As Tom’s recent article suggests, getting a Houston Texan fan to speak favorably about DeMarcus Faggins is equivalent to the task of applying lipstick to a pig. To make a long story short, those cheers that you may be hearing are coming from Texas as a result of Faggins signing with the Tennessee Titans.
Nevertheless, reading something encouraging about the Titans’ new CB was the goal I had in mind via my correspondence with Alan Burge, current Houston Texans Examiner who previously authored great pieces for the Texans’ official website.
Here’s Alan’s somewhat-positive take on DeMarcus Faggins.
The scoop on Petey
First of all, what about the nickname? As the story goes, Faggins’ grandmother gave him that nickname when he was a young child because she thought he looked like Petey the dog on the really old TV show The Little Rascals. What a nice Grandma! http://www.carpenoctem.tv/haunt/ca/img/petey.jpg
As far as Petey the football player, what you’re getting is a hard worker and a good locker room guy.
He was an original Texans player – a late round guy who fought his way into the starting lineup after spending his first two seasons on the practice squad or inactive. Faggins worked his way up to nickel corner in ’04 and became a starter in ’05. He broke his foot in training camp in ’06 and missed half the season.
He reclaimed his starting position during the second half of ’06 and into the ’07 season, but he had a disastrous string of games to open the ’07 season and quickly found his way to the bench. His role steadily diminished throughout the season even though the Texans lost Dunta Robinson for the year in Week 9.
Even when at his best, Faggins was a very inconsistent player. He’s not physical in coverage and has never been able to run with the faster receivers in the league, meaning he will always need help over the top.
He’s adequate in short zones and slants but is a better tackler in run support than he is when chasing down receivers. He’s done an adequate job running down field on special teams
Most Texans fans were surprised Faggins made the 53 man roster in ’08 after his poor showing in ’07. But to his credit he fought hard in preseason and made the team. He finished the ’08 season as the Texans #4 corner behind Dunta Robinson, Jacques Reeves, and Fred Bennett.
The one thing that could help Faggins chances with the Titans, beyond the basic adrenaline push that comes with a change of scenery, is the fact that the Titans generate much more pressure with their front seven than the Texans.
As we all know, pressure on the quarterback can make even a below average corner look average.
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Alan makes a great point about Faggins possibly benefitting from playing on a Titans’ team that’s known for having an adequate front four pass rush. Also, the fact that he’s a hard-worker and a good locker room guy probably played a key role in Mike Reinfeldt’s decision to bring “Petey” on board.
While I’m not holding my breath, Alan’s thoughts make me feel a tad bit better about the Faggins’ signing.
Your turn, Titans’ fans: Still feeling queezy about DeMarcus Faggins…or slowly coming around?
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