Titans expect big jump from LenDale White (1 Viewer)

[JohnnyU]

LenDale White-RB- Titans Mar. 4 - 11:49 am et

The Titans expect LenDale White to take "a big jump" in his second year.

White seemed immature as a rookie but flashed the talent that made him a horse at the college level. Tennessee is not expected to actively seek running back help in free agency, so White appears to have better than a 50-50 shot to be the Titans' starter following Travis Henry's release.

Source: Nashville Tennessean

Well, I don't own White in any league, and I haven't had too many good things to say about him since he was drafted, but 2007 might be his big chance. Let's see if he's up to it.

 

[EBF]

Yet another example of why you don't bail on talented rookies after one quiet year.

 

[-OZ-]

The Titans expect LenDale White to take "a big jump" in his second year.

Perhaps off of this?

 

[ExtraPoint]

Most obvious new starter for 2007 except for potentially Peterson if he's drafted by the right team. If he'd been healthy last year, White may have already been the starter despite Henry's great efforts. Sure, White could get hurt again, but so could any other RB in the NFL.

 

[Otis]

Chubby.

 

[Phlash]

I'm calling it right now, top 10 finish, 280/1200/11, 20/150/1

 

[Slider]

That makes that 1-2 draft of White/Jones-Drew look just great.

 

[Sabertooth]

Most obvious new starter for 2007 except for potentially Peterson if he's drafted by the right team. If he'd been healthy last year, White may have already been the starter despite Henry's great efforts. Sure, White could get hurt again, but so could any other RB in the NFL.

Aren't you forgetting about Laurence Maroney? I think it looks pretty obvious that he'll start.

 

[LHUCKS]

 

[Colin Dowling]

I am pleased with this. WHile a lot is left to be proven, I thought White was the better back between he and Bush. Granted, their styles are very different, but I like White as a between the tackles bull dozer. In college, he reminded me of guys like McGahee and Deuce. Such performance as a Titan would be VERY sweet.

 

[Otis]

I'm calling it right now, top 10 finish, 280/1200/11, 20/150/1

X

 

[Otis]

I thought White was the better back between he and Bush.

X

 

[Colin Dowling]

I thought White was the better back between he and Bush.

X

I don't think it's fair to pull my quote out of the context I provided.

 

[billyjoe]

I thought White was the better back between he and Bush.

X

When I want RB knowledge, Otis is the man I go to.

I think a healthy, starting Perry has top-5 potential. The health is the biggest question.

I meant PERRY has all the talent that LJ has. I don't Rudi is in their league.

I would not be in the least bit surprised to see Chris Perry be a top 5 fantasy RB

 

[Capella]

"ouch"

 

[Faust]

 

[EBF]

I thought White was the better back between he and Bush.

X

When I want RB knowledge, Otis is the man I go to.

I think a healthy, starting Perry has top-5 potential. The health is the biggest question.

I meant PERRY has all the talent that LJ has. I don't Rudi is in their league.

I would not be in the least bit surprised to see Chris Perry be a top 5 fantasy RB

I'm not sure what your obsession with Chris Perry is. I think I've seen you slam him in 3-4 threads. The guy hasn't been durable, but was a first round pick and has flashed decent talent when healthy.

 

[geoff8695]

Chubby.

and I thought Otis was a 'ladies man'.

 

[Riffraff]

Chubby.

and I thought Otis was a 'ladies man'.

It means he has a chubby for LenDale. There wasn't an emoticon to express his feelings.

 

[Bob_Magaw]

Chubby.

and I thought Otis was a 'ladies man'.

It means he has a chubby for LenDale. There wasn't an emoticon to express his feelings.

& likely won't be any time soon (probably a good thing)

 

[geoff8695]

Chubby.

and I thought Otis was a 'ladies man'.

It means he has a chubby for LenDale. There wasn't an emoticon to express his feelings.

Actually Otis is a doubter and is literally saying that LenDale is 'FAT'... NOT 'PHAT'

I was just being a schmuck.

BTW, the emoticon would be :chubby: if Otis was really that excited.

 

[Cenobite]

Most obvious new starter for 2007 except for potentially Peterson if he's drafted by the right team. If he'd been healthy last year, White may have already been the starter despite Henry's great efforts. Sure, White could get hurt again, but so could any other RB in the NFL.

Aren't you forgetting about Laurence Maroney? I think it looks pretty obvious that he'll start.

Off the top of my head : Morency, Jacobs, Benson, Addai, D. Williams, Den RB, Jets RB, Ravens Rb. There are a lot of new starters this year besides Maroney and possibly White.

 

[David Yudkin]

IMO, I would change the Titans perspective from "expect" to "hope for" based on the fact that Brown was leaving town via free agency and they could not get Henry to renegotiate. White becomes the starter by default and IMO not by choice. (I'm not suggesting that White won't do well, only that he won the job by being the only one left on the team.)

 

[prymetyme25]

IMO, I would change the Titans perspective from "expect" to "hope for" based on the fact that Brown was leaving town via free agency and they could not get Henry to renegotiate. White becomes the starter by default and IMO not by choice. (I'm not suggesting that White won't do well, only that he won the job by being the only one left on the team.)

Guess he was 2nd on the depth chart by default too.

 

[David Yudkin]

IMO, I would change the Titans perspective from "expect" to "hope for" based on the fact that Brown was leaving town via free agency and they could not get Henry to renegotiate. White becomes the starter by default and IMO not by choice. (I'm not suggesting that White won't do well, only that he won the job by being the only one left on the team.)

Guess he was 2nd on the depth chart by default too.

IMO . . . yes. Henry averaged 92 rushing yards a game from Week 3 on last year, Brown was hurt and a non-factor in all but 2 games. So, yes. White really didn't do much on the field to shoot up the depth chart, unless you consider 21 rushes, 73 rushing yards, a 3.4 ypc, and 0 TD a noteworthy performace over the Titans last 8 games of the year.

 

[prymetyme25]

IMO, I would change the Titans perspective from "expect" to "hope for" based on the fact that Brown was leaving town via free agency and they could not get Henry to renegotiate. White becomes the starter by default and IMO not by choice. (I'm not suggesting that White won't do well, only that he won the job by being the only one left on the team.)

Guess he was 2nd on the depth chart by default too.

IMO . . . yes. Henry averaged 92 rushing yards a game from Week 3 on last year, Brown was hurt and a non-factor in all but 2 games. So, yes. White really didn't do much on the field to shoot up the depth chart, unless you consider 21 rushes, 73 rushing yards, a 3.4 ypc, and 0 TD a noteworthy performace over the Titans last 8 games of the year.

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

 

[Ron_Mexico]

IMO, I would change the Titans perspective from "expect" to "hope for" based on the fact that Brown was leaving town via free agency and they could not get Henry to renegotiate.

"Pray" ?

 

[Colin Dowling]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

Then you haven't been paying attention, GB. White was better and better as the year progressed, particularly in pass-protection, which was his big issue coming in. He didn't carry the ball enough to show anything definitive, but seeing him in limited duty, it was clear in Nov./Dec. that he was much improved from Sept/Oct. Ironically, his yardage totals were better in the early part of the season.

 

[David Yudkin]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

Then you haven't been paying attention, GB. White was better and better as the year progressed, particularly in pass-protection, which was his big issue coming in. He didn't carry the ball enough to show anything definitive, but seeing him in limited duty, it was clear in Nov./Dec. that he was much improved from Sept/Oct. Ironically, his yardage totals were better in the early part of the season.

I do admit to not seeing a lot of White last year. The only whole Titans game I got to see was the Pats game and White was essentially a non-factor.

 

[EBF]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

 

[Titus Pullo]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

Maybe if he didn't get hurt so easy and often. Didn't he also show up to his workouts last year out of shape, and the same when he showed up to camps?

 

[David Yudkin]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

On a whole I tend to agree with you but there are exceptions. Michael Turner had 80 carries but over 500 rushing yards and a 6.3 ypc last year. Some teams seem pretty interested in snagging Turner.

 

[EBF]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

Maybe if he didn't get hurt so easy and often. Didn't he also show up to his workouts last year out of shape, and the same when he showed up to camps?

One year does not a career make. Here is a post I made last week:

Compare that to the rookie years of some other prominent RBs:Rudi Johnson - 0 yards on 0 carriesPriest Holmes - 0 yards on 0 carriesLarry Johnson - 85 yards on 20 carries (4.3 YPC)Deuce McAllister - 91 yards on 16 carries (5.7 YPC)Willie Parker - 186 yards on 32 carries (5.8 YPC)Brian Westbrook - 193 yards on 46 carries (4.2 YPC)Ahman Green - 209 yards on 35 carries (6.0 YPC)Shaun Alexander - 313 yards on 64 carries (4.9 YPC)Tiki Barber - 511 yards on 136 carries (3.8 YPC)You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you always expect greatness in a player's first year.White is exactly what he was last year. A good prospect with a decent chance to eventually become a productive starter.

