I was recently on Titans Caravan as the team celebrates its 10th anniversary as the Tennessee Titans. The fans have been amazing, both on the Caravan and over the last 10 years. The good thing about living here in Nashville is you still get to feel the passion of our fans. Being on the Caravan is special because you get to take the helmet off and fans get to see your face. Being a has-been sitting next to a current guy like Cortland Finnegan on our recent trip was a little bit humbling, but it's fun at the same time.
I appreciate the outpouring of support from the fans because I really don't expect anybody to remember me from that far back, but at the same time when your name is synonymous with a couple of plays in NFL history, it's good to hear the compliments. It's good for your spirit, good for your soul to hear somebody that actually appreciated what you did for them and to be remembered in that aspect. It's fun to come out here and give back and that's part of what we did when we played ball. I've always said to whom much is given, much is required. That is part of being in the limelight and in the public eye. Whether you're in music, entertainment or athletics, that's just part of the business.
Having played in Nashville, I can honestly say we have some of the best fans in the NFL. You can ask any player here that leaves and goes off to a different city. Aside from some of the historic cities like Green Bay and Chicago -- franchises that have been in their original towns for many years -- I don't think it gets any better than it is here. A lot of that is due to the fact that we spoiled them early with a Super Bowl season in the first year, then more playoffs and division titles right off the bat. That built the fan base pretty strong and they've carried that momentum up until this year. After a couple of lean years, the Titans started rebuilding and went back to the playoffs again and fans got that fever back. Now it's up to the new generation to continue the winning tradition and build from there.
I look back at some of the pictures I signed during the Caravan with the first year as the Titans and it seems like such a long time ago. I was a 22 or 23 year old guy and now I'm a 33-year old retired guy, so it goes by fast. That's the thing when I talk to kids, I tell them to enjoy it now because everything goes by so fast, you're always going to be looking back and you don't want to be looking back so fast that you're missing out on what's in front of you. It goes by fast and you appreciate it, but at the same time you hope that you've done enough to the point where you're not forgotten.
