Titans are so bad, they’re answering questions about tanking

It’s probably not a good sign when you’re a couple weeks from Thanksgiving and you’re being asked questions about whether it’s best to start tanking.

The Tennessee Titans have put themselves in this position by losing a lot of games. They’re 2-7, and that’s after a Week 1 win at Kansas City. They’re not making the playoffs. Even a seven-game winning streak might not get them in, and they’re not winning seven in a row.

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The best thing for the franchise would be to lose the rest. Maybe that doesn’t follow in line with the competitive spirit of the NFL, but it’s the truth. A 2-14 record for the Titans, and a great draft position, is better than being in the middle at 7-9 or so. Nothing says you can’t draft a Pro Bowler with the 15th pick just as well as you can with the third pick, but you’d rather take your chances with the third pick.

Tanking is not going to happen, because it’s not the best thing for the Titans players.

“It is ludicrous to me,” Titans tight end Delanie Walker told The Tennessean. “Fans don’t understand the situation we go through as players. No one wants to lose games for better picks. It just doesn’t happen. It would never happen. Just the thought is ludicrous.”

That’s correct too. Players shouldn’t be thinking of tanking. They play poorly, they might not be back in Tennessee next season anyway. Heck, that hypothetical third pick could come in and take their job.

“I have worked too hard personally to listen to anybody that tells me to go out and tank a season,” wide receiver Nate Washington said, according to The Tennessean. “I wouldn’t know the meaning of that. To those naysayers who think we should go out and mail it in the rest the season, maybe they shouldn’t go to work for the next month and see if they expect a paycheck. Let’s see how it works out for them. … ”

Let’s not pretend that it hasn’t been tried. Are some of the strange lineup decisions you see late in a season done with draft position in mind? Perhaps, though it would be hard to prove (and that’s the point).

But it must be disheartening for the Titans to be having to hear this type of talk with almost half of the season to go. However, they put themselves in that position.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab