Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Breaking down a massive win over the Eagles

Episode Date: October 1, 2018

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome in to another edition of Locked On Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you tonight? I'm doing well. Titans won, and it was on the shoulders of my two boys, Harold Landry and Corey Davis. So it was a great day. I mean, what a game, and what a start to this season. You know, we're at the quarter poll at this point, and I just, I can't, I could have never fathomed,

if you'd have told us, you know, that all the stuff that's going on, all the stuff that would have happened, and then said predict their record, I mean, I probably would have guessed one in three, because I thought they probably would have beat the Dolphins, but to do what they've done is unbelievable. We're going to get into all that. Again, before we do that, we remind you, we write for MusicCityMiracles.com, where we cover the Titans

for SB Nation. So you can check us out there. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorriffmcm. Terry's at tlimbertfb. Podcast account is at LockedOnTitans. And you can search out LockedOnTitans wherever you get your podcasts, and you can find the show there. Alright, so so much good stuff about

this win today. I think we're just going to kind of go scattershot tonight and talk about things as they come up. I think we're just going to kind of go scattershot tonight and talk about things as they come up. I think we have to start with Corey Davis, right? And we talked the last couple weeks about the numbers obviously weren't there because the Titans weren't throwing the ball. Anybody that has actually watched the games and paid attention knows that they weren't throwing the ball,

so there was no way for Marcus Mariota to put up big yards, for any of the receivers to put up big yards. But in those two games against the Texans and the Jaguars, when they needed big plays, when they needed big catches, they went to Corey Davis. Today, Corey Davis finally had his coming out party. You're going to hear a lot about Corey Davis this week, and not just from the people in Nashville. You're going to hear a lot about Corey Davis on the national level this week because he

finally showed today what they drafted him to do um and i love it if you listen to the mike keith call the touchdown and it was the same thing uh last week on one of the first downs that cory davis picked up mike keith says something along the lines of that's why you spend the picks on those guys talking specifically in that instance about mariota and about cory davis but today anytime they needed a big play they found him he went up and got the ball obviously uh you you know, the game-winning touchdown, went up and got that ball. But all day long, you know, Monace, he did have a drop early.

But other than that, they threw him the ball. He caught it, was explosive with the ball in his hands. That's the guy that you're after him to be. That's a guy that looks like the fifth overall pick. And so for all the people that had given up on him last year because he didn't play because he was hurt, those people are going to have to start coming back around because that's your number one receiver right there.

Yeah, this victory has been coming for a long time. I just didn't – I wasn't going to write him off because of a bad year and a bad system last year. To see him come out, put up these numbers, this is who he is. He's not the guy that got targeted four times a game, that was not on the same page as Marcus Mariota last year. That offense was broken. This offense clearly is not.

It was really the first time we had seen Matt LeFleur open up the playbook. We had talked about Marcus Mariota being healthy, whether or not we'd know it. We knew it right on. And, man, you talked about this before. I don't know if he was 100% because there were some flutter balls out there. The ball didn't look natural at all times coming out of his hand. But it was clearly good enough to attack down the field, which is good because they didn't do that the week before. So Corey Davis, the to attack down the field, which is good, because they didn't do that the week before.

So Corey Davis, the main target down the field, the guy did everything. I mean, they threw him screen after screen. They attacked down the field. He gives nine for 161 on 15 targets. Could have had 200 yards. That deep post that Marcus Mariota appeared to overshoot him, it looked like Corey Davis actually kind of wode up a little bit. That deep post that Marcus Mariota appeared to overshoot him, it looked like Corey Davis actually kind of wode up a little bit.

So Marcus was probably on target there. So he could have gone for 200 easily today. I'll be up front and say that Eagle's secondary is not very good. But, and this can kind of lead us into our next topic here, Mike Malarkey's offense does not do that last year. This offense saw weakness. They exploited it. They were able to exploit it.

They're not going to go bang their heads into a brick wall against a really talented Eagles front like we talked about last week. Not many rushing attempts today. All the damage was done through the air, and in the end it was just enough to win. Yeah, like you said, I mean, that to me, and we've been talking about this with this coaching staff ever since the Texas game, where they came out and ran the Wildcat, you know, in the game where they didn't have their top three tackles.

This staff is not going to be the staff that says, we're going to do what we do, no matter what the other team does, we're going to try to impose our will. That's dumb. That's not how the game's played anymore. That's what Mike Malarkey and his staff did last year. That's why Mike Malarkey is no longer the coach. And like you said, today they knew how talented that front was,

and they knew that they finally had their starting tackles back. They knew that Marcus Mariota was at least closer to 100%, pretty close to 100%, like you said. They felt confident in him, obviously, enough to throw the ball down the field. I think if you watch it, you can tell there's a couple times where the ball's just not coming out of his hand. He's not spinning it like he normally does. He's still wearing the gloves.

