemistry with VY, so that will make us better but I don't imagine that they are ever going to become stars (hope I'm wrong). Crumpler is a question mark.

If everyone recalls, the primary objective this offseason was to get weapons for Vince. I think we can agree that Reinfeldt has failed in this effort so far, no?

Am I the only one who is disappointed in the shortcomings of this front office?

Poll

Do you feel that Mike Reinfeldt succeeded in "finding weapons for Vince"?

Yes, he succeeded

9 votes

No, he let us down

8 votes

17 votes | Poll has closed

0 recs | Comment 33 comments

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Comments

Once again...

WHO DID YOU WANT THEM TO GET?! I'd rather see us not blow crazy money on a WR who couldn't make it on his own team, then have to let key players walk over the next 3 years. That's what bad organizations do (see Oakland, San Fran, etc.)

If Alge is a 'question mark', then most of the WRs in free agency are friggin incomplete sentences. The additions of Alge and Dinger mean we are definitely better than last year!

Talk to me after the draft regarding our WR situation.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Mar 17, 2008 12:30 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Seriously

DJ Hackett was better than Gage and Roydell?

Why is Crumpler a question mark with his knees but Hackett only played six games last year (and has yet to play a full season) and would be the savior?

I think you should add another choice to your poll:

"The jury is still out"

We have not even got through the draft yet.

I have faith in Coach and Reinfeldt. There is a reason they are where they are.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Mar 17, 2008 12:33 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Bottom quartile

Are we talking receiving yards or passing touchdowns?

If it's passing touchdowns - I'll take that bet - I think we'll end up in roughly the middle of the pack on receiving touchdowns by end of next regular season, definitely not in last place or even bottom quartile.

If it's receiving yards, maybe bottom quartile, but the Titans are never gonna be high on that list. What's the highest they've ever been on receiving yards regular season since they moved here?

by numbertenox on Mar 17, 2008 12:57 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

And this poll

Needs a "meh" option.

by numbertenox on Mar 17, 2008 12:58 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

alas

in the short-sighted world view of knee-jerk NFL fans, there is no 'meh' - only WE'LL WIN 30 GAMES THIS YEAR or WE'LL NEVER WIN A GAME EVER!

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Mar 17, 2008 1:08 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I agree with these guys.

I understand your frustration, but it's not time to play ball yet. We still have the draft and then another round of FA cuts both during/immediately after the draft and right before the start of the season. Heck, this time last year, Randy Moss wasn't even a Patriot.

I also think J. McCareins is a better #3 receiver than we've had in a while.

DannoE

Go read FRIDAY MAD SCIENCE at www.paperbackreader.com
Thanks!

by DannoE on Mar 17, 2008 1:07 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

But... WRs don't usually perform immediately...

We can't expect to make a difference at WR in the draft for the upcoming season. Wide Receiver is a funny position that way, wideouts rarely make a big difference as rookies. So, in terms of the 2008 season, we should see a small improvement over last year in that we have a better OC, and Vince has experience throwing to Williams and Gage. BUT, we are moving from well below average to slightly below average with our receiving corps. Is that what we were promised? It's not looking very good for Vince, though if Crumpler stays healthy that will help...

I didn't really see DJ Hackett as the answer ( though I think he is a solid player when healthy with a nice YPC average), but his signing basically marks the end of free agency at that position.

I think Bryant Johnson or Donte Stallworth are two guys we should have been willing to pay top dollars for. Donte is great at getting yards after the catch and Bryant has good hands and would have added that element of speed.

In terms of "overpaying", I don't buy that argument... We're likely to go into this season with millions of unspent cap space, so the only person on earth who should care about overpaying(say, for example, on a one-year deal to get Bryant Johnson) is Bud Adams.

By the way, Mike Reinfeldt has one year's experience as a GM, and his track record is mediocre at best. Both free agency and the draft last year were average performances... So no, I wouldn't agree with your inclination to just assume Mike and Jeff know what they are doing. Jerry Reese is an example of someone who deserves that particular nod. Mike Reinfeldt has got his work cut out for him.

by BeansCarter on Mar 17, 2008 1:09 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Really?!

