Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Crossover episode with Locked on Eagles

Episode Date: September 26, 2018

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

Welcome in everybody to another edition of the Locked On Eagles podcast crossover edition with the Locked On Titans. It's part of the Locked On Podcast Network's Crossover Wednesdays. My name is Louie DiBiase joining you on this Wednesday morning alongside the host of the Locked On Titans podcast, Jimmy Morris. You can follow him on Twitter at jmorrismcm. Jimmy, what's going on man? Welcome to our edition of the Crossover Wednesdays here on the Lockdown Podcast Network. Excited to get this going. Let's talk about a very exciting Week 4 matchup between two 2-1 teams, both playoff teams in 2017.

Young, promising, athletic quarterbacks in Carson Wentz and Marcus Mariota. It should be a good one. Yeah, absolutely. We're excited. The Titans have gotten a couple of gritty wins the last couple of weeks, as you put it, right before we started. Absolutely. So yeah, we're excited. It's a fun deal

to get the running Super Bowl champions coming to your city and all that kind of stuff. I'm excited to see how this one plays out. Look, I said it, I told you before the show, I'm a big fan of the Tennessee Titans. I've kind of really liked how they've been building this team the past couple years. I like what they did with the coaching staff this year, really bringing in,

I think, a more up-to-date offense with Matt LaFleur and to help out with Marcus Mariota. And, you know, Mariota was a guy at one point, Eagles fans, and for those listening that are from the Lockdown Eagles side of the viewership, just saw the podcast I posted yesterday talking about the deal that never was, how Marcus Mariota almost became the face of the Eagles, and then almost maybe none of what's happened the past couple years has happened. So very familiar with Marcus Mariota or the Eagles fans,

and it should be a fun test between these two young quarterbacks. And, man, you know, Jimmy, it was just impressive to see him rip off that run on third and one last week on that read option, considering, I mean, could he barely even feel that football in his hands? I mean, the fact that they beat a Jaguars team that, hey, look, after week two beating the New England Patriots, a lot of people probably thought was the best team in the NFL. Yeah, I mean, there was a lot of buzz around that Jacksonville team,

and it's funny, you know, I mean, the Jaguars really should have made the Super Bowl last year. Got conservative in the second half of the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. The Titans beat them twice last year. They had their number for whatever reason. It's just the matchups. It kind of plays well to what the Titans want to do. But, yeah, you know, Marcus has the nerve issue. Can't feel really at all with his fourth and fifth fingers,

ring finger and pinky on his right hand. And so, you know, basically he has an issue throwing the ball down the field because he can't really grip the ball. And so they thought at the beginning of the game that, you know, Blake Garrett gave them a better chance to be able to do some of the things they want to do. Garrett got concussed early in the first quarter of that game, so they didn't have a choice to play Mariotta.

But to play Mariotta, they don't have another quarterback on the roster while they do now today, but they didn't on Sunday. And so, yeah, you know, and that's the thing. After the game, you know, there's been some rumblings about Marcus Mariotta's toughness. People saying, you know, why can't he play and all this kind of stuff. And, you know, Vrabel kind of pointed to the run like you're talking about and said, look, if you could see this defense where I see it from you know stand on the sideline

them flying around like they do and you watch Marcus pull that ball and run it he said you wouldn't question his toughness if you saw that I mean there's no it's just a it's just a matter of he can't you know grip the ball throw the ball down the field and so there there are certain limitations of what they're able to do on offense when that's the case that's why he's not out there has nothing to do with this toughness so hopefully you know this is one of those deals that apparently one morning he's going to wake up and it's going to be fine hopefully that happens this week um but you know we talked about a little bit i mean gabbert's in the concussion protocol uh you know history kind of has shown us the last couple of years guys it's tough for them to clear that in a week.

So I think, you know, they're going to have to roll with Marcus. I think they probably would either way this week. But, yeah, I mean, I'm excited to see these two quarterbacks face off against each other. It should be fun. Yeah, I agree with you. And, look, I would never – I'm not going to question Marcus. Maybe it was toughness. Even after seeing in that wild card around last year

when they took down the Kansas City Chiefs, him going out for that block to secure that first down with Derrick Henry running the football and them closing out that game, I never thought Marcus Mariota was someone that should have his toughness in question. So it's hopefully, you know, Jimmy, how is his health going to be, though? Like you said, one day maybe he just wakes up and he has full feeling again in his fingers, but is he going to be close to 100% this week? I mean, are the Titans going to have to hold back on what they want to do

on an offensive perspective because of Mariota's health? And how is the health of the rest of the team right now? Because it speaks volumes how they're 2-1 right now with the injuries they've had up front on the offensive line. Delaney Walker, they're losing pretty much their best, most reliable target, I would say, at tight end. And now Mariota and Blaine Gabbert getting beat up. Yeah, I mean, so the Titans have actually run really lucky

in the last couple of years in the injury department. Haven't had a lot of guys miss a lot of games. That's not been the case early on this year. I mean, it's just been a bizarre start to the Mike Braybill era. You had week one in Miami, the seven-plus-hour game with all the weather delays and all that kind of stuff. So you already had Jack Conklin, who is the all-pro right tackle, towards ACL in the playoff game against the Patriots last year. So he hasn't played yet. Taylor LeJuan got a concussion in the Miami game, so he wasn't able to play in week two.

