Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Byard Speaks on Bowen, Titans Super Bowl Window & Corey Davis FA Talk

Episode Date: February 4, 2021

Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPod Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

You are Locked On Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. It is Thursday, and what I want to do on this Thursday edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is a little article analysis. Going to cement myself as a part of Aggregation Nation. Blog boys, stand up. What I mean to say is I found three articles this week

that had some very interesting information in them pertaining to the Tennessee Titans. And I want to dive into all three of those articles, explain to you what I saw in the article that I found so interesting, then give you my thoughts on what we go over. Number one, the Titans finally found somebody to give some positive comments on Shane Bowen's promotion to defensive coordinator. So we're going to dive into who gave those comments, why they gave them, and what they actually mean.

After that, I want to take a look at an article that talked about title windows and how valid a team's chance at being a title contender is and examine what was said about the Tennessee Titans and tell you if I agree or disagree on the analysis that was provided. And then finally, we're going to go over an article that talks about current in-house free agent wide receiver Corey Davis. Gives us a good idea of how much he should be looking to make on the open market and who may be his primary suitor to take him away from the Tennessee Titans.

And we'll also talk about who could be an easy replacement or a popular replacement for Corey Davis on the free agent market. So we'll talk about one particular name that I'm pretty keen on as well. So I'm going to discuss all three of these articles today. Like I said, cement myself in aggregation nation. But speaking of free agent wide receivers, next week we are going to dive into free agency heavy. We're going to go position by position, offense and defense, heck, even special teams, and

take a look at who could be available for the Tennessee Titans and who fits in their price range. So make sure that you don't miss any of the free agent content that I will be putting out for you Monday through Friday here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Make sure you subscribe on Apple iTunes, follow on Spotify, follow on Google Play, Stitcher, wherever you get your podcasts, you can find the Locked on Titans podcast there. But we have a Thursday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast to dive into now. Got three articles that we need to take a look at.

Let's get it. Titans fans, they've done it. Like I mentioned at the top of our show, the Titans found someone to give positive comments about Shane Bowen being promoted officially, we should say, from outside linebacker coach to defensive coordinator. I just want to dive into this. Number one, the article comes from Jim Wyatt. It's TennesseeTitans.com. One thing I want to mention, I love Jim. He's a lovable character. He asks good enough questions in the press scrums. He gives us good information. He has access to information because he's employed by the team that no other writer or anyone who covers the team

could have. Now the flip side of that is he's an employee of a team. He's state-sponsored media. That's what I call that. It's like having a journalist that covers the government employed by the government. You're not going to get honest takes. You're never going to get Jim to give honest analysis of players or the situation of the team. It's always going to be colored rosy, colored in those two-tone blues, and that's okay. You have to understand what you're getting from certain media and know what to take from them.

So in this situation, information, background stories, that sort of stuff I like getting from Jim. If you're looking for analysis of the team, you're looking in the wrong spot. But the whole point is I really like Jim, really respect the work he's done. He built a really respectable career before he ever worked for the team. So nothing but positive love for Jim White. But this is the opening of this story he wrote. Quote, Shane Bowen is a good coach who deserves a chance to prove himself as defensive coordinator.

At least that's what Titan safety Kevin Byard thinks after learning the news of Bowen's promotion and hearing the mixed reaction since. End quote. There was no mixed reaction. Where was any positive reaction? The reaction was completely negative. So even there're calling it mixed reaction is overly positive from Jim. But what I really want to dive into is Kevin Byard's quotes.

And one thing that I want to say before we get into them is some people will look at this. I've already had people tag me on Twitter and say, hey, look, you know, somebody saying good stuff about Bowen. I guess he can't be that bad. Well, one, they elicited these quotes from Kevin Byard, guys. They asked him to give these quotes. This wasn't unprompted, like, you know, Johnnie Smith talking about Todd Downing. This wasn't like Taylor LeJuan talking about Todd Downing or sending out tweets about Todd Downing.

