Armchair Quarterback: O’Donnell’s return a welcome one
It’s a good thing Neil O’Donnell doesn’t hold grudges because he has every right given the way he was treated in preseason by his long-time team.
O’Donnell is set to be the Titans’ backup quarterback today should Steve McNair and his ailing ankle not be able to go. And, despite the fact McNair is the toughest man in the league and deserves MVP honors on his history of toughness alone, the guy literally has a broken leg. So, if he can’t go and given the greenness of undrafted rookie quarterback Jason Gesser, it’ll be O’Donnell in the pocket on a short week’s practice.
O’Donnell was signed this week after a teammate agreed to restructure his contract so the veteran quarterback could fit under a very tight salary cap. Had there not been that restructuring, O’Donnell could not have been signed until next week, meaning the Titans would be out in the cold for their game against Texas this week.
O’Donnell, who has basically been unemployed all year and training at the YMCA in Nashville, will be working for the league minimum.
“I’m here to help us win a championship,” O’Donnell announced as he unloaded his gear at the Titans facility this week.
O’Donnell tried unsuccessfully this year to latch on with three other teams after he was hastily terminated at the end of the preseason in favor of the now injured Billy Volek. The termination came after the Titans gave him a contract and apparently led him to believe he would have a spot on the squad. This was somewhat dirty when you consider this limbo during preseason kept him from joining another team. It’s obvious the Titans were waiting to see if Volek was up to the task of being McNair’s backup. When Volek proved his worth, the Titans terminated O’Donnell’s rather fat contract.
Flash forward four months and now the shoe is on the other foot. With Volek’s lacerated spleen and McNair’s ankle, the Titans had to come to O’Donnell with hat in hand, offering him the equivalent of chump change to bail the team out.
Make no mistake, the Texans game is big given the fact the Titans end the season in Nashville hosting the Bucs, who may be fighting for their playoff lives. The Titans are in with a win; however, playoffs aren’t automatic and losing out could leave them out in the cold. Plus, it pretty key to hold that first wild card spot to avoid what would probably be a trip to Indianapolis first round. There’s also a possibility if they run the table, they could win the division if the Colts have a meltdown against the Broncos and Texans.
Now the signing of O’Donnell by no means guarantees victory against the Texas, who have proven to be dangerous all season. The last couple of games for O’Donnell have been mediocre to say the least. Combine that with a season’s worth of rust and there could be problems. Of course, by the same token, you don’t want to risk McNair’s health this week either so the Titans are in quite a spot. Volek was the perfect fit at backup, outdoing all expectation; however, that means nothing now.
For Titans fans, memories of Earl Morale and the old Dolphins can give some hope, where the old crafty veteran comes in and leads the team to victory at crunch time. And, if one thing plays in our favor, O’Donnell, I believe, has something to prove. This may be his last shot, and, stepping up at crunch time could just add a couple of years to his shelf life.
Regardless, it was big of O’Donnell to return to the team who let him go, when he had every reason to tell them to get bent. Who knows, it could be an early Christmas gift to the Titans faithful.