| In the end, the Titans came up one
miracle short. Destiny will only take you so far — one yard short, apparently.
But fret not for these Titans, despite their heartbreaking 23-16 loss to the Rams in
Super Bowl XXXIV. They are thisclose to being back in the NFL title game soon. One
player, as a matter of fact. Maybe two. One they have. One they need.
QB Steve McNair showed the world what kind of a playmaker he can be, contorting his
body in all sorts of ways to elude Rams defenders. His mad scramble to set up
Tennessee’s last play of the game was most memorable. Now all he needs to improve is
his passing, particularly the deep ball.
Granted, the Titans didn’t have the receivers to execute a deep-passing game.
Yancey Thigpen was out with a hairline fracture in his foot, and neither Kevin Dyson nor
Isaac Byrd has earned the moniker of "playmaker" yet in their short NFL careers.
So the Titans played it safe for most of the game, throwing to TEs Jackie Harris and Frank
Wycheck, running RB Eddie George up the middle.
McNair’s passing is simply too erratic. It’s sometimes hard to imagine that
this is the same quarterback who threw for all those yards at Alcorn State. Downright
unfathomable at other times. But he is.
If you listen to people in the know, they’ll tell you that the Titans’
coaching staff has played a role in bringing "Air" McNair back to earth.
They’ve ingrained in his head so deeply not to make mistakes that he’s often
taken the easy way out. Hence, Wycheck led the team in receptions for the fourth straight
season.
This season, though, we saw more of what McNair has to offer. While they were few and
far between, he threw the deep ball, and successfully. Imagine: The kid still has
potential.
But he needs one more pair of hands to throw to. One more pair of sure, veteran hands.
In his two seasons with the Titans/Oilers, Thigpen has proved two things: One, there is
a difference in the passing game when he is on the field as opposed to off it. Whether he
catches a pass or not, defenses respect him, and it shows up in the production of his
teammates.
Two — and this is big — he can’t stay healthy. Of the 32 regular-season
games in which Thigpen has been with the Titans, he has played in 19 and started 18. Mind
you, they’re paying this guy $21 million over five years. The production has not been
commensurate with the payout.
That’s why GM Floyd Reese, one of the most underappreciated personnel people in
the league, will bring in another veteran pass catcher for McNair, most likely in free
agency. And there are players to be had. Joey Galloway, Curtis Conway, Qadry Ismail,
Derrick Mayes, Matthew Hatchette and Shawn Jefferson could all be attainable — for a
price, of course.
Tennessee’s defense should be solid for years to come. Same with the running game.
But the passing game needs some fine-tuning, and Reese must play the role of mechanic.
It’s too early to say whether the Titans will represent the AFC in the Super Bowl
next season, but it’s not too early to say — with a little refinement —
they will be one of the favorites. |
