Maurile Tremblay's Thoughts

The Titans were unable to successfully replace Derrick Mason from within the organization last season, so this year they opened up the team pocketbook and went out on the open market to sign unrestricted free agent WR David Givens. Givens got a five-year, $24 million deal with the Titans that included an $8 million signing bonus. It is all but guaranteed that Givens will enter the season as one of the starters at wide receiver, and will compete with Drew Bennett for WR1 honors.

Originally a seventh-round draft pick in 2002, Givens spent his first four seasons with the New England Patriots, where he increased his reception totals every year.

He established himself as a strong redzone target in 2003 when he led the team in touchdowns both in the regular season (6) and in the playoffs (2). He came on strong at the end of that season and tied Troy Brown for the team lead in receptions during the playoffs (17). He also showed an ability to get deep that year, with nine receptions of 20 yards or more. His best season overall came in 2004 when Deion Branch missed seven games due to injury. Givens was the Patriots’ leading receiver that year with 56 receptions for 874 yards.

Givens got off to a decent start in 2005, but missed three games with a knee injury toward the middle of the season, and never really got back on track. Before his injury, he averaged 5.25 receptions on 8.5 targets per game; after his injury, he averaged 3.4 receptions on 5.4 targets per game. His season-lows in targets occurred in the final two weeks of the season. Givens did bounce back with touchdown receptions in each of the Patriots’ two post-season games, however, bringing his still-active streak to seven consecutive post-season games with at least one TD reception. (The NFL record is eight, held by John Stallworth.)

Givens ran a lot of underneath routes in 2005, resulting in a lower average yards per catch than he’d gained in his previous two seasons. He also made fewer big plays. After 26.5% and 23.2% of his receptions went for at least 20 yards in 2003 and 2004, respectively, just 13.6% of his receptions went for at least 20 yards last year.

Givens has good footwork along the sidelines and uses his body effectively to shield defenders from the ball. He can make the tough catch in traffic, but will also drop some easier ones. He can slip tackles after the catch. Already a productive receiver, Givens is just 25 years old, so he has plenty of potential to refine his game by improving his routes, hands, post-snap adjustments, and general maturity.

Positives

• Givens is young, healthy, and productive; he should start right away for the Titans and possibly be their best receiver.
• He has good size and deceptive speed, and has been an effective redzone threat in big games.
• He has had six 100-yard games in his career, including two last year.

Negatives

• After leading the team with six touchdown receptions in 2003, Givens scored just three touchdowns in 2004 and two in 2005.
• Givens has never had a 1,000 yard season.
• The Titans spread the ball around and feature their tight ends prominently in the passing game, so the WRs get fewer targets than those on many other teams.

Final Thoughts

In New England, QB Tom Brady didn’t play favorites. He targeted whoever had the best matchup in a given contest, and Givens thus got double-digit targets in some weeks and very few targets in others. The same may be true in Tennessee, where the Titans spread the ball around quite a bit. The Titans were one of just eight teams last year that failed to produce an 800-yard receiver. Moreover, the Titans’ QB position is currently up in the air. Steve McNair is still on the roster, but may be on his way out. If McNair leaves, Billy Volek and/or Vince Young could handle the quarterbacking duties, but there are also persistent rumors that the Titans would bring in a proven veteran such as Kerry Collins to run the offense. So not only will Givens have to get acclimated to a new team and a new system, but he will be catching passes from a new QB whose identity has yet to be determined. All in all, it is a tough situation to step into, but that’s why Givens is getting the big bucks.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

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

mlball77:
As for Givens... I'm not buying. His production in NE was never that special, but Brady does spread the ball around amazingly well. But playing for TEN doesn't improve things for Givens, in my view. I think his numbers are actually likely to drop based on the system in place in TEN and the looming game of QB musical chairs that will/is taking place.

Iwannabeacowboybaby!:
Anything can happen in the NFL, and usually does. If Drew Bennett goes down and the Texans don't have a defense that can stop anyone, Givens could find himself in a great situation. I don't want to predict injuries, but certainly Givens has the talent and experience to take advantage of a situation if it did arise. I am one who'd take a flyer on Givens but knowing when I picked him he'd need some racing luck to pull off a solid season.

Workhorse:
I'm going to be the optimist on Givens as a legit #1 WR. Back in 2004, when Deion Branch was out hurt, Givens was forced to be the top wideout for Tom Brady for an extended period of time. Over those 7 games, Givens had 32 catches for 510 yards. That projects to over 1,100 for a full season. I think this was the true test of Givens talent. And the Titans will be very happy with their new acquisition.

David Givens Projections

SOURCE	RSHYD	RSHTD	REC	RECYD	RECTD
Maurile Tremblay	0	0	59	747	4
Message Board Consensus	0	0	57	756	4