Locked On Patriots - Daily Podcast On The New England Patriots - Crossover Wednesday with Locked On Titans - 1/1/2020

Episode Date: January 1, 2020

Happy New Year! It’s Crossover Wednesday! Join hosts Mike D’Abate of Locked On Patriots and Tyler Rowland of Locked On Titans as the duo preview Saturday’s playoff showdown between the New England Patriots and Tennessee Titans from Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Happy New Year to all you Foxborough faithful and welcome to your New Year's Day crossover Wednesday episode of Locked On Patriots, your daily home for news, notes, analysis, and the occasional opinion on your six-time Super Bowl champions, the New England Patriots. My name is Mike DeBate and I am your host of Locked On Patriots, which of course is a part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Please feel free to reach out to me and follow me on Twitter at MDABATEFPC, and be sure to follow Locked On Patriots on Twitter at LO underscore Patriots. Folks, I hope that you all had a safe, enjoyable, and happy welcoming of the new year last night, but today is January 1st, 2020, and it's a new dawn and a new day. In fact, you might even say that New Year's Day is the ultimate crossover.

And how appropriate is it that we kick off a new year, a new decade, and it happens on a crossover Wednesday? Can't script it better, folks. As you all know, Wednesday is always a big day for all of us across the Lockdown Podcast Network, especially the NFL shows. The mantra of your team every day is so important to us here at the network because in addition to bringing you the very latest and most up-to-date coverage you'll find on your favorite NFL team anywhere, it gives you the crossovers. And that provides such valuable insight on that given week's opponent from those that

cover the team and know it well. And now that we're in the playoffs, there's double the value. And as the Patriots prepare to host the Tennessee Titans at 8.15 p.m. on Saturday at Gillette Stadium, it's my pleasure today to share the stage with Tyler Rowland of Locked On Titans. Tyler puts on an amazing show, and this will be a fun one as well. We will discuss this matchup from a Titans perspective and a Patriots perspective, and hopefully give both fan bases something to watch for in this one. So sit tight, folks, and I hope that you enjoy today's playoff edition of Crossover Wednesday.

But first, it's all business in Foxborough as the Pats prepare for their wildcard matchup with the Titans. And as 2019 was about to be relegated to the history books, both the Patriots and Titans issued their first injury and practice participation reports of the week. And we're starting to find out a little bit more about the health of both the Patriots and Titans heading into this matchup. Now Now for the Patriots, Tuesday's practice had perfect attendance. However, there are some that continue to be limited participants. Juwan Bentley continues to be listed and limited with a knee injury. Marcus Cannon was limited on

Tuesday with an ankle injury. Marcus did play on Sunday, but they continue to be cautious with him in practice. Linebacker Jamie Collins continues to be listed with a shoulder injury. Overall, the injury is not expected to be serious, but he is still limited in practice. Of course, Julian Edelman continues to be listed on the report with knee and shoulder injuries. Varying degrees of reporting as to how serious both are. But the bottom line here, folks, is Julian's probably as much of a lock to play as anyone on the roster right now. And of course, the Patriots' defensive backfield continues to be plagued by a groin injury epidemic. Three players in the defensive backfield listed, Terrence Brooks, Jonathan Jones, Jason McCourty,

all limited in participation for practice on Tuesday. The Patriots are undoubtedly hoping that all three players can give it a go on Saturday night, especially McCourty. His presence was sorely missed in Sunday's contest against the Dolphins. A lot of the double-teaming matchups that McCourty could have helped out with, he wasn't available. Jonathan Jones did give it a go on Sunday. He had a decent game, but still looked less than 100%, so he can definitely use the help

from a guy especially like Jason McCourty. And of course, Terrence Brooks is such a key component of the Patriots' special teams acumen. So keep a sharp eye, folks, as I continue to monitor the latest on the Patriots injury situation and the practice participation of these players as we head towards Saturday. But don't make the mistake of thinking the Patriots are the only team that's banged up right now. The Tennessee Titans have their injury concerns as well. Two players did not participate for the Titans in Tuesday's practice. Wide receiver Adam Humphreys with an ankle injury. This one could be significant.

