Will Jake Locker get the starting QB role in 2012?
Happy New Year! The Train Daddy is feeling great heading into 2012. I personally learned more in 2011 about myself than I have in my life, and the Z-Train is ready to roll over all the haters. I live and breathe sports, and I am allowed to; I have no children, and I have no wife. One day I plan on having both, but until that day, the Z-Train rolls solo, baby!
I just want to say God bless sports. Not only sports, but God bless this country and the soldiers that fought to make her beautiful, and God bless friends and family. It is a new year and we have to enjoy the finer things in life: beautiful women, fine wine, steak and shrimp and most important, we thank God for making all these things possible.
In the NFL, post-season football is exciting and a challenge for any of the 12 teams that have dreams of lifting the Lombardi Trophy come Feb. 5 at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. It just goes to show how much the BCS sucks compared to the big leagues; it is, in my opinion, the most flawed system in all of sports.
A new year brings new hope, new ideas, new dreams and new plans for people like you and me, all for one purpose. That purpose is to better ourselves. College football should listen to the fans and reevaluate itself. Someone deserving of a title shot always gets left out. You see, college football is like a 300-pound women who still is somewhat attractive; some guys out there like a thick women and wouldn’t want her to change, but the majority of men out there would prefer a slimmer, healthier lady. If this 300-pound woman would just make some changes in her life and go on a diet, she would be more intriguing to many more men. Some people like college football these days just the way it is, but with some tweaks here and there, college ball would be much more intriguing to a larger audience.
The Titans and Jake the Snake
The season is over for the Tennessee Titans, and preparation and planning has already begun for the 2012 season. Now is the time for fans and critics to critique the 2011 season and break down every possible scenario that was a success or failure. The question I have for myself and the team would have to be Was the 2011 season a success, and I would give the team a B- if I were to grade them. The Titans definitely outperformed the projections of the sports analysts around the country; nobody had the Titans, and first-year Coach Mike Munchak projected to have a winning season. The team finished 9-7 and left some tough losses on the field like Week 1 with a 16-14 loss to a bad Jaguars team and Week 14 with a goal line stop as time expired against the Saints, causing the Titans to lose 22-17. The following week they gave the Colts their first victory. The Titans only had two losses that they honestly deserved this season, losing to the Steelers 38-17 and the Texans 41-7. The Titans defeated three of the six AFC teams in the playoffs this season, and for a team projected by the professionals to be at the bottom of the barrel, that seems like a successful rebuilding year to me.
When we talk about the quarterback spot, there is a lot to evaluate. Matt brought some leadership and talent to the table. I will agree he played well this season through some injuries, but he is not the future, and we all know this. He is getting older and is slowly on the down-slope of his career. Rookie quarterbacks have shown in this league they can be thrown into the mix and be successful. The Jake Locker situation is turning out beautifully. He is showing signs of a star player in this league, and rather than being thrown into the lions’ den, he got a full season to learn and watch. Locker also got some good playing time in some very meaningful games. There were some times down the stretch when Matt struggled that I disagreed with the Coach for not putting in Locker. I don’t know the future, but Locker’s certainly looks bright. I hope this first-round pick is the answer to leading my Titans to the Promised Land.
You know I have to send a shout out to my boy Nate Washington for finally busting loose for the first 1,000-yard season of his career with seven touchdowns. He really stepped up after Kenny Britt went down with a season-ending injury. I was also impressed with the play of Jared Cook. It wasn’t consistent, but with a 759-yard season, he was getting open.
Chris Johnson, I have little to say. You wanted to get paid like a quarterback; you got your big deal and struggled, possibly single-handedly losing some games at the beginning of the season that could have made a difference for a playoff run. Johnson came together towards the end of the season and just barely notched 1,000 yards.
I have to send one more shout out to the Young Gun Damian Williams who came out of nowhere and played well with 592 yards receiving and five TDs. The future looks bright and young. The defense is very young and played well, but like all young defenses, they had some very bad games also. I was personally upset with the lack of turnovers between the two veterans in the backfield; Finnegan and Griffin totaled three interceptions, and that’s a long way off from a few years back when they both made the Pro Bowl.
Rob Birronas still has a hell of a boot and isn’t going anywhere, and if you own a Chris Johnson bobble head, it is still relevant because that fool is a head shaker. Bobble, bobble, baby! That’s enough said. I stand behind Coach Munchak, and I think it is time Daddy gives the keys to his ride to the youngster, Jake “The Snake” Locker!
If Drew Brees and the Saints want to make it back to the Super Bowl, they must do it out of the wild card round, as the Packers did last year
The Post-Season Frenzy
The NFL Playoffs are finally here, and as exciting as playoff time is, it also is a sad thing, as it is the final push to the end of football season.
The Bengals head to Houston to face the Texans. This is the first playoff appearance for the Texans, and I believe they are one and done. The Texans have struggled down the stretch, losing their last three games, and as up-and-down as the Bengals have been, their rookie combo has been hot. Andy Dalton and A.J. Green have been nothing less than special this year, and they will handle the Texans.
The Steelers vs. Broncos match-up is probably my favorite of the weekend. I am taking the Steelers, but they are beat up with injuries. The Broncos have been playing poorly down the stretch, but with an injured Steelers team, you never know. It’s Tim Tebow and Jesus vs. The Dirty Towel Swingers.
The Saints will handle the Lions in a shootout. This game comes down to quarterback play, and Drew Brees will outplay Matt Stafford any day of the week.
The Falcons vs. Giants is the only game where a clear winner doesn’t just pop into my head, but I am taking the Giants. Eli Manning has been hot and with a healthy Victor Cruz and Hakeem Nick, and the G-men will take care of the Dirty Birds. The Saints are the only team coming out of Wild Card weekend that I believe can win the whole enchilada. The Packers, Ravens, 49ers and Patriots all wait for their opponents, and I like them all except the 49ers—impressive, yes, but I am not buying a post-season run from them.
The Train Daddy has his Super Bowl prediction: Saints vs. Patriots and the Saints take the Lombardi Trophy home once again, “Who Dat”! That is the magic of the NFL, you never know what’s going to happen. We could have a 1998 Super Bowl rematch of the Broncos vs. Falcons. Well, I truly doubt that, but you never know.
So enjoy the final month of football. I know that even you non-football fans will enjoy the Super Bowl. Everyone does; it’s a reason to drink, eat and be merry with your friends. So holla at ya, people, the Train Daddy is rolling out of the station!
