Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward WILL BREAK Tennessee Titans Rookie Records, Calvin Ridley 1K Repeat & Sweat Sack Totals

Starting point is 00:00:00 Cam Ward will have the best rookie season ever for a Tennessee Titan. And I'll tell you what numbers he's got to put up to do it on today's edition of Locked On Titans. the 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 Rollins Titans fans on today's show. We're going to look at some Tennessee Titans projections. How many yards is Cam Ward projected to throw for? How many touchdowns? I'm going to tell you whether I think he goes over or under.

Starting point is 00:00:45 Also, we're going to look at Calvin Ridley, Tony Pollard, their projections on offense. I'll say whether I think they do more or less. Then those numbers will look at defense as well. But first, again, we are going to start with Cam Warden. I think that he has the best rookie season in Tennessee Titans history. I'm going to tell you how many yards I think he throws for, how many touchdowns, all of that. Before we get into it, do wanna thank you

Starting point is 00:01:08 for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Remember, 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, here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Speaking of every day, shout out to my every dayers out there tuning in Monday

Starting point is 00:01:26 through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an every dayer, you need to be one. It may be the off season, but there is no off season here on Locked on Titans. The Titans have practice later this week. I'm going to be breaking that down. Rookie mini camps right around the corner. And before you know it, it'll be training camps. So make sure that you stay locked in to the Locked on Titans podcast. But with that being said, again, I think that Cam Ward has the best rookie season in Tennessee Titans history.

Starting point is 00:01:51 And quite frankly, I don't think that he has to do a lot to be able to accomplish it at least by the numbers. Now, if you don't want to look by the numbers and you just want to, well, all of these players had good numbers, but you just want to look at who won rookie of the year in Tennessee Titans, Houston Oilers history, Earl Campbell and Robert Brazil on, on for the Oilers way back when, and then Eddie Georgia, Javon curse for the Titans in the late nineties and then Vince Young and

Starting point is 00:02:20 Vince Young was the last player to win it for the Titans after having an awesome rookie season to this day, I will defend Vince Young. It's not his fault. He should have been Cam Newton before Cam Newton, but the Titans didn't support him properly. I know a lot of you guys feel like that about Marcus, but I'll die on that hill with Vince Young. So hate if you want, I'm not listening.

Starting point is 00:02:38 But with that in mind, if Cam Ward were to win rookie of the year, he immediately puts himself in a group in this franchise where you can have the conversation about best rookie season of all time. Because again, there's only five people. And two of them were from way back when. Old time Oilers, which the Oilers,

Starting point is 00:02:58 that is the franchise history. But at the end of the day, I never experienced the Houston Oilers as a football fan. So it's hard for me to like include that in the conversation of guys that I've just never seen and never experienced feels totally different. So really for me, you got Eddie, you got Vince, you got Javon Curse. Cam Ward wins rookie of the year. That means he had a great year. The Titans won some games. He's automatically in the discussion to be the best rookie in Tennessee Titans franchise history.

Starting point is 00:03:26 But then if he breaks the record, so let's talk about some of these numbers. Franchise record for most passing yards by a rookie in a season. Warren Moon, 3,300 yards, 3,338 yards. Touchdowns in a rookie season is Marcus Mariota, 19. Touchdowns in a rookie season is Marcus Mariota, 19. Most yards in a single game, Marcus Mariota, 371 as a rookie. Most touchdowns thrown in a single game as a rookie is Marcus and Will Levis with four. If Cam Ward comes out and throws four touchdowns in his debut, run for the hills, folks. That's how we'll know. Completion percentage for a rookie, the record is 62.2%.

Starting point is 00:04:07 I think Cam Ward beats all of those personally. I think Cam Ward goes over on all of those. Quite honestly, I think that Cam Ward throws for 3,700 yards. I think that Cam Ward throws for 22 passing touchdowns, 25 touchdowns overall. So three rushing touchdowns. I'll make it two rushing touchdowns and receiving, just joking, 25 total touchdowns. He did it in college on the KM ward special. Okay.