This was, hey, Kevin, can you say some nice things about Shane Bowen, please? We're writing an article about him. We got to do something here. And Kevin is a leader. He's one of the big faces on the team, probably number two behind or number three behind Tannehill and Henry. In terms of leadership, he's probably number one on the team, quite frankly. But I want to get into his quotes and just wanted to caveat these by those little things about Jim and then about the position that Kevin's in here. So number one, quote, at the end of the day, I think Shane is a good coach, and I think it's kind of unfair for a guy to get promotion to a new job, and everybody just pounds on him as if he's a bad coach. I really do think he's a great coach, and I think if you look at

the situation for us this past year as it relates to our defensive performance, I'm really big on accountability. I'm not going to be one of those guys because I didn't have my best year statistically to say, hey, it's the defensive coordinator's fault, or it's because of this or that. I'm always going to look at myself first. And I think when you look at our entire defense as a whole last year, it's everybody's fault we didn't play better. It's not one person's fault. It's not Shane Bowen's fault. It's everybody who had their hand in the pot from the front seven to the back end to everybody we could have all done better end quote and I agree with Kevin completely but I do think it's funny that everyone is aware that everyone is unhappy about

this for Kevin Byard and Jim Wyatt in the first four paragraphs of the article to come out and mention you know the backlash that this got I I mean, the franchise knows. Our voices have been heard. No one is happy about this, and everyone in that building knows that no one is happy about this. So I'm glad at least they know, at the minimum. At least they know. But of course, Kevin Byard going to take more accountability than Mike Vrabel himself. He asked Mike Vrabel, is it a fault? We got to play better. We got to coach better. But Harold Landry missed this sack. Desmond King did this.

Chris Jackson did this. Blah, blah, blah. Putting it on the players. Hey, Mike Vrabel, you didn't hire a DC. I don't think that has any impact on how we're playing right now. Promote Shane Bowen to DC. Obviously saying that John Robinson needs to get better players and the players need to play better.

So the only person not truly holding themselves accountable seems to be Mike Vrabel. You know, whatever. But let's continue hearing the quotes from Kevin Byard. That's only fair. Quote, I think Shane is going to do a good job next year, and I'm excited to see how, as a defense, we take the lessons we learned from this year and fix those and have a better season. This is a game-to-game, year-to-year league, and if we put a better performance out there next year, everybody

will be saying how Shane is a really good coach, and I am proud of how he stepped up. Yeah, I mean, if the Titans' defense is better, then we will give Shane Bowen some credit. I mean, that's how this works. It's also a production league as well, Kevin. But the last quotes that he had here to round things out, quote, I said before, I always felt like he was pretty much the D coordinator, even though he didn't have the title. He ran all the meetings, he ran the walkthroughs. So he was the defensive coordinator in my eyes. Sidebar, then why didn't they give him the title? Back to the quotes. I always had talks with him throughout the week about things we were running that week and what we were putting in. I would

say that him actually getting the title as defensive coordinator should help him as far as being able to focus on the defense as a whole, just game planning and all that stuff, not have to worry about being the position coach, and now Ryan can step in that role. I am excited to see how this year goes. So, Kevin Byard's basically admitting right there, Mike Vrabel, Shane Bowen, they were stretched too thin. Titans needed a defensive coordinator. Oh, God.

Here we go. But lastly here, last thing from Kevin Byard, I anticipate our defensive roster turning over pretty well. We have some free agents and don't know if guys are going to be back or not. I anticipate we'll have some roster turnover, but at the end of the day, the numbers are what they are, and we have to improve in every statistical category that we put out there next year, whether we have new guys, guys who are back from last year.

It's all about ownership and owning we weren't good last year and taking that drive and motivation into the offseason, and that is what I am doing. I am taking all of that drive and motivation and bad talk about our defense and how we are not this and we are not that, and I am taking that into my offseason workouts and training and trying to be the best I can this upcoming season." Well, you love to hear that from Kevin Byard. Of course, anything that he ever says training and trying to be the best I can this upcoming season end quote well you love to hear that from Kevin Byard of course anything that he ever says publicly

is going to be the perfect thing to say but found those quotes interesting if you're someone who wants to find some positives well there are positives in there for you to find if you're somebody who wants to color things a little more pessimistically well I did that all on my own for you guys but we are going to move on to the next article where we take a look at how an outside source feels about the Titans as a Super Bowl contender at this moment in time. Before we do that, though, I do want to tell you about our friends over at rockauto.com. Rockauto.com is a family business. They've been serving auto parts customers online for 20 years.

