FanHouse AlgeCrumpler

Rookie receivers traditionally have one of the toughest transitions to life in the NFL, topped only it seems by quarterbacks. With that in mind, it seems pretty clear that Kenny Britt, the Titans' first round pick, will not start the season as a key part of the team's offense.

That will be Justin Gage and Nate Washington's job, and even they will have to fight for attention with tight ends Alge Crumpler and Bo Scaife snagging a lot of the move the chains stuff.

LenDale White is the heavyset chap who puts the "mash" in "Smash and Dash." On Saturday, he saw extended playing time due to a second-quarter Chris Johnson injury, and, well, let's just say he was underwhelming.

White fumbled on the Ravens' 15-yard line late in the first half, and he managed just 45 yards on 15 carries for the day. He's not the sole reason Tennessee's season is now over -- Alge Crumpler's fumble was arguably more back-breaking, and the defense had two huge lapses that resulted in 10 points -- but White's three-year career can kindly be described as disappointing.

Part of the problem has been attitude, but the bigger issue has been his commitment. White has routinely shown up for offseason workouts looking more like Albert Haynesworth's stunt double than an NFL running back. Apparently, entering your contract year changes your perspective. Or maybe White's just tired of being chubby. Either way, he's taking the 2009 season seriously.

Two things were proven in yesterday's clash of defense-first football teams. The Titans might be better than we first thought and the Ravens might be a little more scrappy than initially projected.

Tennessee outlasted Baltimore yesterday 13-10 in a game that saw four interceptions, two quarterback ratings in the low 50s and no running back or receiver eclipsing the 100-yard mark. The Ravens did what they have been doing for years while the Titans are getting used to this "simplify the offense, let the defense strut their stuff" mentality that appears to be working to perfection.

Titans center Kevin Mawae, who said he is getting really sick of all the paparazzi outside his house on a daily basis, said after the game that it was all they really needed to continue their unbeaten streak.

"I think it shows the character of this team, from the young guys to the most veteran guys," Mawae said. "It wasn't pretty, but we made the plays when we needed to and we won the game."

Training camps are underway, the NFL season is right around the corner, and to get you ready for 2008, FanHouse previews all 32 teams, "heat index" style. We'll rate each club in 10 categories on a scale of 1 to 10, high score wins.

Quarterback: If you can say with certainty that you know whether Vince Young is going to take a big leap forward this year, or stumble into mediocrity, I want to hear your stock tips. The Titans say they're happy with the way Young has improved his drops and his accuracy during training camp--we just haven't seen much of it in games. Kerry Collins is a very solid backup, but with the group of receivers these two are going to have to throw to, it's hard to know how much blame they deserve if the passing game struggles. Heat Index: 5.

Michael Vick has had a tough 12 months. He's been accused and convicted of puppy murder in the first degree, and it has recently come to light that he's broke. Even though, you know, he had earned more than $20 million in guaranteed loot.

Well, things are looking up for Mr. Mexico: in addition to possibly have a post-incarceration job lined up, he's also had some visitors. And not just the leeches looking for a loan, but important people. Like former Falcons tight end Alge Crumpler, for example.

Crumpler revealed that he visited with former Falcons quarterback Michael Vick in prison in Leavenworth, Kan., just before the start of training camp....

"I visited Mike right before camp, and I had a chance to sit down with him and talk with him about a lot of things dealing with life," Crumpler said. "I tried not talk too much about football, but just what's going to happen when he gets out eventually and just being there in support of him, as I've been. This is a situation where I could go and sit down with a guy and not have to worry about telling the world."

Two games into the preseason, it's pretty clear that the Titans running game is in good shape, and there's little reason to worry about the defense. But it's fair to ask when the Titans passing game is going to make its first appearance.

If you were looking for Vince Young to build off of his uneven 2008 opener, you're still waiting. Young looked worse this week, bouncing passes to some receivers and overthrowing others. When it was over, he was a pretty brutal 4-for-13 for 37 yards. Actually that's the good news, as those stats don't fully tell the story--as the game went on, Young got worse and worse. He started out going 3-for-3 with a sack on his first four pass plays, then went 1-for-10 over the remainder of his short stay on the field. On third downs he was 1-for-5 with no first downs.

Now this isn't all Young's fault. As Kerry Collins' 4-for-15 follow-up showed, part of the problem is that the Titans have won of the worst receiving corps in the league. Presumed starters Justin McCareins and Justin Gage combined for one catch for 18 yards, and Brandon Jones was shutout. Tight end Alge Crumpler is supposed to be Vince Young's new security blanket--he has two catches for 12 yards in two games.

Hear that? It's the pitter-patter of fantasy football season approaching. Fantasy FanHouse is here to get you ready by previewing every team from a fantasy perspective.

Meet The ...
Only team that rivals watching paint dry in the boredom department. The Titans likely hate fantasy football. They definitely hate the pass. Their 543 rushing attempts last year led the NFL, even though they averaged a subpar 3.9 yards per carry. Only four teams threw the ball less often, and they were the only team in the entire league that threw less than 10 TD passes. I'm bored just thinking about this offense as I type. So they did the only rational thing to do in the off-season ... shore up the run game while nearly ignoring the passing situation. Yeah, they added tight end Alge Crumpler -- a 30 year-old TE who endured a rough 2007 in easily the worst season of his career. Still, the team virtually ignored wideouts in the off-season, fully content on letting Justin Gage and Roydell Williams being the top two with an absymal supporting cast. Instead, they used their first round pick on speedster RB Chris Johnson. Do you really believe them when they say they wanna pass more?

Alge Crumpler was one of five Atlanta Falcons players fined last year for violating the NFL's uniform policy by wearing messages in support of their imprisoned teammate Michael Vick during a game.

But while Crumpler has signed with the Titans, he hasn't given up on that fight. In an interview on ESPN2 today, Crumpler was asked about that fine and said, "I'm still trying to get my money back."

Crumpler said he supports Vick because, "Everyone's attacking him and they don't know the inner person, the true Michael Vick."

Some would argue that the true Michael Vick is the one who got his entertainment from killing dogs and then tried to make his cousin take the fall for his crimes, but no matter who's right about that, Crumpler's fine was for having a personal message on his uniform, and that's a strict NFL no-no. I think the NFL is ridiculous in the way it often hands out tougher fines for violating the uniform rules than it does for taking cheap shots at opponents, but that's the way the rules work, and Crumpler won't be getting that money back.

When Steve McNair was leading the Titans to the playoffs year after year, he had tight end Frank Wycheck as his favorite security blanket. Whenever McNair needed a key catch on third down, he'd turn to Wycheck.

Now the Titans are trying to give Vince Young his own version of Wycheck, but with big play ability. The Titans have added former Falcon Alge Crumpler with a deal that should be announced on Monday. The four-time Pro Bowler is a clear upgrade on what's been a pretty uninspiring group of receivers.

Crumpler had a subpar season last year, but so did nearly every Falcon as Atlanta rotated through a trio of quarterbacks. But his 13.3 yard average per catch for his career is better than all but one receiver on the Titans had last year (Justin Gage averaged 13.6 yards per catch). With former starter Bo Scaife as a No. 2 tight end, the Titans now have a lot of reasons to run some two tight end sets with Scaife working underneath while Crumpler provides a rare deep threat from the tight end position.

Crumpler will have to prove he's over some knee problems, but he should be a great addition to a Titans offense that needs some more playmakers.

Update: While the Tennessean sticks with its story, Alge Crumpler's agent says no deal is done yet.

Free agent tight end and former Atlanta Falcon Alge Crumpler may be close to signing with the Seattle Seahawks. It makes some sense, seeing that former Falcons head coach Jim Mora, Jr. will be the head coach of the Seahawks once Mike Holmgren retires.

[Crumpler's agent Butch] Williams said. "With Coach [Jim] Mora, Mr. [Tim] Ruskell and Patrick Kerney in Seattle, that causes us to be comfortable."

Mora was fired by the Falcons as the head coach after the 2006. Ruskell served as Atlanta's assistant general manager until being named Seattle's president of football operations in 2005. Former defensive end Patrick Kerney signed with Seattle last season.

From a system standpoint, it makes sense. Crumpler thrived in the West Coast offense in Atlanta -- even if quarterback Michael Vick didn't. He'll go to Seattle and work with a very experienced QB who is well versed in the offense.

It still isn't a done deal, however, as the Tennessee Titans may still be in play. If the Titans come with something much better, Crumpler may elect to become Vince Young's main target.