Starting point is 00:04:35 I think he throws 11 interceptions. I think that is an area where we're going to look back and be like, Hey, you know, he's got to move a little bit quicker. There were some decision-making calibration, some of the things that got him in college, which he had a very low interception total last year in Miami. It's not like he's throwing a ton of picks. But the NFL is a totally different beast, and I think dealing with the Titans' weapons, not being open often, Cam Ward's knack for playmaking, trying to make something happen.

Starting point is 00:04:58 I think 11 interceptions. He had 25 total touchdowns and 11 interceptions. That's great. I think he's going to complete 65% of his passes I think Brian Callahan is gonna go out of his way To make sure that he can get easy passes for Cam Ward and think about the incorporation of the RPO game Think about the incorporation of the quick screen game Which Cam Ward was so good at in college not only because he just has an understanding and a good feel for it, but the arm angles and the quick release just, it really lends

Starting point is 00:05:29 itself to Ken Ward being great in the quick passing game. So I think he's going to complete a good amount of his passes. 65% is what I'm going to go with. So he's going to break the record for completion percentage for a rookie, for the Tennessee Titans. Then you look at the passing touchdowns, 22. Again, that's three more than what Marcus did his rookie year.

Starting point is 00:05:47 It's kind of sad that it's not even 20, but Cam Ward is gonna break that this year. Cam Ward is gonna throw for at least 20 touchdowns. Like I refuse to believe otherwise. I refuse to believe it. And then the yards, whether it's fair or not, I don't really care, but 3,300 yards by Warren Moon forever ago is just crazy to consider that that record hasn't been broken by a Titans rookie at any point in time. That is crazy low. But again, the Titans have never had if a, if a rookie breaks this record, he's going to be, you know, near the top of the list for passing yard seasons

Starting point is 00:06:29 in Tennessee Titans history. So definitely if Ken Ward throws for 3,400 yards or more, we're talking about an all time Tennessee Titans quarterback season, just in nature, not even just a rookie, just in general. So for me, the Titans go 7-10. Great season from having the number one pick last year. Cam Ward throws for 3,700 yards. Remember, 18 weeks, 17 games now, so an extra game.

Starting point is 00:06:56 I think that's going to allow Cam Ward to get the job done. 22 passing touchdowns, 25 total touchdowns, so three rushing. 11 interceptions as he begins to calibrate, 65 completion percentage, he wins rookie of the year, and it's the greatest rookie season in Tennessee Titans franchise history. And honestly, I don't even think that it's all that crazy. We're going to talk projections on the offensive side of the ball and on the defensive side of the ball to end the show, but Mike from ESPN whose projections we're gonna go off of here he has Cam Newton or Cam Ward Cam Newton I got that on my brain because he's the last number one pick that didn't get a

Starting point is 00:07:35 prime time game their rookie season and I said Vince Young should have been Cam Newton so a lot of Cam Newton on my brain right now but Mike Clay has Cam Ward only playing 15 games because he subtracts two games from everybody for injury reasons. It's just the NFL and he has Cam Ward throwing for 3,382 yards. He would break the record. He has Cam Ward throwing for 20 touchdowns. He would break the record. So like I just if Mike Clay ESPN, who's an analytics guy, if his general projections, which are awful for the Titans across the board, generally, if even his projections that are so low on the Titans have Kim Ward breaking some of these records, who am I to bet against it? So I think again, I think Kim Ward has the best rookie season in Tennessee Titans franchise history, and I don't really think that he has to go crazy to do it. That's just the weak history of Tennessee Titans quarterback play.