Humphreys is one of Ryan Tannehill's favorite targets. He's a crafty receiver that can make big catches. Another thing about Humphreys to not forget is the Patriots actually pursued him in free agency in the offseason in 2019. Humphreys chose to sign with the Titans despite the Patriots making him an offer because he wasn't sure about Tom Brady's longevity or the security of playing in New England. If Humphreys does suit up in this one, you know the Patriots would like to send him a message, and he'd probably like to send a message right back to New England, so keep a sharp eye on Humphreys' status. He could be one of the more intriguing players to watch as we head toward the weekend's matchup.

Other notables on the Titans' injury report include wide receiver and former Patriot Cody Hollister with an ankle injury. He was limited in participation, and a full participant was cornerback Adoree Jackson. Jackson is one of their more prolific playmakers on defense. Because of a foot injury, he hasn't seen much action as of late. However, if he returns to action, he would definitely strengthen the Titans' pass defense, which has been their Achilles heel. So again, folks, not only will I be keeping an eye on the Patriots' injury report, I'll

also be keeping an eye on the Titans' injury report, and as they're released, we'll continue to keep you updated here on Locked On Patriots. So as the Pats and Titans prepare to kick off 2020 on the practice fields, we here at the Locked On Podcast Network prepare to kick off 2020 with our first playoff episodes of Crossover Wednesday. So without further ado, Tyler Rowland is about to join me as we preview the Patriots wildcard matchup with the Tennessee Titans. And once again, folks, my name is Mike DeBate. I am the host of Locked On Patriots, and it is crossover Wednesday here on the Locked On Podcast Network. New Year's Day, January 1st, 2020, a new year and a whole new beginning for the two teams that we will be chronicling today,

the New England Patriots and the Tennessee Titans. And I am joined by Tyler of Locked On Titans. Tyler, thank you so much for joining me today. It's an honor to share the microphone with you here on the first podcast in the Locked On Podcast Network of 2020 for the both of us. Yeah, absolutely. What a great honor to be on here and to have the opportunity to watch the teams that we cover in the playoffs. I know that's something maybe people up in New England have grown accustomed to,

but for the Tennessee crowd, it's definitely something that I cherish and understand how special it is. So excited to get to do a Crossover Wednesday podcast with yourself for what should be and possibly could be the best game of the weekend. It's shaping up to be. I think so. It's's prime time on a Sunday Jim Nance Tony Romo with the phone with the call a big game up here in Foxborough and the Patriots it's been a while since wild card football and wild card weekend has actually meant something here in New England but it's a great opponent a formidable opponent and this is going to be a great matchup. Let's dive right into it, Tyler, and let's start with the Titans passing offense. And in the second half of the season, Ryan Tannehill

has really been a revelation since taking over for Marcus Mariota. The Patriots pass defense, on the other hand, has slowed as the competition has increased and the season has progressed. We did see on Sunday that Stephon Gilmore had some difficulty with a big bodied receiver like Devante Parker. It is basically considered an anomaly up here that Gilmore just had a bad game and that he'll be able to regroup and be able to do something special. However, when you take a look at this Titans team. A.J. Brown and Corey Davis specifically are very big-bodied receivers. They're good receivers. Obviously, Brown has 1,000 yards as a rookie.

Davis is a big receiver who's had big games against the Patriots. They're big, they're physical, they're fast, and they do a great job in all aspects of the game. When you take a look at this Titans pass defense, pass offense, excuse me, and the way that the Patriots are capable of playing defense against the pass, you're the Tennessee Titans, you're Ryan Tannehill. How are you bringing it to this team in Foxborough on Saturday night? Well, I think one thing that

you want to do for certain is try to identify coverage early against the Patriots. The Patriots obviously are historic for their ability to be multiple on defense, to run different kinds of coverages. They're never going to settle in and just be like we saw with like the Seattle team. They run cover three. They run cover one, like the Texans run cover one man pretty much every down almost. The Patriots are going to mix things up on you. They're going to come with different personnel groupings on defense to match whatever you got going. They have a very versatile defensive lineup. So because of that, I think the Titans got to try to mix some of that back up on the opposite side.

