Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward STRIKES BACK at Tennessee Titans Mandatory Mini-Camp with MULTIPLE Touchdown Performance

Starting point is 00:00:00 Cam Ward bounced back in a major way at day one of Tennessee Titans mandatory minicamp, and that is exactly what we were hoping to hear. I'll break down everything you need to know on today's edition of Locked On Titans. 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. Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by Odu.

Starting point is 00:00:41 Great organizations win because operations matter. That's why you need to get O-D-O-D-O-D-com slash Locked-On. That's O-D-O-O-O-com slash Locked-on. On today's show, I'm going to break down everything. You need to know from Tennessee Titans mandatory minicamp day one on Tuesday. talk about Kevin Winston continuing to make plays and flash out there on defense. We're going to talk about Xavier Restrepo continuing to stand out on offense, but we got to start with Cam Ward's bounce back day that included multiple touchdown passes and playmaking talent on

Starting point is 00:01:20 display. Again, this is what we wanted to see from Cam Ward. Struggled last week at OTAs. There was a little bit of inaccuracy, all that different stuff. It wasn't time to panic like I talked about. and we talked about the expectations for what we wanted to see at mandatory minicamp. Have situational success. Get going in the right direction. Spread the ball around to different players. And that is exactly what Cam Ward did on Tuesday at day one of mandatory minicamp.

Starting point is 00:01:47 Should have been four touchdown passes for Cam Ward. Two drops of two dimes by Cam Ward turned it in only two touchdown passes. But two touchdowns again, playmaking ability. There's a report out there from A to Z saying he played more free. more loose on this day. And that makes sense. Cam Ward is going to be able to play more free, more loose within the offense as he learns the offense better, understands it better, feels more comfortable in it. All of that makes sense. And that's why it wasn't time to panic last week because it was so

Starting point is 00:02:17 early on in the process with a new scheme and new teammates and new coaching and Cam Ward trying to get adjusted to getting back out on the football field for the season. There's so many things out there that are brand new. It made sense to pump the brakes on any kind of panic. But that that didn't mean that you shouldn't want to see a little bit of improvement. And Robert Sala had a really good quote before Tuesday's practice saying, hey, all these guys miss throws, he brought up Brock Purdy. But he said, as he gets more comfortable, the expectation is that he'll clean it up. He said, but he's been great during OTAs and he's hit some throws as well.

Starting point is 00:02:52 And he hit throws on Tuesday. Jim Wyatt reported there was a great drive for Cam Ward early in practice. He completes three straight passes in a row, one to Daniel Bellinger, hits Gunner Helm over the middle of the field for a big gainer, rolls out, hits Gunner Helm with a sidearm touchdown throw where he walks into the end zone and Gunner Helm, man, getting me excited. But again, Cam Ward's playmaking talent, the accuracy, the arm talent, everything on display in this practice.

Starting point is 00:03:22 He had a would-be touchdown to Daniel Bellinger that Kevin Winston was able to knock out in the end zone. Had a touchdown pass to Wondale Robinson where he was able to avoid some pressure and then throw a ball through a tight window. Wondale Robinson apparently was sliding to the ground according to Jim Wyatt and caught it in between multiple defenders. So Cam Ward using the arm talent to fit into tight windows,

Starting point is 00:03:44 using the playmaking ability to get out of the pocket, sidearm throw, get it to gun or helm for a touchdown. This is the Cam Ward that we have come to know and the Cam Ward that we have come to love. This is the type of stuff that we wanted to hear. apparently there was another drop by Wondell Robinson that would have been a touchdown as well. So that's Daniel Ballinger and Wondell Robinson with a drop. Cam Ward completed a couple to Carnell Tate on the day,

Starting point is 00:04:09 including one over the middle of the field, an absolute laser to Carnell Tate for a big gain according to Tehran Davenport, dump us to Tony Pollard, Taj Spears. I mean, he was spreading it around. And that's what I wanted to hear. When we talked about the expectations for Cam Ward going forward, we talked about in this mandatory minicamp, again, situational success. Some of these were red zone drills.

Starting point is 00:04:32 Some of these were got to have it drills from the 25-yard line going down into the red zone. And Cam Ward was able to deliver success on multiple occasions in multiple drills. So situational success, check the box. Spread the ball out. He went to Tony Pollard, Tage Spears, Bellinger, Helm, Tate, Wondale. He is spreading the ball around. That's what you wanted to hear as well. So get the ball rolling in the right direction.