And so they were out there in week two, and then their swing tackle, the guy that was playing right tackle for Jack Conklin, ends up in a hospital the Saturday before the Texans game week two with a virus. So he's out for that game. So they're playing the Texans week two without their top three offensive tackles. So Lalonde's back. He played against the Jaguars. He's good. i think conklin will be back this week they haven't said that yet but i i really think it's kind of been trending

in that that direction hopefully dennis kelly their third tackle again um should be healed over whatever virus that he had so they're getting healthy up front with mariotta like i said it's just a matter of one day he's gonna wake up and be. I don't know if that will be this week or not. If it's not, there are certain limitations to what he can do. If you go back and watch, it happened kind of – he played a couple of series after it happened in Miami, and he threw two picks in the series that he played. And you can see he kind of floated a couple of passes because of the issue with the feeling.

And if you go back and watch, was a screen there was a screen ball a screen pass that he threw in the game against the jaguars that he just kind of floated because again it doesn't have that touch that he needs for a pass like that i don't know hopefully it'll be fine but if not they will be limited as far as what they can do he's not going to be able to throw a ball you know 30 yards down the field um so they'll have to make some adjustments as far as what they can do. He's not going to be able to throw a ball 30 yards down the field, so they'll have to make some adjustments as far as that's concerned. But that would be the limitation. His legs still work fine like you talked about,

so we'll just kind of have to see how it trends throughout the week. I heard you mention Dennis Kelly. It looks like you guys won that trade where we traded you, Dennis Kelly, for Doriel Green-Beckham. It seems like the Eagles are just, Dennis Kelly, for Doriel Green-Beckham. It seemed like the Eagles were just throwing a flyer at Doriel Green-Beckham for just some reserve tackle, and you guys actually ended up winning that because Dennis Kelly plays for you. Meanwhile, Doriel Green-Beckham is not in the NFL anymore.

Yeah, let me tell you, I was thrilled when the Titans drafted Green-Beckham. Yeah, I thought he was a good pick. I mean, right, the ceiling on this guy is just couldn't just couldn't get it for whatever reason and he was a guy that when john robinson took over as the general manager uh the titans had had a few guys on the roster that just were not good clubhouse guys and in green beckham's one of those guys and so he saw an opportunity to get a guy that could help him it was i mean you know just kelly he's he's no all pro tackler by any means but he's been a serviceable backup. Which is more than Doriel Green Beckham.

Right, absolutely. He's been able to come in and help them out when they've been in a pinch. So, yeah, I would say they won that trade, but it's funny how those things work out. Absolutely. And, yeah, you were talking about the health. The Eagles are kind of similar with the Titans where they've really been battling injuries since that Super Bowl win,

where Jay Ajayi's been banged up, Darren Sproles. They just got Carson Wentz back after that torn ACL last year against the Rams. You know, Brandon Graham was dealing with an ankle injury. It looks like they might be getting Alshon Jeffrey back. So the Eagles are in a similar boat, too, where they've had to endure a lot of injuries to get to that 2-1-1 record. And, you know, it looks like Jay Ajayi is going to play this week. Ajayi was dealing with back issues that he suffered against Tampa Bay.

And he came back in the second half, and they ran him a lot, and he wasn't really able to regain full health. And I thought getting him that whole week off this week in the Colts week really helped for Jay Ajayi as well as Darren Sproul. So the Titans defense is going to have to deal with probably an extreme, almost an offense for the Eagles that is back to full health depending on if Alshon Jeffrey plays. Alshon's not yet been cleared for contact. I do expect him to be cleared for contact at the end of the week.

I don't know. Peterson said it's very close. I think the Titans might be seeing Alshon Jeffrey this week, so it's going to be an interesting battle on both sides of the ball. Coming up on the next segment of the Locked on Eagles, Locked on Titans crossover podcast. Me and Jimmy are going to get into some of the matchups, what we're seeing, how the Titans offense can attack the Eagles defense and how the Eagles offense can attack the Titans defense. So that's coming up next on Crossover Wednesday. But first I want to talk to you guys about Vivid Seats. Vivid Seats is an online event ticket marketplace dedicated to providing fans of live entertainment

with experiences that last a lifetime. With Vivid Seats, listeners can watch their favorite teams and artists perform in person. Vivid Seats helps fans find their seats to try any of their favorite live events, including sports, concerts, theater, and more. Vivid Seats offers great prices and an easy purchasing experience. and more. Vivid Seats offers great prices and an easy purchasing experience. With the podcast code LOCKDON, L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N, listeners can receive $20 off orders of $200 or more if they are a first time customer of Vivid Seats. Go to the App Store or Google Play and download the Vivid Seats app, enter the promo code LOCKDON, and again, you'll receive $20 off orders of $200 or more. All Vivid

