Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans-Dec.27- Four Downs & more.

Episode Date: December 27, 2016

Four Downs & more! #BHop #TerryMc #GregA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Learn more about our healthy benefits at fepblue.org slash getmore. 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. It's Tuesday, Terry McCormick, and a lot of things as always on a Tuesday edition. We've got our four downs and we've got some very interesting and I think diverse things

to get to for the listeners today. But let's start with the current news where obviously, Terry, the big news, Marcus Mariota. We know now the surgery will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina on Wednesday. And of course, Carl Klug will also undergo surgery on his Achilles on Wednesday. So a lot of surgeries taking place in the Titans' world coming up tomorrow. Yes, and with Mariota, the surgery is going to put a plate in there to help that broken fibula heal around the ankle area. He's going to miss four to five months.

He's going to need that time to heal and rehab. And then the Titans are hopeful that he'll be back for at least part of their OTA work. And certainly that remains to be seen, and the Titans will have to have a contingency plan, I'm sure, as to what will happen. Obviously, you've got Matt Castle, you've got Alex Tanney, who, by the way, Terry, with the Mariota injury, Marcus being placed on IR, officially done for the season, of course. Tanny is promoted now to the 53-man roster.

He will be the backup to Matt Castle coming up on Sunday. Right, and Tanny, he's done this before. He was the backup at the end of last season and came in against the Colts after Zach Mettenberger struggled to start the game and actually performed pretty well. Mike Malarkey said that Matt Castle will get the start on Sunday, but he didn't rule out Alex Tanney getting a look-see in the course of this ballgame with neither team really having much to play for in terms of the Texans

with playoff seeding or the Titans with no playoff hopes. It could be a game where a lot of people get a little bit of a look to kind of see what you might have there. And, of course, we saw Alex Taney in a very similar role. He came in last year, you mentioned it, against Indianapolis in the final game. And so I guess, Terry, kinduged where he is as a backup quarterback with another year on the practice squad and see what the future might be. Could he be a possibility to replace Matt Castle and move to the number two?

That's something I think in that, as I said, a contingency plan that's certainly to be evaluated. Yeah, certainly. You know, that's a question that needs to be answered. And I think, you know, they like Alex Tanney. You know, they obviously wouldn't have kept it. In fact, he had made the initial 53-man roster, if you remember, and was on the roster for the first two or three weeks of the season

until they needed help at other positions. But he's a guy that has been around the block a little bit, been on a number of practice squads, been kind of an insurance policy for a number of teams. But, you know, it's time for Alex Tanney in his career to see if he can move up and be a number two. So that's kind of an interesting possibility for him. Other injury news for the Titans.

Rookie cornerback LaShawn Sims suffered a concussion. He is in the league protocol and, of course, has to go through the steps for that before we will know anything about his availability to play this Sunday versus the Texans. That's right. It'll be interesting. If Sims is unable to go and Jason McCourty, obviously bothered by that shoulder, we don't know what his status is going to be. The secondary is starting to get really thin,

and it might be even to the point where we would see extended playing time for Kalen Reed and DeJuan Smith, who was just promoted to the active roster last week. But certainly if Sims and or McCourty are not available this Sunday, then the Titans have very few options left to put out there at the cornerback position behind Bryce McCain and Valentino Blake. Another injury, Terry, a high ankle sprain for Mitty Abdesmod. And for those of you at home, don't try to spell that unless you look at the roster or have tried it a few times, Terry.

He is a guy that, of course, spent most of the season on the practice squad. He was released at one point, brought back. Hadn't seen a lot out of him. He got a little bit of action in the game against Jacksonville. Tough spot for that young man to be in, now suffering through an little bit of action in the game against Jacksonville. Tough spot for that young man to be in, now suffering through an ankle injury this late in the season. Yeah, obviously he wanted the last couple of games to be something that he could showcase himself for to the Titans coaching staff. They really liked this kid, the way he played

in training camp in the preseason. And he was another who actually made the initial big three-man roster before he was moved back to the practice squad after clearing waivers. And, you know, I think this is a guy that they're expecting, you know, to be able to contribute. He's kind of, you know, a big body type player that can set the edge over there. I think they really like the potential that he has, but it may not happen for him this week unless he can make a quick recovery from that high ankle. And certainly, Terry, to round out the current news, tomorrow, Wednesday

again, a big day. Surgeries for Marcus Mariota, it's taking place over in Charlotte, North Carolina, and Carl Klug, and certainly we wish both those guys the best for their surgeries. I know they've got some of the best doctors that can be found to take care of these injuries for them. But hopefully, and it's not just about football, it's just about life in general, that these injuries won't be something that hamper them

in their life after football. Absolutely. I think you said it right there. You want these guys to be able to not only be able to play football, but more importantly than that, have a high quality of life and the injury not debilitate them. You're listening to Locked On Titans on the Locked On Podcast Network. Football season is in its final week of the regular season in the NFL,

