What is Steve McNair’s status for 2006 and beyond?
Do the Titans take a quarterback with their first pick in the draft?
Does left tackle Brad Hopkins retire after the season?
What happens with free agents like Justin Hartwig, Brad Kassell and Tank Williams?
Who do the Titans pursue with the money that they will have in free agency?
Those are just five of the questions floating around the Titans as they head toward the end of the 2005 season. Trust me, there will be plenty more questions in what promises to be a newsworthy off-season in Nashville.
But with the ’05 campaign set to come to a close, five Titans have ANSWERED questions about themselves in the past four months. And due to their performances this season, they have solidified their futures.
By number…
2: Rob Bironas: signed on June 21 after mini-camps had ended, Bironas was believed to be an afterthought behind veteran Ola Kimrin. Kimrin, however, was awful in the preseason. Bironas was only average himself, but he beat Kimrin out. Once the regular season started and Bironas knew that he had the job all to himself, he took off: 23-29 on field goals with five of his misses coming from 46 yards or longer. He has made two kicks of 50 yards or longer. Bironas’s kickoffs have been excellent: he is tied for seventh in the NFL with 11 touchbacks. He was a huge question mark entering the season, but Rob Bironas will head into 2006 with his position as Titans’ kicker very much solidified. This winter, Bironas can watch Arena Football instead of having to play for the New York Dragons.
71: Michael Roos: when the Titans took him 41st overall in the ’05 draft, some people blurted out, “Who?” The Eastern Washington standout has proven his worth, starting at left tackle in the opener at Pittsburgh and opening every subsequent game at right tackle. While he has not been dominant, he has been effective and almost never overwhelmed. Roos is a player who can make a huge jump from year one to year two and, after seeing him work this season, the Titans do feel like he can eventually be their left tackle. Michael Roos will probably be a starter in the Tennessee offensive line for a decade or more.
91: Travis LaBoy: After being hurt and getting behind early in his rookie season, LaBoy opened ‘05 behind Antwan Odom at defensive end, largely because he was suffering from another injury. LaBoy battled his way through his groin problem, started playing great football and is scheduled to make his seventh start of the season this weekend at Jacksonville. It is not surprising that LaBoy has 6.5 sacks---everyone knew that he could rush the passer. But LaBoy’s 61 total tackles prove that he has improved dramatically in playing the run. Plus, he has fought back from an elbow injury to get back in the lineup, playing with pain and still being very effective. Travis LaBoy won’t have to listen to critics this off-season. If he picks up in 2006 where he will leave off in ’05, he could have a monster year.
92: Albert Haynesworth: with 78 tackles, nine tackles for losses and two sacks in just thirteen games, Haynesworth has better numbers than AFC Pro Bowl defensive tackles Marcus Stroud and Jamal Williams have racked up in fifteen games. Had Haynesworth’s knee not been injured against Baltimore on September 18, he likely would have had a huge statistical year and would have been impossible to ignore for the Pro Bowl. After spending the 2005 off-season in Nashville, Haynesworth has been dominant from the first minute of training camp, playing to his complete potential.
His teammates on the Titans’ defensive line are the greatest beneficiaries, as opponents almost always choose to double-team Haynesworth. Still, he has made plays.
93: Kyle Vanden Bosch: this is repetitive, but KVB signs for $540,000 on April 25 and promptly racks up 12.5 sacks (tied for second in the NFL). With four tackles at Jacksonville this Sunday, Vanden Bosch would become the franchise’s first defensive lineman in 19 years to total 100-plus tackles (Ray Childress had 172 and Richard Byrd had 124 in 1986). With his frenetic pace, KVB has become the Titans’ defensive tempo setter and leader. In short, Vanden Bosch is one of the greatest bargains in the history of NFL free agency. Due to four non-descript years in Arizona, he was a question coming into 2005; he is now a Pro Bowl alternate heading out of 2005.
And while Kyle Vanden Bosch himself isn’t a question anymore, he gives us with one big question for the Titans to face this off-season: can Tennessee get him signed to a long-term deal?
