Titans may look for successors to George, McNair
NASHVILLE — Eddie George said it himself last season. The Tennessee Titans’ running back already has surpassed the average length of a career for those who play his position.
With five Pro Bowl appearance, nearly 9,000 career rushing yards and most of the franchise’s career records in his grasp he also has accomplished much more than most ever have done.
In concert with quarterback Steve McNair the former Heisman Trophy winner has been utterly groundbreaking. Having been starters together for seven years they are the longest-running quarterback-running back duo in the league at this time and one of the winningest ever as the Titans have a 60-39 record with both in the starting lineup.
While McNair seems poised to enter the prime of his career, though, George’s best days seem past, which works out quite nicely given the situation with the 2003 NFL Draft. Heavy on quarterbacks who seem destined to go early, it seems likely the opportunity will present itself for the team to select an heir apparent to George on the first day if it so chooses.
According to most rankings, none of the top ball carriers is certain to go in the first round. That means some of the best of the bunch ought to be available for the Titans’ top selection, 28th overall.
Obviously the most intriguing prospect is Willis McGahee, a Heisman Trophy finalist who sustained a serious knee injury in the Fiesta Bowl against Ohio State. If not for that he certainly would have been one of the top five selections overall.
Now, his status is startlingly unclear. The general feeling is that the Titans will have one shot at him — at best. If he falls that far, the Oakland Raiders have the 31st and 32nd overall picks, a luxury that likely will allow them to gamble on a player who won’t contribute until late this season at the earliest.
The running back generally regarded as the best prospect is Virginia Tech’s Lee Suggs, who had a knee injury of his own. His occurred during his junior season, however, and he rebounded for a strong senior season. He has good speed and a knack for the end zone yet is not considered a lock to be chosen in the first round.
Among the other top backs are Oregon’s Onterrio Smith, Colorado’s Chris Brown, Georgia’s Musa Smith, Penn State’s Larry Johnson and USC’s Justin Fargas. Nearly every one is considered a first-round pick by some and as low as a third or fourth-rounder by others. Middle Tennessee State’s Dwone Hicks is a player a lot of draft services consider a potential steal.
Two factors have created all the uncertainty about the running backs. First is the proliferation of the passing game in the NFL and second is the number of quality quarterbacks who can help perpetuate that trend.
Some have declared this year’s crop of passers to the 1983 group that included John Elway, Dan Marino and Jim Kelly, which looks to be a reach. Yet with Carson Palmer, Byron Leftwich, fast-rising Kyle Boller of California as well as Rex Grossman and Dave Ragone, there could be a lot of dealing done by teams eager to draft their quarterback of the future as soon as possible.
That’s fine with the Titans, who are prepared to go forward with McNair for years to come and likely won’t be in position to select one of those top signal-callers anyway. At the same time, there’s going to come a time when they have to look to someone other than George to carry the ball, and that time could come near the end of the first or second round Saturday.