Seats confirmed orders are backed by a 100% guarantee, and we thank them for sponsoring Crossover Wednesday today. All right, Jimmy, let's get into the matchups now. Let's get into the nitty-gritty, the Eagles offense against the Titans defense, and the Eagles offense, or both sides. I forgot which one I said first, but let's get into it now though on the field, because again, we talked about the injuries, how both teams have had to endure a lot to get to the two-in-one record. Where do you think the Titans on offense are going to try to attack the Eagles defense? What do you think the Titans are really going to try to do on offense? Because for me,

there's not a lot of weak points to this Eagles defense but one thing I would point out is that if you get Marcus Mariota running and you make the Eagles keep Jordan Hicks or Nigel Bradham those two really good linebackers that you know like to wreck havoc all over the field in coverage and against the run they're probably two of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL if you can get Mariota and that read option going I don't know how much they're going to want to use that with Mariota's health, but that's something if those linebackers have to continue to keep an eye on the quarterback, that's maybe one of the weak points or one of the ways you can kind of stall this Eagles defense. What do you think the Titans are going to try to do offensively as again, they've taken a beating when it comes to the health? Yeah, you know, I think that they

are not going to be hesitant to run the whole playbook with him. And we kind of saw that on Sunday. I really thought they'd be cautious with getting him out on the edge or letting him run or whatever. And they weren't against the Jaguars. So I wouldn't expect it to be any different this week. They want to run the football. That's kind of their – that's kind of the thing that they want to do. They want to be able to run the football and then set up the play action off of that.

I'm not sure. I mean, I think for as much hype as the Jacksonville defense gets, and listen, they're really, really good. I'm not sure the Eagles front seven is not better than Jacksonville's. I think Jacksonville's corners are better. Yeah, I mean, I think Jacksonville's corners are better than pretty much anybody's in the league, to be honest. So, I mean, I think maybe they will try to take advantage of some stuff more outside.

The problem with that is, you know, the Titans have got Corey Davis, who is working on establishing himself as the number one guy on this offense. You know, the Titans lost Lenny Walker in that game in Miami, who was their go-to guy and has been for years. Well, now they don't have him. They drafted Corey Davis two years ago with the number five overall pick to be that guy, to be the number one receiver. The Titans really haven't had, honestly, as long as they've been here.

So I think they're going to try to get him involved early. His stat sheet hasn't looked good the last couple weeks, but if you watch the games, made some really big plays for this team. I think that's probably what they'll try to attack, some of that stuff on the outside. They've been working on screens.

They've run a lot of screens. Deion Lewis, wide receiver screens, that type of stuff. In a game where, again, I'm not sure if Marcus is going to be able to throw the ball down the field or not you're going to have to have some of those short passing game stuff some of that stuff where they can get the ball into a guy like Taewon Taylor's hands Dion Lewis's hands and let them you know make a guy miss or whatever it may be I think that's where they're going to try to take advantage

of like I said they'll try to establish the run and you know having the offensive line back at full strength they might be able to have more success there than they had the last couple of weeks but i think if you're really looking at what they're going to what they're going to try to do it's going to be those quick hitters on offense and hopefully a couple guys can make a play um you know once they have the ball in their hands try to get them try to get them the ball in space i i think that'll be the game plan. I really like that you brought that up because I think that's something that the Eagles struggle with against Tampa Bay, where Jim Schwartz's defense, it relies on he wants his corners to have strong tackling ability,

and that's not something they did well against Tampa Bay, but normally Jalen Mills, one of his strong suits, is tackling. We saw that in Week 3 against the Colts. He did a really good job on T.Y. Hilton, not letting him get going down the field with run after the catchability, which that's something T.Y. Hilton does really well. But there's also times where sometimes a guy like Ronald Darby, tackling is not his strength, where it is for Jalen Mills and Sidney Jones. So I like the idea for you when talking about this is a matchup to watch is getting Deion

Lewis and Corey Davis in space. I saw an interesting stat actually from Pro Football Focus. Corey Davis already has forced four missed tackles this year, and he's racked up 89 yards after the catch this season. And last year he had 117 yards after the catch and seven forced missed tackles. So that's going to be a key part of this, right? Jimmy is getting Corey Davis the ball in space and hoping that, you know, it's just a battle of who's going to make a play.

Is the corner going to be able to finish his tackle, or are these talented offensive weapons for the Titans going to be able to make plays? Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, like I said, Corey Davis, you know, when you're drafting a guy fifth overall, you expect him to be a stud, right? I mean, he needs to be an underwater receiver. And he was slowed last year with a hamstring injury that pretty much hampered him throughout the season.

