Tennessee Titans Mount Rushmore: Kyle Vanden Bosch, Yay or Nay?

Dec. 16, 2012; Glendale, AZ, USA: Detroit Lions defensive end Kyle Vanden Bosch against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. The Cardinals defeated the Lions 38-10. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Training camp for the 2013-14 NFL season starts in one month. In the meantime, are you looking for some debates that involve the Tennessee Titans? Joe Dubin and other members of The 1st Quarter on 102.5 The Game announced their selections for who they’d put on a Titans Mount Rushmore. Dubin drove that discussion when he included Kyle Vanden Bosch on his mountain of top four players. Dubin tweeted the following:

What’s more interesting than Dubin’s inclusion of Vanden Bosch was that he also left out Jevon Kearse. Let’s compare their Titans careers:

Joshua Huffman, screenshot from ESPN

Joshua Huffman, screenshot from ESPN

Making a case for Vanden Bosch over Kearse? That’s a tough sell. Kearse holds the head-to-head advantages for most dominant single season (1999), sack totals, longevity (7-5) and star power. Whereas Kearse started his career with the Titans, Vanden Bosch was an adopted member who started this career with the Arizona Cardinals. Kearse enjoyed his best seasons when the Titans were at their best (1999-2003). Vanden Bosch was never involved with a playoff-winning Titans team.

So why would Vanden Bosch deserve a spot on Mount Rushmore, especially over Kearse? According to Dubin, Vanden Bosch brought much needed leadership on and off the field when the franchise most needed it. Dubin praised Vanden Bosch for how he handled himself during practice. His tenacity rubbed off on teammates and played a significant role when this franchise got out of the gutters that they were in during the 2004 and 2005 seasons. Furthermore, Dubin insisted that Vanden Bosch had more of a long-term impact.

That’s an interesting perspective and it’s a fair point. Vanden Bosch epitomized the type of non-stop motor and aggressive mentality that defined this franchise toward the end of the 20th century and start of the 21st century. Was that enough to make up for the aforementioned head-to-head advantages that were previously mentioned for Kearse?

What do Titan Sized readers think? If you had to put the face of at least one defensive end on the Tennessee Titans Mount Rushmore, who gets the nod? Kearse or Vanden Bosch? Answer in the poll below and discuss on Disqus, Facebook or Twitter.