Knuckleheads not Leatherheads

George Clooney starred in a movie a few years back called Leatherheads about pro football players in the 1920s in the glory days before concussion protocols. Those were the days that predated faceguards and Illegal Hands to the Face was an accepted strategy rather than a penalty.

I’m thinking of writing a script for a new reality series or movie called “Knuckleheads” about a pro football team who is the modern equivalent of the Gang Who Couldn’t Shoot Straight. Illegal Hands to the Face is only one of the transgressions. False Starts, Blocking in the Back, Holding, Encroachment and all other imaginable penalty will be called on the Knuckleheads each week. Penalty yardage will often total more than rushing yards. Number of penalties will far outstrip number of first downs.

My Tennessee Titans will be the poster boys for any movie or reality series about Knuckleheads. I’m not sure any other team shoots itself in the foot as consistently as the Columbia Blue. Their screw ups will be my muse.

This is the fall and winter of the deepest discontent for Titans fans as our team has signed a non-compete that seems to be in effect each week. The only suspense left in this season is the fear the Titans will slip up and win one of their last two games and jeopardize our draft position. We’re Avis right now and #1 may be within reach.

I’m not a betting man, but if I were I would be suspicious at how the Titans can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory so often. If I were a cynic I might view the untimely penalties as a passive/aggressive strategy to shave points or throw the game entirely. Every time there is a good runback or even a first down I hold my breath waiting for the yellow flag to fall.

I don’t believe there is truly a sinister plot to suck as a football team. I think the guys are trying, to their credit I don’t believe the team has quit despite the number of people who are now on injured reserve including two quarterbacks, three offensive tackles, a wide receiver, two tight ends, a middle linebacker, a cornerback and strong safety.

I think lack of self-discipline is the biggest culprit dragging the Titans down to become a bottom feeder in the NFL. Even the recent glory days when the team basked in the heady days of mediocrity around .500, a high number of stupid, chest beating or celebratory, too much of a good thing penalties kept them at that even keel level and out of the playoffs.

The lack of self discipline isn’t something new to the Ken Whisenhunt regime. Mike Munchak used to admonish his team “to be a pro” and yet they never did. Munchak is a Hall of Famer who himself was the epitome of a pro, but he just couldn’t get his team to follow his lead.

Last Sunday’s game was just the most recent example. There was the brawl before halftime where the Jets’ quarterback, Geno Smith, said something so inflammatory that Jurrell Casey felt compelled to punch him and set off a riot in shoulder pads. This was surprising as Casey is one of the few Titans who is actually a true pro each week. Casey has since apologized to teammates and Titans fans.

The game was decided by a taunting penalty on Wesley Woodyard, who is a captain, who didn’t say anything to former teammate Eric Decker. Woodyard got penalized for “looming” over Decker out of bounds, which hurt Eric’s feelings so much he pushed Woodyard. It seems there could have been an offsetting penalty called but there wasn’t. This negated a Titan’s defensive stop that would have gotten them off the field, something all to rare this season. A couple plays later, Chris Johnson’s revenge broke loose out of the Wildcat formation for 38 yards to set up the winning score.

The biggest controversy right now with the Titans is trying to determine if Zach Mettenberger has shown enough to be the quarterback going forward so the Titans can concentrate on other glaring weaknesses in the draft like finding a defensive difference maker. I’m convinced physically Mettenberger has the arm to do the job of NFL quarterback and I’m impressed with his toughness and willingness to stand in the pocket to deliver. All these are evidence Mettenberger could be “The Man”.

The only thing that worries me is Mettenberger seems to have a “Knucklehead” factor about him. Some of his comments about the media… being in the wrong bar at the wrong time and getting sucker punched by an Alabama fan…his own comments and photos on social media that incited the biggest, baddest dude in the NFL, JJ Watt, to welcome him to the fray by a series of hard tackles that culminated in a body slam that resulted in a shoulder injury that was the first step to injured reserve. There is a scent of knuckleheadism that reminds me of a former Oiler strong-armed quarterback Dan Pastorini. A strong arm doesn’t necessarily offset a lack of strong mind.

I’ll hearken back to Munchak’s “Be a Pro” campaign as the best route to fix what ails the Titans. The team needs to get a sense of identity and be a rock ‘em sock ‘em physical team like the Millenium era Titans of Jeff Fisher. Be a tough, hard-hitting pro and let your actions do the talking. No need to wag your finger or loom over a fallen player to prove your toughness. If you make a first down or a touchdown, high five a teammate if you must and head back to the huddle. Act like you expect to succeed and have had success before. Leave the dancing to the cheerleaders or Stars.

Long story short, don’t be a knucklehead.