That, to me, says he's not all the way there. But like you said, close enough that they were willing to take those shots. And, again, we wanted a staff that was going to identify the opposing team's weakness and attack it and i know how simple that sounds and it sounds like the most common sense thing in the history of the world but that's not what mike malarkey and his staff did last year and this staff has proven that that's what they're going to do i'm so excited that that we had the mario to have the game that he did today i'm so excited that cory that Mario had the game that he did today. I'm so excited that Corey Davis had the game that he did today because we've been beating the drum for these guys.

And if you went, I did a post with Bleeding Green Nation, who's the Eagles SB Nation site, and I said, I think this team's going to win 10 or 11 games. I think they're going to win the AFC South. And all the Eagles fans, oh, he's just cocky. There's no way they're going to beat the Eagles, and they're not going to beat the Jaguars. They can't win the AFC South. And all the Eagles fans, oh, you know, he's just cocky. There's no way they're going to beat the Eagles, and they're not going to beat the Jaguars. They can't win the South. And, you know, I'm like, this team is really

good. This team has a lot of talent. This team finally has a coaching staff that can maximize that talent. And so I think they can win 10 or 11 games. They won nine games the last two years with coaches that didn't do that. So, I don't know, man. Like, I'm pumped, obviously, right now with that

win today and we talked about it last week you know all we wanted today was it was a good showing as long as they didn't go out there and just get crushed even if they would have lost the game with everything that's gone on to be two and two after the first four games we all would have taken it but to go out there today and prove that they can play with anybody look we're going to get more into this with the defense and all that kind of stuff as well but to go out there today and prove that they can play with anybody. Look, we're going to get more into this with the defense and all that kind of stuff as well. But to go out there today and prove that they can beat the defending Super Bowl champion, that they can take a game basically going blow for blow with the defending Super Bowl champion and come out with a win.

I don't know how you don't have all the confidence in the world of this team right now. Yeah, and like we talked about, the schedule's going to let up. Like we talked about last week, I'm going to be interested to see how they react to going up against a team like Buffalo. You know, you've had to really get your best shot in the chamber here for the last three weeks. Now, how are you going to react against a bad team like Buffalo? But we'll talk about that as the week goes on.

But it was just really encouraging to see them go toe-to-toe with the world champions. First game with Marcus Mariota at full strength, no Delaney Walker. Corey Davis stepped up. Taewon Taylor stepped up. No Rashard Matthews for the first time. Taewon Taylor was the legit number two receiver, and he played like it. He flew down the field. I thought he really changed the game with his speed.

You saw Marcus, maybe he was a little short on that deep post to Taylor, but there was a lot of contact there. So I think they're going to use that more as the season goes on, especially considering how many deep shots they took today. So I think Taylor is going to be that big piece of the offense. You know, if you watch the Rams game, just kind of how Brandon Cooks was used. Now he's not Brandon Cooks quite yet, but just in that similar type of role. So I thought him stepping up was huge considering there was no more Rashard,

there's no Delaney. Now you've got to get more. You've got to get more from Tajay Sharp. You've got to get more from guys like Darius Jennings who had a huge drop. You've got to get more from Johnnie Smith who had another huge drop. So those guys really have to come on for this offense to really pop and be one of the best in the league. How was there a penalty on that two-on-two play?

I mean, he grabbed his face mask and hit his arm before the ball got there but that I mean and you know it didn't play out that way but that's why you play offense the way you do the NFL and again the most successful teams that you're seeing them do you take those shots down the field because you know there's basically what

let's call it four outcomes that your receiver catches the ball you get a penalty, it's an incomplete pass, or it's an interception. And, you know, three out of those four outcomes you can live with. So the Titans should have gotten a penalty there, should have had, you know, a big chunk of yardage there. At least, you know, they would have been closer.

But, yeah, I mean, those guys have got to continue to step up. You know, obviously, Tajay Sharp had a big touchdown catch. Everybody had some drop issues throughout the day, but in the end they obviously stepped up and made the plays when they did. Coming up, I want to talk a little bit about the drive in overtime because that was awesome all the way around. So we'll talk a little bit about that after this. But before we take our first break, I'm going to tell you about Vivid Seats. Vivid Seats has been sponsoring the podcast for a couple weeks now.

