Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Around the League Friday: AFC South Disasters, NFL Awards Picks & Super Wild Card Weekend!!

Episode Date: January 14, 2022

The Tennessee Titans are the number one seed in the AFC and that means a first round bye!! It also means Tyler has some time to go over some general NFL items. First, let's check in with the rest of the AFC South. The Colts are in a full meltdown, the Texans fired two people on Thursday and the Jaguars are...well, the Jaguars. Next, it is time for Tyler to give out his NFL awards. MVP, DPOY, Coach of the Year and more!! Finally, there are six games being played this weekend for Super Wild Card Weekend! Tyler tells you who he thinks will win and what that would mean for the Titans.Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCP3332GMOh4y5PX3q9NFybwSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKED15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.BetOnline AGThere is only 1 place that has you covered and 1 place we trust. Betonline.ag! Sign up today for a free account at betonline.ag and use that promocode: LOCKEDON for your 50% welcome bonus. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, no Tennessee Titans game to preview today as your Tennessee Titans are the number one seed in the AFC and have a bye into the second round. But that gives us a good opportunity for a little around the league Friday. First, we're going to take a look at what's going on with the Tennessee Titans division rivals in the AFC South. And spoiler alert, it's not looking pretty. Then I'm going to hand out my

NFL awards, things like MVP, Defensive Player of the Year, and of course, Coach of the Year. And then there are some games being played this weekend. It is super wildcard weekend in the NFL. I'm going to go over all the games, tell you who I think will win, and who ultimately will be playing the Tennessee Titans in round two. So all of that on an Around the League Friday on the Locked on Titans podcast. Let's get it. You are Locked on Titans. Your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast.

Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Hey-oh, Titans fans. It is a Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, a little around the league Friday. Going to take a look at some of the general news in the NFL, some general items, but we are going to start with the Tennessee Titans division rivals in the AFC South. There has been a ton of drama surrounding all three teams. I'm just going to give you guys a little bit of recap of the most recent events.

Before we get into that, do got to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen to the Locked on Titans podcast, you got to subscribe on whatever platform you do stream. Also, make sure you check out

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Also, you got to check me out on social media, on Twitter at TicTacTitans, on Facebook at Locked on Titans pod. But with all that being said, let's dive into this AFC South news and we have to start with the Indianapolis Colts. Man, I don't know if you guys watched that last episode of in-season hard knocks, but it got me going. It was just really exciting to see all the misery coming out of Indianapolis. And things got even more dicey on Thursday when Colts general manager Chris Ballard, who was clinically overrated by the national media

for some reason, the national media just slurps up the Indianapolis Colts even though they don't deserve it. But alas, that's a different rant for a different time. But on Thursday, Chris Ballard made some comments about current Colts quarterback Carson Wentz. He said, quote, At the time, we felt it was the right decision.

I'm not going to make a comment on who is going to be here next year and who is not. Not a very resounding supportive statement for your current quarterback. And translation, we messed up. That's basically what it is. You paid a first round pick for Carson Wentz and you didn't even make the playoffs. He played the whole season and now you want to get rid of him and find somebody else. An absolute disaster in Indianapolis. So you love to see that.

Also, I just want to mention, from watching that episode of Hard Knocks, Frank Reich, the Colts head coach, makes a comment like, it just wasn't our year, just not our year. Man, that is a defeatist mindset. It's just not our year. Like, you didn't have anything to do with it. You didn't have any control over it. It just wasn't your year, and the fates didn't allow you guys to get it done. That's a guy who's saying, oh, it's not my fault. You know, it's just not our year. That's what it was.

It wasn't anybody's fault. Man, I love hearing that lack of accountability in the Colts locker room. That is just absolutely fantastic. And then the comments about Carson Wentz. T.Y. Hilton is liking posts on Twitter after the game of memes, wishing that they had Andrew Luck back. I mean, I just love it. It's my favorite song. Indianapolis Tears. I would drink them all day long. Moving forward though, the Houston Texans

were in the news on Thursday as well as they fire head coach David Culley. Now, Culley is not one of the better coaches in the NFL, but winning four games with that Texans roster? I mean, what else do you expect the guy to do? He was basically a patsy. He was basically a sacrificial lamb. The Texans organization is a dumpster fire, quite frankly. Now they're saying that their leading candidate to come in and be the coach is Brian Flores, who Flores is a pretty good coach, but he rubbed everybody the wrong way in Miami to the point where they didn't care what the record was. They just needed him out of the building.

