Jason Wood's Thoughts

Chris Brown is going to be a hotly contested player this season. The youngster from Colorado has waited patiently behind Eddie George; who was finally released after refusing to accept a pay cut. But the unbridled enthusiasm for Brown owners was short lived as the Titans moved quickly to roster veteran Antowain Smith, recently of the Patriots, as a replacement for George.

Although everyone is likely to have opinions about the Smith/Brown relative workload, we won't have a definitive answer on this situation until well into training camp. With that in mind, let's identify the reasonable expectations for Brown under the current scenario.

Chris Brown is a big (6'3", 219 pounds) inside runner with good vision and patience, reminiscent of Eddie George according to many NFL pundits. He spent last season learning the nuances of the Titans offense, and did enough to warrant consideration as the Titans feature back, with or without Eddie George on the roster. Certainly the team wouldn't have been willing to jettison George were they not sure Brown brought a considerable amount of ability to the table.

So why bring in Antowain Smith if Brown is the real deal? I believe it was a safety valve to protect against Brown either a) failing to live up to heady expectations or b) getting injured. For as maligned as Eddie George was for his woeful per-carry production, there's no question that he was a superior player to Smith; particularly in relation to playing for the Titans. George knew every nuance of the Titans playbook; whereas Smith will have to learn the system in two months time. Smith is 32 years old, has seen his YPC drop from 4.0 to 3.5 in the last three years, his carries drop from 287 to 182, and his touchdown production fall from 13 to 3. In other words, Smith's best days are long behind him. Had Eddie George remained with the Titans, a case could have been made that he would've demanded a large portion of the carries regardless of whether Brown was better. But, Antowain Smith is a newcomer, the coaching staff owes him nothing and for that reason, I believe Smith will be a backup and change of pace back, nothing more, nothing less.

Positives

• At 6'3", 219 pounds, Brown has the ideal build to be a bruising inside runner; and his running style is eerily reminiscent of a younger Eddie George



• The Titans are a dynamic offensive team and OC Mike Heimerdinger will involve Brown quite a bit if he's the featured back



• Brown improved markedly in limited opportunity as a rookie; and was a major force in the playoffs

Negatives

• Antowain Smith was signed immediately upon Eddie George's release; obviously he'll work into the RB rotation in some capacity



• Brown is an upright runner (as is George) with limited breakaway speed; he's not elusive enough to make defenders miss



• The Titans have evolved into a passing team, Brown must prove himself an able blocker on blitz pickups if he's to play every down

Final Thoughts

As great as Eddie George had been, you'll have trouble convincing me the Titans would have been better off with him in the lineup than Brown. Yet, we no longer have to debate the situation because George has moved on to Dallas and Brown has the open shot at becoming the team's workhorse. Don't let the signing of Antowain Smith fool you, Brown has more experience in the Titans system, is younger, stronger and ready to be more productive than the aging Smith. If, for some reason, Smith's presence on the roster causes Brown to fall in your draft, don't hesitate to grab him and recognize that at worst, you've got a decent fantasy RB3 and, at best, you've got much more.

David Yudkin's Thoughts

No player's value this offseason has been as uncertain as Tennessee RB Chris Brown's. His value for this year and potential NFL future hinged upon Eddie George's contract status. George finally was released, potentially opening the door for Brown to step in as the Titans' featured RB. However, it's still unclear just how many carries Brown will get this year, as he has not had much experience and the Titans recently signed Patriot castoff Antowain Smith. Brown makes a risky pick, as in early fantasy drafts he has been an early and risky pick by those expecting him to assume the role of primary ball carrier in Tennessee.

At 6'3", 220 lbs, Brown has the frame to be a north/south runner, and that's mostly what the scouting reports think as well. In many ways, he is a younger version of Eddie George. A 3rd round pick out of Colorado with 4.46 speed, he was on track for a 2,000-yard rushing season his final year in Colorado, but he missed the last two games and wound up with 1,841 yards on the season. Many have pointed to his upright running style, which they say will make him an easy target and far easier to tackle in the NFL.

In limited use, Brown posted a 56-221-0 season with a 3.9 ypc as a Titan. However, he came on later in the year. In his last four regular season games, his ypc was 5.0. He also was utilized more in the post season, putting up 18-96-2 with a 5.3 ypc in two tough road games in Baltimore and New England. In the Ravens game, on one play he completely ran over All Pro LB Ray Lewis. If that is the RB that Chris Brown really is (or is being evaluated as), the Titans will have a tough time keeping Brown from the starting job.