Starting point is 00:08:35 That's just the reality. So, yeah, I'm putting my money on Cam Ward for all of those, but if Cam Ward has a good year, that means that there are going to be some other people on the offense that have a good year, and I think there's quite a few players who go over their projections. I'll tell you who they are. Do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. The NBA playoffs are in full swing and every night delivers highlight worthy performances, major momentum shifts and can't miss moments. Whether it's a game winning shot or a breakout player, there's never been a better time to get in on the action. Fandle makes it easy to stay in the game before tip off

Starting point is 00:09:14 and live with player props, performance trends and same game parlays. Fans have more ways than ever to play smart and win big. Me personally, I'm back in the Knicks. My Lakers are out, so go New York Knicks. I'm gonna be back in Jalen Brunson on the over. I'm gonna be back in Carl Anthony Towns on the over on threes. I'm gonna be betting the money line of the Knicks. And if you're new to Fandle, it's the perfect time to sign up.

Starting point is 00:09:41 You can head to Fandle.com right now and place your first $5 bet if it wins. You're gonna get $200 in bonus bets. Make every moment more with Fandle, official today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about Cam Ward. I think he's going to be the best rookie in Tennessee Titans history. I think he's going to smash the records this year. I think it's a combination of course of offense nowadays, but also Cam Ward's game. I just think he's going to be a great player now.

Starting point is 00:10:34 We need to talk about the rest of the offense though. Who would Cam Ward be throwing to? Tony Pollard, Tajay Spears, running the ball, all of that. And the number one player that I want to focus on here is Calvin Ridley. So Mike Clay, again, Mike Clay from ESPN analytics guy, he does his projections every single year, all of that. Let me say this about the projections. I am not here to tell you that the projections are 100% correct and they're going to be great. It's just a great spot for us to start a conversation.

Starting point is 00:11:06 Like it's just a good thing to look at and say over under for different Tennessee Titan stuff. So I'm not trying to act like Mike Clay's projections are so all knowing, but it's just a great place for us to have these conversations. So with Calvin Ridley, Mike Clay has Calvin Ridley with 62 catches for 970 yards and 6 touchdowns. And I'm sorry, but if Cam Ward throws for 3,300 yards like Mike Clay hasn't projected for, then Calvin Ridley is going over a thousand because Calvin Ridley went over a thousand yards last year.

Starting point is 00:11:50 With maybe the worst starting quarterback play in the entire NFL, there is an argument to be made that. The Titans quarterback room, which gave them 22 touchdowns and 21 interceptions. There's an argument to be made. That's the worst quarterback play that any team got in the entire NFL all season. And with the mind numbing boneheaded turnovers that will have us has, I think, I think it's easy to make that argument, quite frankly.

Starting point is 00:12:18 So if you're telling me the cam ward comes in and vastly improves the Tennessee Titans quarterback play. The Calvin Ridley isn't going to go for a thousand yards. Like I just refuse to believe it. I absolutely refuse. So 970, no way, man. Calvin Ridley is going to go over a thousand yards this year. I think Calvin Ridley has ten more catches. And I think that Calvin Ridley has nearly 200 more yards. I'm going to go 72 catches, 1100 receiving yards, and six touchdowns. I do agree on the touchdowns. I think that's right. So I like Calvin Ridley at those numbers. 72 catches, 1100 receiving yards, six touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:13:02 Is Calvin Ridley a bona fide number one wide receiver in the NFL? No, I don't think he is in my opinion. I don't think so, but, but I do think he is a very high level number two, and I think with Cam Ward, a high level number two can do some serious damage. So, I like Calvin Ridley over a thousand. Let me know how you guys feel about that. But when we move to the next player and Tyler Lockett right

Starting point is 00:13:30 now is the Titans wide receiver to Mike Clay has him with 43 catches 463 yards and three touchdowns. Quite frankly, I'm not even going to go over under any of that. I think that's just right. I think that Lockett has 40 catches 400 yards and a couple of touchdowns. Maybe it's this or that, maybe it's not 460, it's, you know, 420. Maybe it's not, you know, 43 catches.