Go to rockauto.com to shop for auto and body parts from hundreds of manufacturers. Rockauto.com to shop for auto and body parts from hundreds of manufacturers. rockauto.com's catalog is unique. It's remarkably easy to navigate, and you can quickly see all the parts available for your vehicle and choose any of the brand specifications and the prices that you prefer. And best of all, speaking of prices, at rockauto.com, the prices are always reliably low, and they're the same for professionals and do-it-yourselfers. Something that I didn't know is the chain stores will charge you different prices based on whether you're a regular do-it-yourselfer or if you're a professional mechanic and you're never going to have that problem at rockauto.com.

So go to rockauto.com right now, see all the parts available for your car or truck and write locked on in the how did you hear about us box that's right underneath where you put your shipping information. So amazing selection, reliably low prices, all of the parts your car will ever need. RockAuto.com. let's dive into our next article and it is an article from ESPN and basically they pulled all of their NFL nation writers and had a tiered system to talk about which NFL teams are Super Bowl contenders or I guess how close they are to being Super Bowl contenders. I thought it was a very interesting list. So what I want to do is I want to go over the teams that were listed ahead of the Tennessee Titans before we get into the Titans-centric information.

And number one at the top of the list, obviously, no shock here, are going to be the two teams that are in the Super Bowl currently. And ESPN had this tier listed as clear-cut contenders right now. Number one, the Kansas City Chiefs. You go to the Super Bowl two years in a row, a year after winning it, obviously you deserve to be at the top of the list. But number two was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and I thought that was kind of interesting. Although they did make it to the Super Bowl this year, they certainly aren't positioned as well as the Kansas City Chiefs.

I'm not doubting Brady. This isn't a case of ageism where I'm saying he couldn't do it at 44. Well, he's doing it at 43, so who am I to say any different? But, you know, they have a lot of pieces that are in flux that aren't as locked in, and the pieces that they have simply aren't as good as the Kansas City Chiefs pieces, especially on offense, which is going to carry the day. So although Tampa Bay deserves to be in the tier, having them at number two, a little interesting in my opinion.

Next is the Buffalo Bills. Again, they have a solid core of defensive players. They have Josh Allen on offense with Stephon Diggs. What else do you need to make sense for them to be there? Number four is the Green Bay Packers, and I agree with that. At any moment in time when you have Aaron Rodgers, you have the kind of pieces they have on defense. Z'Darrius Smith, Jair Alexander, Adrian Amos. Those are solid players, and you have a good core to build around on defense.

So you have playmakers on defense. You obviously have an offense that's captained by Matt LaFleur and then ran by Aaron Rodgers makes sense to have them there as well they can make it to a Super Bowl any year while that core is together and no one would be surprised next you have the next tier and that's on the cusp of contending and you have the New Orleans Saints and one of the big reasons they're in this tier instead of the next one is who's going to be the quarterback next? With Drew Brees moving on, I mean, who's the next guy? So I'm going to say this on Wex. That is a sneaky play for Deshaun Watson, in my opinion.

I just keep getting the feeling that the Deshaun Watson trade is going to be one of the teams that we don't expect. We heard some Raiders chatter on Wednesday. Obviously, everyone's thinking about the Jets, the Dolphins. People have talked about San Francisco. I just have a feeling it's going to be a team that's unexpected, and the Saints are kind of a low-key dark horse that I'm mentioning. Number five, Baltimore Ravens. They're in here. I guess that's number six in the list, but they're in that tier as well I don't know if I