Well, who else could pair perfectly with Jack Easterby in that disaster of a franchise in Houston other than Brian Flores, one of the least liked head coaches in the NFL? I mean, it's just all so perfect. And that wasn't the only firing that happened in Houston. Texans offensive coordinator, Tim Kelly, Dennis Kelly's brother, was fired. Insanity.

Just true insanity. Tim Kelly was somebody that the Titans tried to hire for offensive coordinator last all season instead of Todd Downing. But the Texans blocked their interview request so that they couldn't hire him. So in the press conference on Sunday, Mike Vrabel even talked about the comeback attempt from the Texans and said Tim Kelly did a really good job. So obviously, and obviously I'm struggling here,

obviously Mike Vrabel has respect for Tim Kelly. Mike Vrabel values Tim Kelly. And I got to tell you guys, in the unfortunate event that the Titans lose their first playoff game, I'm firing Todd Downing immediately and hiring Tim Kelly. If he's not already hired by the time that happens, I would look for him to maybe go to the Panthers, maybe go to the Vikings as well under a defensive head coach, maybe the Broncos, something like that. Tim Kelly is a good offensive mind in the NFL. We saw what he was dialing up.

I even talked about Tim Kelly and gave him credit in Rewatch Wednesday. So just a disaster in Houston as we expected. And then finally, the Jacksonville Jaguars, they still haven't hired a coach, but all indications are that they're looking at Bill O'Brien. Now, I think Bill O'Brien is a good football coach. The Texans won the division four years out of seven chances while he was the head coach.

I think he's a good coach, but he's not good with personnel. The guy that they're keeping at GM is Trent Balke, who I think is terrible. He had terrible relationships in San Francisco. He made a ton of bad decisions in San Francisco. So keeping Trent Balke around is absolutely fantastic. You do that, Jacksonville.

And then you bring in B.O.B. And how long before those guys start clashing and beating heads? Not very long, in my opinion. So sure, go that route, Jacksonville. Be beautiful. So that's kind of a wrap-up of what's going on with the Titans division rivals in the AFC South. We're going to continue this Around the League Friday

by going over my awards for the NFL season. MVP, OPOY, DPOY, Rookie of the Year on Offensive Defense, Coach of the Year, Executive of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, all of that. Now before we get into it though, do want to tell you guys about OnlineGambling.com. We're all looking for the edge these days and I'd like to thank OnlineGambling.com for sponsoring today's podcast. If you don't already know, OnlineGambling.com is a website dedicated to giving bettors the edge. Throughout the playoffs, they're providing you with the best NFL tips,

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We just talked about all the news surrounding the Titans division rivals in the AFC South. Before we get into my awards, I do want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Make sure that you subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Also, I'm getting ready to get into my awards. Drop your awards down in the comments. Who's your MVP and all the other awards that I'm getting ready to go over. So with that being said, I'm going to dive right in. And number one, my MVP and still the MVP, Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers.

I mean, number one seed in the NFC, best record in the NFL. He was dominant all year long. Probably the most talented or second most talented quarterback I've ever seen in my entire life. He deserves it. Quite frankly, there's no way around it. It's not like he had a stellar cast around him all year. They experienced a ton of injuries on the offensive line. They really don't have much outside of Devontae Adams

in the way of wide receivers that you would even care about anyways. I mean, Rodgers elevates all those guys and makes them look better. Alan Lazard, Marquise Valdez-Scantling. I mean, even Randall Cobb, who's basically a corpse. Rodgers made him look good this year. So it's just impossible to deny that Aaron Rodgers is the best quarterback in the NFL this year. Now, I got to tell you, my runner-up for MVP, though, would have been Tom Brady. I mean, led the NFL in passing yards.

What more do you want from a guy who's 44? They had a ton of upheaval as well, especially at the end of the season. So Tom Brady would have been my runner-up, but back-to-back years, got to give it to Aaron Rodgers. As for my offensive player of the year, I'm glad that the tides changed on this one. It does feel good. I'm going with Cooper C Cup from the Los Angeles Rams.

Had over 140 catches. Was close to breaking Michael Thomas' record. Had over 1,900 receiving yards. Led the NFL in catches, yards, and touchdowns. I mean, what more do you want from a guy? I think Cooper Cup should have been in the MVP conversation. If everybody wanted to fawn, oh, I got the vapors over Jonathan Taylor, then why aren't we talking about Cooper Cup should have been in the MVP conversation. If everybody wanted to fawn, oh, I got the vapors over Jonathan Taylor,

then why aren't we talking about Cooper Cup for MVP? I think he should be a top five selection in my opinion. So Cooper Cup easily for the Offensive Player of the Year Award. Basically what it's becoming is MVP is the best quarterback on the best team. Offensive Player of the Year is the best offensive player who's not a quarterback. So I'm okay with that though. I really am. I'm okay with that. Now I do got to say my runner up for

offensive player of the year is Jonathan Taylor. I mean, he went for over 1800 rushing yards. He did have a very good season. He's a very talented player, but Cooper Cup to me definitely is the offensive player of the year. The defensive player of the year got got to be TJ Watt. He tied Michael Strahan's sack record at 22.5. When he doesn't play, the Steelers' defense is just totally different. So you put up those kind of numbers, you have that kind of performance, you drag your team to a playoff appearance, got to give that to TJ Watt. My second runner-up would be the best defensive player in the NFL consistently. Not just this year, but consistently the last few years.