Starting point is 00:13:54 Maybe it's 39. Maybe it's not three touchdowns. Maybe it's two. I don't know, but I don't feel strongly about those projections to tell you less or more. I think that's exactly where Tyler Lockett should be. But I think that a wide receiver will do better than him. I don't think that he will be the second most productive

Starting point is 00:14:13 wide receiver on the team. And that's why we need to look at Ellic Iomaner's projections. Projected for 20 catches, 237 yards and one touchdown. I would double that. I think that Io Manor is in a and again, I've continued to make this bet on Io. I think that Io Manor is in the 40 to 50 catch 400 to 500 yards

Starting point is 00:14:40 three to four touchdown range. I've continued to make this argument. It makes the most sense. His skill set, combined with the skill set that the Titans don't really have, makes him a perfect person to say, hey, he's going to have a lot more production early on than maybe people think. The Titans just don't have anybody at that size with that smoothness. I mean, Van Jefferson is the closest thing they have. But if you're going to play Van Jefferson or you're going to play Elec Ioman or which

Starting point is 00:15:11 one deserves more snaps if it's equal and it's clearly the rookie. So something about Ioman or man, I just have a feeling he's going to make a major impact. I have a feeling he's going to be a top three wide receiver in production for the Titans. And if things go the way I think they might go, I think Ioh Manor could be a guy who's very similar to Tyler Lockett in terms of production. It could even end up just a little bit above and be the Titans second most productive wide receiver. Now, Mike Clay has Chim Dike having better stats this year than Elec Iomanner. 23 catches, 276 yards, two touchdowns.

Starting point is 00:15:50 I don't think that that's bad for Dike. I think he can kind of get moved around in the offense, but I'm going to take Iomanner as a guy who's more productive. Funny to me though, he has Traylon Burks with six catches for 83 yards. I'm going to put those at zero. I can't even talk about Burks without getting a little salty. You hear that? I can barely speak.

Starting point is 00:16:11 I don't think that Traylon Burks is on the Titans roster come week one, whether it be injury, whether it be they just cut him out, right? I don't buy it. But do you want to talk about the Titans? Because Mike Clay has Chigga Conquo and Josh Wiley as more productive than Gunnar Helm. And I get Helm as a rookie, but there's, there is no way, there's no way that Josh Wiley

Starting point is 00:16:38 outside of injury, of course, there is no way that Josh Wiley has more catches and more yards than Gunnar Helm this year. He has Chicka Conkwo at 55 catches for 560 yards, Josh Wiley at 19 for 180, and then Gunnar Helm at 15 for 150. And quite honestly, I would take Chick down by 150 yards and 15 catches. I would take Wiley down by about 10 catches and by about 80 yards. And then I would put Gunnar Helm about 10 catches and by about 80 yards. And then I would put Gunner Helm up.

Starting point is 00:17:07 I think Gunner Helm is going to have 30 to 40 catches and 300 to 400 yards and probably two or three touchdowns. I have said it. I said it during the draft. I'll say it again right now. Gunner Helm is going to be tied in one this year. I think when you look back, the most snaps, the most production, I think Gunner Helm is going to be tied in one this year. I think when you look back, the most snaps, the most production, I think Gunner Helm is going to be tied in one this year.

Starting point is 00:17:28 So I think for the projections, I would go under on the Chig and the Wiley, and I would go over on the Helm. Now we look at running back. That's the last thing I want to look at before we go to defense. And Tony Pollard right now, not projected by Mike Clay to hit a thousand yards, 942 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns. The rushing touchdowns I think could be fine, but I honestly think Tony Pollard goes lower.

Starting point is 00:17:55 I think Tony Pollard breaks down quite a bit this year. I hate to like, I'm not wishing it to happen. I would rather be wrong, but after what I saw from Tony Pollard at the end of the year last year, where he really wore down physically because of the the carry load that he had to take, I just think him, he's approaching 30. He had a lot of workload last year for a guy who should be a committee back. I think the Titans had to misuse Tony Pollard last year because of the situation they were in, but I think that takes a toll. I think it takes an effect. I think Tony Pollard plays less than 14 games this year. I think he plays about 12 games.