Now he finally got help at the end of the year, had two touchdown catches in the playoff game against the Patriots. But this year, it was kind of new offense. The chemistry with him, Marcus Mariota, was kind of slow getting started. But the last couple weeks, like I said, when they've needed a play, they've gone to him. And so, yeah, I mean, I think that'll be the plan. And that's the thing. He's a big physical guy, not necessarily a but a guy that can they can create with the ball in his hands uh breaking

tackles like you said that that kind of stuff so i mean like i said i think that's what they're gonna try to do because again i just don't know hopefully like i said marcus wakes up and his hands fine and he's ready to go but if not they're gonna have to take advantage of some of that stuff underneath and i'll be interested listen we, we love Jim Schwartz here. He was the Titans' defensive coordinator back in the day before he left to be the Lions' head coach. But I'll be interested to see. The Jaguars, interestingly enough, didn't really seem to adjust to the fact

that Marcus couldn't throw the ball down the field. I mean, they still kind of played off on their coverage and that kind of stuff, and we're letting those passes underneath go. So I'll be interested to see if Schwartz, especially early in the game, played off on their coverage and that kind of stuff, and we're letting those passes underneath go. I'll be interested to see if Schwartz, especially early in the game, you know, does, and I don't know, you can tell me better how they play defense, but if they try to get up a little bit, do like some press man and that kind of stuff to force the Titans to not, you know, be able to have that easy stuff underneath to try to force the ball down the field.

I think that's something to watch for because normally in Jim Schwartz's defense, what he's been known to do with the Eagles since coming to the team in 2016 is play his corners off because these corners like to play aggressive. They like to fly to the football. They get beat on a lot of double moves at times, so he likes to bring them back and not get beat deep a whole lot. But they got burned for that in Tampa Bay a couple weeks ago because Tampa Bay would just take the 10-yard curls and these open routes with so much space,

and they would take the chunk plays over and over again. So last week, Schwartz actually had a guy like Jalen Mills, who was better pressed up at the line of scrimmage, go after a Colts team that, again, with Andrew Luck, was similar to a Mariota situation where Andrew Luck really couldn't force the ball down the field. He has had the lowest depth of target I think in the entire NFL this year. His yards per attempt is not good. It's a very conservative offense right now because of probably his shoulders still. So I would expect the same thing from Schwartz and the Seagulls defense against the Titans is again to probably try to limit what the Titans can do in open spaces. Get hands on them quickly and allow that pass rush

to get to Marcus Mariota in what is a beat-up offensive line right now. Because like you said, the Eagles' pass rush is right there with the Jaguars. I mean, the Jaguars, you talk about five, six options they can have to get to the quarterback. It's the same with the Eagles. I mean, we start with Fletcher Cox and Brandon Graham and Michael Bennett, and we end with Derek Barnett, Chris Long, and even Hekloti Nata is up in the middle still, wrecking havoc in his 30s.

That's what I'm watching for here in this Eagles-Defense vs. Titans offense matchup. Yeah, absolutely. I remember from when Schwartz was here, he had Albert Hainsworth and Kyle VandenBosch at the end. He was content to let those guys get up to the passer. I just remember the games against Peyton Manning in the division where he would give all the underneath stuff and make them dink and dunk down the field and not let him beat you over the top. I know that's what he used to do, but obviously guys adapt. and not let him beat you over the top.

I know that's what he used to do, but obviously guys adapt. The Eagles organization as a whole seems like the model for week by week we're going to adapt to what our opponent doesn't do well, we're going to attack that. So I would expect them to be up a little bit and force the Titans to hit some throws down the field, basically just to make Marcus prove that he can do it. Let me ask you something about the Titans to hit some throws down the field, basically just to make Marcus prove that he can do it. Let me ask you something about the Titans' offense and how it's kind of changed since under Mike Malarkey the past couple years.

How different is the offense now with Matt LaFleur there, with Mike Rabel bringing him in? I believe he was with, what, Sean McVay's coaching staff at the Rams last year. How has the offense looked different? I mean, I know it's been hard for him to really maximize what he wants to do because of all the injuries, but how do you think it's going to help Marcus Mariota? And what are we going to see different about this Titans offense as before with Mike Malarkey, which was, it looks, it seems very different. Yeah, absolutely. And listen, I, we could, I could go on for days about the Mike Malarkey, Terry Rubisky offense and how terrible

it was for Marcus Mariota. I mean, it was just, you know, you've got this guy, you've got a guy who is absolutely a franchise quarterback, and you don't do anything that plays into what he does well. You know, and I mean, listen, they brought Terry Rubisky in to be the offensive coordinator, and I mean, the last person that he called plays for was like Marcus Allen. Like, that's how long it had been between steps of Terryrabisky ended up being the offensive coordinator. And, I mean, the last person that he called plays for was, like, Marcus Allen. Like, that's how long it had been between steps of Terry Hrabisky being

the offensive coordinator. So it made sense. You know, I'd say it was a prehistoric offense. It absolutely was. Like you said, we haven't gotten a great feel yet on what this offense is going to look like under Matt LaFleur with everything, the injuries and everything that's been going on. But they're absolutely going to do more of the RPO stuff, more of the stuff that Marcus

is comfortable with. You know, and they're going to, the thing was last year. So the Titans last year were that old school, like we're going to line up and we're going to run the ball. And if the, if the team that we're facing is the best run defense in the world, we're going to try to run it against them. If they're the worst defense in the world, we're going to try to run it against them.