I think they got to give them some of their own medicine. The Titans have a lot of talented tight ends and different role-playing tight ends. They have big-bodied receivers. Maybe if Adam Humphreys plays and Tajay Sharp is able to go. They have some really precise route runners. So they have guys that can do different things on offense. And I think the Titans are going to have to continuously mix up their personnel groupings. Like come out with three tight ends, but line up in shotgun. Come out in, you know, 22 personnel with two backs and two tight ends,

but then flex out, you know, two of your tight ends to create kind of a spread formation. You're going to have to try to get the Patriots in situations that they're not used to being in, and I think the only way that you could possibly do that is to utilize the versatile personnel groupings that you have at tight end to kind of mix things up on the Patriots, show heavy formation in the huddle, but come out and spread it out because you have athletic pass-catching tight ends like Johnnie Smith and Anthony Ferkser

who are going to be able to kind of throw off the personnel matchings that the Patriots will probably try to key in on. It'll be tough. And then, of course, on the outsides, the big bodied receivers that you mentioned, every everyone is gushing about A.J. Brown right now. But Corey Davis is a Patriot killer in the years in the two games that the Titans have most recently played.

He had, I believe it's three touchdowns. Yeah, three touchdowns total in those games, over 150 total yards, 10 catches. So he's been dynamic against Stephon Gilmore, and I'm not certain. Bill Belichick typically, in my experience with him, you would know even better, but he likes to take the second cornerback in a safety

and kind of shadow a stud receiver. And then you can leave Gilmore your top corner on, on the second guy and kind of kill two birds with one stone there. But I don't see how you're going to be able to do that against this Titans team with a number two receiver and Corey Davis, who historically kind of kills Gilmore quite frankly. So I'm curious to see what they do on that side. And maybe that could lead me into my question. That's kind of how I see the Titans attacking on offense, at least in the passing game.

How do you think that the Patriots come out and take away the Titans dynamic passing game that has big plays down the field, but also is very good at catching, you know, short passes and taking them the distance? Absolutely. And I think you hit the nail right on the head, Tyler. The Tennessee Titans are so adept at being able to run versatile offense because they're very good at combining the play action pass with a very formidable running game. And I know we'll talk about the running

game for the Tennessee Titans in a little bit, because that's a big concern up here in New England. But the receivers that you mentioned, particularly Brown and Davis, and you hit the nail on the head as far as he goes, he is patriot killer both receivers they're fast they're big they can get free they're hard to tackle and i think ryan tannahill has done a very good job of putting it on them and hitting them but when you combine the running game with their passing game and a passing game a lot of times that to me looks like a running game and i think that the patriots have had difficulty defending an offense like that it's hard to defend for any team. And basically every team that the Titans have played in the second half of the season has had difficulty being able to defend against that.

If on the Patriots, what you need to do, like you said, is mix up coverages. You mentioned Stephon Gilmore shadowing probably the best option. It would not shock me to see Stephon Gilmore play more on Corey Davis than he does on A.J. Brown in this game. It would not shock me to see Stephon Gilmore play more on Corey Davis than he does on A.J. Brown in this game. It could be a little bit of a switch for a Bill Belichick type offense to put Gilmore on Davis because of the prolific games that he's had against him and maybe take a guy like J.C. Jackson and then blanket him with a little bit of either Jonathan Jones or Jason McCourty mixed in. Now, there's a wild card there because there are two guys in Jonathan Jones and Jason McCourty that are fighting groin injuries right now simultaneously.

Patriots secondary is a little banged up. However, they're definitely working to get to be full strength. Jason McCourty was not in the lineup against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday. I do look for him to come back because when he's healthy and he's in the offense and excuse me, in the Patriots defense, it definitely makes things a lot more difficult on the passing offense of the opponent because it does limit the options of what, you know, a team is going to be able to do.

Jason McCourty allows Stefan Gilmore to be able to play that lockdown style. And it also frees up JC Jackson to get after. So that's, in my opinion, what we will see from the Patriots. Of course, knowing Bill Belichick, he'll probably do something completely different and off the chart. But at this point, that's how I see the Patriots attacking this pass offense from the Tennessee Titans. I look for Gilmore to maybe play a little bit more on Davis and mix up the man coverages a little bit. Because when the Patriots do drop into a zone, that's when they have difficulties. I think they'd like to try to avoid that at all costs. Yeah, well, I can tell

you that going man is probably the best thing to do against the Titans because they don't really have someone who's going to beat you like a quick, fast guy. All our guys have been injured who give us that threat. Darius Jennings is in there right now. So if you're going to play man, it's, it's maybe a good week to do that with the Titans. As long as your team can tackle when the Patriots don't miss tackles, their second best in the NFL and, and miss tackles with only 63 on the season. They don't give up a lot of yards after the catch just as a season average. But with your comment about them maybe kind of falling off in the second half of the season, is it the injuries and just, you know, the wear and tear of an NFL season that's taken its toll that's maybe having them lapse in those areas?