Starting point is 00:18:29 I think he has about 800 rushing yards, maybe 700 to 800 rushing yards. I think Tajay Spears right now is projected for 489, according to Mike Clay. I think Spears is gonna have to have more than that. But really, I think Kaleo Mullings, who is projected for eight carries for, uh, 37 yards or something like that.

Starting point is 00:18:48 I think that Kelle Mullings is going to have a lot more carries than eight. I think Mullings is going to carry the ball about 50 to 40 times and really balance out that Tony Pollard miss. Um, so Spears I think could go up a little bit to like over 500 again. He's at 489 right now. I honestly think that's pretty good. Maybe a little more, but I think it's Mullings that goes over. Mullings has about two to 300 yards.

Starting point is 00:19:11 And I think that kind of is where Tony Pollard gets brought down, but let's move over to the defensive side of the ball. We got to talk about sacks and what Tavandre Sweat and Jeffrey Simmons will do this year. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about Cam Ward and becoming the best Titans rookie in franchise history. We talked about whether I would go over or under on some of the projections on offense. Again, excited to hear what you guys have to say about those over unders as well. But now I want to move to the defensive side of the ball because things look pretty ugly over there.

Starting point is 00:20:02 I'm not going to lie to you. Now, before we get into it, do wanna thank you again for making Locked On Titans your first listen. Again, the Titans have practice later in the week. You're gonna wanna make sure that you're up to date on everything that happens, understand what happens going forward. And I'm gonna have all that for you guys on the Locked On Titans podcast.

Starting point is 00:20:20 But for your second listen, make sure that you check out Locked On NFL scouting. The NFL draft is over, but the roster moves and news was Kyle Krabs and Joe Marino will make you the most informed NFL fan this all season. Find Locked On NFL Scouting on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts. But looking at the defensive side of the ball,

Starting point is 00:20:40 I gotta start with the D-line, because that is obviously the one that I'm watching the most. Okay, because the Titans must improve at the D line. But if things go the way that Mike Clay has them going here, not much improvement. Jeffrey Simmons sack total set at 5.7. So that's like an average. If Jeffrey Simmons only gets six sacks, big time failure.

Starting point is 00:21:03 And like the conversation about trading, Jeffrey Simmons got a little louder this all season because the Titans are clearly at the beginning of a rebuild. And it's fair to wonder whether Jeffrey Simmons will be the player that they need him to be. It could be a Jarell Casey situation where by the time that the Titans are good again, Jarell Casey has taken a step back and he's a franchise legend, but it's like. You know, you're not the player you once were. The Titans might be in a spot where

Starting point is 00:21:30 Jeffrey Simmons, even though interior defensive lineman do age pretty well in the NFL, it's fair to wonder. So Jeffrey Simmons plays all year and doesn't miss time and only ends up with five to six sacks. Major disappointment for Jeffrey Simmons and they would seriously, which sucks because you would be looking to trade him when he probably has the least amount of value he's had in the last few years. Uh, Tavondre Sweat though 2.4 sacks. I gotta tell you, maybe my expectations are too low, but if Tavondre Sweat ended up with like two or three sacks,

Starting point is 00:22:06 that would be a great year for the nose tackle. That would be a great year. Tavondre Sweatt going back to his college tape has had a significant issue with finishing sacks. He just gets in the backfield, gets pressure, but cannot get the quarterback. He misses the sack. He did it quite a bit at Texas.

Starting point is 00:22:25 He did it a couple of times last year. If he can capitalize on a couple of those and get two or three sacks this year, I know that sounds really low, but for Tevandre Sweat, what is, what do you think the average sack number is going to be when he's a veteran in the player that he is? I'm not expecting seven to eight sacks a year like we are getting from Jeffrey Simmons when he's healthy. I'm, I'm expecting less than five every year. He's a nose tackle. That's part of the reason I didn't love the pick and the value there, but that is the

Starting point is 00:22:55 reality. So I'm not just going to change the expectations that I would have for that position now just because the Titans drafted a player a little bit higher than I thought they might go. So I would be happy with two to three sacks from Tevandre Sweat. It's everybody else that needs to be better. We can't have five to six sacks from Jeffrey Simmons. But speaking of that, my expectations could not be lower for the edge group. And Mike Clay has Arden Key with 7.9 sacks, so seven to eight. Draymont Jones with 5.3. Lorenzo Carter with 1, which would be a huge improvement for Lorenzo Carter. And Femi with 2.6. But here's where I really objected these projections. Because I actually agree. About 8 sacks for Arden Key. About 5 sacks for Dremont Jones.

