Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - CROSSOVER THURSDAY - Titans v Rams: Titans Offensive Adjustments, Cooper Kupp's Dominance & Predictions

Episode Date: November 4, 2021

It is CROSSOVER THURSDAY!! Sosa Kremenjas from Locked On Rams joins to preview this Sunday Night Football matchup. First, both hosts provide a vibe check on each team. Where are the Titans at now after the Derrick Henry injury and how are the Rams feeling after the Von Miller acquisition. The, Sosa asks Tyler some questions about the Titans including what is driving the recent tear AJ Brown has been on. Finally, Tyler asks Sosa about the Rams philosophical change on offense and the unknown defenders driving their success.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.GetupsideJust download the FREE GetUpside App and use promo code TOUCHDOWN to get up to 50¢/gallon cash back on your first tank. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Locked on Rams and locked on locked on Titans listeners. Welcome back to another episode this week. You guys know how we do Thursdays on the Locked On Podcast Network. It's obviously going to be a crossover episode here between the Los Angeles Rams, the Tennessee Titans, two very good teams and a Sunday night football matchup to watch. But before we get into that, I wanted to tell you guys that this episode of Locked On Rams and Locked On Titans is brought to you by McDonald's. Proudly serving communities to you by McDonald's.

Proudly serving communities since 1965, McDonald's has always been more than just a place to get tasty, affordable food. It's an unofficial community center. A big thank you to our friends over at McDonald's for sponsoring this episode. Now, as you guys know, I'm Sosa Cremendous, your host of the Locked On Rams podcast. And I'm joined by Tyler Rowland, host of the locked on Titans podcast. And this one's going to be a little bit different here, Tyler, because the Titans in the AFC, the Rams in the NFC, they don't exactly play often here. But there are some ties between these two teams. And they're both really good football teams, right? The Rams sitting at seven and one, the Titans at six and two. So there's a vaunted matchup really for two teams that are kind of

not really familiar with each other. So I'll kick it to you first, and you kind of just describe to me what's the feeling like around in the Titans' room right now. I mean, the team's good, but they did come off some really unfortunate news just a few days ago. Yeah, I would say cautious optimism is the correct term. And I would like to think that I've had a big part in increasing the optimism in the Tennessee Titans fan community. I feel very good about where the team is right now. Obviously the injury to Derrick Henry is unfortunate and it kind of sullies the excitement for this matchup between, you know, two teams who may be the best teams in their conference at this moment in time. I think

there's an argument that could be made for that. So obviously puts a damper on the excitement for this game. But I think long term, the Titans look at an improved defense with an improved defensive front. They look at some evolution from the offense, who's doing some different things schematically this year than what they've done in past years that I think give them the ability to kind of counter some of the ways that they've struggled in recent years

in the playoffs with teams who have a really good plan for them. So overall, cautious optimism because you need Derrick Henry back to reach your goals, but all the other boxes that needed to be checked for the Titans to meet their ultimate goals and to potentially compete for a Super Bowl, those boxes are being checked. Like I said, the defense, while it's not an incredibly improved unit in the box score, they're the 20th overall best defense in the league right around there right now. They're still improved in the areas that matter late in the season,

which is the pass rush and the defensive front. So you like to see that some youth in the secondary, but they've played very, very well. And one of the Titans best players, Kevin Byard has really stepped back up to all pro form. The offense is kind of humming in the way that we would expect them. They had 34 points against the Bills. They had 27 against the Chiefs where they really didn't even try to score in the second half. So they could have gone over 30 in that game. They put up 34 against the Colts who have a very good defense as well. So I think the Titans offense is right back where you saw them be in previous years. The defense has improved. So I

think if the timelines that are out there for Derrick Henry are true and do come to fruition, I think the Titans are cautiously optimistic that their season can still be exactly what they wanted it to be, not only at the beginning of the year but prior to the Derrick Henry injury. But on the flip side of that, obviously the Rams are flying high right now, 7-1. They just look like they're going to be a bustle. And they just added one of the best players in NFL history.

