Just as confused as ever.

My girlfriend teaches middle school math. 7th grade. She has shown me some of the material she teaches, and I can admit: I would have no clue how to figure out most of it without assistance. And this stuff is for 7th graders! But I'm okay with that. I'm not necessarily supposed to understand math. I'm a journalism guy. A communications guy. Any level of math above pre-Algebra just does not appeal to me whatsoever. As I've said numerous times to my friends and family, if I come across a mathematical question that the calculator on my cell phone cannot figure out, then I simply do not need to know the answer. There are somethings I just don't get, and that's okay. Bill Gates doesn't need to know how to build a three-tier cheerleading pyramid. Ryan Seacrest doesn't need to know how to throw a knuckleball. But you would think that an NFL player would need to know how to act like a professional.

Enter LenDale White.

This season, White has been a walking (read: not running) disappointment for the Tennessee Titans. So much so that rumors are now swirling that White may be released to free up salary cap room. And it goes beyond White's lack of production on the field. It has quite a bit more to do with White's production off the field, namely at the dinner table. Take a look at the picture below. On the left is a picture of White from this past season with the Titans. On the right is a picture of White during his final season in college at the University of Southern California. Focus on the midsections.


See the difference? As with most collegians who aspire to play pro sports, athletes push themselves to prove their worth to prospective pro scouts. One adjective for such athletes could be... hungry. (I find that term fitting considering the context.) Once said athletes reach the professional ranks, oftentimes they lose their desire to work as hard as they did in college. It has been said many times about boxers: It takes so much more work to defend a title than to win one. When you're trying to reach the top, you work so much harder than you do once you reach the top. Athletes become complacent, thinking they don't have to work out anymore because of all they've already accomplished. One exception is Jerry Rice. Rice was the hardest worker in the NFL over the course of his entire career. What does that tell you? In LenDale White's case, as proven by the picture on the left, he looks anything but hungry.

Not that White's road to the NFL was showered with roses. White was considered to be a first-round pick when he first declared he was going to forgo his senior season at USC and enter the 2006 Draft. But incessant questions about his ability to control his weight lowered his stock to the point that he fell to the second round, where the Titans selected him with 45th pick.

This season White has shown a chronic desire to be a bad teammate. You may ask, Well what constitutes being a good teammate? Be humble. Share praise. Work hard. Never rip a teammate or coach. Show respect to your opponent. If you would rather see examples of good teammates, look at a guy like Chris Paul of the New Orleans Hornets. Paul plays his heart out every night, and you can't be the guy leading the NBA in assists without being a good teammate. Or how about Hines Ward? This is a guy playing wide receiver in the NFL, the position known to produce the most selfish of players, and what is his favorite thing to do? Block. Good teammate. So who are some guys that could be considered bad teammates? Stephon Marbury. Terrell Owens. Manny Ramirez. Those three are interested in only one thing: themselves. And they play team sports. Funny how that works out, isn't it? Problem is, LenDale White falls into the bad teammate category. Here's why...

After the Titans lost their first game of the season on 23 November to the New York Jets, White stood in the locker room in front of a drove of reporters and said, "Coming into these games, you expect to get certain carries or certain things going on, or at least that's what they tell you. Then you get in these games and just randomly play three plays. I couldn't really tell you what happened [during the game], I have no idea. I wasn't paying attention so I didn't care." That's the kind of attitude White has held this season. And the previous quote came at a time when the Titans' record was 10-1, tied for best in the NFL. It should also be noted that White's most productive games this season came against some of the worst run defenses in the NFL. His highest single-game totals were against, in order: 149 yards vs. Kansas City (ranked 30th out of 32 teams in rushing yards allowed), 106 yards vs. Detroit (ranked 32nd out of 32), 99 yards vs. Cleveland (28th), 77 yards vs. Green Bay (26th), and 59 yards vs. Cincinnati (21st). Conversely, in four games this season against the three best defenses in the NFL-- two games against Baltimore (3rd) and one game each against Pittsburgh (2nd) and Minnesota (1st)-- White had a grand total of 110 rushing yards. So it seems that White only plays well against lesser competition. That sure comes in handy for a team vying for a shot at the Super Bowl!

And in the aforementioned game on 21 December against the Pittsburgh Steelers (a 31-14 home victory for the Titans), White grabbed a "Terrible Towel"-- long known as a symbol of the Steelers team and its fans-- and proceeded to throw it on the ground. That's bad enough, but he didn't stop there! He then decided it would be a good idea to take his overweight carcass and stomp on it. And did I mention he came up with this elaborate plan with television cameras fixed upon him? It shows the absolute and unyielding lack of class that is becoming more and more visible to anyone unfortunate enough to have to see him.

