Is it me or do the Tennessee Titans have the worst luck when it comes to wide receivers? Since our team came to Nashville, I can't think of a single move at that position that ultimately panned out. Derrick Mason was solid, but he doesn't count. Mason overachieved. I'm talking about the "splash" moves, first round picks, and free agency success....or lack thereof.
It started when we were still the Tennessee Oilers. Remember Yancy Thigpin and Carl Pickens? Both were washed up and way past their prime when we signed them. And the Oilers most egregious offense was drafting one yard short Kevin Dyson over some dude name Randy Moss. Well, let me take that back. We did pick up Moss...12 years later off waivers. We were the only team to put in a claim and it was immediately clear why. Moss looked old and uninspired and it was just embarrassing. That may have been the straw that broke (head coach) Jeff Fisher's back...but I digress. We mostly overlooked it because having an NFL team was so new to us. We were just happy to have professional football. And besides, we won a lot more games than we lost.
The Titans have fared no better than the Oilers. In fact, their eye for wide receivers should have a patch on it. Since coming to Tennessee in 1997, the Oilers / Titans drafted 20 wide receivers. Only two made pro bowl appearances (Derrick Mason and Marc Mariani). And those appearances were as return men, not receivers. It's not like we're not trying...we just cant get it right.
Kenny Britt was supposed to change all of that. He has the talent...but um...yeah. He's practically missed the past two seasons and will certainly not play any time soon this year. Now it's up to our 21st wide receiver draftee Kendall Wright to break the curse. But wait, he's not in camp because of a contract dispute. Here we go again. follow @plcolter
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Message to Mavs...don't start Mayo
As a native Tennessean I have mixed feelings about O.J. Mayo joining the Mavericks. On one hand, I'm disappointed that Memphis could not find a way to keep him. Mayo was a solid sixth man and dangerous scoring option (when he was on the hot side of streaky). On the other hand, I'm glad that Mayo gets a fresh start in my new hometown...Dallas. I read today the Mavs have O.J. penciled in as a day one starter...um....please don't do that! I know that Mayo's career numbers suggest otherwise (17.7 pts per game as a starter / 11.5 pts per game as a reserve), but these numbers do not tell the whole story. Mayo was not benched because of a lack of production. Mayo had a lack of production because he was benched.....
Mayo entered his third season as the starter for Memphis. Early into the 2010-2011 season, things went left for O.J. He was first benched for being late to a game day shoot around in November. He followed that up with a fist fight with a teammate (yes...a fist fight) on a team flight (yes...a team flight). Not to be outdone by himself, O.J. followed the mile high melee up with a 10 game suspension for a banned substance. It's not even February y'all....of course he was benched!!!!
Mayo's numbers dipped as a reserve, but he was a much better player on the court the last year and a half. O.J. is a natural scorer, and a volume shooter. As the sixth man he could carry the offensive load, and often did. His three point and free throw shooting kept him on the floor late in games, and he was brilliant in Memphis' first round upset of top seeded San Antonio two years ago.
Dallas is getting a good player, and I know it has to be tempting to start Mayo right away. I see Mayo as a younger and more athletic Jason Terry. Dallas could start newly acquired defensive specialist Dahntay Jones alongside Dirk, maybe put Jones on the other team's best player...a la Memphis and Tony Allen. Mayo would be the offensive spark off the bench and closer. It worked really well for the Grizzlies as a team the last couple of years. I could for Dallas as well. follow @plcolter
Mayo entered his third season as the starter for Memphis. Early into the 2010-2011 season, things went left for O.J. He was first benched for being late to a game day shoot around in November. He followed that up with a fist fight with a teammate (yes...a fist fight) on a team flight (yes...a team flight). Not to be outdone by himself, O.J. followed the mile high melee up with a 10 game suspension for a banned substance. It's not even February y'all....of course he was benched!!!!
Mayo's numbers dipped as a reserve, but he was a much better player on the court the last year and a half. O.J. is a natural scorer, and a volume shooter. As the sixth man he could carry the offensive load, and often did. His three point and free throw shooting kept him on the floor late in games, and he was brilliant in Memphis' first round upset of top seeded San Antonio two years ago.
Dallas is getting a good player, and I know it has to be tempting to start Mayo right away. I see Mayo as a younger and more athletic Jason Terry. Dallas could start newly acquired defensive specialist Dahntay Jones alongside Dirk, maybe put Jones on the other team's best player...a la Memphis and Tony Allen. Mayo would be the offensive spark off the bench and closer. It worked really well for the Grizzlies as a team the last couple of years. I could for Dallas as well. follow @plcolter
Monday, July 9, 2012
Mavs fans: Give Cuban a pass
Dallas Mavericks fans are a sports lover's dream. They are two things...knowledgeable and passionate! Get two or three together and a SportsCenter segment is gonna break out. I absolutely love it, especially being a native Tennessean and Grizzlies fan. My beloved Grizzlies bring me to a point...a plea if you will to Mavs fans worldwide. Cut Mark Cuban some slack on this one. I know my homies at Ambit don't want to hear that. I probably wouldn't either, but the fact is...Cuban's plan almost worked.
If not for a last second Joe Johnson trade, DWill stated on record that he was about to sign with Dallas. If not for the Hawks being lucky enough to unload the worst contract in NBA history (and that's including Kwame Brown), then Mavericks fans would be making their plans for future title runs.
Lamar Odom did Cuban no favors either. Dallas would have finished a much higher seed if Odom would have put up his career numbers. The Mavericks would have also had a much more attractive roster in place when it came to competing with the Nets. It's like he put a black cloud over the organization this year. Mavs fan Rodrigo Alcaraz summed up Odom's stay in Dallas the best. "He was the gift that kept on taking." lol
And last but certainly not least...every team has to eventually rebuild again. Every team has to. Dallas fans enjoyed a championship, and over a decade of prosperity. It's time to rebuild. All great teams do. But at least you can say this about Cuban, he put you in the best possible position to get a top notch player. It just didn't work out. At least he tried. follow @plcolter
If not for a last second Joe Johnson trade, DWill stated on record that he was about to sign with Dallas. If not for the Hawks being lucky enough to unload the worst contract in NBA history (and that's including Kwame Brown), then Mavericks fans would be making their plans for future title runs.
Lamar Odom did Cuban no favors either. Dallas would have finished a much higher seed if Odom would have put up his career numbers. The Mavericks would have also had a much more attractive roster in place when it came to competing with the Nets. It's like he put a black cloud over the organization this year. Mavs fan Rodrigo Alcaraz summed up Odom's stay in Dallas the best. "He was the gift that kept on taking." lol
And last but certainly not least...every team has to eventually rebuild again. Every team has to. Dallas fans enjoyed a championship, and over a decade of prosperity. It's time to rebuild. All great teams do. But at least you can say this about Cuban, he put you in the best possible position to get a top notch player. It just didn't work out. At least he tried. follow @plcolter
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