With George gone, there are likely three ways this can go at this point.

• Brown takes over as the featured back
  This seemed unlikely in June, but if it happened, Brown could post numbers similar to what George did for several years; although it's doubtful Tennessee would give Brown the ball 400 times. A 1,200/8 season would not be out of the question.



• Smith & Brown split the workload
  This is the likely outcome, but the ratio between Smith and Brown is the big mystery. The Titans RB corps had 430 carries last year. If we allocate 50 carries to other RBs, that leaves 380 carries for Smith and Brown to share. At a 40%/60% split, that would give Smith 155 carries and Brown 225 carries.



• Smith is the featured back and Brown takes a back seat
  Antowain Smith probably is not a starting NFL RB any longer. He's really only had 2 solid years in 7 NFL seasons, the last being in New England's first Super Bowl winning season. At 32, his best years are probably behind him. However, if he somehow emerged as Tennessee's predominant RB, Brown would have to be considered unworthy of a starting position in the NFL.

Positives

• Including the postseason, Brown had a 4.3 ypc in 2003-leaps and bounds better than Eddie George has produced in a long, long time. Over the full season, Brown had a 1.0 ypc advantage over George



• Since Jeff Fisher took over as head coach, the Titans have ranked 8th, 10th, 2nd, 11th, 12th, 1st, 11th, 4th, and 9th in rushing attempts



• Currently is the most talented RB on the roster with youth as an ally to becoming the featured back

Negatives

• Some feel he is an injury risk, as he has missed some time in college and in the pros with some minor injuries. Does not appear to be a great receiver. Only caught 11 passes in Colorado



• Is Antowain Smith there as the starter, to share carries, or insurance? That we don't yet know



• The Titans appeared displeased with Brown's blocking capabilities and his ability to read and pickup the blitz. Given Steve McNair's injury concerns that could hurt Brown's chances some

Final Thoughts

Certainly, one would have to think that at this stage in their careers, Chris Brown would outperform Antowain Smith on the field, as Smith is only marginally better than Eddie George. Smith had a 3.5 ypc last year on a team that tried and planned to run the ball extensively to take time off of the clock. When they couldn't do that effectively, the Patriots modified their game plan to a short passing attack to control the clock.

As I see it, the most likely outcome is that Brown and Smith share the workload but Brown getting the majority of carries. This will probably be the same outcome had George stayed in Tennessee, with the possible exception that Brown might get a few more carries.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

To view the entire Player Spotlight thread (there's a ton of fantastic commentary in there), click here.

Winning IS Everything:
"I remember Chris as a highly touted back going into college at Colorado. Great size, decent speed, and good hands. Almost another Eddie George type back. I think he will be the heir apparent, but I believe that Eddie will be there one more year. We are looking at a time share here folks."

SammyJankis:
"Brown looked good in limited opportunities last year. To succeed in 04 he'll need to do the following things:

• Bulk up. (Which he has done so far).
• Stay healthy. (He was injured in training camp and his last year of college)
• Show that he can block, hold on to the ball, pick up the blitz, etc. All of the little things Eddie does so well.

I think Eddie stays in Tennessee, but I think Brown will be the feature back."

Iwannabeacowboybaby!:
"With that said, it will truly be a RBBC. The Titans aren't bringing back Eddie to sit on the bench. They also need to know what Chris Brown can do so that when Eddie does leave, they know what they have in Brown. Right now, I'd rank both players about the same, but I'm sure that will change."

gman8343:
"I'm still not terribly impressed with Brown. He's shown flashes of talent, but he seems to be talked up more than he's proven he's worth thus far. If he starts w/o Eddie, then his stats will improve, but I think Eddie comes back and at least gets half the carries."

Demons:
"It is all about winning. The Titans are no longer in a position to overpay for a RB that has lost his effectiveness.

All of the spin in the world won't change the fact that the Titans have a better chance of winning with another RB toting the rock. A coach is not going to leave his tail flapping in the breeze to be fired over consistently starting a guy who can no longer get it done.

I think everyone underestimates Fisher's desire to stay employed."

Chris Brown Projections