Starting point is 00:05:01 This is the kind of day that you want. So spreading it around. Situational success. Positive momentum. Yes, there's the interception at the end of the practice. The very end of the practice, there's the interception to a Moni hook. But there are going to be interceptions as Cam Ward tries to do this.

Starting point is 00:05:20 And he even talked about it himself like I talked about earlier. He's trying to get on the same page with it. his teammates, understand the timing of the offense, where he has to be, get the ball out quick, know where the windows are, get certain coverages. It's tough. And Brian Davel, Brian Daible had some incredible answers about Cam Ward, the quarterbacks, the offense. He said, some of the concerns about the inaccuracy.

Starting point is 00:05:47 I think it was TD who asked the question and a great response from Brian Daibble who said, well, he's had some very accurate plays too. which to me, I translate to Brian Dable saying, you guys focus way too much on the negatives. And that includes me. I'm not to saying it's just, you know, the Titans beat reporters are guilty. And anybody who creates Titans content

Starting point is 00:06:08 was talking about Cam Ward struggles. And Brian Dable was like, he's had very accurate place too. He said, I'm very pleased. He talked about with where he's at right now, he's made good progress. This time of year, and this is exactly what we have been saying.

Starting point is 00:06:24 He said this time, year. It's about learning. Making mistakes. This is the learning phase. He said when you get to training camp, now it's time to tighten things up, position battles, understanding the offense, taking it to the next level, performing well, not just learning what you're supposed to do, but doing well at it is what training camp is all about. This is the learning phase. This is where you want to see your players make that mistake, mess that up, not be in the right spot because you want to be able to to coach your players during this time. That's what this is.

Starting point is 00:07:00 This is the learning phase of the all season. Training camp is the competition phase of the all season. And Davele said, you know, not to say he even used, not to say it's just OTAs, because everybody's getting better at this time. But again, reiterating what I just said, he talked about. Learning, development, making mistakes, understanding the offense, knowing where you're supposed to be, how things go, the time, the speed.

Starting point is 00:07:27 And he talked about quarterbacks. He went on an incredible ramble of route depth, timing of the offense, play call, huddle, alignment, motions, all the different things that these quarterbacks are trying to wrap their head around right now, which goes back to my point from yesterday's show of, I am not grading Carnell Tate and Cam Ward on the same scale in OTAs because the job of a quarterback is insanely more difficult than the job of a wide break.

Starting point is 00:07:55 receiver. And I had somebody in the comments yesterday say, Tyler, wide receiver is a hard position to transition to from college. It used to be. It's not anymore. With the way the NFL is now wide receivers, one of the easiest positions to transition from college to the pros. And you see it all over the NFL with all of the rookies, tight ends, wide receivers, and tight end is a hard position to do. But even now, rookie tight ends can come in and help in the receiving game. So, I just push back against that notion. Wide receiver is an easy position to transition.

Starting point is 00:08:30 So again, Brian Dable just saying everything that I've been saying to you guys for the last few days now about Camble. What is on his plate right now with the offense and him trying to work within the timing? And I saw, I think it was like East and Freeze from A to Z saying that his theory was Cam intentionally was speeding up his process to try to work within the offense where Mitch Tramisky, Will Levis,

Starting point is 00:08:56 Henn and Hooker, other guys were doing more. I would have been sacked, but I'm going to extend the play and throw the ball anyway. Cam wasn't doing that. He was getting the ball out like it was real. And he talked about that on Thursday too, saying like, I'm practicing like, I'm going to be sacked. You know, I got to get the ball out.

Starting point is 00:09:15 So, again, this is just exactly what we wanted. Every box check. Another practice tomorrow. So he's got to do it again. And then training camp is what really matters. But going back in the right direction. positive momentum, situational success, spread the ball around to different teammates,

Starting point is 00:09:33 coaches explaining the same context that we've been talking about for the last few days on the show, Cam Ward's going to be fine. And if Cam Ward is not going to be fine, it's not going to be because a week of OTAs in the middle of June. It's just that simple. But with that being said, again, some other guys who are catching passes

Starting point is 00:09:55 are continuing to stand out for this Titans offense. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Indeed. Workplace chaos can show up fast. The problem is finding the right candidate can take a lot more time than most businesses can afford. That's where Indeed sponsored jobs comes in. Indeed sponsored jobs helps you reach candidates who actually fit what you're looking for based on skills, experience, and location. Finding the right person can make all the difference,

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Starting point is 00:11:01 about Indeed on this podcast. Indeed.com slash podcast. Terms and conditions apply. Need to hire. That's a job for Indeed sponsored jobs. Today's episodes also brought to you by Ruggiat. Throughout the NHL finals, every shift mattered. Every moment was intense and everything came down to execution when the pressure was at its highest.