We all love a night out, whether it's seeing our favorite band in person or being there in the crowd to cheer on our favorite team. With Vivid Seats, you can attend the concert, show, or sporting event of your choice at a great price. Vivid Seats is the top source for tickets for all live events you want to go to. You can sort by price or look for the seats in the section and row of your choice. To make things even better, Vivid Seats is giving listeners an exclusive promo code for new customers to receive $20 off of orders of $200 or more. Go to the App Store or Google Play and download the Vivid Seats app.

Use promo code LOCKEDON for $20 off of orders of $200 or more as a new customer to Vivid Seats. Purchase is backed by a 100% guarantee. From the biggest concerts and games to the hottest theater and more, Vivid Seats has it all. Download the app and enter the promo code LOCKEDON for $20 off of $200 or more as a new customer to Vivid Seats. Make a memory that lasts a lifetime and let Vivid Seats help you get to your favorite live event. Make a memory that lasts a lifetime and let Vivid Seats help you get to your favorite live event. Okay, so last drive of the game there that obviously ends with the Corey Davis touchdown. Anyway, we need to talk about the route that Corey Davis ran for that touchdown because it was just awesome.

But, you know, there were a couple points there where it looked like it was done, right? I mean, you had the fourth and ten turned into a fourth and 15 after the penalty. You had the fourth and two that ended up getting with the penalty. Or no, the fourth and two was the Deion Lewis play, and then the fourth and four was the penalty. So they converted, you know, three fourth downs on that drive. I loved it that Vrabel, and I think, I mean, I don't know. I haven't seen anything.

My family's at the beach this week, so I just got to listen today. I watched the condensed version of the game right before we started the show. I didn't see anything that Vrabel said after the game. But I really do think, and this is what they were speculating on the radio, that Vrabel sent out the field goal unit to get the Eagles to call a timeout and then to get the offense back on the field. But all of that stuff going on there, I'll get your thoughts on this first. I love going for it on that fourth down because even if you get that field goal, your best-case scenario, there's a tie.

You obviously can't win the game at that point because I can't remember how much time was left. But it wasn't a lie. The Titans weren't going to get the ball back a second time. So, in my opinion, let's go for the win. What good does a tie do us? But just the poise that everybody on the offense showed on that drive, in that setting, against that team was just, I mean, it's unbelievable. Again, it just gives you so much hope for what this team can do down the road. Absolutely.

I love not playing for a tie. That's the easy way out. They're a pretty good kicker, and all the trusts suck up. But you want more. You want to go make a statement against Super Bowl champions. You want to go get 3-1. I thought it said a ton about the trust in Marcus Mariota, who just seems to really turn it on in the biggest moments.

We've seen that time and time again. He can play the ugliest game, throw for 89 yards and a 50% completion percentage percentage but when the game is on the line he just seems to come up big time and time again so uh somehow some way titans found a way converting three times on fourth down uh absolutely ridiculous the drive it was a 16 play 75 yard drive took six minutes off the clock you cap it with that cory davis touchdown which was just like you said the route was just nasty you know you give a a sell outside a complete head fake outside you cut back inside and leave the defender you can do nothing the defender actually tripped uh and i think mark has actually made that play harder than it had to be so uh

davis had it yeah it. It was easy money. So it was just awesome to see. You know, just through two weeks, through the last three weeks, you've seen so much confidence in his team from Mike Frable. So that's awesome to see. They're going to be aggressive. They're not going to play for any ties. They're going to go try and win the game.

That's awesome. Yeah, I think in those situations sometimes, I've kind of noticed with Marcus Mariota, he kind of short arms the ball when he's trying. It's almost like he's trying to be too fine in that play. Like you said, he could have led him just a little bit further, and Corey Davis could have just ran, caught the ball, and that would have been it.

But yeah, just to see him sell that outside route, and like you said, the defender just trips over his own feet and then it's wide open uh it's so fun deon lewis made a huge huge play on that fourth and two um you know because i mean he got hit pretty much right when he caught the ball breaks the tackle and there was another play that deon lewis made um i can't remember it was like a little screen or something where he was like wrapped up and like kind of spins around the guy and then does this cut like in between two

guys he's fun to watch. I don't know. They've got so much stuff that they can do with everybody getting healthy. I wonder what Rashard Matthews is thinking this week. I don't know. Who knows what the conversation was that led him to get to where he finally was ready just to make the clean break this week. But for the Titans to get out and throw the ball as much as they did today,

I mean, obviously I would think that if he were still here, he could have been involved in that. But, you know, again, guys stepped up at different times. What a great play and throw on that fourth and 15. Because if you saw, you know, right before the play, I mean, the Eagles had like four or five guys back there, basically 12 yards off the ball, just to make sure that nothing like that happened.