Aaron Donald, who's still had a great year. As for the rookies, offensive rookie of the year. To me, this is cut and dry. I'm not hearing any argument otherwise. It's Jamar Chase. I mean, come on. What are we talking about here? Just slightly behind Justin Jefferson's rookie record for receiving yards.

But I think what adds into it more, and there's always a bit of narrative that goes into awards, and I think there should be. It shouldn't be purely statistically based. We've got to take context into account. For Jamar Chase, everybody said that the Bengals shouldn't pick Jamar Chase at five. They should go with Penny Sewell. Wrong.

Sewell's a decent player, too, but wrong. Obviously. Everybody was giving Jamar Chase grief in training camp, in the preseason for his drops. He's been phenomenal. And every time the Bengals need a big play, he's the one who makes it.

He's just absolutely incredible already from the jump as a rookie. So, I know that some people want to give Mac Jones this award. Get out of here. Mac Jones was carried by the coaching, by the defense, by his surrounding weapons. Mac Jones was not that great this year.

I think Davis Mills was a better rookie quarterback than Mac Jones. So absolutely not entertaining any of that. Jamar Chase should be unanimous offensive rookie of the year with no questions and no doubts. Defensive rookie of the year. I just said Jamar Chase is hands down the offensive rookie of the year. I think the defensive rookie of the year conversation is even more set in stone. Micah Parsons. I mean, Micah Parsons might get some votes for defensive player of the year, not even rookie. He was

nuts this year. So definitely Micah Parsons for defensive rookie of the year. My runner up was Christian Barmore, the defensive tackle from the New England Patriots. For coach of the Year, I'm going with Zach. Ah, just kidding, guys. You know what I'm doing. Mike Vrabel.

And he should be. This isn't anything Homer at all. Mike Vrabel should be the Coach of the Year. 91 different players on the roster and NFL record. Missing Derrick Henry for a half of a season. 12-5 in the number one seed in the AFC. I mean, what more could you want? Mike Vrabel is the coach of the year.

Now, I will give Zach Taylor runner-up from the Bengals. But the Bengals are getting plenty of love in these awards from me because the executive of the year for me is Duke Tobin from the Cincinnati Bengals. He signed Chidobe Awuzie. He signed Trey Hendrickson who has been nuts this year. He's been awesome as an edge rusher. He drafted Jamar Chase when everybody was clowning them and telling them to take an offensive lineman. He said, no. I'm getting Jamar Chase, the guy who lines up with Burrow.

And look where the Bengals are. They've gone from the number five overall pick in the draft to a home playoff game and winning their division. Duke Tobin deserves to be the executive of the year, Cincinnati Bengals. And comeback player of the year, I know there's a lot of Bengals here, but it's Joe Burrow. I mean, he tore his ACL last year to come back and do what he's done this year. He's essentially been a top five quarterback.

Some people are saying he deserves some MVP votes, and I can't say that they're completely wrong. So Joe Burrow going from a torn ACL halfway through the year in the fifth overall pick in the draft to leading this team to a division title and maybe getting some MVP votes, it's Joe Burrow over Dak Prescott. So, those are my NFL

awards. Let me know your guys' picks down in the comments and we are going to move forward and talk about Super Wild Card Weekend. Talk about who I think is going to win these important wild card matchups. Before we get into those, I do want to tell you guys about BetOnline.ag.

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this Around the League Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast by taking a look at Super Wild Card Weekend, what games are being played this weekend, how do I think they'll go, who do I think will win, and ultimately, who do I think the Tennessee Titans will be facing next weekend. We're going to get into all of that. Before we do, I want to remind you guys, or thank you guys again, for making the Locked on Titans podcast

your first listen every day. Ask for your second listen. I told you guys about OnlineGambling.com. I told you guys about BetOnline.ag. Now I want to tell you about Locked on Bets. So here's what you do. You get your gambling advice and check out the OG tips from OnlineGambling.com.