So why don't you just give us, I guess, the vibes around the Los Angeles Rams right now? Yeah. Like you mentioned, uh, they're, they're good right now. I mean, uh, the, the fan base is real excited. I'm excited to watch it. I mean, you're talking about going out and trading for Von Miller, the Rams, they're all in. I mean, they have this nice little theory here where they can kind of always extend that window and they've done a really

good job extending it since 2018, which is funny because you go on Twitter, you see these big media members, all these big people that know a lot about football and they're always saying the Rams are all in, you know, this they're selling out next year is going to be tough. They're going to regress and it just hasn't really happened I mean they've had some ups and downs 2019 not been so good 2020 get into the playoffs not really a true contender though but I mean they've done a really good job at extending this window from 2018 to now they obviously go out in the offseason and trade a lot from Matthew Stafford who has been really everything that they've expected this guy's throwing the ball deep he's being very clutch in terms of knowing where to go with the football. Very good pre-snap. I mean, the guy just does a

really good job. I'm moving defenders with his eyes, knowing exactly where his matchups are. And that's one of the biggest differences really from last year's offense to now. The running game, been solid, nothing really too crazy there. I feel like, you know, the loss of K makers is still felt a little bit. They don't really have that explosive element to that running game. It's just more of like, let's get along with this five to seven yard type of running, keep teams honest type of thing, but it's been good. Daryl Henderson has been productive back there as well.

And then on the defensive side of the ball, it feels like they've regressed a decent amount from last year, which I think we all kind of expected, right? This was the number one defense in football last year. They lose Brandon Staley. He's now still in Los Angeles, but for the other team in your conference and looks pretty damn good over there too. And now the Rams have Raheem Morris for their first time as a defensive coordinator. And that unit's been inconsistent. Certain games, they have

really good performances like against Tampa Bay, for example, a really good offense in their own right. And then they come back, you know, a week or two later against Arizona and look like they can't make a stop to save their lives. So a little bit inconsistent, but then you mentioned, you know, they go out and get Vaughn Miller. And now this is obviously going to change a lot of the schematics involved with this defense, because, you know, I talked about this on a podcast yesterday on a Titans podcast, actually. And my idea is you line up Aaron Donald on one side, you line up Vaughn Miller on the other offensive lines are going to slide one way or the other. They can't go both ways.

So, you know, if they're sliding help to Aaron Donald's way, which is typically probably going to happen like it does, that leaves Vaughn Miller singled up one-on-one or, you know, going up against a tight end, things like that. And those are the kind of areas that a guy like that can exploit. He's obviously still a very good player. Up there in age, he's not exactly the same 27-year-old Von Miller that he was years ago, but in terms of the production and the ability, this guy still has it. I think that's why the Rams really felt comfortable about going out and getting a guy like this because he has the ability to take that defense from a top 12 or top 14 unit

to maybe a top 10 or top eight unit. That might just be enough for them to really get over that hump to get deep into the playoffs because right now now the Rams are not just trying to get to the playoffs. They were there last year. The Titans were there, you know, the last few years too. These teams are trying to get to a conference championship. They're trying to get to a Superbowl. We know that that's that final step that they're trying to reach. And I think both teams have a good shot to do it. But before we get into all of that, there's still a lot of games left and it really starts here on Sunday night football. It's going to be a good matchup. Of course, the ramps are at home in SoFi stadium. It's going to be a great game between two teams. Unfortunately, like you

mentioned, no Derek Henry would have been really, really fun to see and get a gauge of where these two teams were at full strength or close to full strength, really. And obviously we know no player, arguably outside of quarterbacks is more important to their offense than Derrick Henry, right? Like this guy's the engine of that team. So unfortunate, but it is going to be a good matchup. Like you mentioned, either way, I think they can overcome it as well. And we're going to dive into some of these matchups to watch in just a second here.

