Billy Volek

[ocaamikedm11]

I believe Young's stock will drop a bit at the combine when the scouts see that all of his inability to pass at a professional level as well as his bad throwing release. Texas isn't known for making very good profession quarterbacks, as Chris Simms has the second most yards of any former Texas QB and that is only about 2500 yards so far.On the other hand, I'd like to see Young impress at the combine and increase his stock above Leinart's so that the Saints pick Young #2 and the Titans, if they choose to pick a QB, would take Leinart as their QB of the future...

I do think the best bet would be to trade the pick because of Volek's ability and pick up a couple extra picks to turn this team around quicker..

 

[Bear-Arms]

Funny, all the media pundits call for Brett Favre to retire, but the only people I hear calling for McNair's retirement are those of us on this site. Although I admit McNair had a better year than Favre.

I think Favre had a pretty good year if you consider how lousy their rushing game was.

 

[Don Wassall]

Favre had no NFL caliber receivers to throw to either, other than Donald Driver. And the offensive line, so solid for so long, was terrible after Wahle and Rivera left in free agency. Other QBs wouldn't have had as many interceptions because they would have been throwing only five yard passes, ala Steve McNair, but Favre is never going to fit in with that kind of offense.

 

[White Shogun]

All good points about Favre, guys, especially this remark by Don:

Other QBs wouldn't have had as many interceptions because they would have been throwing only five yard passes, ala Steve McNair, but Favre is never going to fit in with that kind of offense.

The point I was trying to make is that no one is calling for McNair to retire despite the fact that he is hurting his team, like Favre is alleged to be hurting the Packers.

Of course, if I was going to coach a team next year and I had to pick between McNair or Favre as my quarterback, I'd take Favre, hands down.

 

[jaxvid]

The Detroit Lions fans/writers are agitating for them to make a deal for Volek. The draft looks like Bush to Houson, Young or Leinhart to New Orleans and that leaves Tennessee with the other guy. If Tennessee picks a QB, and they probably will because they are too stupid to realize they have a guy ready to mature into a star, then that frees them up to trade Volek since McNAir will be kept around to fill the black quota--er I mean mentor the new guy.

 

[Don Wassall]

Looks like Volek will rot on the bench again, while Drew Bennett is sentenced to another season of substandard production watching McNair throw dump-off passes to his tight ends.

http://sports.espn.go.com/nfl/news/story?id=2351571

 

[sport historian]

This may mean that the Titans are going to draft a QB.

 

[KG2422]

Even if these players were as good as Volek (they're not), you would think that owners would want to play as many whites as possible. They would sell more tickets. Most whites I know still secretly root for Whites when they have a choice. In a place like Tennesse, I'm sure it's the same as here.

 

[Don Wassall]

Looks like Volek has a good chance tobegin the season as the Titans' starting QB. He'll be on a very short string however, as the fans and media will begin demanding that Vince Young play if Volek is anything less than outstanding.


The best case scenario would be for Volek to duplicate Drew Brees' success. The Chargers drafted Philip Rivers because Brees was widely considered as journeyman material. But when Rivers was a rookie Brees stepped up his game to an All Pro level and kept Rivers on the bench for two seasons then went to New Orleans for big money. It would be great if Volek can do the same, especially because Drew Bennett would then also be thriving.


[url]http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/football/nfl/05/20/bc. fbn.titans.qbs.ap/index.html[/url]

 

[The Duke]

I read on ESPN that Young exhibited "leadership over the entire team" after just one day. You're right that Volek won't be given any time to develop on what is a rebuilding team.

 

[Don Wassall]

McNair still hasn't been traded to Baltimore and may stay with Tennessee, which is the nightmare scenario for Volek and Drew Bennett. It would mean Volek never gets his chance to start, being forced to play another year behind McNair who should beVolek's backup. Bennett would be forced to suffer through another season of McNair's dink and dump throws to tight ends, then have Vince Young throwing to him starting in '07.


This is from ESPN Insider:


Titans general manager Floyd Reese still believes McNair could return to Tennessee, the Nashville City Paper reports. The two sides remain far apart, but when asked if he thinks they could work out a deal that would prevent McNair from being traded or released, Reese replied, "Absolutely."


The Titans are hoping to lower McNair's $23.46 million salary cap figure for next season, but the veteran quarterback has refused to take a pay cut from his $9 million base. The expectation is still that McNair will depart, with Baltimore the likeliest landing spot.


