The Colts cut kickers David Rayner and Jose Cortez today. Nothing weird about that if you consider a few weeks ago the Colts signed the best kicker in NFL history.
What is weird is what's going on down in Tennessee. Apparently, all is not well between Steve "The Warrior" McNair and the Titans. This is not something that's been brewing for the last few years or months or anything. This is something that happened recently.
Apparently, McNair showed up to the team's training facility Monday to participate in offseason workouts. When he showed up, the team trainer barred him from the facility, and told him to take a hike!
The reason: McNair's contract is in a murky place, and the ownership of the Titans, Bud Adams, is worried McNair will get hurt working out and make Tennessee liable for McNair's contract.
I'm sorry, but WHAT!
Can you friggin believe how hysterical that is? The guy that's quarterbacked that team for 10 years, took them to a Super Bowl, won an MVP (that he shouldn't have gotten, but that's another issue), and been to the Pro Bowl is shut out of the team training facility because the owner is afraid he'll get hurt training there? McNair's agent, James "Bus" Cook, said there was no prior warning from the Titans that they would do this, and that they had been pressuring McNair to workout with many of the young Titans players and get healthy in the offseason.
Now, it seems the incident is so embarrassing for McNair that he doesn't want to come back to Tennessee and that his days there are numbered! Titans head coach Jeff "The Mullet" Fisher is in full spin mode, saying there was a misunderstanding and that things will get straightened out. The really funny part about all this is the timing. I mean, the Titans have paid McNair for years while he sat hurt on the sidelines, or in games. They called him "The Warrior" and even made claims that he played better when hurt. It was always comical. Now, they don't want to pay him, or have him work out, because they're afraid he'll get hurt.
Um, pardon me for a second, but if you're so worried that your QB is going to get hurt playing football THAT MEANS YOU SHOULD CUT HIM!
The Titans used to own the Colts until the 2003 season. Since then, Tennessee is 0-6 against Indy in three years, and the last four games haven't even been close. Tennessee is a dying franchise that has done a terrible job working under the salary cap. One of the reasons Bud Adams is so worried about McHurt is that he is a huge cap hit against them this year after years and years of re-structuring his contract. This is why I groan at posters or other sports "experts" that talk about contract re-structuring as if it's some simple little agreement. Eventually, you have to pay the dude what the contract says you pay him, even if you cut him.
I feel a little sorry for McNair. He gave a lot to that franchise. If I were him I'd walk away. Why play for such a petty owner?