Even Juan Gonzalez thinks Donte Stallworth's hammy is gimpy... Same for Walker.

So really - Bryant Johnson would have elevated us to another level? A guy who couldn't even get a 2 year contract above the minimum? He's gonna come in and make it easier for VY and all of our other recievers?

We all want a game-breaker at WR, but lets not kid ourselves about how available those are these days... give the front office a break and lets wait to pass serious judgement on the offseason when camp starts.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Mar 17, 2008 1:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

One last thing

the overapying argument isn't about this year: it's about the next 5 years any top-flightish reciever gets... that's what would cripple us.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Mar 17, 2008 1:57 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

P.S.S. Jerry Reese didn't bring in...

Manning, Buress, Jacobs, Strahan, Osi, Toomer, the O-line, Coughlin or Snee... so I'd give Accorsi a little more love than Reese there homes. Reese added a few nice pieces to an already talent-rich squad.

DEAR M. REINFELDT: PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF ALL THINGS GOOD DRAFT EARL BENNETT!!!

by August West on Mar 17, 2008 2:10 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also,

Why are you so sold on Johnson? What has he proven?

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles

by Jimmy on Mar 17, 2008 2:22 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But Reese did a very nice job in his first draft.

The Giants had a TON of rookie contributors last year. That's in sharp contrast to the Titans, who I think still did reasonably well with at least their top picks and likely with some of the others over time.

DannoE

Go read FRIDAY MAD SCIENCE at www.paperbackreader.com
Thanks!

by DannoE on Mar 17, 2008 2:26 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'm sorry.....

it just doesn't matter what the Titans do. I'm never going to be happy with any of the moves. I'm just like that.

Drafting Vince, Lendale, Chris Henry, and Griff was the worst possible thing the Titans could have done. The only thing that could be worse is that they let Bobby Wade and Drew Bennett go. Those guys were worth twice the money that the other teams paid. We are screwed unless we spend a ton of money on DJ Hackett or Bryant Johnson.

Alge Crumpler is worthless and washed up. Don't even mention McCareins. That guy is maybe a #6 or #7 receiver at best.

I'll bet we could package KVB and Fat Albert together in a trade to get high enough in the draft to get a good kicker! That way we would cut Bironas (who wants WAY too much) and we'd save BIG $$$$ on the cap so we can go get Donte and pay him 67 Million a year over the next 9 years!! That would be awesome.

If we could get DJ, Bryant, and Donte, we'd be set.

by BeansFarter on Mar 17, 2008 2:59 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

LOL

Go Titans!

by Pinoy Titan on Mar 17, 2008 3:16 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

LOL

LOLOLOLOLOLOL! I love my fellow Titan Fans!

Well...... I never agree with you Beans, and I think I'm going to continue that trend.

You cannot be a failure after a 10-6 season.

Bryant Johnson drops more balls than a little bit, and Stallworthless gets hurt more than Grant Hill. You say your willing to pay top dollar for them? Sometimes I wonder if your just f'n with us. Some of the Sh** you say is just off the wall.

I would have liked to see Hackett come here for the money he got in Carolina, but its kinda weird how not too many teams were interested the guy. Somethings fishy about that whole situation, especially with Rienfeldt knowing him and all.

Maybe we get the guy we need in the draft.

by Big Bad Bulluck on Mar 17, 2008 5:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Now let's be fair....

....no one gets hurt more than Grant Hill except Chris Brown

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles

by Jimmy on Mar 17, 2008 5:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

OK

you got me. Throw Tim Thomas in there also.

by Big Bad Bulluck on Mar 17, 2008 5:54 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I don't get it...

Do you guys really think we have acceptable receivers? We had 9 games where we didn't score more than 1 touchdown. The Patriots basically accomplished what we did on offense in 4 weeks, and I am talking about the whole year.