The Ravens have so far been unable to strike a deal with the Titans for McNair -- Baltimore is offering a fifth-round pick, and Tennessee wants nothing lower than a fourth -- and talks ended abruptly two weeks ago, but could resume at any moment.


McNair recently filed a grievance against the Titans for prohibiting him from working out at team's training facility for the past seven weeks. A decision is expected on June 1st.

 

[jaxvid]

Strange how the media is not bugging McNair to tell us when is he going to retire? They bug Favre about it all the time.
"When you going to retire Brett? This year? Next year? The year after??? When!! When!! Isn't it time?"

Sheesh, Favre had a decent year as a passer, I know he took my to castefootball's fantasy football finals only to self distuct as the team did. But Mcnair sucks, has sucked, will suck. "So when you gonna retire Steve? This year? Next year? The year after??? When!! When!! Isn't it time?"

 

[white lightning]

Steve (Air Ball/Always Hurt)McNair.That's a good point jaxvid.They just can't get rid or the last of the big 3 soon enough.Elway,Marino and Favre.I wonder if we will ever see their likes again with the media falling in love with the Vick type qb's.Give me a Big Ben,P.Manning or Tom Brady any day of the week.

 

[Don Wassall]

McNair was finally traded to Baltimore, pending the passing of a physical. This should give Volek a year as the starter, though if he doesn't play great right off the bat the demand for the Titans to play Vince Young will become a deafening roar.


http://www.nfl.com/teams/story/TEN/9484907

 

[Guest]

The move also stunts any development of Kyle Boller who was very raw coming out a few years ago when Billick fell in love with him. Boller has improved steadily every year but with a weak running game last year, one of the worst wr corps in the league and a bad o-line any qb can only do so much. I seriously doubt that McNair makes it through a whole season yet he will be deemed a tough QB once again for missing time with injuries. McNair will also be given alot of slack regarding when the Ravens do not perform unlike Boller. Tough QBs play through pain and McNair eventually taps out. Favre is a tough QB, Manning is a tough QB and Brady is a tough QB...it takes alot more balls to stand in the pocket and deliver a precision strike right before getting leveled than to scamper down the field for an 8 yd gain. I think the true football fans understand what it takes to make a good tough QB.

 

[white lightning]

Let's hope this can mean another big year for Drew Bennett.He will need it because he is under the microscope.You know that they would love to demote him to the number 2 or 3 receiver.If only this would have happened last season,they might not have drafted Vince Young.Volek can play!

 

[Don Wassall]

The key will be Tennessee's o-line. If they give Volek good pass protection, then the Volek to Bennett connection should be strong again. Americans, including sports fans, have notoriously short memories, but if Volek and Bennett can produceclose towhat they did in '04, then they will both be popular and Young will ride the pine the whole season. Bennett was so dominating in '04 with Volek in there, he made it look effortless, reminiscent of the Steve Burlein to Patrick Jeffers connection in Carolina in '99.

 

[Deus Vult]

Titans GM Floyd Reese appeared on ESPN radio yesterday (Saturday) with John Clayton. On the McNair to Ravens trade, Reese did say that having Volek on the roster made the decision easier.

What I found more interesting were the post-interview comments of Clayton and co-host Sean Salsbury. First, both agreed that McNair automatically makes the Ravens offense better. Maybe he will, but it's not a given. McNair could stink it up, too!

The pair agreed that Volek deserves a shot to start, but only while VY is in training, the assumption being that Volek will be displaced by Young as soon as Young learns the system. Why is the skepticism pointed toward Volek, the proven NFL QB, and not toward Young (aka Mr. Wonderlik), who has not proven he can play QB at the NFL level?

What they should have said was: "Volek has been impressive in his limited starts, so much so that Vince Young may have trouble getting on the field unless he shows he can play in the NFL..."

 

[Don Wassall]

McNair and Byron Leftwich are always admiringly referred to as "tough" because they get hurt a lot but still try to play when they can. But how "tough" are they really if they're constantly gettinginjured or being knocked out of games? Chris Chandler stands out in my mind as a quarterback who regularly was injured or knocked out of games, but he was widely mocked by the media and fans because of it.Chandler was characterized as "brittle," "injury-prone," etc., but certainly not as "tough."


Is Rex Grossman "tough" because he still wants to play after missing most of the past two seasons with injuries? I'd say Favre, P. Manning, Brady, Collins, Bledsoe, Hasselbeckand other durable quarterbacks are "tough," not the ones who can't take the battering that goes with the position.