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Starting point is 00:12:50 but now we need to get to the rest of the team. We talk so much about Cam Ward, and I know, I know. That's the story. Everybody wants updates on Cam Ward all the time, but the rest of the team exists, and they're getting me very, very excited, especially on the offensive side of the ball with the wide receiver group, Xavier Restrepo,

Starting point is 00:13:09 continuing to be a standout in every single session. Before I tell you what happened, do want to thank you again for making Lockdown Titans your first listen each and every day. Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there. Tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer you need to be one, the Titans have practiced tomorrow. They are going to be having training camp before you know it.

Starting point is 00:13:40 The season right around the corner, stay locked in to the number one Tennessee Titan podcast in the world. Locked on Titans. But with that being said, Redrepo caught a 20-yard touchdown pass in this practice, according to Jim Wyatt. Shoestring catch, caught it off his shoe strings, turned up field, outraced the defense to the pylon, and scored. Every single practice. I think Jim White put out the catch numbers of OTA.

Starting point is 00:14:12 Xavier Restrepo had the most catches of any Titans wide receiver. He's caught patches from passes from Mitch He's caught passes from Cam Ward. He's caught a touchdown pass here from Will Levis. He's all over all the different teams. He's making plays at every single spot. This is what you wanted to hear from Xavier Restrepo. This is what we imagined it could be like.

Starting point is 00:14:38 And I'll keep saying it. In this offense, in Brian Dable's offense, that slot-wide receiver position is more important than it is in Brian Callahan's offense. and having a traditional slot-wide receiver skill set is more important in this offense because of all the option routes, the choice routes. And Brian Daible talked about those things on Thursday.

Starting point is 00:15:05 We may dive deeper into that as we get into the summer to try to even further understand the Brian Daibald offense. But he talked about how you've got to be on the same page and read the leverage of the cornerbacks and the deep... It's a good quote that we'll dive into eventually. but the point is a player like Xavier Restrepo can do those things perfectly.

Starting point is 00:15:26 Is he great, is he going to be great at contested catches? Is he going to be an incredible guy yards after catch? You know, probably not. Is he going to be able to go up and dominate over top of people with his body size? No, he's never going to be able to do that. But what he can do is

Starting point is 00:15:40 get open, catch the ball, and be on the same page with his quarterback. And those three things, things are probably the most important things for that. Go back to the New England Patriots, offenses that Brian Dable was involved in. Wes Welkers, Danny Amandola, Julian Edelman,

Starting point is 00:16:05 Wondale Robinson. Like, these types of players are maximized in this system. And no Xavier Restrepo is not going to be help on special teams. But if he could continue to, no matter who's the quarterback, no matter what the situation is, no matter what the day is, If he can continue to make plays and stand out, why can't he be the backup slot? Why can't he be Wondell Robinson's direct backup?

Starting point is 00:16:30 Why not? He's making a name for himself here, and he's been producing and he's been performing. And that has to stand out to the coaches as much as it's standing out and all the media reports and observations that we get coming out of these things. So good for Xavier Restrepo, man.

Starting point is 00:16:49 Jim D.K. He had a touchdown for Mitch Trebisky. according to reports, had four catches on the day. Every single practice, like Xavier Restrepo, every practice Chim D.K. is making place. Scoring touchdowns. Whether it's 60-yard bombs, whether it's 25 yards out in the back of the corner of the end zone,

Starting point is 00:17:11 whether it's a short red zone opportunity that he gets open, DK is having somewhat of an explosion. I mean, I wouldn't say he's outright breaking out in practice, but I mean every single practice, it's multiple reports of DK catches and touchdowns and plays. Whether it's Trabis, it's Levis, it's, he's finding them. Go back to the one that came through to DK the other day where it was a debate on the sideline,

Starting point is 00:17:41 whether he got his feet into the end zone or not, everyone was arguing and everything like, it's just nonstop. It's DK all the time. And when we know, Cardinal Tate's going to be good. How good is the question? but he'll be good. We know Wondell Robinson is good.

