Don't know if you heard or not, but there's talk of some local kid returning home this weekend to take part in a friendly football game. Inquisitive types that we are, we decided to inquire about that guy (oh...and his teammates, too!) with a follower of their employer. Thus, I give you the latest edition of Pre-Game Recon with the intrepid Jimmy from SB Nation's blog about why Bud Adams isn't a reprehensible sadist--Music City Miracles:
MCM: Today (Friday) will tell a lot about whether or not Vince Young will play on Sunday. Jeff Fisher hinted yesterday that Vince might practice today (BRB Note: He did.) If he practices, he will play. Fisher has said that he might play even if he doesn't practice, but I don't see that happening. My gut feeling is that he won't play, but you can never rule him out. He has never missed a game because of injury, and even though he is saying that this game is not important than any other, we all know that's not true. There is no game he wants to play in more than the one in Houston.
Am I worried about having Kerry Collins in there? Absolutely. He is 95 years old, and he cannot move at all. Let me put it this way: Drew Bledsoe looks like Randall Cunningham compared to Collins.
2. Given the the massive bloodletting that occurred in Nashville this past offseason, I truly thought (and prayed) we'd see a marked decline in Nashville this season (VY's presence aside). Clearly, I shouldn't be allowed to have opinions. To what do you attribute the team's surprising (at least to me) success? VY? An absurdly stout run defense? A renewed focus now that the Titans don't have to worry about Travis Henry deflowering their wives and daughters?
MCM: It's hard to say exactly how much players not having to worry about their daughters and wives with Henry gone has affected the play on the field, but I feel fairly safe in saying that the players are a lot more relaxed because he is gone. Or maybe they're not a lot more relaxed, because Henry took his stash with him when he left.
I honestly thought the same thing before this season started. The credit for the Titans' start has to go to the defense. They have been unbelievable this season. Now if you want to know why that is, I don't really have the answer. They do have 4 different starters: Harper at corner, Finnegan at corner, Lowry at safety, and Fowler at middle linebacker, but before the season none of those guys really appeared to be much of an upgrade. It seems to be a unit that has just come together really well. Most of the credit has to go to Albert Haynesworth and Kyle Vanden Bosch up front. They are both having Pro Bowl caliber seasons.
3. The Eric Moulds Experiment didn't really work out in Houston. While I think everyone would agree that a good portion of that failure lies with our former QB (who, by the way, has taken to dressing for each game as if a tea party might break out at any minute), Moulds never really flashed anything resembling the talent he showed in Buffalo. What's the early return on his time in Nashville? Has he made himself VY's go-to guy at WR?
MCM: I am pretty sure I don't have to tell you this, but Eric Moulds is no longer a threat down the field. This season he has 15 catches for 122 yards (8.1 ypc). That is what he is now. The Titans really just needed him to come in and help teach the young receivers. The best thing to say about him is that he does not drop passes. Now that I typed that, he will drop the winning TD on Sunday.
4. Albert Haynesworth's 180 from enemy of the state to All-World DT is one of the most fascinating stories of the season to me. The cynic in me says it's because he's in a contract year and looking to set himself up with all the steel-toed boots he'll ever need. To what do you attribute his resurgence? And do you think Bud "Loyalty Is For Suckers" Adams will shell out the money to keep him?
MCM: I don't know what to think about Fat Albert. I want to think that he is finally realizing the potential the Titans saw in him when they drafted him, but deep down I don't really believe that. It is always tough to believe when a guy has been out of shape for his entire career, and then comes into his contract year and is all world.
Will Bud Adams pony up? Who knows? Hopefully they can work something out before he hits free agency. It would be nice to see him give the Titans the proverbial hometown discount and take some decent guaranteed money with a lot of incentives. If he hits the open market after the season, he will not be a Titan in 2008. Some team will offer him $80 billion in guarantees, and the Titans will let him walk a la Travis Henry, Drew Bennett, and Bobby Wade. I must say though--so far none of those decisions look like the wrong one.
5. Put Your Name On It: The final score of Sunday's tilt will be Tennessee 17, Houston 13. Bonus Fill-In-The-Blank: Bud Adams will eventually relocate the Titans to Bismarck, North Dakota, because he has no soul and believes that destroying the lives of millions of people is more fun than kicking puppies.
As always, thanks to Jimmy for playing along. Head on over to MCM to check out our answers to his questions.