I think so. I think it's a little bit of game planning probably. If you're referring to Sunday or if some of our listeners are thinking that they're going back to Sunday in the Miami game specifically with Gilmore, I think a lot of that was the way they chose to game plan for a guy like Devontae Parker. I think their man coverage was a little bit softer than what we had normally seen from the New England Patriots. And as a result of that, Stephon Gilmore found himself a little out of position, allowing too much separation.

It does have to come on Gilmore a little bit, but I think game planning and calling was a little bit more of a factor there as well. Plus the depleted secondary that they did have. McCourty wasn't active. Jonathan Jones is definitely being hampered by that groin injury. So he did not look up to 100% and where he usually is able to play as well. So yes, injuries definitely have played a part in the secondary slowing a little bit, but I do think it was a little bit of game planning and maybe

familiarity with a guy like Brian Flores, who was the defensive coordinator just one year ago when the New England Patriots made their Super Bowl run. Flores knows this team very well. So does Mike Vrabel. He's played in the system. He knows how to defend against the Bill Belichick team. He knows how to score points against the Bill Belichick team as well. So that familiarity could work to the Titans advantage here. But I do think the Patriots will have a more solid game plan and I think a more formidable game plan when they take on the Titans on Saturday. I wouldn't put expect anything else from the greatest football coach in the history of football, Bill Belichick, in my humble opinion. Absolutely. And, you know, we've come to expect that with Bill Belichick. I know he's being questioned a little bit up here in New England all week long about sitting on the ball at the 25 with a minute 40 left and the more

you take a look and the more you actually delve into that i think what it does is it lends itself in very nicely to the fact that he was playing against the percentage and he was trying to keep the ball secure and trying not to turn the ball back over we actually saw him do something completely opposite in Buffalo where he used timeouts. The Buffalo Bills were able to get the ball back with 33 seconds remaining in the first quarter and they went down and they scored a touchdown and that really changed the complexity of that game. But the Patriots on their heels a little bit. I think he was maybe coaching a little bit against that. So it's tough to second guess some of the moves that he's made. But against a

guy like Mike Vrabelel he's spidey sense so lack of a better term is definitely going to be up there and he's going to be ready for the challenge and we know the titans are going to be ready for the challenge as well and that actually leads me nicely into my next question for you my friend and that is the titans stout running game led by derrick henry henry does everything well as a runner. He's got great vision for his size. He sees things well, I think has great quickness. He can get into space quickly. He makes the right cuts. The film that I've been watching on him all week long is just, it's, it's, it's really is a joy to watch. And I know Titans fans love to watch that. Um,

my question to you is when you take a look at Derrick Henry and you look at his ability to be able to move the football, if there's one Achilles heel that the Patriots have had in terms of their defense all season long, it's been stopping the run. We've seen backs like Henry, big physical backs come in that have the ability to break, give them difficulty. However, the Patriots run defense has been better as of late. Danny Shelton, Lawrence Guy have really stepped it up and they become better at stopping the run. In your opinion, if you're Derek Henry and you look at the Patriots front seven, what are you going to do to attack that front seven to make sure that the Patriots defense remains on its heels and maybe even open things up for Ryan Tannehill and make it a little bit

easier for him and play action? Well, I think one thing that I've wanted the Titans to do a little bit more is run Derek Henry out of shotgun. And it kind of goes to the point that I mentioned earlier about the Titans getting in multiple personnel formations and then spreading things out. I think spreading the New England defense out quite a bit and spreading them out of the inside gap, spreading that front seven out is going to be key because they're going to try to load the box with eight, nine. The Titans aren't going to get cute and try to do different kinds of runs. The Titans are a zone-running team.

A perfect example, New England, they'll run power. They'll run trap. They'll run zone. They have a multiple-run game. The Titans primarily just run zone, inside zone, outside zone, bootleg, things like that. You're going to see that all day long. So they're not going to get too cute with the style of run

and the scheme of the running game, but where they will try to do things is switching up formation and, like I said, maybe having heavy personnel and then flexing out. And with those big-bodied receivers like Corey Davis, in my opinion, Corey Davis is the best blocking wide receiver in the NFL. The tape backs it up, and I'll go to my grave saying that for as long as he's a Titan, that he's one of the best, if not the best, blocking wide receiver in the NFL.

