Tennessee Titans Daily Links: The Case For Not Paying Chris Johnson Is Flawed Edition

Chris Johnson's holdout made the pages of Forbes magazine, which officially means EVERYONE has an opinion on the situation. Jimmy posted the argument against paying CJ last night, but I have to say it's strikes me as a little bit of a disingenuous thought Aaron Schatz gave ('elite RBs don't win Super Bowls'). The truth is there are a lot of different ways to win the Super Bowl, and banking on short-term anecdotal evidence is a pretty foolhardy plan, IMO.

While the most common path is having an elite QB, they don't grow on trees. We've got a rookie QB the coaching staff believes can get there with time, but until then the Titans would be fools not to lock-up the best RB in the league for a good 5 years. Quarterbacks need playmakers around them, and you don't get any better at making plays than Chris Johnson. You can't accurately compare CJ to other elite running backs, because he's so much more of a homerun threat than anyone else in the league. When he gets decent blocking, a simple draw play can have the same results as a deep bomb from most QBs. Will CJ be as good in 5 years as he is now? Probably not. But in the meantime he has the one of a kind skill set to change the momentum of any game on any given touch. There's no evidence relating to CJ's health or performance that says he won't earn that money, and if he holds up his end of the deal while the defense and O-line steadily improve, we'll reap the benefits in the win column.

While there have been several pleasant surprises so far through camp and the first preseason game, there's also been one quietly acknowledged cause for concern: Rob Bironas. Big kick Rob has been one of the most accurate kickers in NFL history so far through his career, but he's been struggling with his accuracy so far in practices, scrimmages and last Saturday's preseason game. Nobody is hitting the panic button yet, but the pressure is definitely on for Rob to right the ship and get back to drilling FGs like we've gotten used to seeing him do for the past 6 years.

Kenny Britt is hopeful that he'll be ready and cleared to play in Saturday's game against the Rams. Britt had his first full practice on Tuesday after sitting out with a reoccurring hamstring injury, and the coaches are taking a cautious wait-and-see approach with the team's most talented pass catcher.

Jim Wyatt has 5 thoughts on the Titans so far, including emerging playmakers, impressive rookies and Jake Locker's poise.

Titans season tickets still aren't selling they used to, says The Tennessean's Duane Marsteller.

I mentioned a few days ago that the signing of Adam Terry should put Troy Kropog and Mike Otto on the hot seat this preseason, and now Kroprog will miss most of the rest of the preseason after having his knee scoped. The knee has been bothering Kropog for a while now, and he and the team agreed that it's better to address the issue now rather than risk it getting worse.

David Boclair wonders if the Terry signing is an ominous sign of the real status of David Stewart's hamstring injury. Munchak has contended that Stewart's injury is nothing significant, but it's worth keeping an eye on over the next few weeks.

Rookie Titanns LB Colin McCarthy has been named in the brewing improper benefits scandal at the University of Miami. The booster-turned-whistle blower at the heart of the scandal says he entertained McCarthy and several other Hurricane players at his mansion, which is a violation of NCAA rules.

You can put away the signs, folks: Aaron Maybin is expected to take his perpetual train of disappointment to the Jets for 2011.

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