Tennessee made a tremendous push in the second half of the season to finish the year at 8-8, and while most of the Titans players walked away from the stadium last week feeling good about their chances in 2010, there is at least one member of the team that is unhappy with the status quo.
Running back LenDale White has clearly been pushed aside in favor of superstar rusher Chris Johnson, who put together a season for the ages with 2,006 yards on the ground, and that seems to be something that White is unhappy about headed into the off-season.
According to Jim Wyatt of the Nashville Tennessean, White is hoping to have an opportunity to leave the Titans via free agency for a team that will give him more a chance to be the lead runner next year. Under normal circumstances, White would be free to do as he wishes this off-season, but without a new collective bargaining agreement in place, he’ll be a restricted free agent instead.
That will allow the Titans to offer him a one year contract and have a shot at matching any other deal White gets on the open market. If they decide not to match it, they’ll receive compensation from the team that takes White on board, making a big contract highly unlikely, at least this year.
On the flip side, it’s doubtful that Tennessee will want Johnson to push that hard next season, given the tremendous toll that many carries can take on a player, but their only other option is to give White more carries in an effort to appease him and relieve Johnson at the same time. It’s probably not the most attractive scenario for White, but it’s doubtful that he’ll have much better unless his status changes before the start of free agency.
Either way, Johnson isn’t going anywhere soon, and that by itself is great news for the Titans, with his ability to dominate on offense fully displayed last year.
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Written by Chris Kolb
Topics: Tennessee Titans