So you get a big-bodied wide receiver like A.J. Brown, Corey Davis, and even Tajay Sharp isn't big and meaty, but he's a big guy by NFL receiver standards then what you can do is use multiple receivers have 11 personnel out there with three wide receivers motion those receivers into a shotgun formation and they're almost an extension of a tight end somebody like Johnnie Smith the starting tight end we flex him out we pitch him the ball like a backup running back he is as athletic as a wide receiver or a running back. So you can have him flexed out wide, motion him into the formation,

and create yourself, I guess, a heavy personnel look out of shotgun, which could create a numbers advantage and a beef advantage for the Titans if the Patriots try to match and go with their nickel personnel or maybe dime personnel. I know Belichick likes to be multiple on defense and have versatile defenders, try to match and go with their nickel personnel or maybe dime personnel. I know Belichick likes to be multiple on defense and have versatile defenders, which is something the Titans have copied from him is having versatile defenders, and that's one of the strengths of our defense.

So if I'm the Patriots, I'm looking for that. But for the Titans, like I said, I'd like to spread the New England defense out at first and kind of see how they're going to handle different formations and how they're going to match things up personnel wise. And then from there, if you're getting the looks that you want, keep going with that. And if you're not getting the looks that you want, I still don't think you have to do anything crazy. Just do. That's one thing about the Titans that I've stressed the last few weeks. They don't really match game plan for game plan. Mike Rabel has a player's mindset. we play our best you're not going to beat us so the Titans are basically going to do what they do every week I just expect them to try to use personnel groupings to maybe mess with the Patriots in some of the only ways you can you're

not going to outsmart Bill Belichick I don't think you should try but just using little things like that using your versatile tight ends your versatile big physical wide receivers to create advantages in situations that don't look like it. That'll probably be key for the Titans running game to create some advantages against New England. Now, speaking of run games, that kind of leads me into a good question I have about the Patriots. For so many years of this dynasty, the run game has been underrated because of how great Tom Brady is. But one thing about this Patriots offense that you look at is they're only 18th in the NFL, averaging 106.4 yards per game with the backfield combination of Sonny Michelle, James White, and Rex Burkhead.

What is it about this run game that hasn't been able to take off this year? Because typically that's something you can count on with the Patriots. There have been a couple of different reasons why the Patriots run game has not taken off. One, I think underutilization. And it sounds very elementary, but I think that's been a big part of it. Sonny Michel has not run with the same burst that he's ran with in the past couple of, in the last year. The past couple of weeks, I think he's done a better job of doing so.

The problem is, is I think that the Patriots have been trying to utilize the pass because they're very, the teams have been stacking the box against them and trying to prevent the run. But when the Patriots' running game can get going, we saw this a couple of weeks ago when the Pats took on Buffalo at home in Foxborough, they were able to utilize the run. That opened things up for Tom Brady and play action.

And that's when the Patriots offense is at its best. When the power running game starts coming through, when Sony Michelle can hit the lanes and get big chunk plays, that only helps the Patriots to be able to move the football. Rex Burkhead has been very good at being able to only maybe even move the ball a little bit out of play action. And also when James White catches the ball out of the backfield, he can make great things happen. He's one of the best in the business of doing that. One thing I'm surprised the Patriots haven't utilized more is

the fact that Julian Edelman has always been the focal point of this offense since Rob Gronkowski retired. He's been the focal point all year long. Because of that, teams are going to load him up. They're going to put two defensive backs on him, and they're going to constantly drown him with double coverage. When that happens, it usually frees up another player. Now, normally that would be James White, but James White is actually catching the attention of a defensive back as well. Teams are starting to game plan against him.

So when that happens, it frees up a guy like Rex Burkett, who tends to be matched up with a linebacker. That's a matchup that I think Rex can win most of the time, if not all of the time, because he has the speed and the toughness to be able to beat the linebacker in coverage and be able to get out and get some yards. So when it comes to the Patriots running game, the other reason why that I, so that's one of the, excuse me, that's one of the reasons to get back to that. That's one of the reasons why I don't think they've been able to utilize that as well. I think the running game could be a little bit more prolific if they utilized it a little more.

