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Spotlight - TE Alge Crumpler, Tennessee Titans

Posted on 7/10, exclusive to Footballguys.com

Jason Wood's Thoughts

I've often said that fantasy owners are a fickle bunch. It wasn't long ago that Alge Crumpler was a fantasy favorite. A guy who you could draft year in, year out later than his fantasy performance warranted. Teams always questioned his QB situation and wondered how he could get enough targets to deliver; and yet year in, year out he was a quality fantasy starter. But those fickle fantasy fans have short memories, don't they? One disappointing season and he's essentially fallen off the radar, being drafted 13th at his position, on average and 118th overall.

Let's acknowledge that Alge Crumpler had a difficult 2007...

• 42 receptions
• 444 yards
• 10.6 yards per reception
• 5 TDs
• 74 fantasy points (TE15)

But does that one bad season obfuscate what he's done in his career?

• 2002 -- TE8
• 2003 -- TE5
• 2004 -- TE4
• 2005 -- TE5
• 2006 -- TE2

Crumpler was not only a top-5 fantasy tight end for four consecutive seasons, he accomplished the feat with Michael Vick under center. The Falcons were among the worst passing teams in the league over that span, and Crumpler was the only viable weapon at Vick's disposal, yet opposing defenses couldn't scheme Crumpler out of the game plan. That says something.

So what went wrong in 2007?

What didn't go wrong? Bobby Petrino took over and lost the team almost immediately. Michael Vick spent the season in courtrooms. Joey Harrington converted a whopping 2% of his pass attempts into TDs. And to make matters worse, Crumpler suffered through a number of injuries. Crumpler missed 2 games and was hampered for most of the season with ankle and knee injuries. Crumpler's injuries, his unerring support for Michael Vick, and the Falcons desire to start anew led to his release this offseason. Crumpler didn't last long in free agency, and was quickly signed by the Tennessee Titans to a 2-year deal that, with incentives, could be worth $5.25mm.

Does Crumpler have a degenerative knee condition?

That's the $5.25mm question. There are a lot of rumors which indicate Crumpler has a knee condition that will continue to worsen over time. Although he and his agent deny those reports, the question will remain until we see Crumpler perform at a high level again. The good news is the Titans were one of several teams that showed interest in signing him. The team obviously wouldn't have signed him without putting Crumpler through a vigorous physical. On the other hand, the team didn't commit a lot of guaranteed money to him; which means there may yet be some uncertainty.

Injury fears aside, Crumpler appears to be in an ideal situation to re-establish himself

Could Crumpler's situation be any more advantageous? OK, it could (who wouldn't mind seeing him catch passes from Tom Brady?) but among the potential landing spots for him this offseason, Tennessee appears like a terrific fit.

• The Titans lack quality wide receivers -- A lack of studly WRs means more targets for Crumpler and the team's sure-handed RBs
• Vince Young is at his best with a talented TE at his disposal -- When Young was playing his best football in 2006, he was throwing early and often to TE Bo Scaife. When Young was dominating the college football scene, it was thanks in no small part to David Thomas.
• New OC Mike Heimerdinger is a HUGE proponent of leveraging the TE -- Mike Heimerdinger turned Steve McNair into an effective NFL passer. He leveraged the sure hands of Frank Wycheck to accomplish that feat. There's absolutely no reason to think Heimerdinger won't make Crumpler a key part of his plan to turn Vince Young into a star.
• Vince Young is a better QB than Michael Vick -- No one is going to argue that Vince Young is even an average NFL passer yet. BUT, a healthy Crumpler was a top-5 lock with Mike Vick throwing him ducks, do you think Young isn't an improvement?

It's all about low risk, high reward

Positives

• Crumpler was a top-5 fantasy TE for four consecutive seasons before last year's fiasco in Atlanta
• When healthy, Crumpler has the rare ability to outmuscle and overrun defensive backs
• The Titans are ideally suited to make Crumpler a major target; they have an OC and QB who love the TE position and the WR corps is uninspiring

Negatives

• Crumpler is 30 years old and may have a degenerative knee condition
• Vince Young is hardly a sure bet as an NFL passer
• The Titans didn't commit a lot of guaranteed money to Crumpler; he'll have to prove his worth in training camp

Final Thoughts

Unless your draft is inordinately early in the preseason, Alge Crumpler will answer his critics questions before you have to decide whether to draft him. After last season, it's understandable that some caution is warranted, but if he practices throughout camp as I suspect he will, make sure you don't overthink things too much. When healthy, Crumpler was a top-5 TE year in, year out despite playing with a subpar QB. He now joins a team in desperate need of a play-maker and outlet valve in Tennessee, with an OC who loves to leverage the TE across the middle and a QB who will need him. The great thing about Crumpler is he can be had late in your draft as a backup. Yet he could end up being an every week fantasy starter if the cards fall right. Don't count on him as your starter, but make him a priority as your backup.

