Armchair Quarterback: Will Calico be another wasted WR?
Silly me, but it would seem logical if I were one of those millionaires who play professional football, I think I’d be able to dig into my lunch money and drop at least enough for a cheap motel.
Then again, at no time would it cross my mind to have sex with some teenager in the back of my Cadillac Escalade while it was parked on Music Row. However, if police accounts in Nashville are correct, this is exactly what Titans wideout Tyrone Calico did this week. He and the 18-year-old girl he was messing with will both be in court soon to answer to public indecency charges.
Funny thing is about the situation, his knees were so messed up he could barely play a down this past year, yet the former Blue Raider sure was able to contort himself inside his SUV for the pitching of woo. His poor life choices combined with his seemingly permanent injury status combined with his stone hands which make me doubt he could catch a cold, let alone a Steve McNair pass, makes me wonder if this blue-chipper will ever live up even to one-tenth of his potential.
This guy was being compared to Michael Irvin when he first came on the scene, and, given his speed and cutting ability in the secondary, it appeared he might do make an impact. However, he’s yet to impress anyone and now, with the loss of Derrick Mason, the Titans are depending on his production this year alongside Drew Bennett.
Of course, I’ve seen this before. The Titans have had busts at wideout in the past. Yancy Thigpen may have been great receiver at one time, but his last two years with the Titans were a waste of money. It was from one leg ailment to another until they finally gave him his walking papers. There was a day when the Titans’ starting three at wideout were Thigpen, Carl Pickins and Derrick Mason. Great group except only one of them, Mason, saw over a game of playing time that year.
Yes, I realize injuries happen, but it’s funny how some players can get around just fine otherwise and draw a check. It used to make my blood boil to see Thigpen pull in to the parking lot on game day in his fancy sports car with his crew in tow, hang out tailgating with his family in the parking lot and then plop his tail down on the pine and not play a down. He sure seemed to be pretty spry on his feet when he was having fun at the pre-game family reunions.
Odd how T.O. can play on a broken leg while Thigpen wasn’t able to play a down with a little boo-boo on his leg. I saw his milingering personally on several occasions when I went to Nashville to cover games. Heck, I’ve still got a scar on my elbow when I ate the pavement while playing parking lot ball with the Thigpen brothers.
Worst part was that all the time his family is out there blaming all of Yancy’s injury problems on Kordell Stewart’s terrible throwing arm back in Pittsburgh, talking about how Kordell got Yancy killed by inaccurate passing.
I’m sorry, but if a person has injury problems, but there comes a time when you’ve got to cut the cord as some folks are destined to be the Bill Waltons of the NFL. I’d suggest Tyrone keep the Coliseum rocking this year instead of his Cadillac if he wants to stay in Music City. Potential doesn’t mean squat if you don’t finally deliver at some point.