And so they've already shown this year that they're willing to adapt to, hey, we're going to look at what the opponent doesn't do well, and we're going to try to attack that. Like you said, Matt LaFleur comes from – he was McVay's offensive coordinator last year in Los Angeles, but was with shanahan you know a couple stops before that that's a pretty good offenses to come absolutely the guy that has a great offensive pedigree has done a great job with the game plans the last couple of weeks um

you know with the limited options that we've already talked about what they've had so i i can't honestly sit here and tell you yet what the offense is 100 going to look like with mariotta with matt laflore just because we haven't been able to see it yet but a lot of the short passing games rpo stuff screen passes that kind of stuff trying to get the ball out quickly to playmakers in space i mean that's the idea and again i know that sounds oversimplified but if you watch the titans play last year like it's such a breath of fresh air because they really, really didn't try to maximize anybody's talent last year. I feel you. I think it's going to be a lot better for Marcus Mariota.

And I think he had a down year last year compared to the big year a couple years ago. But he got a playoff win despite it in Mike Malarkey's tenure with the Titans. So the offense against the Eagles defense should be an interesting one to watch. Coming up next on the Lockdown Eagles, Lockdown Titans crossover podcast, Jimmy and I are going to get into the other side now. Carson Wentz and the Eagles under center going up against this Titans defense. So stay tuned for that. That's coming up next right here on Crossover Wednesday on the Lockdown Podcast Network.

Guys, before we take our break, I want to talk to you about MyBookie. You know, ever since we started these podcasts, people have been asking us for advice. Usually it's what team to bet on this week. But look, the truth is, I don't know who's going to win this week. But if you think you do, you've got to go check out MyBookie. Remember, it's not just who you're betting on, it's who you're betting with. And that's why I always tell people to bet with MyBookie. Trust me, guys, they're your best bet this season.

They've been in business for years, have great reviews online, and their mobile site is very easy to use. So lay down some cash and win big today. Join now, and MyBookie will match your deposit dollar for dollar. Use the promo code LOCKEDON to activate the offer. Visit MyBookie online today. That's M-Y-B-O-O-K-I-E, and don't forget to use the promo code LOCKDOWN when creating your account to claim the bonus.

You play, you win, and you get paid. MyBookie will match the listener's first deposit 100% up to $1,000. We thank MyBookie for sponsoring Crossover Wednesday here on the Lockdown Eagles, Lockdown Titans crossover podcast. Alright everybody, welcome back as we wrap up this Lockdown Eagles, Lockdown Titans crossover podcast. All right, everybody, welcome back as we wrap up this Locked on Eagles, Locked on Titans crossover podcast on this Wednesday edition, September 25th, as the 2-1 Eagles gear up to take on the 2-1 Titans in Nashville, or in Tennessee. Do they play in Nashville, Jimmy?

Where do they play specifically? Yeah, yeah, it's in Nashville. Okay, it is in Nashville. Perfect. I know I always see them at the games during the predator playoff game so i have well i assumed but let's get into now the eagles offense against the titans defense you know the titans defense i feel like is better than a lot of people give credit for i don't know if there's not a lot of big names and not a lot of household names in this titans team really and i think that's why they fly under the radar is

because you know marcus mariotta is a popular name because you know he was a Heisman winner at Oregon made a national championship was very well known but outside of that you know there's not a lot of big names on this Titans team but yet still they're two and one they're coming off a year where they had a playoff win in an underperforming offense because of their coaching staff and look here they are in but now But now they're going to have to go up against a really tough test in the Eagles offense that maybe outside of Sean McVay's offense in the Rams is probably the most dangerous in the NFL just when it comes to so many different things that the coaching staff and the talent on the field can do to you. Where do you think the Eagles can exploit this Titans defense?

What are some of their strengths and what are some of their weaknesses? Because right now it's not going to be where the Eagles just have to run the football and use tight ends because their receivers aren't healthy. The Eagles might be at full strength this week. Jay Ajayi and Darren Sproles are both expected to play. And if I had to put my money on it now, I think Alshon Jeffrey plays. So where should the Eagles go after this Titans defense? Yeah, so far where the Titans defense has been the most exploitable has been on the deep ball and you know last year it was funny because so the titans got credit last year for having a really good run defense well that was true i mean the numbers against the run were really good but that

was because they were pretty bad against the pass and so um teams just threw the ball against they didn't need to run the ball so they would just throw the ball but last year they were good against the deep ball but all the underneath stuff underneath stuff, they would give that stuff up all day. It's been a little bit different this year. I mean, you've got a different defensive coordinator. We had Dick LeBeau the last couple of years. Now you've got Dean Pease, who's been with the Ravens. He came in with Mike Braybill.