So you can disagree with me all day long but if you don't think we were absolutely terrible on offense last year, than I got news for ya brother, you weren't watching the Titans.

The draft is not the answer. You better get on your knees and pray. that's the answer.

by BeansCarter on Mar 17, 2008 8:33 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The offense was

terrible, I agree. Thanks to stupid decisions by Vince in certain situations, and more importantly on a regular basis horrid play calling by Norm Chow. It wasn't just the WRs. Gage and Roydell were solid. Brandon Jones sucked! Our Special teams didn't help our Offense very much either so keep that in mind.

We've added Crumpler, a new OC, and Vince and the WRs are a year older and have a little more experience working with each other. I think that, put together with a WR that can make plays in the 1st rd. will give our O what it needs to go.

by Big Bad Bulluck on Mar 17, 2008 8:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And I would

get on my knees a pray, but then you'd start hating on my religious beliefs and whining that this isn't the place to talk about stuff like that. LOL

God has more important things to worry about than football. Somebody please tell John Kitna!

by Big Bad Bulluck on Mar 17, 2008 8:53 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I knew.....

you'd say something like that! Keep God and all moral convictions out of this.

Winning is EVERYTHING!!!!!

by BeansFarter on Mar 17, 2008 9:56 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

You are officially

my new favorite Blogger!

by Big Bad Bulluck on Mar 17, 2008 10:11 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Horrible

You keep harping on how bad the offense was, but really the offense wasn't THAT bad. Our problem was scoring TDs NOT getting into the red zone.

At one point, around the middle of the season, we were ranked 3rd in the AFC for getting to the Red Zone. The only two teams in front of us? The Colts and the Patriots.

Crumpler will go a long way towards fixing the TD problem.

by theologic on Mar 18, 2008 6:44 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes we were THAT bad

I found even our wins last year to be maddening. It's nice to look at the bright spots, but on offense they were few and far between.

"At one point, around the middle of the season, we were ranked 3rd in the AFC for getting to the Red Zone."

That's a very interesting statistic. But it means nothing to me; In more games than not, we could not score more than 1 TD. Our receivers and QB had very poor statistics. To me, bad performance in the red zone is a real problem. So if you want to say we were good getting to the red zone, then I say "so what"? We need to score.

I wish I could pretend that the situation was not bad, but really... the offense was complete garbage last year. It's not really debatable; we were a completely shitty offense that couldn't score. II sure hope 'Dinger turns it around.

by BeansCarter on Mar 18, 2008 8:31 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

And that is all the receivers' fault?

And Stallworth or Johnson or Hackett would fix it immediatly?

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Mar 18, 2008 8:35 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

ummm. no

Why would you interpret my comments like that?

Fisher and Reinfeldt said priority #1 was to get some weapoons for Vince. They got a TE in the sunset of his career and we all hope that helps, but they didn't really do anything worth talking about on the WR front.

So no, probably nothing will fix it immediately, but perhaps front office can start by doing what they told the fans they would do. That would be a good place to start.

Look at the poll results, seems like many agree with me, but the ones posting seem to want to defend Reinfeldt and Fish to the bitter end. Suit yourselves. It's still hard to get excited by our 'marginally' improved offense.

by BeansCarter on Mar 18, 2008 8:52 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Not the point of YOUR Diary?

"Well... Looks like the last remaining free agent who is better than our receivers has been snapped up.

http://beta.profootballtalk.com/category/rumor-mill/

If everyone recalls, the primary objective this offseason was to get weapons for Vince. I think we can agree that Reinfeldt has failed in this effort so far, no?"

Your words.

And Crumpler on the back end of his career is better than any tight end we've had since Wycheck.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Mar 18, 2008 9:07 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

please relax...

There is no need to be infantile and adversarial.

My point was never that a receiver 'automatically' solves all of our problems, but since FO admitted this was the biggest need, by not getting a WR in Free Agency they didn't deliver on their promise to get weapons for Vince.

