The question arose a month of so back about Nashville and how it ranks as a true sports town. My reaction was...it's too young to be a "great" sports town. The history just isn't here. Now that's not a good or a bad thing, but something that simply can't be helped. So you know, whatever.
However, Nashville's professional football team isn't making strides.
Albert Haynesworth, the NFL's premier defensive tackle, will test the free-agent market. Haynesworth, a free-agent this year, has been the centerpiece of one of the NFL's nastiest defenses, especially the past two years for the Titans. The man is absolutely amazing. He's virtually unblockable, can stuff the run, and rush the passer. He's a freak; an absolute manchild.
But the Titans, as we've talked about before, don't invest in premier players like this. They don't get into the business of paying the type of money that top 5 players in the NFL demand. So...they had their chance to come at Haynesworth, privately, and they couldn't get a deal done. Now, should they want him back, they have to deal with his price being inflated by the open market.
Maybe, and just maybe, the Titans are hoping the economy plays a roll into the offers made to Haynesworth. That being said, there's a 1957 Ferrari 250 TR going on sale this month that's going to fetch somewhere around $10-15 million. People who own teams have the cash to buy cars like that, anytime they want...football players are no different. So what are the chances of Haynesworth being back in Nashville? I"d say slim to none...the only thing that can help Tennessee is if somehow, the economy does play a hand in his fate, but for a guy like that, don't count on it.
Even if the Titans go out of their comfort zone for a guy like Haynesworth, think about what they are getting. They are getting a guy who not only can rush the passer and stuff the run (better than anyone in the NFL) but draws constant doubleteams. All you can do is put more people on this guy to try to block him. That being said, he creates matchup nightmares and the Titans exploited that this year especially with average talent at linebacker and at the other defensive line positions. When this guy is on the field, you can get away with having adequate players around him because they're jobs are that much easier. So, and I haven't looked at the numbers, but I'd bet you could get pretty close to balanced in salaries if you kept Haynesworth and didn't by any chance, over pay the players around him.
But what this means, really, is this. The Titans aren't committed to taking it to the next level. This is the best player on the defensive side of the ball in the NFL and he wears your jersey. There's no excuse to not get him back in that jersey, a guy who owns a house outside of Knoxville and went to school at UT. This is the ultimate guy for Nashville to build their franchise around, and it doesn't look like they Titans want to do it.
So if you're a Titan fan, how are you feeling about your team's front office not being committed to excellence? And you wonder why people like me acknowledge that Nashville isn't a great sports town? Your marquis franchise sure isn't helping you out.
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