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No one ever said the rebuilding process would be easy, but teams ultimately have to go through it. If you've followed the NFL, especially since 1993 when the salary cap era began, you know that it is definitely a process. You've seen teams that have been dominate that have gone through some tough times because they couldn't afford to keep all of their star players within the salary cap. It's a constant change. You basically lose a third of your team every single year. It's simply never the same. I believe fans ultimately understand that. It's not an overnight process and it does take a while to find that right mix and chemistry with new players. I think right now you're definitely seeing the Titans going through that. They are right in the middle of a rebuilding process, but they are doing their best to move forward.
It may be frustrating to watch after witnessing all of the success this franchise had early on as the Titans, but they had to go through similar growing pains back in the mid 90's. The success the Titans enjoyed early on really got started by drafting Steve McNair in '95 and Eddie George in '96. Back then, all we had was each other during those lean sub-par .500 years, but we eventually added the right pieces, got the thing on track, and started believing.
It's nothing new in this league when teams go through lulls like this. It is not uncommon for an NFL team to go through a five, six, seven, maybe even a 10-year stretch without making the playoffs. That's the reality of the NFL.
If you look at New England before the Tom Brady era began, they weren't always counted on to be at the top. They found a diamond in the rough in Brady and everyone rallied around him. Just because of an injury to Drew Bledsoe, we might night have seen Tom Brady in this light. They added pieces to the puzzle, their players got more mature, and they brought in guys that were team players and built a winner.
You look at Jacksonville, they basically had a fire sale on their team following the 1999 season and it took them several years to get back into playoff contention. The 49ers were a dominate team for years with Joe Montana, Steve Young and Jerry Rice. Once that veteran team grew old, they had to rebuild and they still are not back to being a playoff contender. So this process is not new. You see it in every city, but that's what makes this game so great. It's a constant fight, because it's such a hard game and a hard league. That's why it's the best professional sport in the world.
You don't get free passes in this league. Vince Young is just starting out and there are going to be some growing pains, but people have to understand that Vince is going to be a great player in this league. The experience he gets throughout this year, although it might not turn into wins and playoffs right off the bat, is invaluable experience for him and LenDale White. Next year, you add in some other pieces to help Vince out. You add a guy up front, you build on the defense to help him out. With a lot of salary cap room to work with in 2007, the Titans can really begin to see a playoff-caliber team take shape.
Knowing people inside the Titans organization, I know they are fighting tooth and nail to get this thing corrected. Some people really can't see that, but in time and with patience, they will get things turned around.
That's how this process works in the NFL.
