Today, the Tennessee Titans signed free agent quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck. Hasselbeck is expected to come into town and help rookie Jake Locker’s transition into the NFL be a smooth one. On the outside, the addition of Hasselbeck made too much sense and almost seems like it had to happen, however, not all of the Titans players seem to be on board.
In fact, one player — cornerback Cortland Finnegan — openly questioned the decision to add Hasselbeck to the roster during an interview with 104.5 the Zone.
“He throws the ball with good checkdowns, good intermediate passing game,” Finnegan said. “That’s a West Coast offense they run, he throws the ball quick. I don’t fear his deep ball. Don’t get me wrong, he’s great at what he’s done. Pro Bowls, All Pros, even playing in the Super Bowl, but for what we have going, what direction I want to go and the team wants to go, I don’t know if he fits what we need, but I’m not the G.M., I’m not the front office.”
ProFootballTalk.com points out that Finnegan’s comments came on Monday, but that does not mean the cornerback has backed down from the comments. It is hard to believe Finnegan would publicly make those comments if he did not share the same feeling as some of his other teammates.
Finnegan’s comments were not all negative, though. He had very kind words for his rookie quarterback Locker.
“He’s got all of it, I mean he can make all the throws, and you go back to college, he’s a tough physical kid, doesn’t mind running the football, getting down and dirty, and he works hard,” Finnegan said. “Hard work beats talent. Hands down, man down. That’s something he’s done consistently.
“The thing I’ve seen thus far is that he’s worked hard, and I can go to battle for someone like that. No matter the interceptions, no matter the growing pains, we can go to work with him.”
Hasselbeck could start the season as the leading man on offense, but it certainly seems that multiple players could be on “Team Locker.”
To stay up to date on the latest from NFL Spin Zone, become a fan on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.