Titans 2009 Odds Hurt By Albert Haynesworth Departure

The Tennessee Titans were not quite under the radar coming into the 2009 season, and this was demonstrated by their rather long odds of winning any championships.  Now that Albert Haynesworth has fled to the Washington Redskins, the Titans season is looking even more tenuous.

"I put nothing past Jeff Fisher (he's the dean of active NFL coaches and the Titans play hard for him)," writes Gene Wojciechowski of ESPN.com.  "But the offense is going to have carry more of the load in 2009. The Titans were seventh in rushing (that happens when you have Chris Johnson and LenDale "No More Patron'' White), but 21st in total offense and 27th in passing. And it will be interesting to see if Vince Young tires of sitting behind 36-year-old Kerry Collins."

Haynesworth is at the center of an NFL "tampering" case and it seems that the Redskins weren't the only ones suspected of trying to woo the former Titans defensive tackle before free agency began in February. Some think the Buccaneers were right there with them.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters in New York on Thursday that the NFL has broadened its investigation into tampering charges involving Haynesworth.

"This is not limited to one team," Goodell said, according to Clark Judge of cbssports.com. "We're looking at the extent of teams involved in this topic for possible violations."

The oddsmakers are not exactly down on Tennessee. 

The Titans 2009 odds have them winning OVER 9 regular season games at Sportsbetting.com (the line is -135).  That's pretty good in a division that includes Indianapolis and two other teams - Jacksonville and Houston - that are capable of winning more than 8 regular season games in 2009.

The Titans would pay 11/4 odds with an AFC South win.  They were listed with 18/1 odds of winning the 2010 Super Bowl at Sportsbetting.com.