Taylor runs that route. Marcus makes a great throw. It's just like, again, if we can, health. Health is always going to be the thing with Marcus, I think. But if we can see that, if we can see him continue to be healthy and out there, we can continue to see what this offense wants to do. I don't know, man. I'm just telling you, the sky's the limit,

and we're going to talk about the defense here in just a second. But it's quite the combo. But games like this, seeing them in games like this, especially early in the season, it's just going to build so much for them. And their confidence is going to be really high knowing they can do that against that kind of team. And real quick, before we move on to defense, you mentioned Deion Lewis. And I don't want to open a can of worms here,

but this offense is so much better with him on the field. It's kind of ridiculous. I think Derrick Henry is going to have his games where he gets his. Maybe next week in Buffalo is one. But facing three really tough defensive fronts, having him on the field just offered another dimension that Derrick Henry cannot bring. And I think it's really, really made a difference.

I mean, if Deion Lewis isn't on this roster, I don't think the Titans win this game today. Oh, I absolutely agree with that. Like you said, he just gives them so much more that they can do, and he can create so much more. And we talked about it, and you said it before we came on the show here. There are plays that Derrick Henry, once he gets that corner, he gets up to speed, he's gone, and it's unbelievable to watch.

But you've got to get him to that corner. He can't get there by creating something on his own. And we saw Deion Lewis, he can do all that stuff. So, yeah, it's going to be interesting to see how that workload continues to be divided out as the season goes along. All right, we'll talk about the defense at the end of the show. Coming up, before we do that, I'll tell you about MyBookie. If you've been listening to this show, MyBookie sponsored us all the way back into last year.

Best place online to bet. If you're betting on sports online, you should be doing it at MyBookie. They've got a good deal going with our listeners right now. We talked about this. Locked on 25, if you're willing to make your deposit after 7 p.m. Eastern time, they will match your first deposit dollar for dollar up to $1,000, and they're going to give you $25 on top of that just for making that deposit after 6 p.m. using the promo code LockedOn25.

We've said it before. It's almost important. Who you bet on is where you bet. MyBookie, they're trusted. They're going to pay. Their whole thing is you play, you win, you get paid. The other thing with them, they have a great mobile site. You don't have to download an app. And you can have all the same features and everything

that you could if you were on your computer. So again, check out MyBookie. Use the promo code LockedOn25. And they're going to match your first deposit up to $1,000 dollar for dollar As well as give you a $25 bonus on top of that If you make your Deposit after 7pm eastern time

So that's my bookie M-Y-B-O-O-K-I-E You play, you win You get paid So I mean obviously The office was great Talked all about that The defense was really, really good as well.

Now, we saw Malcolm Butler get torched again. I don't know. Again, I haven't seen anything. It seemed like he thought he had help on that play. Maybe he didn't. Maybe he didn't think Jordan Mecham was going to run that route. I don't know. That play was kind of weird to me.

But other than that, I mean, they did what they've done so far this year. It's not that they don't give up yards. They do. But they're able to keep things in front of them. They're able to come up with big plays, big stops when they need it. You know, I think right there at the end of regulation, when, you know, you get the punt that Brett Kern didn't hit very well, then Crookshank misses the guy going down the field.

They get that big return. And then you're like, okay, you know, they're in a lot of trouble here. You felt pretty good about where they were when they punted that ball, and Kern had been good all day. But, you know, they get that big return. And I was listening, like I said, on the radio today, and Dave McGinnis talked about, like, that was like sudden change defense, meaning, you know, the offense has a turnover, a fumble, interception, whatever,

and the defense has to go right back on the field. And when something like that happens, when they're set up with that kind of field position, it's a win for your defense if they only give up three. And so, I mean, obviously that was the thing that kept the Titans in the game and allowed the game to go to overtime. It ultimately let them win. But there is just – there's a lot of good things going on on this defense.

They're finally getting healthy. They had guys go down today. You know, you didn't have Wesley Woodard for most of that game. But other guys came in, stepped up, you know, playing well. And, I mean, I think that as these guys like Rashawn Evans and Harold Landry, who's been great, and I know you want to talk about him, as they continue to develop more in this league, I think this defense has a chance to be really good.