agree on that I know that Lamar was able to beat the Titans but the same exact concerns that you have about Lamar you had in the Buffalo game and honestly the more I look back on the Titans loss only scoring 13 points only scoring three points in the last 50 minutes. I didn't think this then, but man, looking back at the game plan and everything, just very weird. Just very weird from the Titans offense in that game. Very strange. And that's all I'll say about that. It's water under the bridge. But call me skeptical of Baltimore being in that tier. The next tier here, the Los Angeles Rams. I know that they had the number one defense in the NFL and then they got Matt Stafford, but I would consider them still a year away,

probably because they got to see what they have in Matt Stafford, build up the offensive line a little bit more. I don't know. I don't know. Maybe they're right on the edge for me. I guess I could understand why. Next, the Indianapolis Colts, and this is the start of a new tier, still a year away, and they have the Colts, they have the Browns, they have the 49ers, and then our beloved Tennessee Titans. So, the NFL Nation writer for ESPN is Teron Davenport, and we love Teron Davenport on this program, as we do Jim Wyatt. Got nothing but love for both of those respected journalists in their field but this is what Teron had to say about the Titans strategy for becoming a Super Bowl contender quote the Titans offense was among the NFL's best in points per game most of the key

parts are returning in 2021 but they need to make serious defensive improvements to compete with the top teams in the NFL biggest x- X factor, quote, Titans GM John Robinson is once again tasked with finding a game-changing pass rusher this season. An improved pass rush would change things dramatically for the defense, especially the secondary, which would benefit from less time covering receivers. If the defense doesn't improve, the Titans will have wasted a really good offensive group, end quote. Not only that, but the Titans will have wasted their entire Super Bowl window with the Derrick Henry, Ryan Tannehill-led Tennessee Titans.

I truly believe that Super Bowl windows are about three to four years in the NFL with a specific core, and the Titans have their specific core together for the 2019 playoff run, then last season, and then they'll have it this season. Next season, after derrick henry's guaranteed money is gone after we probably run him another 300 times after aj brown's rookie contract and extension is starting to come up after we probably lose rashawn evans after we lose cory davis after we probably let adori jackson walk after malcolm butler has probably reached his peak after kevin byard has come down a step entirely

after Taylor LeJuan after the entire offensive line other than Nate Davis is basically in their mid 30s I mean the Titans got to do it right now this year this year coming up all in an all in push that's how I see it at least

and I don't disagree with what I saw from ESPN but if the Titans are a year away from being Super Bowl contenders, then they're a year too late. So the Titans need to do it right now. John Robinson has to hit this offseason out of the park to make that happen. Speaking of offseason moves,

we need to take a look at another article, our final article of the day. It's another one from ESPN, but it's written by one of the most respected guys in the industry, and that's Bill Barnwell, talking about Corey Davis's free agency, how much he might get paid, who his primary suitor may be in free agency, and an easy target the Titans could look at to replace him in the veteran free agent market. Going to talk about that next.

Before we do, though, I want to tell you about a new podcast from the Locked On Podcast Network and that's Locked On Today, hosted by Locked On Packers host Peter Bukowski. Get all the biggest stories in all of sports in under 20 minutes on the Locked On Today podcast. It's basically like having the morning sports section read

to you in your busy day. So check that out on whatever platform you do stream. That is the new podcast from the Locked On Podcast Network, Locked On Today. Next, I want to tell you about our friends over at betonline.ag. So the Super Bowl is this weekend. I know you're going to want to put down some prop bets, maybe place a wager on the game itself. There's only one place that has you covered and one place that we trust, and that's betonline.ag.

There's only one place that has you covered and one place that we trust, and that's betonline.ag. You can sign up for a free account today at betonline.ag and use promo code LOCKEDON for a 50% welcome bonus. Don't sit on the sidelines anymore. Get in on the action. Don't forget, use that promo code LOCKEDON and you'll receive a 50% welcome bonus on your first deposit. BetOnline, your online sportsbook experts. When it comes to getting or staying in shape, nothing feels as good as that feeling of accomplishment,

