The Zach Mettenberger Punched by Alabama Fan

Tennessee Titans Alabama fans continue to make a name for themselves in the world of sports. Tennessee Titans Alabama Harvey Updyke set the bar high several years ago when he poisoned the trees at Auburn’s beloved Toomer’s Corner. Tennessee Titans Alabama It’s going to take something that I don’t want to imagine to top that, but it hasn’t stopped people from trying. Recently, a construction worker hung an Alabama Crimson Tide flag on Kyle Field at Texas A&M University, for which he was fired. He also made several jokes via social media about doing faulty welding at the stadium, which, you know, is what most people in his shoes would do to a rival school. Tennessee Titans 6th round draft pick, Zach Mettenberger, was out Saturday night when a man yelled “Roll Tide” at him. The former LSU Tiger responded with “Good luck with that.” And for that, Roll Tide’s buddy sucker punched him square in the face. Because you know Mettenberger clearly took the situation too far. His blatant disregard for this fan’s presence obviously warranted an unforeseen knuckle sandwich. I think any reasonable Alabama fan is probably giving this man the slow clap today for standing up to such devious blasphemy. All sarcasm aside, Mettenberger handled the situation as well as one could imagine. Dealing with this type of Alabama fan is like dealing with a caged grizzly bear while you are in the cage with said grizzly bear. What could be brushed off as trash talk by most other fanbases becomes the shot that killed Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria in 1914. I see them all the time and they are unstable individuals. I can confidently say that because I, myself, am a third generation Alabama fan. Don’t worry guys, when they say “Roll Tide” to me, I say it back. But, if they read Titan Sized and recognize my face, I might be in trouble. If they ask me what I think about naming a child ‘Crymson Tyde,’ I’ll definitely be in trouble. That’s stupid. I will undoubtedly get Mettenberger’ed. Alas, I’ll just cross that bridge when I get to it. The owner of the bar was quick to defend Mettenberger citing that he was completely innocent, didn’t start any trouble, and was the victim of a targeted attack. That’s good in one way it doesn’t seem to indicate any sort of ‘character issues’ with Mettenberger. It appears as though he was just out, trying to have a good time, and encountered a raging idiot. It’s bad in another way and I don’t want to get on a moral soapbox but it means that our athletes aren’t safe in public. This isn’t a knock on Zach Mettenberger’s choices, it’s a knock on our own society and the culture of drunken tough guys. It’s a shame that a guy can’t go out and have a drink or two without worrying about whether or not some loose cannon is going to walk up and punch him for no reason. Besides, quarterbacks aren’t known as tough guys. So, why on Earth does that make them a target? I can remotely understand the logic of trying to fight a professional wrestler or a MMA fighter. Tennessee Titans Alabama They are supposed to be the baddest men on the planet! And, you have to prove that you are on their level! At least that’s what your irrational, ridiculous, drunken machismo is telling you. But a quarterback in the NFL? Tennessee Titans Alabama Just calm your fandom down. He’s just a dude and a dude whose jersey you will probably be wearing in 2 or 3 years at that. Let’s let our athletes be people, too. Tennessee Titans Alabama In the end, this wasn’t the first victim Midtown Nashville claimed (speaking from experience), and it won’t be the last. Likewise, this isn’t the first crazy Alabama fan story we’ve heard, and well, it certainly won’t be the last. Tennessee Titans Alabama Thankfully, training camp is set to start, and Mettenberger won’t be hindered at all in his development by this, Tennessee Titans Alabama.

Titans' biggest success

Tennessee Titans With the third pick in the 1995 draft, the Houston Oilers found what everyone in the league needs, Tennessee Titans A quarterback who developed into a reliable starter and could lead a team to victory. Steve McNair was unconventional in many ways Tennessee Titans He had unsurpassed toughness, Tennessee Titans combined great ability to throw and run and won the respect of his team with his ability to lead it. Tennessee Titans He had shortcomings, for sure, but ultimately, after the franchise relocated and was reinvented as the Tennessee Titans, Tennessee Titans he took it where every team wants to go. He took the Titans to Super Bowl XXXIV. In 2003, he shared the league’s MVP Award with Peyton Manning. Tennessee Titans Since his football fade and subsequent trade to Baltimore after the 2005 season, the Titans have not found a long-term answer at quarterback. They spent the third pick in 2006 on Vince Young. They went 13-3 in 2008 with Kerry Collins at the helm. They spent the eighth pick in 2011 on Jake Locker. But none of them has proved a long-term guy with the capabilities of McNair or any of the league’s current top quarterbacks. The biggest issue regarding the potential for the Tennessee Titans over the next three years is quarterback. They have to find, develop and build around a guy. Maybe they already have him. Maybe they don't. Perhaps Locker stays healthy and goes to new heights under new coach Ken Whisenhunt. If he does, the franchise would be in far better shape than conventional opinion says. Plenty of league insiders would be surprised if Locker emerges as more than he’s shown so far, which is a player who has the ability to play well in stretches but has spotty poise and a propensity for getting hurt. Tennessee Titans The Titans spent a sixth-round pick on a big, big-armed pocket passer, Tennessee Titans LSU's Zach Mettenberger who could be an ideal fit for Whisenhunt and develop into that long-term solution. Tennessee Titans However, Mettenberger was coming off a serious knee injury in his final year at LSU. He also has a character question, Tennessee Titans as he pleaded guilty in 2010 to two misdemeanor counts of sexual battery for groping a woman at a bar while he was a student and quarterback at Georgia. If Locker isn’t the answer, Tennessee Titans the Titans have hope for Mettenberger. Tennessee Titans But sixth-round picks who turn into solid starters are a rarity. In the next three seasons, Tennessee Titans the Titans simply have to identify a quarterback who can give them a chance to win and have him leading their huddle, end is it.