Before we get there, you guys can always follow us on Twitter at QB's MEP and at Tic Tac Titans. I love that at, by the way, that's a really clever one. I focus on the X's and O's, baby. That's the way to go. I like that. Yeah, you do a good job. Actually, I do enjoy your breakdowns as well. Helps me learn about the Titans. Of course, you know, I don't get to watch them as much as you guys do. Right. But before we dive into these matchups, we've got to tell you about these sponsors. McDonald's, like I mentioned, this has always been more than just a place to get these tasty, affordable foods and beverages. It's a place where friends and family can go to reconnect,

a place where classmates can meet up for a study group, knowing they're going to have dependable Wi-Fi and endless amounts of French fries and McFlurries. And I've talked about this, Smarties McFlurries. They're the best. They're not the same thing in the U.S. as they are in Canada. Smarties here are a little chocolate candy. In the U.S., they're like some weird powdered candy.

I don't know about that. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, we don't do that. Here it's Smarties McFlurries. They're the best, right? Win or lose, it's a place where teammates, competitors, the home team, the away team, everyone can go to get to recharge. It's a place that we all look to stop when you're on a long road trip.

You want to rest your legs, maybe grab a snack, grab a little food. So go ahead to your local McDonald's, refuel and reconnect. I personally love going to McDonald's after a night of beverage consumption. That's only for the 19 or 21 plus crowd here. The next morning, if you're trying to cure a hangover, I'm telling you go to McDonald's once it'll change your life. Did anybody say locked on Rams locked on Titans watch party, man, that'd be awesome. But up up up up, we're loving it. Go check out your local McDonald's. And if you need help getting there, you drive you listen to this podcast. I know a lot of people like to listen to our podcast while they like to commute, drive

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you can get up to 50 cents cash back instead of 25 cents cash back. So go get the free upside app. And,. And before we dive into this now, we just want to quickly thank you guys for always making us your first daily listen here at Locked on Rams and Locked on Titans. But now, Tyler, we can dive into some of these matchups and some of these players that I kind of want to figure more about. And I think one of the players that we really have to begin with on your side of the ball here for sure has to be uh the the wide receiver room and aj brown julio jones in specific aj brown i mean this guy i'm a fantasy player i know a lot of other people that listen to these podcasts probably are as well been a little bit of a weird

chipotle episode but i mean these last few games he is back and he is on and we know this guy is a full-fledged superstar when he's on that field now I want to hear more about you know how he's been the last few games and also what's been going on with Julio Jones is he going to be able to suit up in this game I know he's kind of been in and out and what's really been going on with him this season well Julio's nursing a hamstring injury it's very similar to to last year it's just the reality here but I think that the Titans are being very cautious with Julio Jones because the reality is you need Julio Jones in the playoffs. I think that the Titans are good enough to make it to the playoffs now.

They're good enough. We saw the Titans win games against good teams without Julio Jones. So I think Julio Jones was always the cherry on top for the Titans. Last year, the Titans got knocked out of the playoffs because the Ravens were playing tight press man coverage and stacking the line of scrimmage and bringing pressure outside of A.J. Brown, who they would just shadow a robber zone defender over while they're playing man. The Titans couldn't get anybody open. So the idea is if these teams go to this press, tight man coverage, they shadow A.J. Brown with a robber or a zone defender to go along with the man coverage, now you have

Julio who can win one-on-one on the other side. Well, you know, I don't think that the Titans necessarily need that extra step, need that extra go-to move right now, But they will need it long-term, and I think that's why they're being so cautious with him and not letting him play if he's anywhere even close to banged up. Now, he did practice on Wednesday, and Mike Vrabel said in his press conference, hoping to see how he responds to practice this week

because now with Henry out, you need that other playmaker to take away attention, even if it's just in the passing game to help the Titans kind of deal with the loss of Henry. But talking about A.J. Brown, I mean, just an absolute stud, an absolute freak. And I think that it's a combination of multiple factors. So, number one, he's getting healthy. He had a knee issue. He had a hamstring issue himself early in the season. He had the Chipotle food poisoning fiasco, which he ultimately played through. And honestly, the Chipotle incident seems like the catalyst game, he had 155 yards on 10 catches and a touchdown.