The other reason has been the play of the offensive line. And I think that really has gotten better as of late within the last few weeks, especially since Isaiah Wynn has returned. It looks like Marcus Cannon and Shaq Mason are starting to be the forces that they were last year, and they've been playing better. But for the better part of the year, the Patriots offensive line has been porous. Because of that, they weren't opening the seams that Sony and guys were seeing last year, and it's prevented them from being able to get the running game going on a positive

track. So I think those are the two reasons why they haven't done that. Patriots' rushing attack has been better as of late, but they're still averaging less than four yards per carry. And when you have a front seven like the Titans have with guys like Jarrell Casey, Daquan Jones, Austin Jackson, Jeffrey Simmons, Harold Landry, and Rashawn Evans, those are all formidable players.

It wouldn't surprise me to see the Patriots maybe take a more conservative approach when it comes to the run this week. I know they want to establish it, but it may be tough for them to do that against this Titans front. So that's, to me, the two reasons why the running game hasn't been as prolific as it normally should be. But there's still the possibility for them to get chunk plays. If I'm the Titans, I wouldn't necessarily dismiss the fact that the Patriots may try

to go that early and catch the Titans off guard a little bit. Well, I think that you're spot on there. And if you examine, you know, what the Titans have been doing lately, at least in the past, you know, five weeks or so, the secondary is really banged up. We lost Malcolm Butler to IR and the Panthers game with a broken arm. Adory Jackson has had knee and foot injuries. We'll just call them lower body injuries because the team refuses to give much information about that. Something else that Vrabel has borrowed from Belichick is a reluctance to speak in any kind of certainties about injuries.

It's probably best for the player and the team anyway. But, you know, as someone who analyzes the team, it can be frustrating. So if I'm the Patriots and their passing attack, you look at Julian Edelman, 100 catches on the year, James White, 72. But after that, the next closest person is Philip Dorsett with 29 and Rex Burkhead with 27. So a major drop off. I actually feel very confident in who the Titans will have to guard those two. Jayon Brown is one of the best pass coverage linebackers in the NFL, and I trust that he can give James White the attention he needs.

And then Logan Ryan, a former Patriot, is one of the better slot corners, and he should know Julian Edelman intimately and know what they're looking to do. My question for you is on the outsides and the other options in the Patriots offense right now with the Titans having such banged up corners and playing a fourth, fifth, sixth corner on the outside, who on the Patriots offense other than Edelman and White, do you expect to take advantage of that one-on-one coverage with those lesser-than-average cornerbacks if the Patriots do decide to go conservative in the run game and try to attack downfield early?

Two guys that I expect to be able to utilize that matchup to their advantage, and they're both rookies. I would expect Jacoby Myers to be able to do that a little bit, but I do expect Nikhil Harry to have a big impact in this game. On his conference call on Monday when he met with the media, Josh McDaniels expounded upon the fact that Nikhil Harry to have a big impact in this game. On his conference call on Monday when he met with the media, Josh McDaniels expounded upon the fact that Nikhil Harry has been showing a lot of promise and a lot more promise each and every week. We've seen him grow.

We've seen him become more confident, and we've actually seen him be a better option running crisper routes, going back to get yards after the catch. He's been able to stay on his feet. He's been able to take a couple of hits. He'll go up and he'll contest against the physical Titans defense. I look for Nikhil Harry to have a big game and I think he's going to try. I think Tom Brady, I should say, will try to utilize that matchup and try to get him in coverage with some of the members of the Titans secondary, because that's a battle that I believe Nikhil can at least contend.

I'm not saying he's going to win every battle, but I think he can definitely make the contention there. Myers is another guy that if he can get hot and he can actually be able to make some catches, get a little bit of confidence, he's a guy that I would definitely keep an eye on if I'm the Titans and their defenders. Mohamed Sanu, obviously over the middle, can still make catches. It's been yards after the catch. It's been fighting to get to the sticks with Sanu. He's had some issues with the drops. I think that there definitely is still a little bit of ampering that's going on with Mohamed when it comes to the high ankle sprain that he suffered a few weeks ago.

He just hasn't looked like the same receiver. But he still has a savvy ability to be able to rise to the occasion as a veteran. And I think Tom Brady will utilize that a little bit. But if you're looking for options and you're looking for guys that may get a good amount of looks, I look to two guys primarily. I think it's going to be Harry and I think it's going to be Myers. Dorsett, I think, is someone that Brady would like to look to, but he's had so many issues with drops this year.