Well, I felt bad for them in the first half. You know, they're standing on their head, holding Carson Wentz to nothing, shutting him out. I mean, the Eagles didn't score until late in the second half there, or first half there, sorry. Yeah, you felt bad the offense didn't put it in the end zone. You know, you had those near misses on the big plays. So playing really well.

Zach Hurst was obviously a problem, but they held him in check. You know, he caught, what, 11 balls for like 100 yards. So didn't really let him get loose. Alshon was a big deal. Titans really didn't have an answer for Alshon Jeffrey. You saw him beat Alshon Sims for that touchdown. But, man, Malcolm Butler is a problem, and that's not something that I really thought I'd be saying

considering the camp that he had. It seemed like he was one of the guys that was really making plays and was going to be a big difference maker. But early on, I think it's three of the four games now, he's given up a deep ball. And then he gave up one in preseason too. So I'm not sure what was happening on that play. Like you said, he was kind of flat-footed

and let the receiver run right by him. Jordan Matthews too, so it's not like you've got a true burner there. I don't know if it was a zone coverage. It was a miscommunication, but he got caught flat-footed. He couldn't recover. So that's my biggest issue there. I think there's a clear weakness with the deep pass defense, especially on that side of the field.

But outside of that, you've got to be encouraged. Like you said, losing Wesley Woodyard, Sean Evans came in, Jalen Brown played great. Dean Peay is called a great game. Really aggressive, dialing up blitzes. You know, he's not going to just sit back and rely on his front four to get pressure. He's going to dial things up through the middle. You saw a little delay blitz from Jayon Brown there on some key third downs. So he was able to get off the field,

and I thought that was a huge moment for this defense. I mean, Carson Wentz is a stud. Like, I don't think I watched him play that much last year, I don't guess. But he's hard to get down. I mean, they had a couple times where they had him in the backfield and he got away or was able to stay up long enough to throw the ball away. They did a good job. Man, Jarrell Casey is unbelievable.

And I hope that this team continues to be successful because I think, again, you know, part of the way that individual players like Jarrell Casey get acknowledged nationally is when the team's good. Nobody cares about those guys when the team's not good. But, I mean, he just wrecks stuff in the middle. And that's the thing. I mean, you've got Harold Leonard coming off the edge, forcing it back inside of Jarrell Casey.

They've got some stuff there that's going to be really good. And like you said, Dean Peay's not afraid to dial things up when he needs to. You know, they got burnt on one play to Ajayi where they called a blitz and Winston did a great job of, you know, kind of letting them get in and dumping it off of the top. But other than that, I mean, I felt like he was right on. Like you said, they just gave up some stuff, but it was mostly underneath stuff. You know, I almost had a huge play.

The fumble was – I think it was Ertz that fumbled, right? And Logan Ryan knocks the ball back inbounds. And if Byard would have just let Malcolm Butler recover it, the Titans would have had the ball there. But it obviously didn't end up hurting them. But I don't know. I mean, I'm just – I'm so encouraged. And with Wesley Woodard being out,

hopefully he's not going to be out for a long time because he was great last week. But they've got some pieces here. and they've got the coaches now, and there's so much good stuff going on out there. And again, look, they're 3-1. We know how much the NFL can change from week to week. We'll see what happens when they go up to Buffalo this coming week. But, like, I don't know. I don't know how you're not over the moon about this team right now.

Yeah, and Harold Landry, just such a difference maker. He's not even playing a full set of snaps yet, but in the three games that he's played, he's really impacted the game on key downs. I mean, he's already been worth that second-round pick. Got the sack fumble today. Really flipped the game on his head and got the Titans back in it. You know, the Eagles are driving there, and without that sack fumble,

the game's probably over. The Eagles probably at least get a field goal and put the Titans away. So he's already affecting the game. You know, he saw it against Houston, his first snap of his career. He comes off the edge and forces Deshaun Watson up, and Jarrell Casey eventually gets a sack. So the combo of those two on passing situation has been huge. I think Jarrell Casey is putting together one of his best seasons.

So he's one of the NFL's best. Like you were saying, maybe people will take notice if the Titans really start to pile together some wins here. All right, so that'll do it for tonight's show. Just so much good stuff going on. So check us out at museummiracles.com. We'll have a lot more about this game over the coming days. And listen, it's worth it just to come and look at Mike's film breakdown.

So he'll have offense and defense both this week. So check that out. Already got a ton of stuff up there from the game today. I guess at the top of the show, follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry's at tlambertfb. Follow us on the podcast account at LockedOnTitans. For Terry, this is Jimmy saying thanks for listening to LockedOnTitans,

and we will talk to you again tomorrow.