Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: (1/24) Your voicemails on Free agents, Arthur Smith, Corey Davis

Episode Date: January 24, 2019

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you today? I'm doing alright. What's up with you? Oh, not a whole lot doing the voicemail show today. These are always fun. Appreciate a bunch of y'all calling in. After yesterday's show, we ended up having plenty for a full show, so that's awesome. Again, if you want to get in on the next episode of this, 615-787-8762, that's the number you call, and you can leave us a message. You can keep it to about a minute. Everybody this week did great, and we will get into those next week. Also, remind you to write for musicandmiracles.com. We're a cover of Titans for SB Nation, so you can check us out there. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at JimWorstMCM.

Terry's at JLambertFB. You can get the podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Just search out Locked on Titans. You can also get us on your smart speaker at your house. Just say Play Podcast Locked on Titans, and you'll hear us there. All right, so straight into the questions today. Our first question comes from Josh. Hey, guys. My name is Josh, a long-time listener.

I just guess I was thinking about What the Cowboys were able to do With Amari Cooper And trading their first For a pretty good Wide receiver I'm just curious what you guys thoughts on Someone like Antonio Brown Or another elite wide receiver

What do you think he'll take to get One of the top guys And do you think the Titans would pull the trigger? All right, Gish, what do you think? Well, the Amari deal really, really worked out. I think we were both surprised with how well it worked out. I know for me, and I know Jimmy probably felt the same way, I didn't want to give up a first-round pick.

I didn't think he'd go for a first-round pick with the numbers he was putting up in Oakland, but he certainly did. Antonio Brown is interesting. What are you getting there? Is he still the elite receiver that he was two years ago? I'm not sure he is. Would he be happy here in a primarily run-first offense?

I'm not too sure he would be. He would certainly get plenty of targets headed his way, but I'm just not sure he would be happy inside this offense. I think it would take at least a first, maybe a one and a two, one and a three, something like that. It just depends on how motivated Pittsburgh is to get rid of him uh it depends on how much damage he's really done with himself in the organization yeah that's the big question is how yeah i think the longer it goes probably i guess the less they'll take um i mean it seems pretty clear that that they're headed for a divorce there i don't

see any way that they're gonna rebound and salvage that relationship with everything that's going on. I think somebody will overpay for him. I think somebody will maybe even go up two ones, or like you said, a one or two even. Which, I mean, you know, Antonio Brown has been arguably the best receiver in the game for the last four or five years. But is he nearing the end of that?

I mean, I think probably he is. So I don't know how much you want to give up. Obviously a big contract. And then just the issues with how he is in the locker room, like you said, if he'd be happy here or not. I can't see him being happy here. And, you know, you just don't want to bring in a guy. I mean, everything that you've heard,

everything that's come out since all this went down has been really negative. And if you go back and listen to Mike Tomlin's press conference at the end of the season, usually they try to keep those things in house a little bit, try to say, well, it's not as bad as being reported or blah, blah, blah. Mike Tomlin's laying it all out there. Like, he didn't show up for stuff. He just decided he wasn't going to come, decided he wasn't going to play, all that kind of stuff. And I don't know. I mean, it seems like he's been like that his whole career.

I don't know that he's going to change. And so I don't really know that adding that guy to your locker room is worth the production that he could bring. Absolutely, he's, you know, miles better than the Titans have currently. But with all those factors considered, and I think it would be a different conversation if you were a free agent, but when you've got to give at least a couple draft picks for him, all the baggage there, I just don't know.

It's not a road that I'm interested in seeing the Titans go down. All right, coming up next, we've got Michael with a question about Arthur Smith. Hey, guys. Michael with 7 again. I was just listening to the podcast. The guy said he only had one voicemail, so I thought I'd call in and get more feedback from you guys. Just a thought from the Arthur Smith hiring.

What do you guys think about the Titans kind of developing into a multiplicity kind of team, a more balanced team, just like the Patriots almost. The Patriots on offense at least don't do one or two things extremely well. I mean, they can beat you by passing the football, and they can run the football when needed, and they kind of refuse both of those just depending on the game plan, and their in-game adjustments are just unbelievable. I think that's what we kind of saw over the course of the playoffs

and just their time during their playoff run and their Super Bowl run. So I think that the Titans are kind of built the same way. We can beat you by running the football, and if we can get the passing game going with some weapons and continuity, I think that we can do the same thing. What are you guys' thoughts? Thanks, guys. Bye.