And so far they've been pretty good. But Malcolm Butler, a guy obviously from the Super Bowl. Who didn't play. Right, standing on the sidelines of the Super Bowl and all the storylines that went along with that. Titans brought him in in the offseason, gave him a pretty sizable contract. And John Robinson, who's the Titans GM, spent time in New England. So that's kind of been the connection there. They've got a few guys.

I mean, Deion Lewis they signed this year. Logan Ryan was kind of their big free agent guy last season. So they've signed a couple of guys from the Patriots that John Robinson is kind of familiar with. But Malcolm Butler is really good on stuff underneath. He's an aggressive corner, kind of like you were talking about with the Eagles corner. Good at kind of playing off, coming up and attacking the ball on the short pass. you know he's pretty good run support as well but his weakness is getting beat over the top and it happened in the first preseason game everybody's you know going crazy because they they sign this guy this big contract and he gets beat by davante adams in the first preseason game

but i mean it happened in the first two games uh kenny stills got him for a deep ball uh down in miami and it was a play where Malcolm Butler was in good position, but just wasn't able to make the play. Kenny Stills caught the ball and got a long touchdown. Will Fuller week two for the Texans caught a big play over Malcolm Butler and was able to get in

the house. Last week we were facing Blake Bortles, who is terrible. Don't let Jaguars fans try to convince you otherwise. He's not any good. And so they weren't able to take advantage of that. So I would expect, I mean, again, I trust the Eagles coaching staff is going to look at what has been working for other teams against the Titans.

And so I would expect them to take some shots down the field against Malcolm Butler specifically. The other thing is, so their other starting corner, Adoree Jackson, who was the first-round pick two years ago, he suffered a concussion also against the Jaguars. So don't know about him, but I would assume he's probably not going to play. Like I said, they got Malcolm Butler and Logan Ryan, both solid corners, not great, but they're good enough. LaShawn Sims is the third corner now, the fourth corner normally.

And again, a solid player, not a great player. But that's big from a speed perspective, right? I mean, because Adoree Jackson's a faster corner. I mean, if Nelson Aguilar's on the outside, he's the burner for this Eagles team. You saw last year, he makes plays on the field. You can't let that guy get behind your defense. Oh, absolutely. I mean, if I were the Eagles, I'd be scheming up ways to get aguilar matched up on malcolm butler and take shots i mean that

that's what i think they should try to do i think that's what they will try to do um because that's what they've been susceptible to i mean like i said hopefully the dory can play but i i just i don't know at this point you know last year they drafted and they'd already signed logan ryan um who is you know kind of a bigger corner. He doesn't have elite speed. So when you look at who the Titans play in a division, you've got T.Y. Hilton with the Colts, who obviously you all saw last week. Will Fuller with the Texans. I think they drafted a Dory to match up against those guys,

and Nelson Aguilar, if you will. If he doesn't play, I think that is absolutely an advantage the Eagles will have, and then they should try to take advantage of it. Like I said, the Jaguars actually have some, especially from a speed perspective, they've got a D.D. Westbrook, Keelan Cole, D.J. Chark, guys that can get down the field, but they didn't try to do it much. And then when they did, of course, Blake Bortles is out there missing open guys. So, I mean, if I were the Eagles, that's that's what I would try to do.

First of all, is attack that. See if you can hit some of those plays down the field, because the Titans defense is fairly solid. Otherwise, the run defense is good enough. They got exploited a little bit in the first couple of weeks. Like I said, they weren't as good as the numbers showed last year just because teams didn't try to do it very much. But I mean, I think they're good enough. You're not going to line up and run the ball 30 times against them and have a ton of success. But they are susceptible to the deep pass.

So, I mean, if I were the Eagles, that's what I would come out and try to do is see if we can get a couple of those plays over the top and then kind of go from there. Yeah, and look, Carson Wentz is going to be big in that. And I thought the offense really opened up last week against the Colts. You just saw plays that he made that Nick Foles would have never even tried making, and even plays that go back to that 3rd and 9, the final drive, where Carson Wentz has to drive down the field to get them a touchdown

to get the lead back. At 3rd and 9, it's a pocket that's just collapsing all around him. He steps up, gets Nelson Aguilar the ball on an out route. Aguilar fights for that first down. Those two last year were probably the best connection on third down in the NFL, or at least one of them. So Wentz holding onto the football. If this offensive line can buy him time, yeah, not having a Dory Jackson

might be tough for the Titans. But another thing the Eagles really did last week, Jimmy, was using the Goddards package, we call it, with Dallas Goddard and Zach Ertz. And they were using a lot of three tight end sets with Josh Perkins out there as well, who's a former wide receiver, so he's kind of a receiver-tight end hybrid, but he's a big guy. Even if Alshon Jeffrey comes back, Jordan Matthews is only in

the second week back with the Eagles. They're probably not going to run a lot of three receiver sets. They're going to run a lot of 12 personnel, maybe even still use three tight ends. I don't know. I don't expect it as much, but I do think you're going to see Dallas Goddard and Ertz on the field at the same time a lot. I think they spent a second-round pick on Goddard for a reason. They both finished Ertz and Goddard with 73 yards last week.

