Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Dec.19- TITANS WIN IN KC

Episode Date: December 19, 2016

We go Offense, Defense with the Titans big win in Kansas City. #BHop #TerryMc #GregA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Napa Know How. It takes a lot to get excited about a bag, but most bags can't save you 20% on auto parts. That's 20% off headlamps, 20% off oil filters, 20% off virtually anything you can fit inside the 99-cent Napa reusable bag. So tell your buddies, there's a bag they just have to check out. Quality parts, helpful people. That's Napa Know How.

Napa Know How. At participating Napa auto parts stores while supplies last. Minimum three items. Exclusions apply. Offer ends 10-31-17. You are Locked on Titans. Your daily podcast on the Tennessee Titans. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network. Your team every day. And welcome to Locked on Titans.

Your daily source for all Titans news and information with your host Terry McCormick of titaninsider.com, Greg Arias and former Tennessee Titans all-pro left tackle Brad Hopkins. Guys, what a Monday and wow, we've got a lot of stuff to talk about today. Obviously, offense and defense that we do on Monday. Current news, let's jump right into it, guys. The Tennessee Titans get a huge win, perhaps the biggest win in maybe 10 years or so. 1917, as they literally, guys, kick a field goal to take the lead as the clock expired. They did not lead for a single second of the football game during regulation play, but they will forever lead now having won that football game.

And, Brad, credit to you. You were the first one to call and take the Titans to win this one. Well, I do that every week, so it's no brainer. But I'm just kidding. Actually, you know what? I think that, and I'll hand this off to you, Terry, that this is one of those pivotal wins that we were talking about, a lot like the Green Bay win, a lot like the Denver win,

but this one was on the road. This one was coming from behind, dealing with a 10-point deficit late in the ballgame where the Titans had to overcome three turnovers, basically, shooting themselves in the foot to keep this thing together, take control, and then ultimately kick a field goal to win. Yeah, I mean, you know, the magnitude of this win and what it means for this franchise, I don't think it can be understated.

You know what it kind of reminds me of a little bit, and Brad, when I say this, I think you'll agree, there was a game back when you played, I forget what year it was, it may have been 99, maybe 2000, but you guys played on a hard, cold day at the vet, and Aldo Greco made, I think, the fifth of his five field goals. Five, yep. And it came either as time expired or right near the end of the ball game, and you guys were able to go up there and pull out a win in a game that really nobody thought that you guys would win.

See, games like that, guys, games like that where it takes a combination of all three phases to ultimately get a win, they create more cohesion that you can possibly even understand because they understand the struggle of having to go through it. They understand basically trying to slow down an offense that ran for over 100 yards today in the Kansas City Chiefs that have dynamic weapons like Tyreek Hill that opened the game up on a huge score, of course. They're the weather of the storm. Special teams played a huge part in this game.

Kicking field was to win. The offense did enough on the ground to basically keep the team from getting out of control. Defensively, I think they obviously hampered enough of that offense to keep it within striking distance for the Titans, even though they weren't leading most of that game. You know, I just think of those three phases collectively winning together are the things that make this team a team that really may need to be contended

with in the playoffs, possibly. Absolutely. Yeah, it's crazy to think, you know, how far this team has come in such a short period of time. But it's really amazing in terms of, you know, the way this team has played and over the last, you know, three or four weeks and how they've really come together, like you said, Brad. Guys, we'll get into offense and defense specifically in just a few minutes,

but I want to go back and touch on one thing before we jump into those, and that was the Mike Malarkey decision to go for two, scoring the touchdown there, Derrick Henry in to cut the lead to 17-16. You go for two. I liked personally the decision to go for two. I'm not a big fan of the decision of the play call that they made and the fact that it was a slow developing rollout kind of deal, but I liked that decision.

Where do you guys stand on this? Was it a good call by Malarkey? Obviously it works out in a win, but was it a good call to go for two? Yes or no? Well, I'll go first. I think I questioned it because I wondered, first of all, if it was the right time to do it because you could still play for overtime. And after you fought hard all game long

and not had, you know, a lot to show for it up until that point, you know, I thought that it would take the wind out of their sails. But kudos to the defense for stepping up and giving them another opportunity to win that ball game there at the end. You know, I didn't agree with the decision, but it certainly worked out. And given the way it worked out, Brad, I think it becomes even more of a momentum builder for this team and even more of a situation where these guys now believe in everything that Mike Malarkey is telling them, and Mike Malarkey in turn, with the players giving

