MVN: Most Valuable Network

For those of you busy celebrating Independence Day, the NFL lost one of its legends today.

Steve McNair was a warrior who personified toughness during his triumphant NFL career. As Tennessee Titan fans, we vividly remember the excitement he brought to the huddle during his unforgettable tenure in Nashville.

It's a tragedy that he's gone way to soon.

RIP #9

You may have seen this piece by Paul Kuharsky at AFC South Blog based off an entry by Jason LaCanfora of NFL Network showing how much cash each NFL team spent per win from 2004 to 2008.  Now, Paul wrote about the "cost per win" data, but LaCanfora's more interesting piece is the one I actually linked to, showing how much each team actually spent from 2004 to 2008.  And the Titans in that ranking were 29th, having spent about $100 million less than the highest spending team, the Cowboys.  So, Bud Adams is cheap, right?

To quote Lee Corso, not so fast, my friends.  After all, the post Paul linked to showed the Titans were 13th in spending per win.  I just indicated I'm not sure how meaningful a metric that is, but it's at least some evidence the Titans were actually reasonably efficient at spending the money they did have.  But there's another reason I don't really care the Titans were 29th in spending.
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Earlier during the offseason, I penned a piece that took a look at LenDale White's newfound commitment to being slim. Showing up to mini-camps at an impressive twenty pounds lighter compared to the previous year, White's dieting prompted me to speculate about the prospects of him having a breakout season of sorts in '09.

A few months later, White's recent weigh-in of 229 pounds has added additional fuel to the fire regarding his chances of having his best year as a Tennessee Titan in 2009.

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Over the years, the 6th round of the NFL Draft has been a mixed bag for the Tennessee Titans. The next-to-last round of the annual April event has reaped solid contributors such as Jacob Ford in '07 and Bo Scaife in '05.

At the opposite end of the spectrum, the Titans have also utilized recent picks in the sixth on the likes of "immortals" such as Joel Filani, Ryan Smith and Jonathan Orr: a motley crew of players who failed to make their marks in Nashville.

In 2009, I'm excited about the potential of this year's crop of sixth-rounders: WR Dominique Edison and CB Jason McCourty.

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As we mentioned shortly after a draft that saw the Tennessee Titans bring in additional bodies at the wide receiver position, the chances of Paul Williams sticking around in Nashville have dwindled.

Mired in the quagmire of inconsistency throughout his first two seasons in the NFL, Williams has yet to fulfill the promise that GM Mike Reinfeldt saw in the Fresno State alum during the 2007 Draft.

With the news that Williams won't be ready to practice again until training camp as a result of injuries, one has to wonder if his days in a Tennessee Titan uniform are coming to a grinding halt.

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The Tennessee Titans have a recent history of rookies making an immediate impact on the offensive side of the football.

In 2006, Vince Young emerged as the league's offensive rookie of the year as a result of his stellar play during his debut season. Last year, the wheels of Chris Johnson revitalized a once-stagnant Titan offense by providing the team with a legit threat to take it to the house on any given play.

First impressions are lasting, and judging by the rave reviews received by WR Kenny Britt and TE Jared Cook, we may be on the verge of witnessing yet another breakout performance by a Titan offensive rookie in 2009.  

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In 2007 B.C. (Before Chris Johnson), the Tennessee Titans finished as the league's worst team in the all-important category of red zone touchdown percentage.

A year prior to Dash's arrival, sightings of Rob Bironas on field goal tries seemingly far outnumbered the kicker's appearances on extra points. To make a long story short, many promising Titan drives ended with threes being added to the scoreboard instead of sixes.

Last year, the Titans' red zone woes disappeared, thanks to CJ and the re-arrival of offensive coordinator Mike Heimerdinger. The team finished second behind only Peyton Manning and the Colts in red zone touchdown efficiency, crossing the goal-line on 28 of their 45 red zone opportunities.

In 2009, I'm expecting continued success from the Titans inside the twenties.

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