NFL Legend Praises Titans New GM

Mike Borgonzi may not have been super well-known before he became the Tennessee Titans general manager earlier this month, but he is popular among the NFL front office circles.

One person who knows Borgonzi well is his mentor Scott Pioli, who spent 27 years in NFL front offices. He helped get Borgonzi his start with the Kansas City Chiefs, and he is happy to see him now as a full-fledged general manager.

"Mike was smart in every way, and hard-working," Pioli said via team reporter Jim Wyatt. "Everyone I talked to about him talked about how hard he worked, and he did.

"He listened more than he talked, and when he talked, he had strong opinions without being overbearing. He definitely had strong opinions. And for Mike, there was no job that was too big, and there was no job too small.

"I remember Mike was a film-watcher, he was a student of the game. He was a grinder, and he knew how to study film, he knew what to look for. He knew the game, so he knew what he was looking at, and evaluating. He was looking at defensive backs and he knew the difference between Cover 2 and Cover 3 and what the responsibilities were. He knew the game, so he was a good evaluator."

Pioli's roots stem from Bill Belichick with the Cleveland Browns back in the 1990's and he helped the New England Patriots win three Super Bowls in the 2000's, much like Borgonzi has helped the Chiefs win a trio of Lombardi Trophies.

Now, the Titans hope Borgonzi can bring that level of success to Nashville, where he will look to turn a team around that won just three games this past season.