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Reinfeldt addressed a variety of questions from Rotary Club members, including subjects relating to free agency, the team’s roster, and how the Titans are approaching this coming season.
Hired by the Titans last year, Reinfeldt is entering his 28 th NFL season in 2008. The former All-Pro safety for the Houston Oilers has built an impressive resume during his career in sports, including 22 years of experience as a front office executive and another nine as an NFL player.
In his 15 years split between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, the teams he was associated with won a combined six division titles, made 10 playoff appearances, four NFC Championship Game appearances, three Super Bowl appearances, one world title, amassed 12 winning seasons and 142 regular season wins.
In Reinfeldt's first season in Tennesseee, the Titans went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Now, Reinfeldt and his staff are gearing up for the NFL Draft, which he believes is the key mechanism in building a successful NFL roster.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Will you be active in the free agent market going forward?
REINFELDT: We will probably not be big players in free agency. There is a reason we chose to be that way. I think the way to build a team in the NFL is through the draft. Get the young players at a premium — the really good players — and get your core players. We want to get 10 or 12 special guys and hold on to those guys. Whether franchising them or doing long term deals early, you need to have a group of 10 or 12 players that are your special guys. What happens in free agency is players that usually aren't those kind of guys are the ones that get out. They are good players, but they are not great players. What you see in free agency is good players get great money. What happens then is you have a locker room where your core players make less than those guys that they know they are better than. It’s not the right way to build a club long term. We will do some things in free agency. We’ll help ourselves and get through some areas, but unless we get the special guy, the guy that can make a difference, the guy that can get us over the hump, I wouldn’t see us being big players in free agency. At the same time, I can tell you that if you do get that special guy, I was fortunate enough to be with the Green Bay Pacers in 1993 when Reggie White came out in the first year of free agency and we signed him. He was the right guy in the locker room, on the field, and media-wise he was wonderful. Two years later we were in the Super Bowl, so it’s interesting how you play it. You see all these big huge deals where people waste money and they grab a lot of media attention, but I’m not sure at the end of the day if they were better than they were before. That is probably how we are going to play free agency going forward.
Q: What are you going to do to improve the offense this season?
REINFELDT: I think that that leads to my statement of free agency. It would be great if there were two great wide receivers or a super running back we could go get in free agency. Those guys really aren’t out there. Randy Moss was out there, but there are other reasons why he might not have been the right guy to bring in. So what we’ll have to do is a combination of things. I think signing Alge Crumpler, the tight end from Atlanta, is part of that equation. We may do some additional things to that with a running back: a third down running back, a playmaking back that can run draws or screens or those kinds of things. I think Mike Heimerdinger will help as offensive coordinator. He worked a lot with the Titans in the past and he is excited. It’s going to be a combination of fixing three or four things, quite honestly.
Q: Are the Titans trying to develop Vince Young as a pocket passer or take advantage of his God-given abilities?
REINFELDT: That is one of the realizations that we came to this offseason. He does so many things so special — the bootlegs, the roll-outs, and his ability to run the ball that we have to take advantage of it. That’s what’s going to make him special. He can do the pocket passer stuff, but for him to be really special, we have to kind of turn him loose. To the earlier question about the offense, that’s part of it, too. We have to kind of turn him loose, let him be the quarterback and the athlete that he can be.
Q: We saw two Vince Youngs: The 2006 version and the 2007 version. Was he hurt in 2007?
REINFELDT: He got a little nicked up in 2007, but I think part of it was he might have taken some criticism about not being a pocket passer. He kind of focused on that and tried to get that part of the game down and he kind of got away from what he does best — the roll-outs, the boots and all those kind of things, so hopefully what you see in 2008 is an even better version.
Q: How does the offensive line look for the upcoming season?
