Each week the Pro Football Realist will pick his premiere matchup, a game that he deems to be the top pick of Sunday. There are several intriguing matchups, Brett Favre returning to Lambeau as the enemy, Philly and New York trying to mimic the excitement of the World Series. However, in the spirit of Halloween let’s talk about a game that everyone will agree is so scary and terrifying, it will be hard to watch if the game should happen to appear on your screen: St. Louis at Detroit. On one side you have a team in disarray that has gone 2-25 in their last 27 games fielding a team with virtually no offensive firepower, led by a once great quarterback that nobody wants. On the other side, you have the Lions.
But seriously we are talking about 2 of the worst ever teams going head to head to probably determine the number 1 pick in the draft, although Tennessee and Tampa Bay will have something to say about that. These teams are ranked in the bottom quarter of the league in offensive yards per game, and just in case you wonder if anyone will score they also rank near the bottom of team defense as well. Let’s say you want to throw the stats out the window on this one (and both teams will thank you for it). It also features 2 rookie head coaches with a combined 1-12 career record, a half full Ford Field and virtually no marketable stars or highly valued fantasy players. In other words, this game has it all!
If you dare to tune into this frightening matchup (those in Detroit will not be watching as the game will be blacked out on local television) you will likely see a game marred by turnovers, sloppy play and lack of offensive execution. Expect a lot of flags for false starts, holding and the like while Daunte Culpepper and Marc Bulger battle to see who can look worse throwing the ball to the other team. The announcing team of Ron Pitts and John Lynch will be stifling their laughter searching for positives to discuss. This will easily be the worst game you watch all season, and will not help your upset stomach after all that candy you ate last night. Consider yourself warned.
It wasn’t supposed to be this way. The Tennessee Titans were 13-3 last year led by a rejuvenated Kerry Collins and the two headed monster of Chris Johnson and LenDale White. On defense Albert Haynesworth was the leader of a squad that was ranked 2nd in points allowed and 7th in total yards. They were riding high heading into the 2009 playoffs as the #1 seed when it all came apart in a loss to Baltimore.
Since that time a lot has changed. Haynesworth is playing in the Nation’s Capital, former Defensive Coordinator Jim Schwartz is coaching the Lions and the Titans are entering their 11th straight month without a win. At 0-6 most would admit the season is lost, which is precisely why owner Bud Adams has publically called for Vince Young to start
The Titans are ranked 29th in the league in passing yardage and Collins has slipped into 30th place with a passer rating of 62.0. Yes these are terrible statistics and of course it can get worse, but at this point the Titans have to figure out if Vince Young’s career is salvageable. Young signed a 5 year contract in 2006 with $25.7 million in guaranteed money, and with an 0-6 record it’s time to see what he can do. The hope for Titan fans is that he can ignite this team or make himself valuable enough to trade in the offseason.
The consensus seems to be that the reason Young hasn’t gotten the nod is because he is truly that bad. This judgment has been handed down by the same people who make a living as football ‘experts’. It was just 3 years ago that Vince Young was named Rookie of the Year as he completed a decent season going 8-5 while they drooled over his playmaking ability and declared him to be the future of the NFL.
My take is at 0-6 and going nowhere, it’s time to see what he can do for you especially considering the amount of money he is being paid. The schedule lightens up over the last 10 weeks with 6 of those contests being played at home and 3 straight in December before the finale in Seattle. The upside remains tremendous and the downside is that the team performs exactly as it has been over the first 6 games. It’s time for the Young to prove to all of us he was drafted as high as he was for a reason.
