Pacman Jones Screws the Titans One More Time on the Way Out

by Jimmy on Apr 24, 2008 9:44 AM CDT in News Comment 24 comments

Let me start by saying that I am still very excited that he is gone. He did find a way to screw the Titans one more time, as many of you have pointed out this morning, because if he does not get reinstated this season the Titans will have to send a pick to the Cowboys in 2009. (The article says it is a 5th, Paul Kuharsky said on the radio this morning that it is a 4th) If the Titans would have pulled the trigger on this deal at the owner's meetings before the $15,000 in "extortion" money came out, they would have gotten two picks from the Cowboys with no strings attached. (Extortion in quotes because I am not convinced that it wasn't hit money)

I guess you can't really blame #32 for that though. The Titans handled the Pacman situation terribly from day 1. It ended just as terribly as they kept holding out for a better deal thinking that nothing else was going to come out. They should have learned a long time ago that something else is always going to come out.

I have to give props to a friend of mine for calling this the day the Titans picked him. We were in the parking lot of a Chik-Fil-A on our way to Atlanta waiting to hear the announcement of whom the Titans had picked. When the announced Adam "Pacman" Jones, CB, West Virginia my friend went nuts about how it was a terrible pick. I told him I liked the pick and that he would end up being a really good player. Three years later he was absolutely right. Good call Jeff.

Update [2008-4-24 12:24:12 by Jimmy]: The Titans send a 4th if he doesn't get reinstated, and a 5th if he gets reinstated but gets suspended. Thanks Don.

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Really, though

You should've known when they showed him on the TV, flashing his gold teeth and diamond-encrusted pacman chain, all-the-while wailing, "Yeeeaaa, babeee! Yeaaaa!"

THAT'S when I knew the Blue Vols shoulda taken a Caddie outta the lower-Bama garage. Oh, well.

by SnoConeGod on Apr 24, 2008 10:10 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Blue Vols? wtf? i need an explanation on that...

Also, kind of a ignorant-if-not-outright-racist statement there; everybody deserves a fair shake in the beginning whether they dress and talk like you or not.

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 24, 2008 10:18 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plus

Cadillac was already off the board. He went 5th to Tampa.

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles

by Jimmy on Apr 24, 2008 10:29 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Racist? Ignorant?

Sorry August, I don't see that. It's a reasonable statement. Impressions of people are always made on what you see and hear.

Gold teeth and big gold chains are, sadly, too often symptomatic of people who crave the limelight, desire to be as flashy as possible, and think that being stylish means to show off their wealth - it's a "look at me world" mentality, with no humility, and correlates strongly with an interest in gansta rap and the desire to be a "playa". You know... bang a lotta b!tches, show off your bling, and don't let anyone disrespect you.

White, black, purple, or green... Show me any guy with gold teeth and big gold chains who walks with a swagger and talks like flava flav - these are reasonable clues to proceed with caution.

by BeansCarter on Apr 24, 2008 11:01 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Impressions yes,

judgments no. There's a difference between the two: there are plenty of people who dress and act that way but are great guys who wouldn't harm anyone, just as there are plenty flannel shirted, work boot wearing, soft-spoken guys who do horrendous things.

Who the hell are you, or anyone else here, to judge a total stranger like that?

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 24, 2008 11:15 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's really get this going.......

If I were a white man and wore a white robe and pointy hat, and spoke in a southern twang, how would I be judged? If I were a hispanic man and wore a bandana over my head covering my eyes with a flannel shirt buttoned only at the top, baggy jeans, and spoke in broken english, how would I be judged? If I were the aforementioned black man dressed in all the bling, and using street lingo or Ebonics, how would I be judged?

If I was any race dressed neatly in a suit and tie, carrying a briefcase, and spoke proper English, how would I be judged?

We all choose how we want to be judged and viewed by how we dress, speak and act. I'd say Mr. Jones did a pretty good job of portraying himself as he really was.

Just my 2 pennies and a stick to stir the pot.

Big Bill "You never lose a game if the opponent doesn't score." Darell K. Royal

by Hook em Titans on Apr 24, 2008 11:33 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Well articulated, Hook em

I'm reminded of a saying...

"If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck..."

People don't wander through this world completely oblivious to how others might perceive them. In other words, people are at least partly responsible for how they are judged by others.

Part and parcel of being a pro athlete is image management. Even if a guy is the nicest, humblest, greatest citizen in the world who just 'happens' to enjoy dressing like Suge Knight, when your agent tells you to tone it down for the sake of good PR, it's probably best to listen to him.

Frankly, I thought the greatest tell-tale sign of potential trouble from Pacman was when he opened his mouth and revealed his extraordinarily low IQ...

In any case, in an effort to be politically correct, people say stupid things. Our comments are neither racist, nor unfair in their judgment. Stereotyping doesn't happen in a vacuum. If someone dresses like a gang member, does it mean he's a gang member? No, it doesn't. But I'll tell you something... It's a pretty decent clue as to where that person draws their influences from.

By the way, I hope I am not misunderstood here. I would take Pac back in a second. I think the other players liked him well enough (except maybe Big Al), and he helped us win. I don't really care that he's a thug, idiot and all-around douchebag. There's plenty of other players on the team who are likeable enough to make up for his shortfalls, but none can fill the gap left by losing his return game.

by BeansCarter on Apr 24, 2008 12:06 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

The Klansmen example is a straw man fallacy

because the KKK is an established murderous/domestic-terrorist organization. As for the othersyou gave , THOSE PEOPLE SHOULDN'T BE JUDGED PROFESSIONALLY BASED UPON HOW THEY LOOK OR HOW THEY DRESS IN THEIR PRIVATE LIVES.

What comes out of ones mouth is different: if the commenter above had said 'We should have known something was up when pac said we needed more thugs, then i would have agreed 100%, but HE DIDN'T)

Cases in point: Allen Iverson. a decade ago the way he dressed and looked convinced many he was a thug, but he's been basically a model citizen in terms of the law and his desire to go 100% in game. That's all one can ask of any athlete or employee.

I'm about the biggest hater you'll meet when it comes to Pac, but judging him based upon his outfit is just IGNORANT, and in this case, yes A LITTLE RACIST.

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 24, 2008 12:30 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Also just to clarify

I'm not sitting in some ivory tower casting stones and saying I'm perfect: I'd expect to be called out if I let a similar statement fly.

Discussion is the only way we create understanding!
/ends LeVarr Burton PSA.

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 24, 2008 12:43 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

did he really

have a diamond encrusted pacman chain? really? if so, that's messed up.

by numbertenox on Apr 24, 2008 7:24 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Yes he did

And he was wearing a tshirt with his picture on it.

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 24, 2008 7:44 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

yikes

I've got nothing against gold chains. But a gold version of you nickname and a shirt with your picture on it, red green black whatever, that's not good. That reminds me of the farside cartoon "ways nature says do not touch".

by numbertenox on Apr 24, 2008 9:20 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

So what??

People might have thought that Iverson was a thug but over time realized he wasn't. It doesn't change the fact that he still had to prove to everyone that he wasn't "all about" the image he promoted.

When football teams size up "potential" talent there are a lot of assumptions they need to make. In fact, assumptions are the basis of the decision on whether to take a player.

The ever overused term 'character' embodies (among others) a few things: humility, maturity, work ethic, good judgment, and a good understanding of image management. The player that shows up to a draft shamelessly self-promoting himself by showing off his "bling" is, to say the least, a higher-risk investment. Is it a clue that his extra-curricular activities are criminal in nature? Maybe not; but it's downright confirmation that he's a douchebag. And don't tell me that Pac didn't come across that way, because that's precisely the way he came across; and as he proved, precisely the way he is.

It's a nice thing to be magnanimous and righteous and withhold judgment of people, but if I was putting millions of dollars into an investment I would place a significant weight of my decision on the way they presented themselves.

I still don't see how the comment was racist.

by BeansCarter on Apr 24, 2008 8:12 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I'll go back to my original statement:

everybody deserves a fair shake in the beginning whether they dress and talk like you or not.

