2008 Woodie Awards
Titans looking to provide Young with more help
Teresa M. Walker
Issue date: 4/21/08 Section: Sports
Vince Young has an offensive rookie of the year award and a playoff appearance in his first two NFL seasons.
His offensive numbers in that time? Well, he can run really well.
And while Young has had memorable moments as a passer, he's not had nearly enough of them. That's why the Titans announced after a 17-6 wild-card loss to San Diego that their offseason focus would be improving the offense.
They have been busy in free agency, and now the Titans prepare for the NFL Draft with their first-round pick, No. 24 overall, likely to be used on offense. General manager Mike Reinfeldt says Tennessee wants to continue adding playmakers.
"If one were looking for a playmaker, you could argue we're in a good spot to get a pretty good guy at 24," Reinfeldt said.
Tennessee already has signed tight end Alge Crumpler, given receiver Justin Gage a new deal and brought back receiver Justin McCareins for a second stint. Coach Jeff Fisher fired Norm Chow and lured Mike Heimerdinger back as his offensive coordinator.
"We feel like we've got a good start," Fisher said.
Now do the Titans start off by drafting a receiver? This franchise has drafted only two receivers in the first round in its 48 previous years and none since Kevin Dyson in 1998. But the Titans could use a speedy receiver to stretch the field, giving Young more room to operate.
"There's a lot of very talented offensive skilled players in the draft, and there are going to be many talented skill players selected in the second day that can have impact and contribute almost immediately for a lot of clubs," Fisher said.
The Titans have tried finding receivers through quantity, taking seven in the past three drafts with none selected before the third round.
They have size in the 6-foot-4 Gage, who had 55 catches for 750 yards. Mike Williams, at 6-5 and the 10th pick overall in 2005, is on the roster as a reclamation project.
Roydell Williams blossomed late and had 55 catches before breaking his ankle in practice before the playoff game. Brandon Jones had 21 catches before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury in his third season, and Paul Williams, a third-round pick last year, never got on the field.
His offensive numbers in that time? Well, he can run really well.
And while Young has had memorable moments as a passer, he's not had nearly enough of them. That's why the Titans announced after a 17-6 wild-card loss to San Diego that their offseason focus would be improving the offense.
They have been busy in free agency, and now the Titans prepare for the NFL Draft with their first-round pick, No. 24 overall, likely to be used on offense. General manager Mike Reinfeldt says Tennessee wants to continue adding playmakers.
"If one were looking for a playmaker, you could argue we're in a good spot to get a pretty good guy at 24," Reinfeldt said.
Tennessee already has signed tight end Alge Crumpler, given receiver Justin Gage a new deal and brought back receiver Justin McCareins for a second stint. Coach Jeff Fisher fired Norm Chow and lured Mike Heimerdinger back as his offensive coordinator.
"We feel like we've got a good start," Fisher said.
Now do the Titans start off by drafting a receiver? This franchise has drafted only two receivers in the first round in its 48 previous years and none since Kevin Dyson in 1998. But the Titans could use a speedy receiver to stretch the field, giving Young more room to operate.
"There's a lot of very talented offensive skilled players in the draft, and there are going to be many talented skill players selected in the second day that can have impact and contribute almost immediately for a lot of clubs," Fisher said.
The Titans have tried finding receivers through quantity, taking seven in the past three drafts with none selected before the third round.
They have size in the 6-foot-4 Gage, who had 55 catches for 750 yards. Mike Williams, at 6-5 and the 10th pick overall in 2005, is on the roster as a reclamation project.
Roydell Williams blossomed late and had 55 catches before breaking his ankle in practice before the playoff game. Brandon Jones had 21 catches before being placed on injured reserve with a groin injury in his third season, and Paul Williams, a third-round pick last year, never got on the field.
Be the first to comment on this story