To me, it's difficult for him to say that he's going to put this game in his hands, knowing the stakes and knowing that it's a winner go home situation. I don't know if Phillip will necessarily get the looks. If he can get open and he can make some catches early on, he may be a guy to watch for. But if I'm the Tennessee Titans, the two guys I'm watching for are Harry primarily and then Myers as a, as a secondary option to Edelman. Well, Mike, that is absolutely great information about the team. And I hope that, you know, your fans obviously are used to that.

But everyone listening on the locked on Titan side, soak this information up. This is an incredibly intelligent conversation, really give an insight on what we should expect from the from the Patriots on on Saturday and the Titans. Now, one question I do want to ask you, Mike, before we get into any kind of predictions or anything like that is kind of off the field. I want to get a gauge for the New England fan base right now. In my experience on Twitter and some of the media that I consume,

it seems like the New England fan base kind of doesn't really trust this team, maybe is okay with not winning it this year, maybe not okay, but just kind of maybe feels that coming. Something we talked about a little offline before, what is the feeling for you and generally the fan base right now on just the Patriots' outlook this year and how the future would look? We hear about Tom Brady moving on.

You mentioned losing to Mike Vrabel is something that maybe Patriots fans aren't going to be too upset about considering the way this team has played this year. Just what's your general feeling about this team this year and maybe things moving forward into the offseason for what has been, you know, possibly the greatest 20-year dynasty in football history?

Well, believe it or not, this has the actual chance and it's said every single year but this is one year the Patriots fans I think are starting to believe that this could be one of the more interesting off seasons that we've seen in New England in quite some time look there's definitely no shortage of passion when it comes to the Patriots amongst their fan base they are a passionate fan base they have a tendency to rub people the wrong way sometimes with some of the confidence that they have, but it comes from a place where they're so dedicated and so confident in their team that it shines through. And a lot of times it comes as either hubris or arrogance.

And I think that's misread in a lot of circles when it comes to the New England Patriots fan base and how it's looked at among the other 31 teams in the league. Look, there's definitely no, you know, love loss when it comes to the Patriots and losing. It's not something that New England fans are used to. The last 20 years have been very successful here in New England. They've suffered some losses. There's no question. But when you look at it, they're in contention every year. They're in the playoffs. I mean, we're treating right now here in New England, a birth in the wildcard round is being treated like a one in 15 season. It's absolutely amazing when you consider the level of success that this team has had to put forth. But I think that there is definitely a desire to go for seven at this point. And the Patriots want to be that top echelon when it comes to fan bases. and when it comes to franchises in the NFL.

They want to win. There's no question about it. They're used to winning. They're consumed by it in a lot of ways. And I think that there's definitely no question about whether or not this team wants to win. In terms of the offseason and in terms of the confidence they have in this club, uh, it's definitely waned in terms of what I saw last year. And it's my third year covering the team. And each year there seems to always be that undercurrent of, they're going to figure it out.

They're going to figure it out and they're going to, they're going to get this done and they're going to go on a run and they're going to be just fine. I don't see as much of that this year, but I still think it's there lurking beneath the surface. If this team comes out and performs well on Saturday, I think you're going to see a lot of that come back. However, there are a lot of fans that are bracing themselves for what is going to be an extremely tough matchup. And I, for one, would not be surprised to see Tennessee come in here and be able to take it to the New England Patriots and beat them. That's the level of respect that we have for the Tennessee Titans and the level of respect that I have for them and just viewing the film that I viewed on them the last couple

of days. This is a very good football team, much different and much better than the team that started the season. So all in all, I think it's going to be an interesting year for the Patriots. I think if they do go down, I think there's a lot of fans right now that are looking to say, okay, well, maybe this run has run its course. Now let's look to the future and see what the future is going to hold here in new England, because the Brady Belichick era has been probably the most prolific in all of professional sports, but it can only last for so long. And eventually that riot will come to an end. If it does come to

an end this season. And, you know, I, to tell you the truth, Tyler, I don't have a whole lot of insight as to whether or not it will, or it won't. People have asked me the question, is this Tom's last year in New England for the first time? I have reasonable doubt. I ultimately think he will be back. I just can't see the team walking away from him, but at the end of the day, it would not completely floor me or shock me to see him walk away and play for another franchise next year. So a lot of question marks. But I think right now the fan base in New England wants to ride this for everything they've got. And I think everybody's hoping they have at least a little more left in the tank for a deep

playoff run. Well, if we had to be honest, the odds right now are in favor of us just wasting the last five minutes and the Patriots beating the Titans and marching all the way to the Super Bowl and winning another Super Bowl. That's probably more likely than the darkest timeline of Tom Brady losing to the Titans at home and then leaving the Patriots. But just wanted to make sure I kind of gauge how the fan base felt. We don't obviously get to talk very often with the Titans and Patriots, not playing too many times in the last decade or so. But that kind of leads me into our predictions for the game here.