Starting point is 00:17:58 If D.K. can make that leap. I've talked about how D.K. could be somebody who plays more than Calvin Ridley eventually throughout the year if he really takes a step forward. So, Gunner Helm, I'm telling you, folks, I'm trying to warn you. Gunner Helm is going to be awesome. Gunner Helm is going to be a very good player.

Starting point is 00:18:23 Write it down in Penn. I believe it, 100% every sense of the word, every possible way. Gunnerhelm is going to be awesome. Catch over the middle. The two-yard touchdown from Cam, every, again, every practice,

Starting point is 00:18:42 we hear about Gunner Helm. Multiple catches. And Daniel Bellinger had some catches today. Did well. I think that Ballinger and Helm are just critically important. to each other. Belinger is a guy who I think he's just going to be able to do whatever they ask.

Starting point is 00:19:08 So Gunner Helm can be the guy who gets better matchups and Gunner Helm can be the guy who is they're in a two tight end set and then they formation shift and one of the tight end spreads out wide. I think that's Gunner Helm. Daniel Bellinger can do some of the harder stuff, some of the lunch pail type stuff that the tight end position is required to do

Starting point is 00:19:29 and then Gunner Helm can be more free flowing so that he can be the matchup guy. Just like I would say last year for the Giants, Theo Johnson, and then Daniel Bellinger a couple of years ago. I think Daniel Bellinger when he was really young and Darren Waller

Starting point is 00:19:45 right, wasn't he on the Giants for a grip? But either way, I just think it's pretty clear that Daniel Bellinger is going to be the hard nose guy at Tide-in and then Gunner Helm is going to be more of the finesse guy who they use in matchups. Big slot, red zone,

Starting point is 00:20:01 split him out wide, move him around, do things, I just think that combination is going to be so good. And Daniel Bellinger's presence is going to allow Gunner Helm to continue to ball out. Ridley was back, had a nice sideline grab according to reports. Singleton, Nick Singleton. I'm telling you guys, I think we're going to look at him as the lead back by the end of the season. It's going to happen slowly, but it'll happen, especially with Tony Pollard and Taj Spears on the last year of his contract.

Starting point is 00:20:31 and be like, oh, Singleton's capable. Singleton popped to run. I can't wait to get the pads on. See Nick Singleton play. We do got to talk about the defensive side of the ball because there were some returns, there were some good performances. We got to talk attendance as well because

Starting point is 00:20:46 Femiola Dejo still not out there. I'm officially hitting the panic button on Femi, but another player on offense who wasn't out there, I'm a bit concerned about J.C. Latham. So a lot still to discuss from Tennessee Titans mandatory minicamp on today's edition. of Locked-on Titans. Do you want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Udo.

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Starting point is 00:22:15 That's OD OO dot com slash locked on. Let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, breaking down everything you need to know from Tennessee Titans day one mandatory mini camp took place on Tuesday. Cam Ward bouncing back. We talked about some of the standouts on the offensive side of the ball. Now I want to talk about some of the absences

Starting point is 00:22:54 and some of the standouts on the defensive side of the ball. Before I do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day speaking of every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there. If you aren't a Locked on Titans true everydayer

Starting point is 00:23:07 then you need to be by joining the Locked on Titans Every Dayer Club. Hit the link down below in the description of the podcast. You're going to get commercial-free versions of the podcast in your favorite podcast app. That's worth the price of admission right there in and of itself. But you're also going to get added to a locked-on titans group chat

Starting point is 00:23:26 with me and a bunch of other everydayers where we're constantly chopping up. Everything Tennessee Titans, NFL, everything in between. Make sure that you join the Locked-on Titans every-dayer club today. But Kevin Winston had two PBOs on the day, according to Jim White. had an impressive pass breakup in the red zone on Daniel Bellinger on a pass from Cam Ward

Starting point is 00:23:53 where everybody thought Bellinger caught the ball and Kevin Winston was able to knock it out at the last second. Winston continues to make plays and Gus Bradley talked about Kevin Winston and said he's been starting to stack good days. Winston even said himself in a recent interview that he never really felt like himself last year because he dealt with the injury early on and like Uncle Ty told you and everybody yelled at me last year because that's what happens all the time

Starting point is 00:24:27 I say something I get yelled at I'm proven right by the time I'm right no one cares anymore everyone forgets but I told you that Brian Callahan pushed Kevin Winston too hard

Starting point is 00:24:41 they should have been more more delicate than to let him start full go. At the beginning of training camp like that, it was a mistake. He got banged up, missed over a month in training camp, and to his own word said, never felt right,

Starting point is 00:24:56 never felt like himself all season. Thanks Brian Callahan. Well, he feels like himself there, and he's making plays every single day. He had an interception on Cam Ward, force-of-force fumble on Calvin Ridley a couple practices ago. Now he's having multiple pass breakups. he is everywhere.