Goddard with the touchdown. Ertz with some big receptions all over the field. Who do you think the Titans are going to try to match up against those two big, physical, athletic, fast tight ends that the Eagles have at Carson Wentz's weaponry? The Titans have got Jayon Brown, who's a linebacker, was a rookie last year, played pretty well, was a little bit up and down, but a guy that's much more effective in coverage than he's going to be like a run support guy. He's the guy that comes in on third down pass situations, that type of deal. They've got Kevin Byard, who was an all-pro last year. Really good safety, really good coverage and that kind of stuff.

He's a good quarterback, too. Yeah, right. There you go. I think they can match up well on that on that kind of stuff so i mean i i think they'll be all right as far as that's concerned like i said jay brown has done pretty good in that role in bayard um has been i mean quite honestly really really good in those types of situations so i think they can be okay against that i think you're going to have a more success like i said testing testing them down the field um but you know honestly we haven't seen a team that has two tight ends that they can do what the eagles tight ends can do uh or honestly one tight end they can do what the eagles is going

to do because when you look at the guys the teams they've played so far with the dolphins the the texans the jaguars i mean know, you could probably name their tight ends, but they're not guys that you're starting in your fantasy lineup, right? So, I mean, it'll be interesting to see how they match up against that. One question I have for you, how did Wentz look in his debut? Wentz, to me, I thought there was going to be a little bit of rust to start off because, again, when you don't play for so long, I mean, he hasn't played since week 13 of last season.

I thought he was going to be ready for week 1, but they decided to take the cautious approach with him. I was extremely impressed with him coming back. They started off the game against the Colts with a lot of up-tempo stuff, getting the ball out quickly, getting it to tight ends, and get him in a rhythm early. And then once he got his legs under him, once he got that rust off, he started holding onto the football more.

He started making those amazing escaping plays that if you're a Titans team, you don't get him on the ground. I mean, the Colts did sack him five times, but a lot of it was Wentz just running into some sacks because, and that'll happen because he's trying to extend plays with his legs where sometimes he's just going to run into guys, but he was dangerous in that area once again. And that was something I was concerned with because when you have a torn ACL injury, a guy like Carson Wentz, who's fearless and loves to run the football, to not only run, but to make plays down the field with his arm, I was hoping and I was praying that that wasn't going to go away, and it wasn't.

Wentz looked just as fast. He looked just as athletic and dangerous. Some of the plays he was making was really incredible, and seeing him make that fourth quarter drive to put the Eagles back in the lead, he's back. And to me, there wasn't, I mean, there's some rust. There was a couple turnovers that got him in their own territory. But I think that, you know, with getting more games under his belt this year, that'll come where he can limit those again. He was pretty good at limiting turnovers last year but we saw a lot of signs of the Carson Wentz from 2017 that probably would have won the MVP if he stayed healthy so Wentz to me looks good

I think the Titans are going to have their handful on Sunday yeah and you know they the one thing you say about Blake Bortles I mean I think he's a better runner than his thrower and they did a pretty good job on him, not letting him escape and make those type of plays. But Wentz to me is more of, Ben Roethlisberger is not a great comparison, but a guy that tries to keep plays alive and

is still looking down the field to throw. I think Bortles a lot of times when he gets outside, he wants to run. See, Wentz's adjusted completion percentage under pressure last week was 88.9 percent and his pass rating was 136 boardles you're not getting that right absolutely yeah so i mean i i think that'll be a obviously a much bigger challenge for this titans defense um because their pass rush is better than it has been uh they got harold andrew the rookie, who is – He looks good, right?

Yeah, he's looked good. He doesn't have a sack yet, but in each of the last two games has made a play that has affected him. He got that bend off the edge. And almost had a strip sack on Bortles this past week. Had a play where he made Deshaun Watson step up against the Texans and Jarre casey was able to get a sack so i mean i think they've got some some some good pieces in the pass rush now

that they can take advantage of but yeah you're always concerned against a guy like wentz who you know like i said you see guys who escape and are looking to run but he seems to me like a guy that's looking to extend the play so that he can get the ball down the field. And so, like you said, if you don't get him on the ground, your guys have got to cover that much longer. And, I mean, it's just hard for anybody to cover an NFL receiver for that long. So that would be my fear there. And like I said, with them being susceptible to the ball over the top anyway,

not having a Dory Jackson possibly, that's kind of my biggest fear heading into this game is that there's going to be a lot of plays, a lot of big plays. They're going to be there for the taking down the field. Yeah, look, Jimmy, I think this is going to be a lot closer game than I think on the Eagles side. They see this Titans team and again, they don't see a lot of household names similar to the Colts last week. And I think that they're expecting a big sizable win for this Eagles team. I'm not so sure. I mean, this is on the road against a playoff team last year. They're getting healthier.