 

[David Yudkin]

One year does not a career make. Here is a post I made last week:

I've posted several times over the years )with examples) that first year RB numbers are really not a good predictive indicator as to how a player's career will go. Some guys do great and then don't do much, others have great ypc numbers in limited action and do great, some have terrible ypc numbers and become stars, etc. So the verdict is still out on a slew of young RBs with White being lumped in there with all the rest. However, I do think that if a RB starts off with a starting job and does well his chances of a sustained career are probably better than those that don't. Here are the 50 rookie RBs since 1960 that had 1000+ rushing yards in their first season:Eric DickersonGeorge RogersOttis AndersonEdgerrin JamesClinton PortisMike AndersonCurtis MartinBarry SandersEarl CampbellCurt WarnerJerome BettisEddie GeorgeJamal LewisRueben MayesBilly SimsMarshall FaulkLaDainian TomlinsonFred TaylorJoe CribbsAnthony ThomasCadillac WilliamsJohn StephensDon WoodsOlandis GaryBobby HumphreyKevin JonesCorey DillonWillis McGaheeJoe DelaneyTerrell DavisKarim Abdul-JabbarRobert EdwardsJohn BrockingtonKevin MackDominic RhodesGreg BellCookie GilchristJoseph AddaiRashaan SalaamIckey WoodsReggie BrooksTerry MillerFranco HarrisDomanick DavisWilliam AndrewsPaul RobinsonRonald MooreRicky WattersErrict RhettTony Dorsett

 

[EBF]

One year does not a career make. Here is a post I made last week:

I've posted several times over the years )with examples) that first year RB numbers are really not a good predictive indicator as to how a player's career will go. Some guys do great and then don't do much, others have great ypc numbers in limited action and do great, some have terrible ypc numbers and become stars, etc. So the verdict is still out on a slew of young RBs with White being lumped in there with all the rest. However, I do think that if a RB starts off with a starting job and does well his chances of a sustained career are probably better than those that don't. Here are the 50 rookie RBs since 1960 that had 1000+ rushing yards in their first season:Eric DickersonGeorge RogersOttis AndersonEdgerrin JamesClinton PortisMike AndersonCurtis MartinBarry SandersEarl CampbellCurt WarnerJerome BettisEddie GeorgeJamal LewisRueben MayesBilly SimsMarshall FaulkLaDainian TomlinsonFred TaylorJoe CribbsAnthony ThomasCadillac WilliamsJohn StephensDon WoodsOlandis GaryBobby HumphreyKevin JonesCorey DillonWillis McGaheeJoe DelaneyTerrell DavisKarim Abdul-JabbarRobert EdwardsJohn BrockingtonKevin MackDominic RhodesGreg BellCookie GilchristJoseph AddaiRashaan SalaamIckey WoodsReggie BrooksTerry MillerFranco HarrisDomanick DavisWilliam AndrewsPaul RobinsonRonald MooreRicky WattersErrict RhettTony Dorsett

That's a nice list, but it's not all that pertinent to our consideration of White's prospects. Rather than comparing him to all of the guys who had good rookie years, I think it's better for purposes to compare him to guys who have had quiet rookie years. Several of the top backs in FF had extremely unimpressive rookie years. That doesn't prove anything about White, but I think we can conclude that writing him off after one quiet year might be a bad idea. You can't punish a guy for failing to take advantage of opportunities that he never had.

 

[cmap]

What else are they going to say after letting Travis walk ? "We're up ##### creek?"

 

[David Yudkin]

That's a nice list, but it's not all that pertinent to our consideration of White's prospects. Rather than comparing him to all of the guys who had good rookie years, I think it's better for purposes to compare him to guys who have had quiet rookie years. Several of the top backs in FF had extremely unimpressive rookie years. That doesn't prove anything about White, but I think we can conclude that writing him off after one quiet year might be a bad idea. You can't punish a guy for failing to take advantage of opportunities that he never had.

My point was that guys that started from the get go are generally safe bets for decent careers. As for White, I entirely disagree on the lack of opportunity aspect.The Titans were not committed to any RB prior to the start of last season. As I recall, they had somewhat soured on Brown with his numerous injuries and contract demands and Henry was in the doghouse after getting suspended and being ho-hum in 2005.White came to town out of shape, claimed lingering injuries, seemed somewhat unmotivated and undisciplined, and otherwise did nothing on his end to warrant more opportunity.Had White come to camp in shape, hungry for carries, and eager to take control of the starting RB job IMO he could have easily had the year Henry had or better (and thus would have been in that 50 player list I just rambled off).Unlike Lamont Jordan, White was not forced to take a back seat to Curtis Martin or Chester Taylor to Jamal Lewis. White had an excellent chance to win the job outright and did not.That being said, White could very easily have developed over the course of last year and could be productive this year and beyond. But he started his career off in a great spot to earn more opportunities and last year did not seize that opportunity.