them another chance, he's believing in turn with the players giving them another chance, he's believing in everything that these players can give them. Oh, man, I'm so glad that you said that, Terry, because I think that what you look at in a situation like that, he's basically given the utmost confidence in his offense that first off they can score two points, and even if they don't, have the confidence that his defense can at least keep them out of the end zone and get the ball back for the offense to get another try. off they can score two points and even if they don't have the confidence that his defense can

at least keep them out of the end zone and get the ball back for the offense to get another try he rolled the dice gamble on his team even though he knew that there was a 50 50 chance of that play working out and in the end he was right because sure he might not have scored that that two-point conversion like we saw what happened where he might have scored it and taken control of the game itself but either way he knew that dealing with that situation specifically he either had a chance to get that football back and have that offense drive down score you know a field goal whatever it took to win or they could have taken control there they came into arrowhead to win i think that when you look at them dealing

with a 10-point deficit the mindset to that point you know struggling and fighting to at least get in scoring position and then ultimately score, I can see where they weren't going to settle for a tie. I can definitely see where they were. But, you know, I will say, you know, when I was thinking about just being in the game itself and, you know, I guess I don't know how to say it other than just a safe call. I can definitely see from the player's standpoint where I could, you know,

feel excited about the momentum that I got to that point. But I can see where conventional wisdom might have thought, you know, just tie it up and see if you can get the ball back and then score again. For me, guys, and Brad, you certainly played in these kind of conditions. Part of it was the conditions. The reason that I liked going for it there, trying to get the win, putting it all on the line, saying, hey, let's do it right here one way or the other, and we've still got time for our defense to come back if we can't, was the fact that

if you tie that game up and go to overtime, those players are out there in those conditions. Now, I know they're playing a game, and I know they're into it, and they've got heaters and things on the sidelines, but it was still pretty brutal for those guys out there today. And Mike Malarkey, in my mind, thinking, hey, let's don't go to overtime. Let's don't prolong this. Let's go for the win. I've got confidence in my guys. Go out there and get it done. Yeah, I think that's just one of those situations where you're looking at your coach

and his actions right there spoke volumes, I think, that he said, hey, look, I don't care what the situation is. I believe in my guys. And that might not have paid off in that situation, but I think that just him showing the confidence in his guys that they could possibly put themselves in a position to win again that will pay off dividends i think in the long run what about i agree go ahead i think you know you talk about you know paying off in the long run this is the type of game where you go on the road it's basically just the 53 guys who are on that roster and the coaching staff against not only

the chiefs but they're against everybody that's uh can arrowhead stadium pretty much that roster and the coaching staff against not only the Chiefs, but they're against everybody that's in Arrowhead Stadium pretty much that day. And I think when you look at being able to overcome those odds, being able to win that ballgame, that is definitely a season maker because that's something that this team can build on because they know now that they've been through whatever. And even if you get in a playoff game now, they know that they've been through whatever. And even if, you know, you get in a playoff game now, they know that they've been in adverse circumstances, an adverse situation, and that they have the capability to come through.

The outcome aside, guys, the play call. Your thoughts, Terry, on this one, the play call. Would you do something different? And I know hindsight's easy to look at and do, but just off the cuff to begin with, to me, that seemed like a strange play call that took a long time to try to develop. Yeah, I think what they tried to run there, I'm not 100%. I think what they tried to run there is that leak-out play to the backside

that they used with Anthony Fasano, and it used several times with great success. Some sort of version of that is what it looked like they might have been trying to do because they were rolling right and the play was kind of flowing left and it never really developed. I would like to see them make good strides just going straight ahead, whether it was DeMarco Murray or Derek Henry with the football and using the middle of the field in the pass game, even though they didn't have timeout,

I would like to see them maybe try to look for Delaney Walker or DeMarco Murray in that situation. Well, I think that it was actually a really good play call in that they had all levels covered, in that they rolled the pocket with Marcus Mariota, knowing that if both those defense basically picked up the receivers and he didn't have a throwing option, he may be able to make somebody miss and get into the end zone with his feet.

But he did have a guy right underneath him at the goal line, but he also had a couple deep in the end zone, plus the guy that was running the crossing route potentially, I think it was Rashad Matthews, that might have got hung up there a little bit. If Marcus would have held him just a little bit longer, he would have seen him trying to make his way back to the scene and therefore being open for, obviously, a two-point conversion to be good. But the pass rush was coming. They were coming around him. He trying to make his way back to the scene and therefore being open for, you know, obviously a two-point conversion to be good. But the pass rush was coming.

