The Tennessee Titans may not be the best team to take when making an NFL preseason bet in 2010. They are likely to be without the best running back in football as Chris Johnson is planning to hold out and they have a number of other issues. Situations are critical to consider in NFL preseason odds and the Titans could have some serious problems.
NFL preseason bet odds really won’t take into account who is playing and who is not. The preseason lines are generic as odds makers simply don’t give much attention to injuries, holdouts, etc. Bettors can pay attention though and they may want to avoid the Titans. Chris Johnson is coming off a monster season running the ball for Tennessee and he is not happy with his contract. Johnson said he is not going to play for $550,000 which is what he is scheduled to make this season.
He plans to hold out until something is done about his contract. Johnson was the Offensive Player of the Year last season so he would be a huge loss for Tennessee. Johnson has said he wants to be the highest paid offensive player in the league. That is almost assuredly not going to happen so Johnson is going to have to settle for less or he is not going to play. Tennessee has Johnson under contract for three more seasons. Johnson signed a five-year, $12 million deal after he was drafted.
The situation with Johnson is just one of the issues for Tennessee. Quarterback Vince Young got into trouble again and linebacker Gerald McRath was punished for violating the league’s steroids policy. The Titans were a hot team at the end of last season as they won eight of their last ten games to get to .500 after an 0-6 start. The early signs are not encouraging for Tennessee this season heading into 2010 NFL preseason odds. They have a quarterback who has never really shown leadership ability, a star running back that is going to hold out and a player who is going to be suspended. Tennessee is well coached with Jeff Fisher but they don’t have a lot of margin for error. Losing McRath for four games is going to hurt as he was expected to replace free agent Keith Bulluck. Caution should be advised when considering Tennessee this season.