Sorry I am a little late to the party on this one. I was in New York the last 3 days taking in the Home Run Derby and the All-Star Game (and yes, I did stay until the end). Tuesday's deadline for locking up Fat Albert long-term came and went without a deal, so what are the chances that he will be a Titan past the 2008 season? I would say they rhyme with Nero.
What is the #1 phrase of the Mike Reinfeldt era? "We aren't going to overpay." Here is my letter to Mr. Reinfeldt about that:
Dear Mikey,
I understand that you are considered a salary cap guru, and we really appreciate having a guy in Tennessee that knows how to keep us out of the cap problems that were brought on by Floyd Reese. The problem with your refusal to "overpay" for a player is that every free agent in the NFL gets overpaid these days so as Titans fans can we expect to never ever sign a big-name free agent? That is how it seems.
Using the above logic, can we as fans assume that 2009 will be Albert Haynesworth's last season as a Tennessee Titan? He is going to extremely overpaid when he hits the open market. Did you watch him play last season? Did you watch the games where he wasn't in there? Take a look at the rushing numbers the Titans gave up last season: 75, 81, 34, 99 (49 of that was a fake punt), 30, 39, 92, 78, 166, 166, 148, 119, 148, 89, 68, 46, and 68. Can you guess which of those 3 Fal Albert didn't play in? That's right, the 166, 166, 148 stretch. So to sum up in 14 games (counting the playoffs) with Albert in the middle, the Titans gave up over 100 yards on the ground twice. In three games without him they gave up an average of 160 yards.
I am not sure it is possible to overpay Albert. Sure he will miss some games and take some plays off, but when he is in the game he is the most dominant defensive tackle in the NFL. Do you think guys like him are available for $1 million a year? You have to sign this guy when you have the chance. You missed a golden opportunity to sign him when no one else could give him an offer. Good luck on the open market.
Sincerely,
Music City Miracles