Volosaurus rex
Doctorate in Volology
- Joined
- Dec 2, 2009
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I started following the Big Orange consistently in 1967 and have been a Tennessee loyalist ever since. I became a Dallas Cowboys fan at about the same time, largely because of the, then, flamboyant passing combination of Dandy Don Meredith to Bullet Boy Hayes, the Worlds fastest human. I remain a Cowboys fan although the strength of that association was severely weakened when the franchise took a serious nosedive, in terms of class, following the transition from Tex Schram and Tom Landry to Jerry Jones and Jimmy Johnson.
I support the Titans but it is on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. The Titans are a comparatively recent transplant and not a particularly good one. Even when they have been successful, they have never played an exciting brand of football, even by NFL standards. Furthermore, the Titans came to Nashville in the same year that Peyton began his NFL career. Whom am I more inclined to support, a transplanted Texas-based franchise or the team that drafted the most revered ambassador of Tennessee Volunteers football? Hmm, the decision wasnt difficult for me, particularly considering I attended grad school at UT during Peytons era.
I considered it stupid and the epitome of ingratitude for the Colts to release Peyton, considering what he had meant to that franchise, and I stand by that statement regardless of the financial implications associated with it. If Peyton was incapable of coming back from his neck surgeries, he would have simply retired. Once he received medical clearance, I had little doubt, considering his work ethic, that Peyton would return to his former standard of play. As things turned out, the Colts have rebounded nicely. However, in an era when NFL players jump ship, at the drop of a hat, for the newest free agency contract, I believe, perhaps erroneously, that Peyton would have been a rare exception, someone who would have been content to finish his career with the Colts, had he been given that option. He wasnt, however, so he is now faced with the opportunity to do something unprecedented in NFL history, i.e. lead two different franchises to Super Bowl championships.
For many of us who grew up in the Volunteer State, our allegiance to the Big Orange will always be preeminent. Since we never had the opportunity of becoming fans, at an early age, of a locally entrenched franchise, our NFL loyalties are more transitory and flexible. Theyre just not that important; this remains a state where college football, in our minds, is still king.
I support the Titans but it is on a take-it-or-leave-it basis. The Titans are a comparatively recent transplant and not a particularly good one. Even when they have been successful, they have never played an exciting brand of football, even by NFL standards. Furthermore, the Titans came to Nashville in the same year that Peyton began his NFL career. Whom am I more inclined to support, a transplanted Texas-based franchise or the team that drafted the most revered ambassador of Tennessee Volunteers football? Hmm, the decision wasnt difficult for me, particularly considering I attended grad school at UT during Peytons era.
I considered it stupid and the epitome of ingratitude for the Colts to release Peyton, considering what he had meant to that franchise, and I stand by that statement regardless of the financial implications associated with it. If Peyton was incapable of coming back from his neck surgeries, he would have simply retired. Once he received medical clearance, I had little doubt, considering his work ethic, that Peyton would return to his former standard of play. As things turned out, the Colts have rebounded nicely. However, in an era when NFL players jump ship, at the drop of a hat, for the newest free agency contract, I believe, perhaps erroneously, that Peyton would have been a rare exception, someone who would have been content to finish his career with the Colts, had he been given that option. He wasnt, however, so he is now faced with the opportunity to do something unprecedented in NFL history, i.e. lead two different franchises to Super Bowl championships.
For many of us who grew up in the Volunteer State, our allegiance to the Big Orange will always be preeminent. Since we never had the opportunity of becoming fans, at an early age, of a locally entrenched franchise, our NFL loyalties are more transitory and flexible. Theyre just not that important; this remains a state where college football, in our minds, is still king.
