Titans Show Respect, Keep Vanden Bosch
The Tennessee Titans showed Kyle Vanden Bosch respect, and that kept him from testing a free-agent market that could have made him much richer.
"Honestly, it really wasn’t that much of a temptation," Vanden Bosch said Friday at a news conference. "I don’t know what else would’ve been out there. I feel this organization … was more than fair with me."
A year ago, Vanden Bosch was a free agent with only four teams interested in talking to a defensive end who had torn both ACLs in his first four NFL seasons in Arizona. The Titans signed him to a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $540,000.
He responded with a career-best 12 1/2 sacks _ more than doubling his previous high of five _ and had 100 tackles that ranked second among the Titans. Tennessee went 4-12, but Vanden Bosch played in the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement.
Now the man who had the most sacks for the Titans since Jevon Kearse’s 14 1/2 in 1999 will receive nearly $15 million in guaranteed money over the first three years of his new four-year deal.
"We were thrilled to death to have an opportunity to get him back," general manager Floyd Reese said. "So it worked out well. It’s a plus-plus, and we’re awful happy."
This signing is a big step for the rebuilding franchise that spent the past few years letting free agents like Kearse leave for big paydays elsewhere or releasing veterans like defensive end Kevin Carter to get under the salary cap.
"If you could draw up your image of the first free agent you were going to sign … short of a franchise quarterback who’s 22 years old, you probably end up with somebody like Kyle," Reese said.
Vanden Bosch, 27, brings some much-needed experience to a defensive line that included five Titans in their second NFL seasons in 2005.
Vanden Bosch noted that the Titans will still be a young team next season, and he needs to be one of the more experienced players who steps in when problems develop.
It also doesn’t hurt that the Titans brought back defensive line coach Jim Washburn, whom Vanden Bosch took with him to the Pro Bowl. Washburn showed Vanden Bosch tapes of sack leaders like Patrick Kearney from 2004 and helped identify his best pass rush moves.
"He had a lot of confidence in me. He told me in the summer, ‘I expect you to get double-digit sacks this year.’ I never would’ve even though that would be possible," Vanden Bosch said.
Washburn appeared ecstatic with the prospect of finally getting to keep a veteran. He’s a big reason why the Titans have 289 sacks since he was hired in 1999, which ranks seventh in the NFL in that stretch.
"If there’s anybody on this team _ coaches or players _ that doesn’t learn from this story, then they’ve missed a great opportunity," Washburn said.