 

[Titus Pullo]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

Maybe if he didn't get hurt so easy and often. Didn't he also show up to his workouts last year out of shape, and the same when he showed up to camps?

One year does not a career make. Here is a post I made last week:

Compare that to the rookie years of some other prominent RBs:Rudi Johnson - 0 yards on 0 carriesPriest Holmes - 0 yards on 0 carriesLarry Johnson - 85 yards on 20 carries (4.3 YPC)Deuce McAllister - 91 yards on 16 carries (5.7 YPC)Willie Parker - 186 yards on 32 carries (5.8 YPC)Brian Westbrook - 193 yards on 46 carries (4.2 YPC)Ahman Green - 209 yards on 35 carries (6.0 YPC)Shaun Alexander - 313 yards on 64 carries (4.9 YPC)Tiki Barber - 511 yards on 136 carries (3.8 YPC)You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you always expect greatness in a player's first year.White is exactly what he was last year. A good prospect with a decent chance to eventually become a productive starter.

Ofcourse. Any RB that starts off slow becuase of injuries and work ethic issues must be the next Holmes, Tiki, or Westbrook. This is fantastic statistical analysis.

 

[Guinis72]

If White was a fat, unmotivated, p.o.s. then wouldn't Chow have known that before the Titans drafted him??

 

[EBF]

I'm sorry but Brown was a healthy inactive all year last year with the exception of about 4 games.

I'm still missing the part where White "wowed" anyone last year.

It's tough to wow anyone when you only run the ball 61 times in a 16 week season.

Maybe if he didn't get hurt so easy and often. Didn't he also show up to his workouts last year out of shape, and the same when he showed up to camps?

One year does not a career make. Here is a post I made last week:

Compare that to the rookie years of some other prominent RBs:Rudi Johnson - 0 yards on 0 carriesPriest Holmes - 0 yards on 0 carriesLarry Johnson - 85 yards on 20 carries (4.3 YPC)Deuce McAllister - 91 yards on 16 carries (5.7 YPC)Willie Parker - 186 yards on 32 carries (5.8 YPC)Brian Westbrook - 193 yards on 46 carries (4.2 YPC)Ahman Green - 209 yards on 35 carries (6.0 YPC)Shaun Alexander - 313 yards on 64 carries (4.9 YPC)Tiki Barber - 511 yards on 136 carries (3.8 YPC)You're setting yourself up for disappointment if you always expect greatness in a player's first year.White is exactly what he was last year. A good prospect with a decent chance to eventually become a productive starter.

Ofcourse. Any RB that starts off slow becuase of injuries and work ethic issues must be the next Holmes, Tiki, or Westbrook. This is fantastic statistical analysis.

I must've missed the part where I made that conclusion.

 

[56]

What else are they going to say after letting Travis walk ? "We're up ##### creek?"

Fair point, except the Titans don't seem to be chasing after any of the free agent RBs, which is what I'd imagine they would be doing if they actually felt that way.

 

[David Yudkin]

What else are they going to say after letting Travis walk ? "We're up ##### creek?"

Fair point, except the Titans don't seem to be chasing after any of the free agent RBs, which is what I'd imagine they would be doing if they actually felt that way.

Well, they definitely chased after Travis Henry to keep him around but couldn't avaoid paying him a huge roster bonus and instead cut him. While they don't appear to be scrambling after some of the other FA running backs, they also are not proclaiming White as their bonafide starter either.

 

[redman]

What else are they going to say after letting Travis walk ? "We're up ##### creek?"

Fair point, except the Titans don't seem to be chasing after any of the free agent RBs, which is what I'd imagine they would be doing if they actually felt that way.

Well, they definitely chased after Travis Henry to keep him around but couldn't avaoid paying him a huge roster bonus and instead cut him. While they don't appear to be scrambling after some of the other FA running backs, they also are not proclaiming White as their bonafide starter either.

The Titans, if I'm not mistaken, could have easily accommodated that roster bonus under the cap given the space they have. They opted not to pay him and let him leave. Free agency isn't over, and they still have guys like Lewis and Rhodes out there to sign if they so desire. Still, I fail to see how the Titans' handling of this situation, at least in part, is anything but an implicit endorsement of White going forward.

 

[David Yudkin]

What else are they going to say after letting Travis walk ? "We're up ##### creek?"