Quotations from the Message Board Thread

Ministry of Pain:
If Crumpler is healthy I think he can make a return to his former self. Getting away from Atlanta and onto a team that has playoff aspirations, has to be refreshing for Crumpler. Alge always made Vick look good and I imagine he can have a similar impact on Vince Young. Crumpler has not caught less than 42 balls since 2002. From 2002-2006, Crumpler ranked 8th, 5th, 4th, 5th, and 2nd in yearly point totals for the TE position. And this guy is being drafted outside the top10-15??? This represents tremendous value and I think a rejuvenated Alge Crumpler that is going to make owners that pass on him sick to their stomachs like they were on passing Jason Witten last season.

The Man with the Plan:
Alge Crumpler was miserable last season. He had easily the worst ypr average of his career (and that was inflated by a 55 yard reception week 17). Maybe that's because of his recovery from knee surgery or maybe it's because he's just lost his speed and is done.

Now he's going from a team that was pass-heavy (yet he wasn't very productive on) Falcons team to the Titans where the quarterback is poor. He should be the #1 option so that'll help some. At the age of 30 he isn't the youngest tight end out there either so his upside is limited.

There's no way that I'd rely on him as a starting tight end. If he falls far enough he might be worth drafting as a back-up tight end but since that most likely won't happen I probably wouldn't draft him this season.

rzrback77:
Alge Crumpler is without a doubt a polarizing player to predict. He is a rather short (6'-2") TE without a lot of speed, yet he had averaged over 13 yoc over his career until last yeat when he dropped to 10.6. He is moving teams so he will have to learn a new system. He also has a decent counterpart on the Titans, Bo Scaife who isn't that shabby. He joins a team that has a run run run history and a QB not known for good passing stats. But, he could be the top target on the team. Such a quandry. I guess that is why there have been so few projections.

His current ADP is TE 13 and 122 overall, but I like Daniels and Sheffler, the two just ahead of him and Olsen just behind much better for 08. I agree that he will likely not be on my team unless he falls well below his current ADP to serve as a back-up TE.

Banger:
I'll have to keep on eye on his health and specifically his knee that he had problems with last year but he definitely has the potential to be a top TE. He goes to an offense where the QB can't throw down field and has historically liked the short passing game to the TE's. He's a guy that you can probably get late (not sure what his ADP is) that has the potential to have a very nice year.

TheDirtyWord:
The last two offseasons, Crumpler has struggled with rehabbing injuries that required surgery. If I'm not mistaken, this would be his first offseason witout having to do so in quite some time.

I think Crumpler's struggles these last couple of years can partly be contributed to that factor as he is an athlete that does have trouble making weight. When he is at his optimum playing weight, he is actually pretty fast for his size. That said, I thought for most of last year, he had gotten big and one of his primary advantages was neutralized. Coupled with his status as an Atlanta Falcon, hence awful playcalling from Petrino and Crumpler became a forgotten weapon for the most part.

I think Crumpler has one good season left in him. While he's been relatively healthy this off-season, his knees are an issue. Because of his size, tacklers have simply always gone after him low and the accumlation of those hits has taken it's toll. His hands are still good, but they used to be excellent. He'd catch anything thrown his way back in 2004. Now, he can still pick it, but there are more random drops of easy balls and he does not make the WR type catch nearly as frequently.

I think Young will like him and Crumpler obviously has experience in making himself open for the mobile QB. However, I'm not sold on Young and just because Vick loved Crumpler, does not necessariliy mean likewise here.I think the top end for Crumpler is low end TE starter but I suspect he won't get you much more than say a Donald Lee would anymore. Part of Crumpler's strength back when he was an elite TE was his YPC (In 2004 it was a unheard of - for a TE- 16.1). That speed he had though is gone and while Young is mobile, his improvisational talents are not in Vick's league. So I think Crumpler top end in that category is about a 12.

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