REINFELDT: The important thing about our offensive line is that we have two tackles in Michael Roos and David Stewart that are both excellent young players, and that’s where it all starts. They are both entering their fourth year. One of the things we’ll try to do this off-season is get them signed long-term. We’ve already had discussions with their agents to try to get that going. Kevin Mawae will be back. He is under contract. Eugene Amano did a nice job filling in for us last year. Benji Olson may retire. He’s had a wonderful career here, but it was hard for him to get through practice last year. There were days he couldn’t do it and just struggled. That’s something he needs to weigh for himself to deem what is the appropriate thing. We also saw Daniel Loper step in during the playoff game and really not miss a beat. We also have Leroy Harris, our fourth-round draft pick last year who wasn’t active, but has a chance to be a really special player at guard or center. He was the second center taken in the draft, and Mike Munchak, our offensive line coach, is enthusiastic about seeing him play. That entire position will still be a strength of ours.
Q: Where do you see depth and value at various positions in the upcoming NFL Draft?
REINFELDT: We have eight college scouts that go out and scout every player in the country. They put grades on each player. We actually do it with software now and put every player up on a big grid so you can look at all the wide receivers, the offensive tackles, the running backs. Those are three positions that are very, very deep – the running backs, wide receivers and offensive tackle. Now you get to other positions like linebacker and safety, it’s amazing how few there are. But if you’re a team looking for a running back, they come in all sizes. There are big power guys and nifty guys. Whatever kind you want, there will be lots of running backs. I could probably see 15 of them taken in the first three rounds. There are lots of offensive tackles and a pretty good crop of defensive ends as well.
Q: What happens when there are differences in the decision process on players on draft day?
REINFELDT: Let’s say there is half of the room that wants one player and the other half wants the other player. We do a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios. We walk things through, and even last year there was a group of players that we liked and asked, ‘what if these two guys are available, or what if these two guys are available?’ We talked through all of the different scenarios and did a pretty good job of coming to a consensus and talking through it, which is a big part of the process. The other thing is you look at alternative scenarios. For example, if you’re not sure, do you drop down or move up in the round? There are other ways to do it. And ultimately if we reached a situation where we couldn’t collectively decide, I think we would lean on Mr. Adams to give his thoughts, too.
Q: How do you view the team’s receiving corps, and what are your thoughts on Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams?
REINFELDT: We actually have a number of guys on our roster that have had fairly productive careers, including Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams. What’s their future? The future is they’re both perfectly healthy now and they’re both talented. One was a third-round pick, one was a fourth-round pick. What they need to do is stay healthy. They’re ready to go. They are as talented as any other receivers you could pick up in the open market now that you would pay five or six times for. Both Brandon and Roydell are as talented as those guys. I think Brandon probably has to be more consistent and Roydell has to stay healthy.
Q: Who will you be looking for at wide receiver in the draft?
REINFELDT: That process is still on-going right now, obviously. There are a number of good guys and we’ve had them all scouted from the college season so there’s a pretty good understanding of what their grades are. We saw them at the combine, and what we’ll do now is go to their individual workouts at each college to gain further perspective. We’ll probably bring the top four or five guys into Nashville to visit with them, take a day and have them sit down with all of the coaches to really get a better understanding of how they can mentally cope with the game. There are four or five that are pretty good players and will be pretty high picks. It’s a matter of finding the right fit for us.
Q: Why has the team had difficulties at the wide receiver position, and why is it difficult to place a value on that position in the draft?
REINFELDT: We’ve spent a lot of time talking about this because if you look at the wide receiver position, it’s amazing how many high-round draft picks haven’t done well. These guys are gifted, they’re big, they’re strong and they can catch the ball. One of the reasons we think so many wide receivers have struggled is just the difference in the college and pro game. In the college game it’s very simple — you do this no matter what. When you come to the pros, you’re doing audibles, sight adjustments, you’re changing your routes based on the coverage, you’ve got to have your head up, and within two steps you have to know whether you’re running a 12-yard in, a 12-yard out or if you’re just going up the field. Part of it is the mental part and how they handle change and how quick they can think on their feet. That’s why we spend a lot of time interviewing the wide receivers to get a better understanding of how they will adjust.
Q: Did the Titans have interest in a Randy Moss or Donte Stallworth?
REINFELDT: Part of Moss has to do with the fact that he’s had some issues in the past and how he would fit in with the youth of our team. When he went to New England there was great debate as to how well he would do there, but he was going to a team that had won the Super Bowl and he kind of adhered to the rest of the team. We’re not sure how that would have all worked here. Donte Stallworth is an interesting guy. We had some interest there, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.
Q: Would the team consider drafting Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett?
REINFELDT: He had a very good combine, he ran fast. He’s a very productive guy. He’s a guy we would have interest in at some point. I can’t really tell you how high he’ll go, but he’s an interesting guy because he’s been so productive year-in and year-out. I think in our perfect world we might like a guy with more speed. We think we need that speed element and I’m not quite sure he brings the element we’re looking for, but at the same time, he’s a very, very good player.
Q: Why did the team lose Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy in free agency?
REINFELDT: It’s interesting because they both had really good years for us. They’ve both been bothered somewhat throughout their careers by injuries or being inconsistent. It’s funny because when I came here a year ago everybody said we had to draft a defensive end in the first round of last year, and little did we know we actually had those two guys on our roster that were both very capable guys. We wanted to retain them, but the issue was we placed a certain value on them and even went above our value, but we still needed to keep in mind where they fit in the locker room and how valuable they were to us. We made offers to them, but there were limits on how high we would go.
Q: Were you surprised how much money Randy Starks was able to get in the free agent market?
REINFELDT: Randy Starks was kind of our third tackle and played about a third of the plays for us. Miami signed him at $4 million per year. We were not interested in $4 million per year. He lined up and played and he’s still only 24 years old. I think they’re hoping they can use him in a different scheme and find a way to make him more effective. I was talking to his agent and his comment was that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ so I think they’re very happy with that signing and we’ll see how it works out.
Q: Does the team have any interest in Jevon Kearse?
REINFELDT: He had a fabulous career here and Philadelphia recently released him. What we’ll have to do is look at his medical status and see where he is on that front. It’s interesting because in hindsight when Philly signed him, what he does really isn’t the kind of defensive end they’re looking for. They want a guy who plays the run more. We’re looking for more of a pass-rushing guy. So he still has interest and he’s a guy we may look at.
Q: How far away is the roster from being where you want it to be?
REINFELDT: We’re not that far away. It differs a little bit week to week, but we’ve got some core guys and if we can get two, three, maybe four more guys, I think we can get to where we need to be.
Q: How is Chris Hope recovering from his spinal cord injury suffered last season?
REINFELDT: Chris is coming along very well. His surgery went very well and he’ll actually be able to take part in the minicamps on time. He should be perfectly normal without any residual effect whatsoever.
Q: Will there be any changes in strategy based on the changeover in defensive personnel?
REINFELDT: The defense was very effective last year and we’ll try to continue what we were doing. I think Michael Griffin coming in really helped us at the end of the season. With Coach Fisher, you know he’s going to want to run the ball, play tough defense and win a lot of games in the fourth quarter. That’s been a very successful formula for him.
Q: Having worked for teams in the NFC and AFC, have you noticed a difference in how each conference approaches thins?
REINFELDT: I was with Green Bay and Seattle in the NFC and with the Raiders, Oilers and Titans in the AFC. There’s not a great deal of difference. The biggest adjustment for me coming here was that I was with a team that ran a west coast offense. With Mike Holmgren it was pass first, run second. Coming here and watching how we play has been a huge eye opener for me. Also, even the tempo in practice. In Seattle, we were such a finesse team and we would have practices where every pass was caught. Here, we go hard all the time in practice. It’s kind of old fashion football, good tough football. That’s been the biggest change I’ve noticed — the west coach vs. more of a traditional offense. The fascinating thing about each of the clubs is that with 32 different owners, we’re all in the same business, we’re all partners, but we’re all set up differently, it’s all organized differently and it’s however the owner deems he wants to do it. You have 32 unique business structures in place, and you can see that some seem to work a little bit better than the others, without saying any more than that.
Q: What is the Titans’ relationship with Floyd Reese like now that he no longer works there?
REINFELDT: I think he’s still a friend of the Titans. ESPN has been a good thing for him. Floyd was in the NFL for a long time and he has a lot of great insights to offer. He’s certainly an ally and one that’s very valuable to us.
Q: How would you compare former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to current Commissioner Roger Goodell?
REINFELDT: Commissioner Tagliabue did a great job of bringing labor peace to the NFL. He had certain visions and did a wonderful job of bringing labor peace, the new stadiums and growing the NFL as a whole. Roger has inherited the NFL to a certain point, and I think now he’s really concerned with the integrity of the game. That’s a focus of his and will continue to be his focus. He’s spent 25 years in the league and that’s very important.
Q: How has the steroids issue in baseball affected the NFL?
REINFELDT: I think the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association are both much more proactive and get after the issue. We’ve tested for lots of things for a long time. We do have a program in place and you saw players this year get suspended. I think the league realized early on that it was important for the integrity of the league and they’ve tried to keep that in line. It’s to the point now where you have to give the player’s association credit because they’ve approached it the same way with the integrity of the players and the integrity of the game is important to both sides.
Q: What it is like to work with Mr. Adams?
REINFELDT: Mr. Adams has been a wonderful owner. I talk to him frequently and try to keep him abreast of things. Jeff (Fisher) and I both talk to him and go through things with him. He’s very supportive. It’s interesting because he’s owned the team for so long and been through so many different scenarios. At the same time, he’s very good at delegating authority to the people he’s hired. He’s been a wonderful owner.
Q: What do you think about the relationship between Nashville and the Titans?
REINFELDT: As you know, I am relatively new here, and I can’t tell you how pleased we are to be in Nashville. From everything that I’ve heard and experienced, the relationship is wonderful and I think everything has worked the way that it’s supposed to. It’s people working together; its people wanting the same things and realizing those things. I think that the relationship between the city, the team, and the state has been fabulous.
Reinfeldt addressed a variety of questions from Rotary Club members, including subjects relating to free agency, the team’s roster, and how the Titans are approaching this coming season.
Hired by the Titans last year, Reinfeldt is entering his 28 th NFL season in 2008. The former All-Pro safety for the Houston Oilers has built an impressive resume during his career in sports, including 22 years of experience as a front office executive and another nine as an NFL player.
In his 15 years split between the Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers, the teams he was associated with won a combined six division titles, made 10 playoff appearances, four NFC Championship Game appearances, three Super Bowl appearances, one world title, amassed 12 winning seasons and 142 regular season wins.
In Reinfeldt's first season in Tennesseee, the Titans went 10-6 and made the playoffs for the first time in four years. Now, Reinfeldt and his staff are gearing up for the NFL Draft, which he believes is the key mechanism in building a successful NFL roster.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Q: Will you be active in the free agent market going forward?
REINFELDT: We will probably not be big players in free agency. There is a reason we chose to be that way. I think the way to build a team in the NFL is through the draft. Get the young players at a premium — the really good players — and get your core players. We want to get 10 or 12 special guys and hold on to those guys. Whether franchising them or doing long term deals early, you need to have a group of 10 or 12 players that are your special guys. What happens in free agency is players that usually aren't those kind of guys are the ones that get out. They are good players, but they are not great players. What you see in free agency is good players get great money. What happens then is you have a locker room where your core players make less than those guys that they know they are better than. It’s not the right way to build a club long term. We will do some things in free agency. We’ll help ourselves and get through some areas, but unless we get the special guy, the guy that can make a difference, the guy that can get us over the hump, I wouldn’t see us being big players in free agency. At the same time, I can tell you that if you do get that special guy, I was fortunate enough to be with the Green Bay Pacers in 1993 when Reggie White came out in the first year of free agency and we signed him. He was the right guy in the locker room, on the field, and media-wise he was wonderful. Two years later we were in the Super Bowl, so it’s interesting how you play it. You see all these big huge deals where people waste money and they grab a lot of media attention, but I’m not sure at the end of the day if they were better than they were before. That is probably how we are going to play free agency going forward.
Q: What are you going to do to improve the offense this season?
REINFELDT: I think that that leads to my statement of free agency. It would be great if there were two great wide receivers or a super running back we could go get in free agency. Those guys really aren’t out there. Randy Moss was out there, but there are other reasons why he might not have been the right guy to bring in. So what we’ll have to do is a combination of things. I think signing Alge Crumpler, the tight end from Atlanta, is part of that equation. We may do some additional things to that with a running back: a third down running back, a playmaking back that can run draws or screens or those kinds of things. I think Mike Heimerdinger will help as offensive coordinator. He worked a lot with the Titans in the past and he is excited. It’s going to be a combination of fixing three or four things, quite honestly.
Q: Are the Titans trying to develop Vince Young as a pocket passer or take advantage of his God-given abilities?
REINFELDT: That is one of the realizations that we came to this offseason. He does so many things so special — the bootlegs, the roll-outs, and his ability to run the ball that we have to take advantage of it. That’s what’s going to make him special. He can do the pocket passer stuff, but for him to be really special, we have to kind of turn him loose. To the earlier question about the offense, that’s part of it, too. We have to kind of turn him loose, let him be the quarterback and the athlete that he can be.
Q: We saw two Vince Youngs: The 2006 version and the 2007 version. Was he hurt in 2007?
REINFELDT: He got a little nicked up in 2007, but I think part of it was he might have taken some criticism about not being a pocket passer. He kind of focused on that and tried to get that part of the game down and he kind of got away from what he does best — the roll-outs, the boots and all those kind of things, so hopefully what you see in 2008 is an even better version.
Q: How does the offensive line look for the upcoming season?
REINFELDT: The important thing about our offensive line is that we have two tackles in Michael Roos and David Stewart that are both excellent young players, and that’s where it all starts. They are both entering their fourth year. One of the things we’ll try to do this off-season is get them signed long-term. We’ve already had discussions with their agents to try to get that going. Kevin Mawae will be back. He is under contract. Eugene Amano did a nice job filling in for us last year. Benji Olson may retire. He’s had a wonderful career here, but it was hard for him to get through practice last year. There were days he couldn’t do it and just struggled. That’s something he needs to weigh for himself to deem what is the appropriate thing. We also saw Daniel Loper step in during the playoff game and really not miss a beat. We also have Leroy Harris, our fourth-round draft pick last year who wasn’t active, but has a chance to be a really special player at guard or center. He was the second center taken in the draft, and Mike Munchak, our offensive line coach, is enthusiastic about seeing him play. That entire position will still be a strength of ours.
Q: Where do you see depth and value at various positions in the upcoming NFL Draft?
REINFELDT: We have eight college scouts that go out and scout every player in the country. They put grades on each player. We actually do it with software now and put every player up on a big grid so you can look at all the wide receivers, the offensive tackles, the running backs. Those are three positions that are very, very deep – the running backs, wide receivers and offensive tackle. Now you get to other positions like linebacker and safety, it’s amazing how few there are. But if you’re a team looking for a running back, they come in all sizes. There are big power guys and nifty guys. Whatever kind you want, there will be lots of running backs. I could probably see 15 of them taken in the first three rounds. There are lots of offensive tackles and a pretty good crop of defensive ends as well.
Q: What happens when there are differences in the decision process on players on draft day?
REINFELDT: Let’s say there is half of the room that wants one player and the other half wants the other player. We do a lot of ‘what if’ scenarios. We walk things through, and even last year there was a group of players that we liked and asked, ‘what if these two guys are available, or what if these two guys are available?’ We talked through all of the different scenarios and did a pretty good job of coming to a consensus and talking through it, which is a big part of the process. The other thing is you look at alternative scenarios. For example, if you’re not sure, do you drop down or move up in the round? There are other ways to do it. And ultimately if we reached a situation where we couldn’t collectively decide, I think we would lean on Mr. Adams to give his thoughts, too.
Q: How do you view the team’s receiving corps, and what are your thoughts on Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams?
REINFELDT: We actually have a number of guys on our roster that have had fairly productive careers, including Brandon Jones and Roydell Williams. What’s their future? The future is they’re both perfectly healthy now and they’re both talented. One was a third-round pick, one was a fourth-round pick. What they need to do is stay healthy. They’re ready to go. They are as talented as any other receivers you could pick up in the open market now that you would pay five or six times for. Both Brandon and Roydell are as talented as those guys. I think Brandon probably has to be more consistent and Roydell has to stay healthy.
Q: Who will you be looking for at wide receiver in the draft?
REINFELDT: That process is still on-going right now, obviously. There are a number of good guys and we’ve had them all scouted from the college season so there’s a pretty good understanding of what their grades are. We saw them at the combine, and what we’ll do now is go to their individual workouts at each college to gain further perspective. We’ll probably bring the top four or five guys into Nashville to visit with them, take a day and have them sit down with all of the coaches to really get a better understanding of how they can mentally cope with the game. There are four or five that are pretty good players and will be pretty high picks. It’s a matter of finding the right fit for us.
Q: Why has the team had difficulties at the wide receiver position, and why is it difficult to place a value on that position in the draft?
REINFELDT: We’ve spent a lot of time talking about this because if you look at the wide receiver position, it’s amazing how many high-round draft picks haven’t done well. These guys are gifted, they’re big, they’re strong and they can catch the ball. One of the reasons we think so many wide receivers have struggled is just the difference in the college and pro game. In the college game it’s very simple — you do this no matter what. When you come to the pros, you’re doing audibles, sight adjustments, you’re changing your routes based on the coverage, you’ve got to have your head up, and within two steps you have to know whether you’re running a 12-yard in, a 12-yard out or if you’re just going up the field. Part of it is the mental part and how they handle change and how quick they can think on their feet. That’s why we spend a lot of time interviewing the wide receivers to get a better understanding of how they will adjust.
Q: Did the Titans have interest in a Randy Moss or Donte Stallworth?
REINFELDT: Part of Moss has to do with the fact that he’s had some issues in the past and how he would fit in with the youth of our team. When he went to New England there was great debate as to how well he would do there, but he was going to a team that had won the Super Bowl and he kind of adhered to the rest of the team. We’re not sure how that would have all worked here. Donte Stallworth is an interesting guy. We had some interest there, but unfortunately it didn’t work out.
Q: Would the team consider drafting Vanderbilt wide receiver Earl Bennett?
REINFELDT: He had a very good combine, he ran fast. He’s a very productive guy. He’s a guy we would have interest in at some point. I can’t really tell you how high he’ll go, but he’s an interesting guy because he’s been so productive year-in and year-out. I think in our perfect world we might like a guy with more speed. We think we need that speed element and I’m not quite sure he brings the element we’re looking for, but at the same time, he’s a very, very good player.
Q: Why did the team lose Antwan Odom and Travis LaBoy in free agency?
REINFELDT: It’s interesting because they both had really good years for us. They’ve both been bothered somewhat throughout their careers by injuries or being inconsistent. It’s funny because when I came here a year ago everybody said we had to draft a defensive end in the first round of last year, and little did we know we actually had those two guys on our roster that were both very capable guys. We wanted to retain them, but the issue was we placed a certain value on them and even went above our value, but we still needed to keep in mind where they fit in the locker room and how valuable they were to us. We made offers to them, but there were limits on how high we would go.
Q: Were you surprised how much money Randy Starks was able to get in the free agent market?
REINFELDT: Randy Starks was kind of our third tackle and played about a third of the plays for us. Miami signed him at $4 million per year. We were not interested in $4 million per year. He lined up and played and he’s still only 24 years old. I think they’re hoping they can use him in a different scheme and find a way to make him more effective. I was talking to his agent and his comment was that ‘one man’s trash is another man’s treasure,’ so I think they’re very happy with that signing and we’ll see how it works out.
Q: Does the team have any interest in Jevon Kearse?
REINFELDT: He had a fabulous career here and Philadelphia recently released him. What we’ll have to do is look at his medical status and see where he is on that front. It’s interesting because in hindsight when Philly signed him, what he does really isn’t the kind of defensive end they’re looking for. They want a guy who plays the run more. We’re looking for more of a pass-rushing guy. So he still has interest and he’s a guy we may look at.
Q: How far away is the roster from being where you want it to be?
REINFELDT: We’re not that far away. It differs a little bit week to week, but we’ve got some core guys and if we can get two, three, maybe four more guys, I think we can get to where we need to be.
Q: How is Chris Hope recovering from his spinal cord injury suffered last season?
REINFELDT: Chris is coming along very well. His surgery went very well and he’ll actually be able to take part in the minicamps on time. He should be perfectly normal without any residual effect whatsoever.
Q: Will there be any changes in strategy based on the changeover in defensive personnel?
REINFELDT: The defense was very effective last year and we’ll try to continue what we were doing. I think Michael Griffin coming in really helped us at the end of the season. With Coach Fisher, you know he’s going to want to run the ball, play tough defense and win a lot of games in the fourth quarter. That’s been a very successful formula for him.
Q: Having worked for teams in the NFC and AFC, have you noticed a difference in how each conference approaches thins?
REINFELDT: I was with Green Bay and Seattle in the NFC and with the Raiders, Oilers and Titans in the AFC. There’s not a great deal of difference. The biggest adjustment for me coming here was that I was with a team that ran a west coast offense. With Mike Holmgren it was pass first, run second. Coming here and watching how we play has been a huge eye opener for me. Also, even the tempo in practice. In Seattle, we were such a finesse team and we would have practices where every pass was caught. Here, we go hard all the time in practice. It’s kind of old fashion football, good tough football. That’s been the biggest change I’ve noticed — the west coach vs. more of a traditional offense. The fascinating thing about each of the clubs is that with 32 different owners, we’re all in the same business, we’re all partners, but we’re all set up differently, it’s all organized differently and it’s however the owner deems he wants to do it. You have 32 unique business structures in place, and you can see that some seem to work a little bit better than the others, without saying any more than that.
Q: What is the Titans’ relationship with Floyd Reese like now that he no longer works there?
REINFELDT: I think he’s still a friend of the Titans. ESPN has been a good thing for him. Floyd was in the NFL for a long time and he has a lot of great insights to offer. He’s certainly an ally and one that’s very valuable to us.
Q: How would you compare former NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue to current Commissioner Roger Goodell?
REINFELDT: Commissioner Tagliabue did a great job of bringing labor peace to the NFL. He had certain visions and did a wonderful job of bringing labor peace, the new stadiums and growing the NFL as a whole. Roger has inherited the NFL to a certain point, and I think now he’s really concerned with the integrity of the game. That’s a focus of his and will continue to be his focus. He’s spent 25 years in the league and that’s very important.
Q: How has the steroids issue in baseball affected the NFL?
REINFELDT: I think the NFL and the NFL Player’s Association are both much more proactive and get after the issue. We’ve tested for lots of things for a long time. We do have a program in place and you saw players this year get suspended. I think the league realized early on that it was important for the integrity of the league and they’ve tried to keep that in line. It’s to the point now where you have to give the player’s association credit because they’ve approached it the same way with the integrity of the players and the integrity of the game is important to both sides.
Q: What it is like to work with Mr. Adams?
REINFELDT: Mr. Adams has been a wonderful owner. I talk to him frequently and try to keep him abreast of things. Jeff (Fisher) and I both talk to him and go through things with him. He’s very supportive. It’s interesting because he’s owned the team for so long and been through so many different scenarios. At the same time, he’s very good at delegating authority to the people he’s hired. He’s been a wonderful owner.
Q: What do you think about the relationship between Nashville and the Titans?
REINFELDT: As you know, I am relatively new here, and I can’t tell you how pleased we are to be in Nashville. From everything that I’ve heard and experienced, the relationship is wonderful and I think everything has worked the way that it’s supposed to. It’s people working together; its people wanting the same things and realizing those things. I think that the relationship between the city, the team, and the state has been fabulous.
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