They were coming around him. He had to stop his momentum, you know, try to get the ball off. They had their hand on it. Yeah, I don't necessarily disagree with the play call itself just because of him having so many options with that play. It just didn't work out. Guys, let's jump into offense right now, specifically in this game. And we mentioned it, the turnovers.

Three turnovers on the day. Prior to the game, someone had told us, I know myself and certainly I guess you guys probably too, that the Titans turned the football over three times, get one back from Kansas City in the game. The Titans probably lose this one, and Brad, yet they're over to overcome that because the offense made just enough plays to get them the opportunity to win this football game and as we said it worked because of the run game and what they were able to do on the ground

yeah listen I'll be honest I was the one that was on Twitter basically preaching for Marcus Mariota I mean uh for Derek Henry to get more involved in the football game because that one that second series that we saw him come in and he was gaining like basically 10 yards and 12 yards, converting first downs just with almost every carry. He was averaging 9.2 yards basically to that point, had the same yards in total that DeMarco Murray had with half the carries. So I thought at some point in time,

there's just a guy that has momentum in the game and you just need to start feeding him. We saw two touchdowns be the difference in the ballgame, but who knows what the score could have been had they used him and just flip-flopped the series. I'm not taking anything away from DeMarco. DeMarco's done a fabulous job. When he counted on it, he got first downs and things like that.

Obviously, he had a huge catch coming out of the backfield to get them down on the one-yard line, basically the score. But I just thought that using them in tandem would have been better in the situation. But you're right, they did do enough in the ballgame to not allow the score to get out of control, credit the defense, too, for hampering their offensive productivity, therefore to keep the Titans within strikeable distance.

Yeah, I agree with you on the running back thing. Now, not to take anything away from DeMarco Murray, because especially there in the fourth quarter and really all throughout the game, he was making a lot of people miss. You know, he was getting a lot of yards after contact, making cuts, you know, turning three-yard runs into six- and seven-yard runs a lot of times. But I'm going to say this about Derrick Henry. And, you know, we've seen flashes of it.

We've seen little spurts of it here and there. But today, he looked like the running back that won the highest trophy last year at Alabama. He was just determined. You know, he was going most of the time just north and south, just, you know, 8, 10, 12 yards a pop almost every time he touched a football. And, you know, he's got fresh legs that they haven't really used in that much. And now that we're heading into the home stretch here, I think you're going to see Titans use Derrick Henry a lot like they did today

to kind of not only spell DeMarco Murray for a series or two, but to make his own plays and carve out his own niche in this offense. Terry, you hit on my thought on Henry being fresh legs. He hasn't had that many carries. He is fresher than DeMarco Murray, younger right now, no disrespect intended to Murray at all. But that to me is a reason why, as you said, he should get more carries down the stretch because he is fresh.

DeMarco obviously is doing a great job, needs to be in there, needs to be the number one guy. But Henry needs some more to help balance this thing out. Guys on the receiving end of things. Go ahead. All I'm saying, Greg, is that brand-new loaf of bread, that fresh loaf of bread, every now and then can go stale without a slice being taken out of it.

So at the end of the day, a guy like that wants to be fed. I think if he didn't get into the flow of a game with more consistency, you'd see him be a lot more productive in that offense and probably paying off for the offense as a whole. Absolutely. My thought, Brad, on the receivers. When we look at it, Rashad Matthews had some big catches early on in the game. Tajay Sharp had a couple of balls early on in the game.

But when the game was on the line, two guys really stepped up. Delaney Walker, obviously, and Kendall Wright made some plays. He didn't have huge numbers, but he made some plays late in the ballgame to help this team get into position to pull out this win. Yeah, it's good to see that out of Kendall. You know, he got sat down last week for missing a meeting, obviously. You know, there are a lot of people around, and I've even said this myself, I feel like Kendall is a little bit detached from the rest of this team.