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Let's talk about these games. So on Saturday, the first game is the Cincinnati Bengals hosting the Las Vegas Raiders. And honestly, I'm telling you guys, I'm hoping that the Raiders win that game. But I think the Bengals win that game. The Bengals are hot. I like what they got going. They got a pretty decent defense. Great weapons on offense.

A really good quarterback. I think Joe Burrow is better than Derek Carr. At the end of the day, that's what it really comes down to at some point for me. So I'll take the better quarterback. I'll take the better roster. I'm going with the Bengals in that game. The next game, Saturday night, Patriots at Buffalo Bills.

And here is my upset. I think the Patriots beat the Buffalo Bills. They played twice already this year, split the series. But the weather in Buffalo is going to be very, very cold. It's going to be windy. It's going to be precipitation. It's going to be precipitation. And the last time that these two teams played a game like that, the Patriots really put it on them.

The Buffalo Bills are not good at running the ball. They're not good at stopping the run. And when we get into playoff time, those things really, really matter a lot. So give me the Patriots in that game. And by the way, if you are somebody who wants to gamble, the Patriots are four- point underdogs right now. Give me Bill Belichick and those points against Buffalo. Love that. On Sunday, the first game, Tampa Bay against Philadelphia. I'm not even going to play around with this one. Tampa Bay is going to win that game. It may be

closer than people expect. I mean, Philly right now is like a nine-point dog. I like the points in that one, but I think Tampa Bay is going to find a way to win the game. Again, Tom Brady over Jalen Hurts. It's really that simple for me. And I know that I went with Mack Jones over Josh Allen, but the equation there is Bill Belichick, the best football coach of all time. So, yeah.

Anyways, moving forward. The next game on the slate on Sunday afternoon is the Dallas Cowboys against the San Francisco 49ers. I went back and forth on this one, and I got to tell you, if I was betting on the game, I love the 49ers getting some points here, but I think Dallas ultimately finds a way

to win the game at home. I mean, I really do like the 49ers, though. I don't want to make it seem like I'm super confident and comfortable with Dallas. I think Dallas wins, but the 49ers have a really good team as well. Love Kyle Shanahan, but I'm going to take Dak Prescott over Jimmy Garoppolo. And then to cap off Sunday night, Kansas City Chiefs hosting the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Give me a break, folks. Kansas City may win by 100. So, Kansas City's winning that game. And then Monday night, Monday night wildcard game. I would be pissed, though, if I was the Rams or the Cardinals and I won that game and had to play a divisional round playoff game on a short week,

that's not fair, man. That's dumb. That's not fair. It should be three games Saturday, three games on Sunday, and if you won on either of those days, you should play on that day the next week. I would not be very happy about that if I was the Rams or the Cardinals. But at the end of the day, Sean McVay has gone to a Super Bowl. Cliff Kingsbury, his team chokes every year

at the end of the year and plays their worst football. I am not trusting Cliff Kingsbury for anything. Give me Sean McVay and the Rams. So, with all of that, if it plays out that way, that means in the second round, we would have your Tennessee Titans at home against the New England Patriots. Oh, I'd be licking my chops for that rematch, guys.

That would just absolutely play perfectly into the Titans' hands. And then Cincinnati would go to Kansas City, which I think would just be an excellent game, an excellent rematch. That's what the NFL wants. Put New England and the Titans against each other, that hard-nosed matchup,

and then have the two explosive offenses duke it out in Kansas City. That is good television. And then you'd have the Rams against the Green Bay Packers. I think Green Bay would win that game. You'd have Dallas at Tampa Bay. I think Tampa Bay would win that game. So then you'd have the Titans versus Kansas City, Green Bay versus Tampa Bay. That's the way it should be.

That's the way it should be. So hopefully it does work out that way. Either way, I'm going to be back with you guys on Sunday evening for the YouTube crowd. Monday morning for the podcast crowd breaking down exactly what happened in the games that have been played so far.

I won't have the results of the NFC game on Monday night when I record that, obviously. We are going to do a mail bag Monday since there isn't a game to break down. You want to send in your comments, do that as a five star review on Apple iTunes or send them to me on Twitter

at Tic Tac Titans. I try to keep track of the questions. Sometimes I lose a couple. If I lose your question and I don't do it, just let me know. I'll find a way to do it the next time we have a mail bag, which we do a mailbag every single week during the off season. So plenty of time to get in those questions. And I appreciate you guys sending those in, but that's going to do it for me today, folks. Hope you guys all have a fantastic weekend. Super wild card weekend. I am so

freaking hype for playoff football. I live for this stuff, man. Woo! Let's go. That's going to do it for me today, folks. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.