Starting point is 00:25:13 He's tackling people, overaggressive, physical. I love it. Tone setter. Tone setter. He was bickering back and forth with somebody on the offense the other day during his mic'd up session.

Starting point is 00:25:28 Like telling him you ain't doing nothing. I love all that. I love all that. That's what the Titans need in the back end is that tone setter, that superstar back-end player. I really do believe it's Kevin Winston. Shout out Jalen McMurray, the undrafted free agent out of Tennessee.

Starting point is 00:25:45 Apparently had multiple pass breakups, almost interception. Good day. I think that was A to Z sports that reported that Jalen McMurray stuff. But now we move to attendance. Big Jeff was back, John Franklin Myers back. Love hearing that. Again, it's not just about them being out on the field. It's about their leadership.

Starting point is 00:26:09 Instilling confidence in their teammates just by their presence. Jeffrey Simmons didn't participate in like team stuff. but he did individual and worked on a site. I'm cool with that. He was barking at cam. Apparently before one of the team drill sessions, one of the 11-on-11 sessions. Jeff wasn't involved,

Starting point is 00:26:27 but he was just barking, talking trash to cam. That's why I want Jeffrey Simmons out there. He doesn't have to be fully involved in all these voluntary, mandatory minicamp practice sessions in June and May. It's Jeffrey Simmons. He knows what he's doing. We know who he is.

Starting point is 00:26:43 I don't need Jeff doing all this, crazy stuff. But just having him out there to set the tone, to be a dog, to talk some trash, to liven it up, to be in the locker room, to bully some guys. Let him know he's the big dog around here. That's what we need from Big Jeff. That sort of mental aspect, presence aspect is more valuable right now with Jeffrey Simmons than the on-field stuff. It is. Him just being big Jeffrey Simps. in the building, in the organization, the star of the Titans,

Starting point is 00:27:25 best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Him just being around puts other people on notice. Oh, Big Jeff's in here. I can't mess up. Oh, Big Jeff's in the wait room. I got to get my stuff up. Oh, I can't slack off Big Jeff's right there.

Starting point is 00:27:42 That's how it works. Not everybody's a leader. Most people on Earth are followers. who aren't going to do things the right way necessarily unless a leader is there who either they're scared of, they don't want to let down, they care too much about, for whatever reason, there's a reason. So I'm happy to have Big Jeff back,

Starting point is 00:28:05 John Franklin Myers back, Dan Moore back out on the field, Cordell Flott, and Alante Taylor back out on the field. But the people who missed, Femiola Dacia, which confirms it's an injury. He's injured. And if he's injured, missing this development, time, is he going to be ready for training camp?

Starting point is 00:28:23 Bad news for Femiole-Dagio, one of the biggest losers of the Titans off-season so far. J.C. Latham, not out there, and I read, I forget what report I was reading, but one of the reports said they thought the tackle J.C. Latham would be back. And it was a surprise that he wasn't back. That's concerning. If Latham is going to take the next step and be worth the top 10 pick, just cannot afford any health setbacks.

Starting point is 00:28:50 we saw with the hip last year. Let's hope Latham's perfectly fine, and it's a precaution. Jordan Elliott got banged up in practice a couple of weeks ago. Last week, wasn't out there. Not overly concerned there. The Titans made some additions. They brought in Andre James at Center, who I think is very interesting.

Starting point is 00:29:08 They brought in, slip in my mind, another edge rusher, defensive lineman as well from Kansas City, who Mike Borgonzi is familiar with. They had a tryout with a tryout with a couple of players. We're going to get into all of that in more detail later in the week. But just so I mentioned it here for you guys,

Starting point is 00:29:29 there were some transactions at the end of the roster that we will get into. But again, that's a conversation for later in the week. The practice stuff, way more important right now. But Cam Ward bounced back. That's what we love to hear. Restrepo, D.K. Winston, all showing out. Love that as well. That's going to do it for me today, folks.

Starting point is 00:29:46 As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland. And this was live. on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward STRIKES BACK at Tennessee Titans Mandatory Mini-Camp with MULTIPLE Touchdown Performance

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