He just has the ability to beat anybody one-on-one. He's the number one rated wide receiver against single coverage and back-to-back weeks per pro football focus, a group that you know very well. So he's winning in one-on-one situations. So he's getting healthy. He's winning his matchups. But those matchups are also being given to him in a proper way by offensive coordinator Todd Downing. They've been using A.J. Brown more in the slot. They've been using A.J. Brown more in motion.

They handed him a jet sweep at one point in time. So I think they were doing that already. And I like seeing creating those advantageous matchups for AJ Brown, but they're going to have to do that even more now with the loss of Derrick Henry for the rest of the regular season. But I have confidence that Todd Downing will be able to do that. One thing I was most excited about for Todd Downing, the Titans new offensive coordinator coming into the year based on the tape from 2017 when he was the OC for the Oakland Raiders. Yes, that's right, the Oakland Raiders at the time. He was great at hunting matchups, creating matchups for his best players,

getting them against the worst offender on the other side. So Todd Downing's been focusing on that with A.J. Brown. Combine that with his health getting in a better place, he's turned into the player that we're used to seeing over his first two years of his career. Yeah. And I mean, the next thing I got to ask about for sure, and you probably have talked about it, I feel like a million times probably to this point, but it's the backfield, right? No, Derek Henry, we know this guy's gone and he's the one player in the NFL that has that, you know, old school Eddie Georgia, like workload where he's going to carry the ball 400 times in a season.

Like this guy is a workhorse. He's the definition of it. So, you know, they sign Adrian Peterson. I know that they've got some other guys there as well. What's kind of the plan moving forward here. Do you kind of have an idea about what they might go ahead with at this

position? Yeah. Yeah. I think I have a good idea, obviously not in the building to know 100%, but based on what you see on film, based on what Mike Vrabel has said in his press conferences leading up to the game,

also based on the moves that they made. They signed Adrian Peterson, and everybody knows about that, but they also brought back a guy who's been with the organization before, Deontay Foreman, a decent high pick out of Texas at the running back spot.

And I've been calling him kind of Dollar General Derrick Henry. He's a size speed guy. He's about six foot two, great straight line speed, not great COD, change of direction, not great agility, similar to Derrick Henry. You know, Derrick Henry makes up for it in plenty of other ways, but he's not the shifty running back like a Kamara or a CMC. So definitely strengths and weaknesses there. So Deontay Foreman could kind of give you a lower class mimic of Derrick Henry, but Derrick Henry is getting about 30 carries a game. How do you parse that up? You don't do that just with Adrian Peterson.

I think Peterson's going to get about 15 to 20. You're going to give about five to eight to Deontay Foreman. And then you're going to give about five of those carries to Jeremy McNichols, who is the Titan scat back pass catching back, comes in on passing downs, good and pass protection, can catch the ball out of the backfield, can motion out as a wide receiver, come across the formation, get a quick drag, turn up field, things like that. So it's going to be running back by committee.

But the reality here is most teams in the NFL don't have a Kamara, a Dalvin Cook, a Derrick Henry, and they do running back by committee. So this is going to be a very interesting experiment into just how important Derrick Henry is to this Titans offense. There are some people that believe that the play action pass game is actually what is the real engine to this offense and the threat of Derrick Henry allows that to happen. But you're an analytics guy. You know that there's a lot of data out there to prove that success in the run game does not really matter

to success in the play action game. Play action has its effect no matter who is in the backfield because play action is just deadly. So I don't mean to diminish Derrick Henry's importance. Here's where I think Derrick Henry comes into play. The explosive run plays. So whereas the Titans block up and give a running back eight yards, well a lot of running backs in the NFL are going to get that eight yards. And that's it. Derrick Henry's going to break one tackle and take it 78 yards for a touchdown. He creates explosive run plays.