Being multiple is certainly a goal. I think the Titans were on their way to doing that last year. Again, it seems like we talk about this on every episode, but there's just so many outside factors that went into that, mainly the health of Marcus Mariota. I'll throw in the inconsistency of the offensive line. You look at that Indy game, you look at that Baltimore game, there's just nothing doing on run or pass. So I think we have a clear game plan of running Derrick Henry. They'd be stupid to go away from that. I think Marcus Mariota is going to surprise some people when he comes back

healthy next year, assuming that nerve is fine, assuming that he can come back to full strength. When he was on last year, Titans weren't bad. If you can add a little bit to this passing game, add some veteran help, some guys that don't have to start from ground zero, I think you can be that multiple team. Can they be elite at it? I'm not so sure.

I think you're still probably too young in your receiver core to do that. But I certainly think they can do both really well. Yeah, that's the thing. We had so many conversations last offseason about attacking an opponent's weakness and all that stuff. And I think that's what they want to do. I think that, you know, like you said, they found an offense that they could center around Derrick Henry late in the year.

It was kind of a surprise, really, to all of us. But, you know, so they found that. So obviously that's what you're going to build on going forward. But, I mean, I think best-case scenario, you've got that. You know, you can do that if you come up against a team that's stout against the run, but terrible against the pass, then you alter your game plan that week and you throw the ball more. I mean, you know, again, it seems so simple,

but it's something that so few NFL teams do. And, you know, you talked about the Patriots. I mean, that's, you know, that's their thing. That's what we've been talking about for, you know, years. You watch them, they attack the opponent's weakness. You go back to their divisional round game against the Chiefs, and they just handed the ball to Sonny Michel. And Sonny Michel scored three touchdowns because that was where the Chargers were the weakest.

So, you know, you want to see something like that. Hopefully they can do that here. Like you're saying, they need a lot more pieces, I think, to be able to be a real threat on, you know, through the air and on the ground. But if they can, you know, do some of that in this offseason, I think there's a chance that that's what they'll be next year. All right, coming up next, we hear from Brett. Hey, guys.

This is Brett. I'm from Campbellsville, Kentucky, a big Titans fan. Love to listen to your show. As far as the offensive coordinator selection, I like the move because of the continuity it brings to the offense and the team, especially for Marcus Mariota. I'm a huge Marcus Mariota fan. I believe he's a straight-up baller, a winner, and so I believe that we need to try to do whatever we can to help him succeed this next year.

As far as bringing free agents in, I noticed that Cole Beasley is unhappy in Dallas. What do you guys think about having someone like Cole Beasley on our team, someone who is pretty consistent in catching the football? He's a third-down guy. He's kind of like that Wes Welker, Julian Edelman type. Something we have not had. We thought maybe Taewon Taylor would be that, but it doesn't seem that that's the case. Can you answer that question? We want to hear your feedback on that. Tighten up.

We've been hesitant to get into too many names so far just because you don't know really who's going to hit the market quite yet. But it does seem like Cole Beasley, after his comments, is headed for the open market. And that's a guy that the Titans could certainly use. You talk about a reliable guy going over the middle. I think he made that passing game really tick, you

know, when they were down some playmakers there in Dallas before Amari got there. So, I don't think the Titans have a lot of reliability at receiver right now. So, I definitely think they could use a guy like Cole Beasley. Yeah, I mean, I want to thank for museummiracles.com the other day about, you know, starting all the receivers. I think you need a guy that can get down the field, and I think you need a guy that can run the underneath stuff. And so, yeah, Cole Beasley absolutely fits that second role.

You know, I would prefer Golden Tate and Adam Humphreys ahead of Beasley. But, I mean, I'll be happy as long as they walk away with one of those three guys. So, hopefully that's something that they'll be able to do. That'll be part of their free agency plan. We don't know if it will or not. But, again, our stance has been pretty consistent in that we think they need to add veteran presence, veteran leadership to that receiver room. And so Cole Beasley certainly fits that bill.