But when you can get in there, even in a lesser role than obviously what he would like to have with this team, and you can make a contribution, that's the best way to try and to get yourself back into the fold, so to speak, Brad. I don't know, in your playing career, have you ever had a guy kind of get detached but then comes up and makes a big play or two to kind of get himself back in good graces? But I'd say that most of the time when that happens,

I'd say the teammates are usually more than welcoming in terms of wanting him back. Absolutely. I've probably seen, you know, Mason in a situation like that, even Steve himself, when dealing with injuries, sometimes, you know, when you've moved on to kind of like the guy that's in the heat of the moment, kind of getting it done, we just need him to step back

and remind us exactly who they once were. So not to say that Kimball was by any stretch a depleted receiver. I'm just saying that he basically felt detached because of him being injured early on. Basically, Marcus Mariota developing a comfortability with other receivers, younger receivers, which kind of affected his numbers too. And I just think of him coming up in the clutch a lot like Delaney Walker did today, especially those four-down conversions

and really keeping the chains moving and those tightens possessions. He just showed himself to be still a key piece to this offense. Guys, let's not forget the offensive line in this. Now, there were a couple of penalties on lawan early on in the ball game but for the most part you didn't hear justin houston's name called very much and you certainly didn't hear a lot of d ford those guys who can wreak havoc and get to the quarterback and cause pressure i thought the offensive line did a really good job overall for the football game today, Brad.

Yeah, absolutely. As a matter of fact, there was one time that I saw some pressure. Maybe a couple of times I saw pressure. But for the most part, Marcus wasn't running for his life. There were a couple of times maybe when the play broke down, particularly on the one where he fumbled. But for the most part, I thought that both those corners, the tackles did a great job of keeping Marcus clean,

allowing him options, and, of course, providing, even when Derek Henry was in there, huge holes for either one of those running backs to go through. So, collectively, they had just under 150 yards rushing, which meant that the Titans controlled the line of scrimmage, not only running the ball, but passing the ball as well. Yeah, guys, I think it's time to go ahead and say it. This offensive line is the linchpin of this team. I mean, I know we think that we talk about DeMarco Murray,

we talk about Marcus Mariota, but this offensive line has been the biggest change in this team this year. The fact that they've been able to come together, protect the quarterback, open holes in the run game, I don't think it's a stretch right now to say that this is probably a top three offensive line in the National Football League, probably a little bit behind Dallas right now because that group has been together longer

and maybe on a par with the Oakland Raiders line or something like that, but it's certainly in the conversation. Would you agree? Oh, yeah, 100%. I think that when you look around the league, guys, any team that really ranks highly running the football and has a quarterback that is as efficient and as of lately securing the football as Marcus Mariota has,

you have to give credit to those big boys up front. The best teams right now are running the football effectively in the months of December and January, and the Titans are right up there with one of the most consistent, well-rounded ground attacks that the AFC or the NFL itself has to offer. Let's jump over onto the defensive side of things, guys. For the world, I'll admit it, when Tyreek Hill took off on that run play for that long touchdown, I'm thinking, oh no, this is going to be a long day for the Titans.

But they made some adjustments defensively, Brad Terry, and were able to come back and make enough plays. Tyreek Hill, other than that one play, he was a non-factor in the ballgame today. And I thought they did a pretty decent job on Travis Kelsey. He had some numbers. They weren't huge numbers, Terry, but enough to keep the Chiefs from scoring obviously enough points to get a win.

Yeah, and what's even more impressive about that, consider this. They lost Jason McCourty on the first series of the game to a chest injury. Did not return. They lost Denoris Searcy to a concussion. And they lost Carl Kluge to an ankle injury. So they were missing three pieces, including two starters and a valuable member of their defensive line rotation at the game's end, but yet they were still able to get it done. You know, at patchwork as it was, they were still able to really tighten things down, pardon the pun, but after those first two drives by the Chiefs. Yeah, I would agree with that 100%. I mean, Sims has got sticky fingers over the last couple of weeks,

a very opportunistic guy in the back end there that obviously helps that defense. And we didn't really see much pressure put on Alex Smith today. Brian Arakbo and Jones did kind of couple together for a sack. But, you know, for the most part, this defense has put together a pass rush that should be mentioned amongst some of the best. When you look at, you know, Brian Arakbo, Derek Morgan, of course the interior threats, Wynn Healthy, of Jarrison Durrell-Casey, Carl Klug stepping in in instances.

They have the ability to get after almost any quarterback. And I think that showing the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football has been one of the things that has given the Titans, you know, that eight wins that they've had this year. Yeah, and as much as their secondary still scares me at times, you know, in terms of how they play, I think, you know, you have to tip your hat. They're coming up with big plays at the right time. I don't think you can underestimate how big a play LaShawn Sims' interception in the end

goal was because that takes points off the board. We're not talking about Ryan Suckup's game-winning field goal if that interception doesn't take place. And guys, one thing that I thought the secondary did really well today was tackle. We didn't see a lot of broken tackles and yards after catch going on. Guys made catches. They were tackled and got down on the ground, and that is a huge thing to me because obviously running after the catch and yards given up there

can be really big in a ballgame, and they did a good job of tackling today in my opinion. Right, and you're talking about guys like Tyreek Hill and DeAnthony Thomas who can do a lot of damage if they're out in the open field and somebody misses a tackle. Yeah, in my opinion, it's a no-brainer why they do that because no one's trying to lay the big shot when it's four degrees outside.