So I think that while the Titans offense will take a step back because of the lack of explosive run plays, I don't think overall that this is going to kill them and make them a mediocre team. I still think the Tennessee Titans with Adrian Peterson, Foreman, and McNichols as a committee, can be one of the best teams in the NFL and will continue to be that. All they really need to do is win four or five games in the last nine to clinch their division.

I think they're going to be able to do that. So while I think it's a tough matchup against the Rams, who are pretty much a tough matchup for anybody, I think overall throughout the next nine, ten weeks that Derrick Henry's going to be out, I don't think the Titans' offense is going to come way back down to earth. I think they'll maybe score one touchdown less a game, but that running back by committee, I have faith,

will be able to keep the Titans at a decent clip on the offensive side of the ball. I tend to agree, too. Last time I saw Adrian Peterson, no, he's not 2009 Adrian Peterson, but this guy still got it a little bit, man. He can move. He's not going to, you know, be a weapon receiving out of the backfield. We know that he's never been that in his career, but man, his jump cuts, that guy can still

move a little bit. So I definitely think, you know, when you talk about emulating like a Deontay Foreman, someone similar, I think he gives you more of that power element, just like Derrick Henry had. So in just a second here, we're going to flip the tables. Tyler can put me under the spotlight a little bit, ask about some Rams questions and find out more about this team. Before we get there, though, you guys know,

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the amazing offers available for the 2021 season. BetOnline is the fastest and easiest way to bet on all your favorite sports. BetOnline, where the game starts. Thank you guys, as always, for always making us Locked On Rams, Locked On Titans, your first daily listen. Now for your second daily listen, go check out the Peacock and Williamson nfl podcast these guys are going to break down every major nfl news story in under 30 minutes every single day entirely free wherever you get your podcasts now tyler i'm going to kick it over to you you can kind of put me under the spotlight here and then i guess we can wrap it up at the end maybe check out some predictions i know people love predictions i don't know about for you with your listeners man but for me it's it's an automatic i mean everyone wants to know the score, so I'll pass to you now. Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. I'm excited to ask you some questions

and you know, I have quite a few because the Rams are such a good team. And like you said, an NFC team, we don't really get to see the Rams too often when, when covering the Titans. So my first thing is I just wanted to ask about the change of the offense. I know Matt Stafford has a lot to do with this, but you, but the offense right now for the Rams, not one of the better rushing offenses in the league. I think they're only averaging about 104 yards per game. That's in the bottom half of the NFL. I know that in previous years with Jared Goff,

this offense was really predicated on the run game, and that's what McVay wanted to do. Is it just simply that Matthew Stafford's so good you've got to put the ball in his hands more? Is there something more to the philosophical change we're seeing from the Rams offense? I think it's a little bit of both, right? And the Titans offense now reminds me a lot of what the Rams did in 2017.

You know, they were going to get under center, a lot of runs up the center, you know, Todd Gurley running a lot. It was similar to Derrick Henry in terms of volume, you know, 20, 25, 30 carries a game even. And then they were really extending their playoff of that with their passing game. a lot. It was similar to Derrick Henry in terms of volume, you know, 20, 25, 30 carries a game even. And then they were really extending their play off of that with their passing game. I mean, it was all play action off of that, really everything coming in behind with digs and things like that, really similar to how the Titans have done it. But now it's entirely different. I mean, the offense is really, really different structurally, schematically, they're going more

five wide than they've ever done so much empty, you're going to see Matthew Stafford really diagnosed defenses, call back, you know, Daryl Henderson to go join him in the backfield, put him where he wants him in pass pro. So it's very different. I mean, it is very different. I think Sean McVay just feels a lot more comfortable because Stafford just does such a good job of diagnosing defenses, whereas that was just not a strength of Jared Goff's. And so I feel like he almost had to mask what Jared Goff was doing with him offensively, whereas now he's really just putting Stafford out there and letting him do what he has to do. And it's been really good.