Fair point, except the Titans don't seem to be chasing after any of the free agent RBs, which is what I'd imagine they would be doing if they actually felt that way.

Well, they definitely chased after Travis Henry to keep him around but couldn't avaoid paying him a huge roster bonus and instead cut him. While they don't appear to be scrambling after some of the other FA running backs, they also are not proclaiming White as their bonafide starter either.

The Titans, if I'm not mistaken, could have easily accommodated that roster bonus under the cap given the space they have. They opted not to pay him and let him leave. Free agency isn't over, and they still have guys like Lewis and Rhodes out there to sign if they so desire. Still, I fail to see how the Titans' handling of this situation, at least in part, is anything but an implicit endorsement of White going forward.

Henry was due an $8.3 million bonus and refused to budge. Now he is a Bronco. Obviously he had some value or he would not have been picked up that quickly.Sure, the Titans could have gotten away with blowing $8.3 mil on Henry but it probably was a wise move on their part. And nowhere did I see any team comments saying something to the effect" We're ready to roll with LenDale White and we have all the confidence in the world that he will be our workhorse back."

 

[TME]

Sure, the Titans could have gotten away with blowing $8.3 mil on Henry but it probably was a wise move on their part. And nowhere did I see any team comments saying something to the effect" We're ready to roll with LenDale White and we have all the confidence in the world that he will be our workhorse back."

How often do teams ever come out and make such an off season statement regarding the RB position? Yes, sometimes they do at QB to settle the off season waters and align the team, but at RB? Did the Pats say something when they cut Dillon loose? Did the Ravens say anything when they released Lewis? Have the Packers said anything? I think its rare when a team would come out and make such an off season RB statement.

Anyway, the RB cubbards are bare in TN. They need to add some backs regardless, so let them come in and compete. But, I do not think the lack of a verbal endorsements for White means anything. But, the action to let Henry go with essentially only White on the roster, does say something at least.

 

[salmonstud]

Trading for White currently is very risky given that the Titans are sure to add 1-2 RB's via free agency or the draft and White hasn't really done anything yet. If the Tenn acquires a McGahee/Jamal Lewis type RB or a day 1 RB....White's value will continue to be low until he shows something on the field. If the Titans take a day 2 RB late & sign a bottom tier RB via free agency for depth AND Lendale White shows up in shape and ready to work hard this Summer.....his value will shoot up like a rocket.

 

[Ministry of Pain]

LenDale White will be given the OPPORTUNITY to play a much larger role in the Titans run game.

1. They will not just have White on the roster. Whether they bring in a later round pick to carry part of the load, or they bring in a veteran they can sign on the cheap, there will still be cuts on June 1st, but I think it is safe to assume that minus a trade for someone like McGahee that they are planning to give White a significant increase over last season...200 carries would be a significant increase over 60 from last year.

2. With Vince Young at the QB spot I see a limited ceiling for whoever runs as the RB1 in TN. Young scrambles and will run for some of the TD the RB would get. I see a ceiling of about 8 TD tops for anyone the Titans deem their starter. The offense is going to be wrapped around VY, plain and simple.

3. I think White was drafted with the intent of being used a lot. he was awesome at USC but he had big holes to run through and after Bush would leave the field, defenses got the pleasure of being beaten over the head by this guy. He was Junior that came out IIRC, so he is really a year ahead of schedule and hopefully a strong offseason and a big wakeup call from last season will get him ready to hit the ground running.

White's outlook if everythign falls right...1,000 yds an 8 TD. That is pretty optimistic for right now.

 

[EBF]

White's outlook if everythign falls right...1,000 yds an 8 TD. That is pretty optimistic for right now.

That's an awfully low figure as a ceiling. Henry had 1,211 yards and 7 TDs in 14 games last season. If everything falls right, White should be able to match those totals.

 

[santo71]

2. With Vince Young at the QB spot I see a limited ceiling for whoever runs as the RB1 in TN. Young scrambles and will run for some of the TD the RB would get. I see a ceiling of about 8 TD tops for anyone the Titans deem their starter. The offense is going to be wrapped around VY, plain and simple.White's outlook if everythign falls right...1,000 yds an 8 TD. That is pretty optimistic for right now.

I don't know dude. I watched a lot of Texas football games where Vince and (insert RB name here- Jamal Charles, Cedric Benson, Selvin Young, etc.) both went off and mashed a team together. I think that's what makes Vince a really dangerous player. He gets his RBs involved quickly to take the pressure off him allowing both of them to go off. I can't say I see a lot more than what you predict this year, but once that O really gets rolling in 2008/9, I'm not sure what the ceiling is.