Lendale White rumbles over hapless Lions

Lendale White doesn’t fear a microphone or hesitate to voice is displeasures. But of course, we already knew that, from his days at USC. As any other poster boy for disgruntled players would be, White was vocal in last weekend’s post-game interview that followed a 34-13 loss to the Jets, a game that gave the once perfect Titans their only blemish on the season. He was frustrated in carrying the ball just 3 times in 4 quarters of play, and alerted listeners and his coaching staff of his feelings. By midweek, most wondered if White had allowed his mouth to stuff him into Jeff Fisher’s doghouse, since it’s never a good idea to air dissensions between player’s and a coaching staff. Instead, Fisher said the topic had been discussed and there were no ill feelings between himself and White. And if anyone had speculations that Fisher’s statements were an attempt to cover up an incident possibly boiling in the Tennessee locker room, that was all squashed on Thursday, as both White and the Titans went back to the formula for success, drubbing the Lions 47-10.

Against the Lions, White ran for 106 yards on 23 carries, with a long of 25. He also contributed 2 touchdowns to tie Atlanta’s Michael Turner’s league leading 13. White had been the league leader in the category, until the lack of opportunities last weekend shut him out. Rookie Chris Johnson added another 125 yards on the ground against the hapless and helpless Lions, giving evidence of the franchise in Detroit being the NFL’s biggest turkey on Thanksgiving, and likely the worst team I’ve witnessed on a professional field. How bad are the Detroit Lions? Even Vince Young completed a 57 yard pass in this game, entering in relief of Kerry Collins.

Last week, Woody Paige of ESPN's "Around the horn" called White "another Denver loud mouth". He also said his mouth is the reason he fell in the NFL draft. I'd have to disagree with the latter. It was a question of work ethics that caused the slide. If it was about being a loud mouth, players like Terrell Owens, Randy Moss, and Chad Johnson wouldn't be worth much in a free agent market, and obviously they are. Lendale White may not be in the best shape, but there's no denying his production on the football field, something the teams picking before the Titans failed to foresee.