Understandably, the Steeler Nation lashed out at White. Fans, players, coaches, even city officials. Steeler cornerback Deshea Townsend said, "What [White] did that day was almost like taking a jersey and putting it on the ground after a win and stepping on it. You just don't do that. There is a proper way to play the game and a way that you act, and [the Titans] do not act like that. It's disrespectful." Linebacker Larry Foote chimed in as well, saying, "You see right now we got the last laugh. That's what they get for trying to humiliate us and rub it in, for not showing any class. We wanted to play them again, but they couldn't hold up their end of the bargain. That's what they get for stomping on the towel. We're stepping on them right now."

So upon hearing this, what do you think the eloquent and professional LenDale White had to say in response?

White said, "No way do I regret it. I would do it 100 times again. I'd do it tomorrow if we played them."

Some people just don't get it.

Why "VY" is anything but "inVINCEable"

How bad of a weekend did Vince Young have? After trying everything in his power to lose a close game to the Jaguars on Sunday, where he threw two foolish interceptions and had to be coaxed back out onto the field in the 4th quarter by head coach Jeff Fisher, he suffered a knee injury allowing Kerry Collins to come in and seal a win for the Titans. After throwing his second interception of the game (the first play following a Titans INT), the crowd booed Young to the point where he sat on the bench with his head in his hands, refusing to go back out onto the field. There he sat, the supposed "leader" of the team, the guy wearing a big "C" on his chest signifying his captaincy and importance to the team, sulking on the sideline, needing the support of his teammates and coaches to get off the bench and back into the game. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the "Captain" supposed to be the guy rallying his team, leading them to victory?? There are problems in Music City. Then on Monday night, the 8th of September, he leaves his home without telling his friends and family where he is going, leading them to believe he may hurt himself in some way. His friends called Fisher, who tried to reach Young unsuccessfully. Shortly thereafter, Fisher contacted Metro Police and crisis negotiators to find Young and calm him down. He was found around midnight, where Fisher and psychologists spoke with Young before sending him home. Once again, correct me if I'm wrong, but if I leave my house unannounced, I don't think my sister is going to panic to the point that she calls the police thinking I should be placed on "suicide watch." Everybody see where I'm going here? This isn't a one-time thing. Sounds to me like this is something they've encountered before. Yikes. $30 million for a guy who has his mother publicly denounce Titans fans for their criticism of her son. Hmm... sounds like someone can't handle the rigors of the quarterback position in the NFL (Remind you of anyone?). And just how bad is it? I'm the first to admit that Vince Young's performance in the Rose Bowl game against USC is one of the greatest physical performances I have ever seen. But he was drafted 3rd overall in 2005 on that game alone, with everyone in the Titans organization expecting him to play the "USC game" over and over and over, every Sunday. We let things slide because we all carry the memory of Young torching the once impregnable USC defense on the biggest stage of collegiate sports. His performance and progression in the NFL so far, though, has been downright disappointing. I'm not the first guy to say this, but when are we going to start using the word "bust" with the name "Vince Young?" Here's a stat for you... Ryan Leaf, the quintessential "bust," the guy all "busts" are compared to, played only three seasons in the NFL before washing out. In his three seasons, he threw a total of 36 interceptions. Ouch. Through two full seasons plus the first game of his third season, anyone want to take a guess at how many INTs Vince Young has thrown? 32. So Ryan Leaf, the guy whose picture is in the dictionary beside the word "bust," threw 36 picks in three seasons. Young is one game into his third season, and he has already thrown 32. Those are just facts. Are we lenient with Young because the Titans didn't use as high a draft pick on him as the Chargers did with Ryan Leaf way back in 1998? (Leaf was drafter #2 overall, Young #3) These are just some things to consider. And while we're talking about the 2005 NFL Entry Draft, do you think anyone besides fans are regretting the Titans not drafting Jay Cutler? In college, Cutler played for a far worse team (Vanderbilt) than Young's Texas Longhorns, in a far tougher conference (SEC) than the Big 12 in which Young played. Yet Cutler was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Year and just happened to beat Tennessee (IN KNOXVILLE) in the process. And did you know that Vanderbilt University just happens to be in the same city as the Tennessee Titans?? Interesting. And let's compare the evenings of Young and Cutler on Monday, 8 September. While Young was on "suicide watch" and being chased all over Davidson County by Metro Police and psychologists, Cutler was torching a very talented Oakland Raider defense for 300 yards passing, 2 touchdowns, and ZERO INTERCEPTIONS!!! Once again, I'm just throwing all this out there for people to ponder. Maybe once Young gets back from his knee injury, he'll prove me to be all wrong about him and he'll become the quarterback he was expected to be when he was drafted so high in 2005. But I'm not going to hold my breath.