of hitting your fitness goals, feeling great about yourself. Now, you can talk about hitting your new goals this upcoming year, but Echelon can get you there. Echelon offers the next generation of connected fitness bikes, fitness mirrors, rowing machines, and their Echelon StrideSmart treadmill. No matter what your favorite fitness activity, Echelon gives you a fun and challenging workout from the comfort of your home. The EX7S is Echelon's latest state-of-the-art innovation that takes cycling to the next

level. The EX7S connected bike is built with performance, flexibility, and durability in mind. The EX7S is the bike for competitors at heart. Unlike their competitors, Echelon is affordable for everyone, and one membership lets up to five family members all work out at the same time. Right now, you can try any Echelon equipment at home for 30 days. Just go to echelonfit.com slash locked on. Once again, that is E-C-H-E-L-O-N fit.com slash locked on.

Let's cap off this Thursday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast by going over our third and final article of the day. And this one, as previously mentioned, comes from ESPN's Bill Barnwell. I think Bill Barnwell is one of the best writers that we have in the NFL. But he wrote an article going over where he thinks some of the free agent big name free agent wide receivers will end up and that of course includes current Titans in-house free agent Corey Davis and of course Corey Davis set career highs and all three categories last year catches with 65 receiving yards with 984, and touchdowns with 5. But Barnwell had him matched up with the Green Bay Packers.

And what I found most interesting was the price tag. He has Corey Davis going to the Packers on a four-year, $52 million deal. That would be $13 million a year. And I don't know about you guys but anytime I see four and 52 it's just so easy to get to 13 because I think of a deck of cards I don't know if you guys do that just a weird fact about me I guess everybody does math in their head different but hey that's how I got there but this is what Barnwell had to say quote the Titans probably would like to retain Davis but if his price tag creeps past $12 million per season, they will need to move on.

I keep coming back to Green Bay where Aaron Rodgers seems to be trying to induce the Packers into adding that last piece of the puzzle on offense. Davis worked with Matt LaFleur when the Green Bay coach was Tennessee's offensive coordinator in 2018, so he's comfortable in that system. End quote. I think those are pretty good points but my thing is I don't think Green Bay will do that I think Green Bay proved last year that they can win with cheap wide receivers as long as they have Devontae Adams a good offensive line and Aaron Rodgers

they don't need to spend a bunch of money on the second wide receiver spot and that's how I feel about the Titans too I agree with Barnwell's assessment. $12 million a year for Corey Davis when we have A.J. Brown? Get out of here. I am not about that at all. I would pay Corey Davis about $9 million a year. I mean, I'm sure he's worth. I'm not saying he's not worth that to another team, but from the Titans' perspective,

I wouldn't go over $9 million for Corey Davis. I just don't even know, guys. It's so expensive. The alternative here, Barnwell points out an alternative, and I haven't dove into free agent wide receivers, but that's something that we're going to get to next week, but I could already tell you before I even put my list and my research together that I agree with Barnwell on this veteran name? I think John Robinson needs to get a mid-range veteran in free agency, like this name at this price range, and then draft in the first three rounds a good, talented wide receiver to groom

and maybe be a slot guy that has a speed element unless he's getting it here. So I think this veteran wide receiver that Barnwell points out adds a speed element to the Titans offense that I've been asking for since before last season and also gives them a veteran number two guy that they can rely on give them flexibility in the draft so let's dive into the player and I'll say it is Marvin Jones who recently played for the Detroit Lions. He played for the Cincinnati Bengals before that, but I think it would be a solid move.

Now, Marvin Jones is 30 years old, but last season he had 76 catches, 978 yards, and nine touchdowns. Basically just as good as Corey Davis. Now, he was the number one wide receiver on the team for most of the year because Kenny Galladay was out, but it just proved that Marvin Jones can produce when given opportunities. Now, a lot of people talk about the injuries, and he's missed a combined 10 games in the last three years, but he did play all 16 last season. So hopefully that's a sign of things to come, but this is what