 

[White Shogun]

Why don't they want to give Billy a real shot at quarterback? Why?

Kerry Collins is scheduled to visit Nashville today and undergo a physical for the Titans. Agent David Dunn, who represents Collins, said a visit by the quarterback hasn't been scheduled, but that he has had discussions with GM Floyd Reese.
-- The Tennessean

 

[Don Wassall]

That's a good question, but maybe the biggest outrage at the QB position since last season ended is how Kerry Collins was consigned to the NFL trash heap. Not just demoted from a starting position, but left without a team altogether.


The Raidersin '05were a team with an extreme case of what's called "bad chemistry." Randy Moss played half-assed and so did Jerry Porter. It was plain as could be that neither liked nor wanted Collins as their quarterback despite his "cannon of an arm" to use an expression that the media often uses to describe their beloved black QBs. They also wanted Norv Turner out as head coach. They got what they wanted, as the Raiders now have a black head coach and a black starting quarterback.


Still, Collins ended up with 3,759 passing yards, 20 TDs, and just 12 interceptions. In the last six seasons he has thrown for less than 3,495 yards just once, in '03 when he had 3,110. Collins is a classic big-armed pocket quarterback. He is very accurate and productive when given time to throw. He is also very durable, ranking behind only Peyton Manning, Brett Favre and Tom Brady in that category. He's not a great quarterback, but he is a good one, good enough to lead the Giants to the Super Bowl and good enough to almost get the expansion Carolina Panthers to the Super Bowl very early in their existence.


That no one up till now has signed Collins even as a backup is pathetic, reminiscent of how Trent Dilfer almost ended up out of the league the season after leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl win. He deserves much better.

 

[White Shogun]

hat no one up till now has signed Collins even as a backup is pathetic, reminiscent of how Trent Dilfer almost ended up out of the league the season after leading the Ravens to a Super Bowl win. He deserves much better.

I agree, Don. I just don't want it to be at the expense of Billy Volek.

I hadn't thought of the situation in Oakland the way you described, but it certainly seems to fit the typical modus operandi. I don't see how anyone can think Aaron Brooks is a better quarterback than Kerry Collins, but since when is actual performance on the field ever been the determining factor in who gets the starting nod?

Collins could easily start in lieu of the aforementioned Brooks, as well as McNair and Culpepper. To be fair, he could also start for the 'Skins, Bills, Bears, and Lions, too.

He will be forcibly retired just like Jeff George was back in the day.

 

[Jimmy Chitwood]

check out this training camp recap nugget that i found on the Tennesseean.com from yesterday's practice:

Eye catching: Rookie CB Cortland Finnegan had an eventful practice. In the 2-minute drills, he intercepted Vince Young's first pass and returned it for a touchdown. On the very next snap, he vacated his zone and left TE Gregg Guenther uncovered to catch pass from Young. ... CB Rich Gardner made a nice deflection on a Young pass to WR O.J. Small when Young tried to force the ball into zone coverage. ... WR David Givens ended the first two-minute drive with a long touchdown catch on a ball thrown by QB Billy Volek. ...

ha! i couldn't have hoped for a better recap! haha!

how the Titans' management must be fuming!

also a nugget of info that i didn't know, from another source:

Billy Volek threw for more yards (2,789) in his first 10 starts than any quarterback since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. pretty impressive, despite his losing record as a starter.Edited by: Jimmy Chitwood

 

[Colonel_Reb]

Volek could be great if they let him play. Never give up!

 

[Triad]

The pair agreed that Volek deserves a shot to start, but only while VY is in training, the assumption being that Volek will be displaced by Young as soon as Young learns the system. Why is the skepticism pointed toward Volek, the proven NFL QB, and not toward Young (aka Mr. Wonderlik), who has not proven he can play QB at the NFL level?

What they should have said was: "Volek has been impressive in his limited starts, so much so that Vince Young may have trouble getting on the field unless he shows he can play in the NFL..."

I was initially very skeptical about Young displacing Volek this year as starter barring an injury or terrible year from Volek; however, after Young's 4-11 for 54 yards performance in the preseason opener Coach Fisher said Young could get in the game much sooner. He claims the Titans may try to get Young in the season opener a series in each half "to put pressure on opposing defenses". That coupled with the standing "O" Young received when he entered the game means Volek has no room for error this year.