And in terms of the running game, yeah, I think it's just that the passing game has been really productive to the point where, you know, they don't really feel great about a five yard run where they can go get a 25 yard pass. And so they really like to push that ball downfield and they've just been able to do it with a lot of success this season. Well, speaking of pushing the ball downfield in the passing game, I got to say, I see Cooper Cup score every single week in the red zone. I see him dominate and it reminds me of the breaking bad gif of Jesse going, he can't

keep getting away with this. Like, that's how I feel about Cooper cup, no matter what teams try to do. Just, I guess, how has Cooper cup been? So, I mean, obviously he's been great, probably the best wide receiver in the NFL this year, but specifically in the red zone, how do the Rams keep finding ways to get him open? He's just a really damn good player. I mean, this guy, he's got everything that you need out of a receiver, right? He doesn't have that four to speed like some other guys like Tyreek Hill might have. And those crazy plays where he's just going to gun past the guy 20 times a game. But when it comes to route running, and it comes to the hands aspect, it comes to setting up defenders with his

route stems and his ability to use rocker steps and things like this. He is as good as it gets coming off the line of scrimmage doing all these these little things. And so, uh, like you mentioned, I mean, right now he has 70 yards less than he had all of last year. I mean, it's been eight games. That is just absurd. He's already got seven more touchdowns than he had last year. He's got, he's the first receiver in NFL history to have 900 plus receiving yards and 10 plus receiving touchdowns in nine games or eight games. Sorry. Actually it is just absurd. So this guy's on a tear. I mean, he's on pace basically to break Calvin Johnson's single season record, which is ironic because he obviously did that with Matthew Stafford too. But when it comes to the red zone

in specific, I mean, I think they just do a really good job of moving him around. You're going to see him line up in the slot. You're going to see him line up outside the numbers. You're going to see him in the backfield. I mean, he scored a touchdown coming out of the backfield and running up the seam. It was against the Indianapolis Colts. I think it was all the way back in week two. So they just found really unique ways to utilize this guy. And he's got a really, really good and refined skillset to the point where he and Stafford look like they've been playing together for years. I mean, there is a lot of chemistry there and both guys feel comfortable playing with each other. And it's just been an amazing experience this season. Yeah. Cooper Cubs, an incredible player. And it's just been an amazing experience this season. Yeah, Cooper Cubs, an incredible player.

And it's just a reminder that while NFL football is played by giants in general, the mental aspect of the game, the nuance of the game, the craft of the position, all that stuff can still have a major impact, even if you're not one of those world-class best athletes in the league at the position. But I'm going to move forward to the other side of the ball for the Rams. And you say it may be a regression, but I think like the Titans, they're very good in spots that really matter when it counts. And that's the pass rush. Right now, I do believe the Rams lead the NFL with sacks at 25. I think it is right now. Maybe that was going into the week. You can correct me if

that's not the case. And they've done it with just two excellent pass rushers, Leonard Floyd. And then of course, Aaron Donald, as everybody knows you're adding Vaughn Miller. But my question is really is outside of those guys who else on this team, maybe Titans fans don't know on the defense is really making place. Yeah. So like you like you mentioned uh they do have 25 sacks by the way that does lead the nfl um that was the accurate figure according to pff we don't count half sacks so the rames have 30 and they are first in the nfl they have 172 total pressures which is first in the nfl uh and then like you mentioned of course you know aaron donald leonard floyd some of those big names we know jaylen ramsay i'm not even gonna bring him up this guy