If Marcus Mariota's back, I really hope Mariota is healthy. I think it's going to be a very entertaining game. Both Wentz and Mariota really good in the fourth quarters too. I mean, again, like seeing Mariota do what he did in the playoffs last year against the Chiefs and that run against the Jaguars, to me it was just really impressive. And hopefully he's at full strength because I think with those two going at it, if this is a close game in the fourth quarter, buckle up.

It could be an entertaining one. Do you have a prediction for the game yet, or are you saving it for the end of the week? Yeah, I don't know. It's funny. Last week, so the Titans, there wasn't a lot of the game until late in the week because obviously Vegas was waiting to see if Mario was going to play. It became pretty evident that Gavis was going to be the quarterback.

Jacksonville was a nine-and-a-half point favorite against the Titans, and that just always seemed dumb to me. The way these two teams played last year, you knew it was going to be a close game one way or the other. I don't think the Jaguars can ever blow out anybody because you have Blake Portals, right? Their whole thing is they get turnovers. They score on defense.

That's hard to rely on, though. Right. If you're chasing them, then you're in trouble. Okay. With the Eagles, I think with the line open, the Eagles minus three and a half or something like that. I would be willing to put a lot more money on the Eagles being able to cover that than I would have the Jaguars last week. I don't know.

I mean, this team at this point, they have exceeded my expectations through three weeks. Again, just based on the injuries and all that kind of stuff. So, I mean, I think this is a game where I think it's going to be close. I think it is going to come down to the fourth quarter. I'm just not sold right now on Mariota's health, and so I'm hesitant to – I mean, obviously it would be a pretty big upset if the Titans were able to win. So, I mean, I'm not necessarily willing to pick the Titans to win,

but I do think it's going to be a close game. I do think it's going to come down to the fourth quarter. Like you said, it's just going to be fun to watch. And anytime you get two of the young quarterbacks in the league, like Wentz, who, like you said, probably would have won the MVP last year, so he's kind of already established himself as this up-and-coming guy. Mariota has been so much up and down. I fully believe that in this offense that he's going to be in the conversation

as one of these up-and-coming guys I just think it's going to be fun to watch I would be probably a little bit surprised if the Titans won but like I said, it's surprising the last couple of weeks so I'm just excited to watch it and see how it plays out Yeah, and of course they're at home and the home field advantage is big

not having to go against the Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field that's kind of Jimmy become the new Seattle where people, teams, when you go to Philly, that is a tough place to play. Now the Eagles defense too, the numbers show it. They play a lot better at home than they do on the road, but I'm still going to give the advantage to the Eagles because of the health issues the Titans are dealing with. Wentz is back healthy, looking good. I think they're going to be at full strength on offense, so I'm going to give the advantage to the Eagles. I think they win by maybe 10 points here. If I had to throw out a score, maybe I'll go 27-17 at this point.

Then the Eagles' schedule gets really tough. I think they've got to take advantage. Again, you can't sleep on this team. You can't look past them and look to next week against the Minnesota Vikings because this Titans team, 2-1, coming off an impressive win. Mike Vrabel's got them playing inspired football, and hopefully we're gearing up for a good one, Jimmy. Yeah, and that's the thing. Like you said, the Titans are coming off two division wins. Now, it does help those games at home.

It would be a disaster if they were heading to Philadelphia. Just like I said, kind of a letdown spot. You know what I'm saying? But, I mean, when you've got the defending Super Bowl champions coming to your house, I think that'll help keep them up for this game. The Titans' schedule actually eases up a little bit after this. It'll be interesting to see how they respond to two pretty emotional, hard-fought wins the last couple of weeks.

I'm excited to watch it. Absolutely. All right, Jimmy, that's going to do it for today's edition of the Locked on Crossover Wednesday. Locked On Eagles, Locked On Titans edition. If you want to check out any of our stuff, follow us on Twitter. Myself at DBI C-L-O-E. You can go check out Jimmy at jmorrismcm.

We've got a couple more days to get through this week. And then Eagles-Titans on Sunday. A battle of two 2-1 teams. Carson Wentz v. Marcus Mariota. Should be a fun one. Jimmy, thanks for coming on today. It was fun doing Crossover Wednesday. Good luck on Sunday, and we'll see who's talking about an Eagles win

or a Titans win on Sunday, and hopefully it's a close one. Absolutely, man. Yeah, it was so much fun doing this episode with you, and good luck to you all. Yeah, good luck to you guys too. That's going to do it. Thanks, everyone that listened. Me and Jimmy will be back tomorrow on our own podcast, back in the nest and back in Nashville, Tennessee,

for Lockdown Eagles and Lockdown Titans. But for now, thanks for tuning in. Please subscribe to the shows. Follow us on Twitter. And the feedback, leave us a hopefully five-star review if you like the shows. But the listener feedback for the Lockdown Podcast Network this year has been great. We appreciate everyone listening. So that's going to do it for me and Jimmy. We'll see you tomorrow, and peace out.