We'll see about Alge. His salary is suspiciously low for a multi-pro bowler, and it's gotta be the knees.

by BeansCarter on Mar 18, 2008 9:45 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Your "poll" didn't give us a choice.

It's like in 2000 when the Bush team called people in the Carolinas and asked voters, "Would you still vote for John McCain if you knew he fathered interracial children out of wedlock?" (This actually happened, I'm not making it up.) Of course people said no, they wouldn't.

But the question was loaded.

anyway, point is, the majority of the results agree with you because you didn't give accurate options. Obviously, an unqualified "Yes" doesn't work because we haven't seen this group in action and the draft hasn't happened yet. And "No" also doesn't work for EXACTLY the same reason.

There should be a "wait and see" option, but you didn't give us one.

by hartley on Mar 18, 2008 10:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Logic

You didn't even disagree with me.

Yes... it is horrible if we get to the Red Zone and don't score TDs, but guess what?

Last year we got to the Red Zone.

Next year we will have a new (and better) TE and a OC that knows how to get in the endzone.

You make it seem like our offense is hopeless, but hopeless offenses don't make the playoffs.

But I am done arguing with you, because you ignore all logic.

by theologic on Mar 18, 2008 11:48 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

A weak offense can make the playoffs

Fine we don't have to argue anymore, but I still contend that we made the playoffs last year despite our offense, and not because of it.

OC and TE are positive changes, though hiring an OC is not something I would characterize as "getting weapons for Vince".

My argument here is straightforward, but I will repeat myself one more time since it seems necessary.

Front office got one "weapon" for Vince in the offseason, and in my opinion even missed an opportunity to get Michael Turner (last year too). If Alge's knees give him problems, the biggest difference this year is likely to be playcalling, certainly not the talent level.

Again, wide receivers rarely contribute significantly in their first year, so though we might sign a future stud in the draft, it won't be for a couple of years before it pays off. So again, I haven't really seen an argument that counters my basic assertion that front office did not do enough to get weapons for Vince.

As for the poster who says my poll was poorly designed...fine... I actually tried to change it to add a 3rd option "Let's see what happens in the draft", though again you all know how I stand on that... the rookie impact receivers (a la Marques Colston) of the world are very rare indeed, and expecting to find one is a flawed strategy. Anyways, editing the poll didn't work, but I understand your perspectives on this, obviously some of you are undecided.

"You make it seem like our offense is hopeless, but hopeless offenses don't make the playoffs."

Our offense is not "hopeless". We have a great line, and a solid, reliable running attack. We have a QB with tons of potential, but a stable of second-rate receivers. The Ravens a few years ago proved you can get to the Superbowl without an offense; personally I don't want us to emulate that strategy.

by BeansCarter on Mar 18, 2008 1:01 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I thought......

we should have gotten rid of Lendale and kept Chris Brown. Why are you guys so down on him? I think he's great. The Titans were stupid to let him go. When you run a ball control offense you need a sure handed back that can get the tough yards. He also had terrific break-away speed.

HUGE mistake letting him get away. We should have paid him twice what we pay LW to keep him here.

by BeansFarter on Mar 17, 2008 6:36 PM CDT reply actions 0 recs

I don't think the offense was TERRIBLE.

But I do think Norm Chow cost the team at least one game. And that game was the first one against San Diego. Stupid pass play on 3rd-and-4 when LDW is averaging about 5 yards per run at that point and SD's D-Line is OBVIOUSLY whipped. STUPID! That damn near cost the Titans the playoffs. Hell, even the Titans hadn't gotten the firss, they'd at least have eaten another 35 seconds off the clock, and the Chargers scored the go-ahead with 9 seconds remaining!

Yes, we all want the Titans to throw better in the Red Zone, but at the same time, I don't think ANYONE wants to go through another 3-year salary cap purge.

DannoE

Go read FRIDAY MAD SCIENCE at www.paperbackreader.com
Thanks!

by DannoE on Mar 18, 2008 9:06 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs