There have been several comments on Total Titans recently saying Tennessee shouldn’t keep three quarterbacks on the roster this year. Some good points have been made and some good reasons provided.
The most obvious is that keeping three QBs takes a roster spot away from an extra special teams player. Guys like Colin Allred, Josh Stamer, Rocky Boiman, Tuff Harris and Nick Schommer are trying to make the back end of the roster based on their special teams contributions. Keeping a third QB leaves one less spot available for those players, who sometimes make the difference in a game.
I’d like to look at the other side of the argument now.
Keeping three quarterbacks is nothing new, it’s been done in the NFL for years, even when rosters were much smaller. The Titans have had their share of three-QB rosters, most notably the McNair-O’Donnell-Volek trio for a couple of years. Since then, they’ve gone both ways, with two and with three.
Now let’s look ahead to the next offseason. In February, the Titans will have 37-year old Kerry Collins and four-year veteran Vince Young, who will be due a huge bonus if he remains. If Vince doesn’t have a great 2009 season, he’ll be released, a victim of his own good fortune. And with a very good offensive line protecting Collins, Young may not get many chances this year to extend his stay.
So if Vince is gone, that only leaves Collins, which is one reason you keep Patrick Ramsey now. Without Ramsey on the roster, you could go into next year with just Collins and no one in reserve.
Jeff Fisher recently said the Titans would probably keep three quarterbacks this year. He said it wasn’t etched in stone but it was chalked in.
How much of that is because of Young’s situation next year is a matter of speculation. And you could speculate on other reasons as well.
When the roster is cut to 53 men on Saturday, we’ll find out if Patrick Ramsey will be the Titans’ #3 quarterback.
What’s your opinion? Two or three QBs, and why?
News update: Jonathan Hutton has reported that the Titans will give a workout and physical tomorrow to former Jaguars WR Matt Jones.
Total Titans 
September 3, 2009 at 11:13 AM |
Andrew, can you find where “Jeff Fisher recently said the Titans would probably keep three quarterbacks this year.” I missed that. The closest I have seen is when he was asked earlier this week if he would be comfortable keeping three QBs on the roster and he replied that he’d like to keep four. This was the same press conference where he gave Ramsey the glowing endorsement “I think Pay can play in this league.” The last time I heard that was just before someone was cut.
September 3, 2009 at 11:14 AM |
Your scenario would only work if you could see Ramsey as taking over for KC. I don’t time to get what we can for Vince, I still think a 1st rounder from a desperate team (i.e. the Texans when Schaubb goes down sometime this season – a given) or maybe KC with Cassell going down. Even a 2nd would be great.
Then draft KC’s replacement and try to upgrade the #2 with any journeyman. Ramsey if he’s available or anyone else would work. There are a ton of Patrick Ramsey’s around not worth keeping. I hope VY gets a lot of time against GB tonight and hopefully we can get up big in some games to further show case him.
September 3, 2009 at 2:24 PM |
I think Ramsey is a lock to make the team. Vince has been much more mature in dealing with the media, and has shown flashes of becoming a solid passer. But with last year’s situation fresh in the minds of Fisher & co, there’s no way that they keep two. They’ll keep stating that Vince is the unequivocal #2, and he will be. But they don’t want to be caught with their pants down if Collins gets injured and Vince again decides that he doesn’t want to go back in the game.
September 3, 2009 at 2:25 PM |
That was “I think PAT can play in this league…” I don’t think they’ve taken to calling Ramsey “Pay” just yet.
September 3, 2009 at 2:56 PM |
Garland, Fisher said that on the radio about a week or two ago.
Alvin, I don’t see Ramsey taking over for Collins, just being his backup. Hopefully, the Titans will draft a QB next year and he, not Collins or Ramsey, would be the QB of the future.
Bob, I believe you are exactly right.
Thanks again for reading and commenting.
September 3, 2009 at 5:08 PM |
To Alvin’s point, Ramsey is your run-of-the-mill, dime-a-dozen, used-to-start-but-isnt-really-good-enough kind of QB you can pick up off the street at any time. There is no need to keep him around to backup Collins next year if VY flames out. That’s wasting a roster spot for 1) something that is not likely to happen and 2) something that could easily be handled just as easily by other means.