Peyton comes to the realization that Phillip may be right about all this... Brian Spurlock-US PRESSWIRE

Dear Mr. Manning,

It has recently come to my attention that you are considering the Tennessee Titans as your next NFL home. Before you make that decision, please take a few minutes to read why I think that would be a mistake for both you and the Titans’ organization. First, while you seem like a really nice guy, playing the position of Quarterback in the National Football League takes a little more than niceness. We here in Nashville have been spoiled the past 6 years. We have seen what a true NFL quarterback should look like, and you sir, do not fit the part. Let’s take your “attention to detail” for starters. We all know, based on years of watching Vince Young, that knowing the playbook like it’s a part of your soul is very overrated. A great QB can just wing it and still get great results. I know you think that constant study and practice are the cornerstones of success, but we have been shown time and time again that calling the wrong play in the huddle and then throwing the ball 3 yards behind the running back are just as effective since they force everyone else on the team to play better. Your “extra-prepared” way only makes your teammates lazy and complacent. Same thing goes for your 65% career passing accuracy. All that does is turn your receivers into pampered and spoiled children. They expect every pass to hit them in stride, right on the numbers, which we all know is not nearly as character-building as having passes thrown 2 feet over your head like Kerry Collins was so adept at doing.

Look, your 11 Pro Bowl selections, your 5 First-team All-Pro selections, your 3 Second-team All-Pro selections, your 4 AP NFL MVP’s, your 6 AFC Player of the Year selections, your Super Bowl championship and MVP, your 2 AFC championship trophies, your record at being the fastest QB to reach 50,000 yards passing and the fastest to 4,000 completions, and your 7 years in a row of leading a team to at least 12 wins are all well and good. Those are big and complicated numbers. Probably too big and complicated for the folks of Tennessee to really understand. You see, we like things simple here in Nashville, and I am afraid that your style of football is too flashy.  We have years of 8-8 records, non-existent passing games, and an all out commitment to being average.  You are simply too fancy for us.

Thank you for your interest in our little franchise. You are a great guy, and I’m sure you are going to make some team very happy, but I hope you can understand why that team can’t be the Titans.

Sincerely,

Titans Fans

The Titans ended on a good note thanks to key free agent addition Matt Hasselbeck and several standout rookies on defense. Coach Munchak should be pleased with his team and staff for doing as well as they did with minimal talent on the roster. The injury to Kenny Britt along with Johnson’s inability to be CJ2K put a dent in Thorchak’s armor, but with another strong offseason and he will surely have an exciting and dangerous team. Let’s review each position to get a clear indication of how our team is standing. This may also open some light to how our team will attack free-agency and the 2012 NFL draft.

Quarterbacks

Matt Hasselbeck, while not elite, has been the best quarterback this team has had since Steve McNair’s prime. He has been a true pro on and off the field. The 36 year old quarterback was the biggest free agent the Titans added last season. Hasselbeck signed a 3 year/ $20 million dollar deal with the Titans and it has certainly paid off. He had a strong year, throwing for over 3,500 yards while tossing 18 touchdowns. Vince Young, the guy who turned on his team, never came close to those numbers in a single season.  He commanded respect from the first day at the facility. Hasselbeck’s actions will have a huge influence on fellow quarterback Jake Locker, who was the second quarterback chosen in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Locker holds the keys to this franchise and his development will be the factor that rises us to the top, or puts us back under the rug.

Aside from Blaine Gabbert, other rookie quarterbacks have shined in their starting roles. Cam Newton broke records, while Andy Dalton led his team to the playoffs. Jake Locker was highly recruited out of high school and was a standout player for the Washington Huskies. Though he hasn’t had a big role in the offense yet, he has shown great patience and leadership.  In his limited action against a couple playoff caliber teams Locker showed an incredible arm to go along with his athleticism. He threw four touchdowns and no interceptions. That is a solid foundation for him to be proud of going into next season. If Locker stays the course there is a strong possibility he will be the starter when week 1 comes around. Hasselbeck isn’t getting any better, but this will prove to be a great position battle in camp and the preseason.

The bond between Locker and Hasselbeck is much more than whatever you would call Vince Young and Kerry Collins’ relationship. I am not concerned about this battle stretching into the media and ruining the locker room. I do expect Locker to win the position, but the decision may not come until the third or fourth preseason game. His big play ability just can’t be ignored. There is another quarterback on the roster in Rusty Smith. He is no threat to Locker or even Hasselbeck, for that matter. He will forever be a clipboard holder. Smith remaining on the roster was a surprise to me throughout the season, but I fully expect him to remain at the bottom of the food chain while delivering a random laugh for fans and players at Baptist Sports park.

I can not stress enough the importance of Jake Locker’s progression to this franchise. He has shown flashes of greatness, but his inconsistencies will be the determining factors in what he is doing on game day next season. If he becomes what Mike Munchak wants him to be, then this position is in good shape for the next ten years.

True Story

I still don’t see the Colts’ chances of winning in any football game where they can’t start Peyton Manning improving. Though, Colts fans think they just got better. Collins retired July 7 as a free agent after spending 5 years with the Titans, despite the popular thought being that he would play one more year for the Titans as rookie QB Jake Locker became acclimated to the professional game. Collins previously played the ‘mentor’ role for former Titan (now Eagle) Vince Young.

Many Titan fans will take this as a slap in the face, some will see it for what it is. Collins gets a small shot to start in limited play, not the whole season. He will play with an elite group of receivers, then sit on the bench for a team that somehow will end their season with a playoff bid. Once those playoffs start, the Colts will somehow be a serious contender for the Super Bowl. That’s what Collins wants. Not to start for a year in Nashville, Buffalo or San Fran. He wants a ring.

Interesting to note that Colts HC Jim Caldwell coached Collins at Penn State and Bill Polian drafted Collins in Carolina. Polian has led the Colt’s front office for many years and now plays more of a ‘voice’ rather than the ‘hand’.