Starting point is 00:23:38 About 3 sacks for Femi. 1 for Lorenzo Carter. That sounds about right to me. The Titans have a terrible edge rush group. It's awful. So I don't think that it's going to be that great or much better than that. But where I really object is the snap counts. Mike Clay has Arden Key at like 800, Draymond Jones at 600, and then Lorenzo Carter and Femi both at 300. Femi Oladejo should not be playing the same amount of snaps as Lorenzo Carter I mean early in the year when Femi is adjusting still and he's a project player and all that then great But by the end of the season Femi Oladejo should be playing every snap that Lorenzo Carter would be playing like there's no reason For Femi to not play over Lorenzo Carter. They're both big physical edge rushers who could set the edge You're looking for Femi Oladejo to improve in his pass rush technique, then give them opportunities. There's

Starting point is 00:24:30 no reason by the end of the year that Femi should be playing behind Lorenzo Carter. And if they finish the year both healthy with the same amount of snaps, that's a travesty for Femi Oladejo's development. This is a rebuilding team. This isn't a win now team. You need to prioritize the development of the rookies, even if Femi Oladejo isn't as good of a player as maybe Draymond Jones is right now as a pass rusher, or maybe Lorenzo Carter is as an early down edge setter. Play Femi.

Starting point is 00:25:00 Let them develop. Let them get experience. Cody Barton getting over a hundred tackles. Love that. I'm with that. But my clay has the second most played linebackers, James Williams, which again, out of the young linebackers, James Williams, Otis Reese, Cedric Gray. I guess we could add David Benda in there, the undrafted free agent from Texas.

Starting point is 00:25:27 The Titans just picked up, I think it's Alexander Orgery from the Patriots, the linebacker. So maybe we could add other guys into that mix when we say young linebackers, but out of the three that we focused on coming into the year, James Williams has been my bet all along to take that linebacker spot next to Cody Barton. That's who I would bet on. So I agree with Mike Clay on that one. The only other thing I want to mention here is, uh, in the secondary, they have a Ligeria Sneed having over a thousand snaps. If Ligeria Sneed plays over a thousand snaps, well,

Starting point is 00:26:01 the Titans finally got their money's worth. That's all I have to say about that. There's no way that Ligeria Snead is playing as many snaps as a money hooker this year. That's just not happening. And then they have Mason Kinsey as the punt returner. Mason Kinsey is not making this roster. So come on, Mike Clay. Gotta be better than that. But overall, a lot of these projections, you know, it's maybe not great for the content for me to say it, but like I actually agree with a lot of these projections. A lot of these projections, I

Starting point is 00:26:28 think are pretty close to where I expect these players to be, you know, but Cam Ward, again, I think he's going to have a great rookie season. I think even if the Titans don't make the playoffs and this and that Cam Ward styles a chance to have the best rookie season and franchise history. And I think that'll include some of these younger players and Calvin Ridley doing a little bit better than maybe some of these projections expect. The defense though, hard for me to argue with just about any of this,

Starting point is 00:26:52 other than to say, wouldn't be great for the Titans if the edge rushers only have 18 sacks and Jeffrey Simmons only has five. Not gonna be good, not a great outcome right there. But with that being said, that is gonna do it for me today. Folks, as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Your Ad Here

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Cam Ward WILL BREAK Tennessee Titans Rookie Records, Calvin Ridley 1K Repeat & Sweat Sack Totals

There aren't comments yet for this episode. Click on any sentence in the transcript to leave a comment.