it's the best corner in football i mean he can he can lock up anybody, so there's no point in rehashing that. But some of the big additions, you mentioned Vaughn Miller. I mean, I don't expect to see a ton of him. He does have an ankle injury that he's sort of nursing right now, and he just doesn't know the defense. He might get five to 15 snaps in that designated pass rusher type of role where he doesn't really have to think. So maybe not going to have the biggest impact in this game, but they are also getting Darius Williams back potentially this week. He just came off of short-term IR. He's the cornerback too. He's my guy. That's my guy, D Will, man. He's the best. One of the best ball hawking corners in football. Been a little bit up

and down inconsistent this season. I feel like never really got too comfortable in this new scheme just yet, but you know, he's coming off of a three game stay on IR. Now he's coming back. I feel like this is a pretty good week for him to really try to test how healthy he is and see, you know, where he's at this season. I mean, he's going to have a really good matchup if AJ Brown is on his side or if Julio Jones is lined up out there. So it's going to be a tough test for him, but he's one of those players for sure that have stepped up. And then someone else at the Rams just started playing last week was his first start a third round rookie inside linebacker ernest jones first game as an interception right that's

right they trade yeah trade away uh kenny young to the denver broncos he starts in his place gets an interception in his first game and had a really good week i mean he allowed i think it was like 10 or 15 receiving yards um mind you it was the houston texans not exactly a fire of firepower you know, high octane type of offense. But, uh, anytime you get a good performance out of someone in their first game, you're starting to build that confidence. You feel good about it.

And, uh, this is going to be a tough game for him. I mean, if there's a week for him to really be required to stop that run, it's going to be in this one. And, you know, ranch fans know how good that Titans O-line is. You look at a guy like Roger Saffold, he worked for the Rams for a long time, for the Rams for a long time. We all miss him. That guy was the man.

He was the best. And we're all happy to see his success too. But I'd say, you know, there's a couple of players on that defensive side of the ball that maybe not that many people know that have stepped up this season. Yeah, that'll be something to watch. Because if Julio does play, then obviously, you know, D-Will is going to have a big task on his hands

with either garden Julio or AJ Brown, two of the better receivers in the league. And then you're right. Talking about, you know, the linebacker over the middle, obviously the run game is going to be important, but the Titans like to hit that play action over the middle as well. And the linebackers have to get back. If they're going to be able to stop that attack, I did, you mentioned Jalen Ramsey. And I did want to ask a question because I've seen a lot of misconception out there in the way that Titans fans are talking about Jalen Ramsey. It is my understanding from my quick tape study on the Rams this year that they aren't really using Ramsey as an outside cornerback as he's been used before.

He's been what I think is referred to in the Rams system as the star position, which is kind of a slot cornerback, almost old school box safety type role. So from what I saw, is that correct? And what do you think about the usage of Jalen Ramsey in terms of how that might affect like an AJ Brown? So that is absolutely 100% correct. It is known as the star position and it's kind of been overused, rehashed a lot. This is Nick Saban's creation for many, many years ago.

One of the all-time great defensive minds in football. And you are right. I mean, he's lined up in the slot roughly around 50% of his snaps this season. So more than he's ever done it. And it's been both good and bad. I mean, the Rams kind of want to utilize him near the ball a little bit more. They want him near that ball to make plays on the ball. I mean, they just don't want him out there lining up across from a receiver and washing someone out like he did last season, which

in his own, you know, in its own right is very valuable, putting him on a DK Metcalf, a Deandre Hopkins, and just saying, you know, take this guy out of the game. They haven't really done that this season, but I feel like at the same time, they're still trying to figure out how to best use this guy. I mean, Raheem Morris is bringing him in on a lot of blitzing calls and a lot of weird plays like that, where he's your best coverage guy. You know, he shouldn't be blitzing that often. You don't want to waste him because anybody can blitz, but not everyone can lock up a receiver 60 snaps a game. So you want this guy in coverage as much as possible. So I feel like it's been a little bit of a work in progress. I mean, he's still Jalen Ramsey. He's going to make

