NASHVILLE, Tenn. – It’s Feb. 3.

Twenty-two days until teams meet quarterbacks in Indianapolis at the NFL scouting combine. Fifty days until Miami’s pro day. Eighty days until the NFL draft.

Mike Borgonzi has been the Titans’ general manager for 17 days.

We want to know the team’s plan with the No. 1 pick.

It’s an exciting thing for them to have it. It can change their fortunes after three miserable seasons.

But the idea that they have a strong sense of their direction at this early stage is, simply put… ridiculous.

We’re just at the beginning of seeing stuff like this.

Let’s think about it. 

Scouts gathered in Mobile for the Senior Bowl, so it was a good place for media and fringe media to gather opinions. Sleeper was quoting Pete Thamel of ESPN, who wrote "the building sentiment from scouts and executives this week was Ward is likely to be the No. 1 pick."

Of course, what Thamel wrote in an ESPN+ piece from the Senior Bowl was immediately followed by this: "This is more anecdotal than scientific, as neither passer (Ward or Shedeur Sander) was in town. But Ward's versatility and ability to run stand out as separating traits."

 That certainly softens and contextualizes things a bit, but the web isn’t going to let that slow it down.

I don’t pay close attention to Benkert, but he’s got an interesting account and I don’t doubt he’s got connections. I do think Titans' scouts, eager to impress Borgonzi and knowing May is more likely to bring a personnel shuffle to the department than any time in recent memory, are more likely to be buttoned up than usual.

But look at the phrasing there: People inside the Titans’ building – that means more than one – believe Ward can elevate them to a new level, per source, singular. Extrapolating I’d interpret that as: Someone told Benkert that the Titans like Ward.

I break this stuff down too much, but the reporting world is different now and Benkert, a former quarterback and current QB teacher, and Thamel, a traditional reporter, certainly approach things differently.

This is not to throw shade.

It’s to examine the information process at this stage. 

Some people know it’s all smoke and love to engage in it anyway.

If that’s your thing, have at it. But if you’re more in the business of looking for clues and information, I’d refer you to the timetable above.

Brian Callahan has said outright there is no clear-cut decision here for his team. One guy, the Titans southeastern scout Brandon Taylor, might have a firm opinion on Ward.

As many as 10 others are likely to chime in. Borgonzi, the primary power, may have been checking on QBs a bit in Kansas City anticipating he might land a job with a team that needed one. But he also had a full-time job with a team that was absolutely set at the spot.

There is too much time between the end of the season, even for the last two teams, and the draft. But teams use that time, especially January, February and March to do real work and learn real stuff. There is no Joe Burrow or Andrew Luck here. That’s really unfortunate for Tennessee.

Let's remain calm as more Tweets pop up. We're only getting started and we're going to see a lot of them announcing the Titans have some strong leaning or have made a decision. The combine will bring new info. The pro day. At least Ward will actually be at those.

 

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