And, you know, obviously you're looking at a team that's been at the top, trying to stay at the top. The Titans are a team that is just starting to put some good seasons together and trying to gain some legitimacy. I'll ask you first, since you let off the show, what's your prediction for the game? If you got a score in mind, obviously would love to hear that. But just how do you see things playing out? And then I'll tell you what I'm thinking this early in the week.

Well, I see a very tight game. I think these are two teams that are very evenly matched. If you ask Patriots fans or Patriots insiders, what was the matchup that you would not want to see if the Pats had to indeed play on wildcard weekend? It would have been the Tennessee Titans, their power running game, their ability for the passing game to mask as a running game and utilize play action so effectively is such a big part of the way this team does business. I really will say that I expect a very tight game in this matchup. And I think it's going to come down to the final couple of possessions in terms of who's going to win this.

Ultimately, to bet against the Patriots at home is a very slippery slope. And I'm not prepared to be able to do that right now. And I'm not saying that as a homer. I'm saying that objectively. I do believe that the Patriots find a way to muster up the ability to hang with the Tennessee Titans, do just enough. And I actually think they're going to come out on top in this one, but I think it's going to be a tight one. I like the Patriots in this game,

24 to 21 over the Tennessee Titans. That's pretty crazy that you say that score. I've been leaning towards something like that. I don't think that the score is going to be too large. I even though the Titans offense, see this being a low scoring game. I'm thinking something obscure. I'm going to say 19 to 16 Tennessee Titans. They find a way to turn over Brady in the fourth quarter through a strip sack, I think is more likely than an interception. And somehow, some way, Derrick Henry carries this team with over 100 yards and gets them a score or two. I just think it's going to be something weird. 21-18, 19-16, 22-19, some sort of obscure. There will be missed kicks. There will be a safety. There will be a couple extra points botched. I

just think there will be some mistakes made in this game that make the score a little wonky, I guess to say. But I'm going to go 19-16 Titans. Interesting. And definitely, you know what? I think either scenario, and I think both scenarios, have a good chance of being able to play out. Like we've said in the opening and like we've been saying all along, there's a lot of mutual respect between these two franchises. I think they're very evenly matched, and I think this is going to be a great game and it's really going to come down to which team is going to be able to

take advantage of the miscues. I think you made such a great point, Tyler turnovers, miss kicks, special teams prowess. That's going to be on such big display on Saturday night. It usually does take center stage when teams take place in the playoffs, especially on wildcard weekend. I don't expect anything less this weekend and, uh, you know, best of luck. I know you'll enjoy the game. I'll be enjoying the game and hopefully it'll be, uh, it'll be a good one. And, uh, again, uh, it's been an honor to share the microphone with you today here on

crossover Wednesday. And I hope we've given both fan bases a little bit of something extra to look for in this one, uh, because this is going to be a great playoff matchup. Playoff football returns to the NFL in 2020, and I, for one, cannot wait for this one to start. Yeah, I couldn't be more excited to get into it. It's nice. This is my first season running the podcast here to have the Titans in the playoffs

and be able to continue these Crossover Wednesday events into the postseason. And as Tyler said, we're all excited for this one. If you're a fan of football, it doesn't get any better than the NFL playoffs. And this matchup between the Patriots and the Titans will be a great one. As for me, I will be back tomorrow to continue to bring you the latest Pat's news, notes, and analysis from Foxborough. And I continue to look ahead to the Patriots' Saturday night playoff matchup with the Titans.

As always, please be sure to join me each and every day here on the Locked On Patriots podcast. Subscribe and download via your preferred podcast provider. Once again, I'm Mike DeBate. I thank Tyler Rowland for his insight and analysis today, but most of all, I thank you so much for listening and for staying locked in to Locked On Patriots. Have a great day, everyone, and a very happy new year.