People are more apt to grab somebody and wrestle them to the ground, creating more of a true contact to form up a guy and bring him down, more so than just closing your eyes and blindly grilling yourself at somebody's midsection. Guys, the Jaguars tried to give the Titans some help on Sunday. Actually had a lead late in the football game. Houston came back, of course. The Jaguars had the football with a chance to get in field goal position. Couldn't pull it off. Houston does win that ball game.

The Colts also won today, too. So this win was big because it obviously keeps the Titans tied with the Texans there above the Colts, who are still a game back, and obviously the Colts with the two-game tiebreaker, and we're still set up for the potential of a New Year's Day showdown if the Titans can go to Jacksonville next week and get a win. That game against the Texans could be for the division. That game for the Texans could also be on Sunday Night Football,

would be my guess, if it comes down to that, because you're talking about two teams that could come into it 9-6 and play with the winner-take-all type of deal to win the AFC South. Yeah, you're right about that. Hey, let's think about some further implications. Because of the Jacksonville Texans game, and Jacksonville blowing that lead and allowing the Texans to escape and therefore be tied with the Titans

to top the division. The Jacksonville Texans went with the decision to go ahead and fire Gus Bradley. I think one of the names of the first on the chat, this may be Jeff Fisher. How crazy would that be that Jeff Fisher would be coaching the Jacksonville Jaguars versus the Tennessee Titans in 2017? Mark it down. It could happen.

There would be some serious irony in that. Because, you know, Jeff loved to stick it to the Jaguars back in 1999 when the team you were on, Brad, the Jaguars only lost three games and all three losses came at the hands of Jeff Stite. That would certainly be. Remember he used to call Altel Stadium what? His home away from home, right? Well, this might be his new home.

I had not thought about that, Brad, but certainly that is a great point and something that we'll watch for as the coaching carousel in the NFL gets cranked up here towards the end of the season. Guys, time for final thoughts on this winning Monday, 1917. What a game. Heart stopper. Brad, your final thought. You know, we were thinking about this team

as it kind of started to develop out of the cellar. 500 was like, wow, that's going to be really, really good. Bless their hearts. They're doing great. Above 500 for the first time in a number of years felt really, really good. You know what? At eight wins, I got away from that thinking.

At eight wins, I really started thinking, this team has just as much of a shot, a chance at winning as anybody else does. Because as this team gets eight wins and continues to play well, its confidence is growing. And with its ability and understanding of what its capabilities are, you can't sleep on the Tennessee Titans. So there's a reason why these talking heads are starting to recognize exactly what this team is doing because in situations where they could have,

you know, just shrunk at the moment, they haven't. And it's becoming more commonplace for them to make the plays necessary down the stretch to be considered one of those clutch teams. And I kind of see them standing at the end. Terry? You know, my final thought has to do with special teams. I have railed on the Titans special teams for quite a

while because they've not been very good. But today, their best game of the year by far. Not only Ryan Suckup's 53-yard field goal that won the ball game, but they kept Tyreek Hill and DeAnthony Thomas bottled up. They did not allow the Chiefs to take advantage of those guys

and get a cheap score or good field position. Great work today by the coverage units and by, obviously, Suckup and Kern. My final thought is Mike Malarkey. He might never be included in the conversations with Belichick, Knoll, Landry, Hallis, Lombardi, the greats Belichick, Knoll, Landry, Hallis, Lombardi, the greats of the game. But this guy's doing a heck of a job with the Tennessee Titans football team this season. Now, we don't know what the future holds,

but for this team to get to eight wins after having a combined win the last two seasons is an incredible job to me. And this team is buying into what Malarkey's doing. He has assembled a pretty good group of coaches, it seems. And these guys are getting the most out of players. Now, there's still some warts. There's still some holes in this team that need to be addressed.

But right now, this guy has done one heck of a job with this football team. And if he's not the coach of the year in the NFL, I don't know who should be. To go from winning five games as a franchise in the last two years to at least eight, should be nine, possibly even ten. Yeah, that's coach of the year to me. Guys, a great show, a great win for the Titans. That will do it for us on this Monday edition. Enjoy the day, and we will be back with you on Tuesday

for more Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.