All right, coming up next, we have a question from Taylor. Hey, Terry. Hey, Jimmy. This is Taylor from Birmingham. Just wanted to get your thoughts on the current Kenny Vaccaro situation. I know there's been a lot of fan chatter with people saying they want him back in a Titans uniform next year, and I am definitely a part of that crowd. And I know with the Jonathan Sippert returning from injury next year,

the front office might not see eye to eye as far as finances are concerned. So do you guys think that Kenny's going to sit and wait out a few offers? Because I know he's already expressed his public desire of returning to the team. But you guys love the show. Let me know what you guys think and tighten up. Yeah, I think this is a really good question. One that we probably should have talked about before now.

I think the Titans got better with Kenny Vaccaro. I think he was more consistent in coverage. Jonathan Ziprin is kind of what he is. He's that box safety but a liability against the pass. I prefer Kenny Vaccaro and I think that's the popular opinion here. I don't know that you can keep both.

I don't know that you want to keep both. Ciprian is, I think, $1.5 million in dead cap if he's cut due to make $5.5 million next year. Kenny Vaccaro, you know, you kind of got out of a bargain with a $900,000 base salary. Probably not going to be the case if you want to re-sign him long-term. But I'm definitely not against re-signing Kenny Vaccaro. I think you definitely noticed when he wasn't available when he was hurt last year,

there was a big drop-off for Dean Pease's defense. Well, listen, you know I'm no huge John the Zipperian fan. when he was hurt last year. There was a big drop-off for Dean Pease's defense. Well, listen, you know I'm no huge John DeCyprian fan. I mean, I was saying that they should entertain drafting a safety in the first round last year. So, you know, again, when people – and listen, there are people that are huge John DeCyprian fans. And I think DeCyprian's a good dude. I think he's a good, you know, guy to have in the locker room.

Obviously, he hung around this year after he went down, and he, you know, helped out with everything that he could. So, I mean, you know, guy to have in the locker room. Obviously, he hung around this year after he went down, and he, you know, helped out with everything that he could. So, I mean, you know, I respect the guy. But just on the field, he's a liability in pass coverage. And, you know, the best thing that you can point to that he's done in pass coverage is, you know, the fact that he gave Travis Kelsey a concussion in the playoff game last year. And so, I mean, I just, Kenny Vaccaro seemed to be able to do it all, you know, came in, and they definitely didn't miss a beat with him.

Like you said, possibly if it got better. So, yeah, I mean, I think that's a conversation that John Roberts would have to entertain between, you know, what's Vaccaro going to cost, what, you know, like you said, moving on from Cyprian, what that does to your cap and all that kind of stuff. But, I mean, if all things are equal, I would prefer Kenny Vaccaro over Jonathan Ciprian alright next question comes from David Hey guys this is David Culling from California

have been a Titans fan since 1999 and a big fan of the podcast thank you guys for the hard work you put in hey I want to expand a little bit more on Corey Davis I know you guys did your wide receiver breakdown a few weeks ago I think but I want to expand a little bit more on Corey Davis. I know you guys did your wide receiver breakdown a few weeks ago, I think. But I want to talk a little bit more about his role going forward in 2019. You know, we drafted him in the first round, and I think it really is time for us to see how good he can be in the NFL going forward

and really be that legitimate number one. You look around the league and you see other teams who have a pretty clear number one, sometimes number one and two. But I just want to expand on your thoughts on not only what he could do for the wide receiving core emerging as that number one guy without question, but also what he can do for the offense as a whole. So thanks again, guys. Appreciate it. Yeah, I think Corey Davis has been hurt by the inconsistency of Marcus Mariota.

Put up decent numbers. I think he had three or four games where the Titans really just didn't even try to throw the ball, so that hurt him. But, I mean, look, a couple breaks here or there, he could have had a 1,200-yard season. So I think he's on pace. I don't know if he's ever going to be that elite receiver, but I think he can be a pretty good number one in this league.

I think it's important to remember, this was his first full year with getting trading camp underneath him, yet another offense for him. So he was learning, too. We talk a lot about Marcus Mariota. It affects the receivers, too. It's rare that anyone walks in as a number one in this league. It kind of takes time, takes a couple years to figure things out. I point to Devonta Adams in Green

Bay. People wanted him cut after year one, year two, and then he started to blossom into the receiver that he is now. I don't know if he's returned the value of the fifth overall pick just yet, but I definitely think he still can do that. He's pretty young in his career. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing with Corey Davis. And, again, I hate that we're having to put these caveats on things again this offseason, but with Marcus Mariota not being healthy all year,

you just question how much the receivers were really able to be out there and produce because the offense was so inconsistent up and down all year. I think we saw from Corey Davis some flashes of him being that guy that they drafted him to be. So I feel pretty good about that. Like you're saying, I don't think he's, you know, top five receiver in the league ceiling, but I think he's got plenty of ability, plenty good enough to be the number one in this offense,

to be the guy they rely on. And I think you saw that in some games last year. So I was pretty happy with the way he came on this last year. And again, you know, it feels a little bit like offseason, last offseason where we were saying, well, you've got to take the Robiski offense into consideration. But we're kind of here again with some of these things. You have to take Mariotta's health and all that into consideration

when you're looking at wide receiver numbers. But, listen, he showed up really big in some really big spots, and so that gives me a lot of confidence on what he can be going forward. All right, coming up, we finished up with our question from Freddie. Hey, guys, really love the show. This is Freddie Barnes all the way out in Silver Spring, Maryland. So my question is, what do you think about our Khalil Mack, maybe, defensive end, linebacker, Jadeveon Clowney?

What do you guys think? Do you think it will be a good pickup on free agency? Do you think it's a stretch? Pennsylvania linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. What do you guys think? Do you think it will be a good pickup on free agency? Do you think it's a stretch? Do you even think it's a possibility? I know, you know, Mike Braves, he coached him for a year or so. So what do you think? Thank you, guys.

Keep doing a great job. I think the first question you have to ask on Clowney is, will he hit the market? You know, we always say pass rushers don't really hit the market. Hard to see him being a free agent. I think he's a key piece of that Houston defense. I know he doesn't have the numbers. He's only put up nine and a half sacks in his best year. But he really impacts the game.

And it's a guy that you have to account for. But let's assume he does hit the market. That guy's going to command a lot of money, former first overall pick. You're still kind of betting on his upside, but you're not going to find typically a better pass rusher hitting the market like that. So you look at the Titans, projected $43 million in cap space. I think a clowny contract would eat up a lot of that. That's 13th most in the league, and that number can move around a little bit.

But I think more teams are going to be willing to spend more money on Clowney just because they have the flexibility to do so. Yeah, I mean, it's an interesting thing when you look at I pulled up three, four outside linebacker contracts on over the cap. And obviously, you know, Khalil Mack got the big deal last year, $141 million, $60 million guaranteed. I don't think that Clowney would get those numbers. But when you look at, I mean, the next closest guy, Vaughn Miller,

$114 million, $42 million guaranteed. You know, if Clown Connie hits the open market, I think he gets probably something close to that. I mean, you're looking at $40 plus million guaranteed for a guy like that. Like you said, I mean, there are question marks. He hasn't necessarily been healthy. You're like you said, you're still betting on the upside there a little bit. So, I mean, I think all those things would be a little bit of a cause for concern. But the thing that we've said, you know, multiple times on here,

these elite pass rushers don't hit free agency. Well, you know, if Cuddy did, that would be a different story. I don't think he does. I think, ultimately, if the Texans can't work anything out with him, that they will franchise him and, you know, try to see if they can figure something out between now and next offseason. My friend at Pat D. Statt, who writes for a Texans website on Twitter, I asked him at some point, it wasn't one day,

I was just playing around looking at guys that were potentially going to be free agents, and those kinds of names on the list. And I asked him if there was any shot the Texans let him hit the market. He said no. So I just really don't see a scenario where they don't do something to bring him back next year. But, yeah, I mean, the Titans should be the front of the line for the bidding with him if he's there.

Like you said, there's cap considerations and all those things and how you feel about guys in this draft and all that stuff. I mean, all that stuff is certainly coming to play. But I think it's kind of all a moot point at some point. I don't think – I think the Texans get something done and he doesn't ever hit the market. All right, we really appreciate everybody that called in this week. This is a fun show for us to do.

I hope you guys enjoy it as well. It really helps us as we, you know, try to power through the offseason. We'll get, obviously, a lot in draft stuff, free agency, all that stuff, when that stuff opens up. But we're still a few weeks away from that. So we appreciate you guys calling in. Again, if you want to do that, you want to be on next week's show, 615-787-8762.

It was about a minute-long voicemail. We'll talk about it on the show. Thanks so much for listening to this episode of Locked on Titans, and we will talk to you again next week.