That's all I'm saying. Walking around with the mentality that one should avoid people based upon pre-conceived notions and stereotypes isn't productive or fair: It takes all types and one should judge a man by his actions and his character, not his clothes.

Maybe the term racist wasn't as accurate as I could have been because we don't know all of the dynamics at play: lets go with the statement was very prejudiced.

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 25, 2008 7:04 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

No, it's not a straw man argument......

because I'm not using it for anything other than an example of the way we dress is the way we are perceived/judged.

How bout this one instead.....while out hiking in the Tennessee woods one fine fall afternoon you run across a guy in camoflage, a bright orange hat and vest, and carrying a gun. Do you perceive him to be a hunter or a vegetarian out looking for some lettuce? Humans use facts seen, heard, smelled etc. to come to conclusions constantly.

I'll admit that argument might be little extreme, but I hope you get my point. The way one put's oneself out in the public view is the way one will be seen/judged/perceived by society. This has nothing to do with race either. I think a white man, dressed as Pac was described, would be considered no less of an idiot. Eminem? Rob Van Winkle?

If you don't believe that people are judged by their outward appearance every single time they set foot in public, then I would have to say that you are naive.

I still love the Pearly Baker best though.

Bill

Oh, by the way, what do you think of me? Why do you think that? Is it because that's who I am? Or because I've allowed you to see what I want you to see? Could our posts be a little like "internet" clothing and "bling" as it were?

Big Bill "You never lose a game if the opponent doesn't score." Darell K. Royal

by Hook em Titans on Apr 25, 2008 1:22 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Ok, be HONEST.......

how many of you had to Google to find out who Rob Van Winkle is?

Big Bill "You never lose a game if the opponent doesn't score." Darell K. Royal

by Hook em Titans on Apr 25, 2008 1:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I think it is more embarrasing

That I didn't!!!!

Proud Member of the Michael Griffin Man-Crush Club.

by gramsey712 on Apr 25, 2008 7:53 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

I can't lie

I have no idea who Rob Van Winkle is. And I'm not going to google it. Sorry, the draft is tomorrow.

by Big Bad Bulluck on Apr 25, 2008 5:34 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Hook em

I understand that people are judged on appearance alone in society, but I'm also saying we can and should do better than that: such instincts help occasionally but they can also lead to irrational behavior and mob mentality... which makes us all dumber.

It's also absolutely no way to judge someone's professional ability.

As for my impressions of you, I have no idea what to think of you as a man, other than you probably have solid taste in music!

Why do I think you probably have solid taste in music? Because you showed me something with your blingy-ass posts!

Earl Bennett for Titans' WR: He's ready on day one!

by August West on Apr 25, 2008 7:12 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

Pick

If he doesnt get reinstated we give a fourth back next year. If he does get reinstated but suspended again then we send back a fifth.

by DonFrancisco on Apr 24, 2008 11:07 AM CDT reply actions 0 recs

Thanks for the clarification

So we are screwed either way..

Titans Blogger at Music City Miracles

by Jimmy on Apr 24, 2008 11:23 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

But if he plays over a certain amount...

we get another pick the following year. Sure, Dallas is really not at any risk, but hopefully the Titans can salvage something out of what has been a disasterous and waste of a high first round pick.

by Titanfan on Apr 24, 2008 11:47 AM CDT up reply actions 0 recs

not totally

I think we come out a little ahead really. If we were trading to get Dallas's 4th rounder this year. We would probably be trading next years 3rd rounder. If he doesnt get reinstated we will send next years 4th so we come out a round ahead. If he is reinstated(which I personally think he will be) but gets suspended again for something else(which I think he will be) we come out 2 rounds ahead.
The real way the Titans get screwed is if he plays the whole year. If he is able to play all year, he will play at a probowl level as a corner and/or as a returner. Getting just a fourth and sixth round pick for that level of play stinks.
However, I still think the Titans had to make the deal. They didnt want to see his face anymore, and he didnt want to be in Nashville anymore.

by DonFrancisco on Apr 24, 2008 1:49 PM CDT up reply actions 0 recs