Barnwell had to say that Titans would be looking for Marvin Jones on a two-year deal worth about $14 million, so about $6.75 to $7 million a year, and I think that would make a lot of sense. Here's his quote. This is where we're really going to start seeing players get squeezed, just because there are so many options available. Jones ended up with impressive numbers in 2020, in part because there really wasn't anyone else to throw to in Detroit. Over the second half of the season, he was targeted 74 times, which was tied for the 7th most in the league. The former Bengals wide out really turned things on in December, racking up nearly half of his receiving yards, 475, and touchdowns for over the final five games. I can't see many teams seeing that five-game

stretch and thinking that Jones is going to play that way over the entirety of 2021, let alone beyond. He is a solid blocker. Side note, I know you Titans fans love wide receivers who block. Diving back in, which will help his value, I could see him as a cheaper replacement for Davis as the number two wide out in Tennessee. End quote. I agree with everything. That's right in the price range, about $6 million that the Titans would be looking to pay for a veteran wide receiver. He's a great blocker, which like I said, it's very important in Tennessee with Derrick Henry in the run game. He's also a veteran guy who you can count on to know the playbook. He still has a

speed element. He can take the top off the defense, run vertical routes for the Titans, and still be somebody who does more than just run vertical routes like Kalief Raymond. They need someone who can run vertical routes, but also is a regular wide receiver so that when you put Marvin Jones out there, every team isn't like, oh, that's the guy that runs deep. Watch him. You got to have somebody who can give you speed and run routes as a real wide receiver. So the Titans need to add that. They need a speed upgrade all over the team. Quite frankly, the Titans are, and they've gotten as far as they can go being a physical team. They need to add speed. The NFL is about speed.

I'm not telling them to create a brand new identity. Keep the identity, but you have to have some speed interjected into this team. On defense, in the secondary, in the pass rush, at the linebacker group, on offense at wide receiver, and the running back position, you need that. So adding a guy like Marvin Jones on the outside as a veteran free agent, and then adding a Kadarius Toney, adding a Dwayne Eskridge, a guy in that mold, a shifty, fast slot receiver, that's what the Titans need in this receiving core right now

because they're going to lose Corey Davis and they need to cut Adam Humphreys. It's time to evolve. It's time to move forward. Take the next step. Add the speed. Another guy, I'll just say, John Brown for the Bills. Another guy kind of fits in that same mold

with Marvin Jones, but we'll dive into wide receiver options probably Wednesday, I would imagine. Wednesday, maybe Tuesday, because I'll probably put running back and quarterback together considering that the Titans aren't really going to be very strong players

in the quarterback or running back free agent markets. So don't want to spend too much time talking about those when the weight of the importance on those is not going to be as high as say wide receiver, offensive line, tight end especially. Man, I'm starting to get a little concerned about that. But that's

all for next week. Make sure that you don't miss any of those conversations about free agent see though in the free agent targets that the Titans will have. Make sure you subscribe to the Locked On Titans podcast on whatever platform you do stream. Also, since I'm telling you guys what to do, one more podcast that I want you guys

to check out and that is Thursday on the Locked On NFL podcast. You're done listening to this. You probably got a little more in your commute left. You probably got a little more time to listen to podcasts. Check out the Locked On NFL National Show on the Locked On Podcast Network, whatever platform you do stream. But that's going to do it for me today, guys. I'm going to get out of here. One last thing before we do, I want to remind you guys that this episode was brought to you by 1010. 1010 is an exclusive collection of 10 one-of-a-kind engagement rings

designed by 10 of the most distinctive designers working today. Using only diamonds responsibly and sustainably sourced from Botswana, 10 design masters have each produced a set of uniquely beautiful diamond rings. And they're available now exclusively at BlueNile.com. This exciting collection of truly unique limited edition diamond engagement rings is available now only at BlueNile.com. Guys, Valentine's Day is right around the corner. That's why they want you to hear this ad. Go buy your girl a beautiful engagement ring, man. Being in love, having a woman, all that.

Heck, if you're a woman who loves a woman, a man who loves a man, if you're a computer chair who loves a lamp, I don't care. Go to 1010. Check out BlueNile.com. Buy an engagement ring. Show them that you love them by spending a bunch of money. Duh. Anyways, that's going to do it for me today, folks.

As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.