a lot of plays. He's as physical as they get at that position. Amazing ball hawk, just great at everything. But at the same time, I just feel like they can still get a little bit better usage out of him in terms of not maybe not blitzing him so much, maybe putting him on better receivers a little bit, travel a little bit. But, you know, like you said, he's been living in that slot a lot this season. I just don't know that it's going to change. Do you think just just quickly? I know it's hard to know for certain,

but do you think that if the Titans have been putting A.J. Brown in the slot a lot lately to try to create matchups for him, do you think that if the Titans go away from that and put A.J. Brown outside, that the Rams would go ahead and stick Ramsey out there on him and try to go back to last year's model? Or do you think, no, they're going to roll with that star position and keep Jalen Ramsey inside? It really depends on how the cornerback room looks, because I feel like, uh, when Darius Williams was not healthy, they've been happy to leave Jalen Ramsey in the slot a lot, but when Williams was healthy, they have a little bit more

versatility in terms of who they can slide into the slot. So Williams will play a little bit of slot and Ramsey will do the rest. Uh, but you know, it really just depends if Williams is healthy, I think they can feel a little bit more comfortable about moving Ramsey in and out. But at the same time, you know, if Williams can't go, then I definitely think that Ramsey is probably going to stay in there a lot just because they don't have any other corners with that body type, or like I mentioned earlier, that change of direction ability where they can get low and go move quick, right? And a lot of those option routes and things like that. So, you know, they still nursing some healthy, uh, corners. You got to look at a guy like Robert Rochelle didn't play

this past week. He's a fourth round rookie. So we'll see ultimately what the health looks like on that side of the ball for the rains, but you know, there is definitely some question marks, but I guess that's really going to wrap it up here for the matchups. We can quickly get into a prediction, a score prediction. If you want. I know the people love it. So I'll hand it to you first. Like I mentioned, they're playing in SoFi Stadium. Rams at home. Titans 6-2.

Rams 7-1. And what do you got in this one? Well, I think that the Rams defense is going to be able to force a couple turnovers. Tannehill has been a little turnover prone. And especially when the heat starts getting on him in the pocket, he can get a little antsy and a little, I guess he'll get happy feet. And I don't really blame him for that. The Titans have already given up 23 sacks this year, 24 sacks this year. Last year they had 24 sacks the whole season.

So I don't really blame Ryan Tannehill for being a little worried in the pocket and now not having Derrick Henry. I think that obviously is a concern as well. So I think the Rams probably force a couple turnovers, and they're up 27- 14 in the fourth quarter. Titans get a late score to make it look close. 27-21 is my prediction. The Rams do win this game.

I think it's going to be a little bit higher scoring. I don't know why. I feel like both teams have some question marks on the defensive side of the ball. Titans maybe in the secondary. Rams really kind of everywhere, but especially in the running game as well. So there's some areas to be exploited there.

I'm going to say the Rams come out of this one just because they're a little bit more healthy, a little bit more consistent. Definitely more healthy. Definitely. The Titans are the most injured team in the NFL period. I've seen that chart that you shared. Yeah, that is very unfortunate.

The Rams somehow, I don't know how they do it. Every single year, they manage to stay healthy for the most part. They're never losing, you know, their most important players and they almost never lose players for the whole season. I mean, K makers being lost to the season was like weird. You know, we haven't seen anything like that for years for the Rams. So I'm going to go with them.

I, you know, I think it'll be close though. I do. I think it'll be maybe 34 to 30 for the Rams. I expect kind of like an offensive shooter. Hopefully it's an enjoyable game. It is going to be on Sunday night football. We're all going to be watching after a nice long day of football. So hopefully it's a good game.

Everyone stays healthy. We get out of it nice and healthy, but Tyler, thank you so much for joining me. Locked on Rams, locked on Titans listeners. Thank you guys so much for always listening to us here. Make sure to enjoy this game and make sure to keep tuning back in to our podcast throughout the rest of this week. And next week, when we recap these games and head into the next week of the schedule.