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Download the SeatGeek app. Enter the promo code LOTITANS today. Terry, it's time for our four downs, and as I said in the open, I think we've certainly got some diverse topics to talk about, and we'll jump right into first down, and it's about the division record for the Tennessee Titans this year. Mike Malarkey discussed this in his Monday press conference comments, and certainly when you look at that record, just one win in the division right now. Two losses to the Colts. A split with Jacksonville. And then of course

0-1 right now with a game to play versus the Texans. One win out of the eight they got. Really that's where this team missed the playoffs is being unable to take care of business in a weak division. Oh, there's no doubt about it. And not only was it a weak division, you know, a situation where the Titans, as we'll discuss a little later on, have victories over far better teams than the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars. They were unable to put anything together against those teams. You know, they've lost 11 straight against the Colts, Texans, and Jaguars, they were unable to put anything together against those teams.

They've lost 11 straight against the Colts. They've not swept the Jaguars since 2008. I think they've lost something like six straight against the Texans. So, you know, to me, that's as much a mindset as it is anything else. It's not, you know, maybe in years past, it was a difference in talent or whatnot. But now, to me, it's more of a mindset and approach You know, maybe in years past it was a difference in talent or whatnot. But now, to me, it's more of a mindset and approach that the Titans are going to have to be more focused and take care of businesses against these teams that are inside their division.

I agree with that totally. But why is that? I mean, why would you think that obviously when you're the Titans and you see the schedule at the beginning of the season, and we gone through this of course nobody thought they could beat Green Bay nobody thought they would beat Denver certainly nobody thought they would go into Kansas City and win that game you're able to do those things against quality teams going into Detroit and getting a win there against the Lions team that's in the hunt for a playoff spot could potentially get in this coming week how do you overlook or get to the point where you can go win those games

against those teams who are, I think, all better than anybody in this division and then come back and fall so short in the division? I think it's just the mark of a young team, but one that's still coming together. I think when you look at the way this team was put together, you're getting a lot of contributions from this year's draft class, from previous draft classes, not so much. You're bringing in people from the outside, that sort of thing.

So you're kind of patchwork at this thing to put together a competitive roster. And I think you're seeing the ups and downs of a young team. They get high one week and play very well against good competition, and then they struggle against lesser competition, even though the division and those are the games that should be the focal point. I think when you talk about a team that is, you know, up and down like the Titans, you see a lot of youth, and I think that youth creates inconsistency. Moving on to second down, we kind of touched on it there a little bit.

Four or five wins for the Titans against playoff teams when you go back. I mentioned Detroit, of course, in the hunt, Green Bay in the hunt. You've got Kansas City, who is still in the playoff picture. Denver has been eliminated from that now. Who am I missing now? All of a sudden, my mind. Green Bay. Green Bay.

Detroit. Green Bay, Detroit, Miami, and Kansas City. Yes, there you go. They're currently in the playoffs, and the Titans have wins over all four of those teams, which is encouraging, but it's also frustrating because they know that they themselves should be there in the playoffs and they're not. So if you're a fan of the Titans right now, Terry, are you encouraged by this more so,

or are you discouraged by the fact that they struggled in the division? Which one should fans kind of rest on at this point in time? Well, that's a good question. It's one that I asked Mike Malarkey yesterday, and he said that he's both encouraged and frustrated, if that's possible. He's encouraged by the fact that this team is capable of going toe-to-toe with anybody in the league, but he's frustrated over the fact that they blew so many division games that it's going to keep them out of the postseason.

I think when you look at this team, I'd say it's probably a 50-50 type of proposition because you're talking about a team that is encouraging and discouraging at the same time, which is kind of hard to do. When you look at the Titans' wins and losses, Terry, and certainly the losses with the exception of Jacksonville on Sunday, every loss was close. They played games within seven points so even the losses again with the exception of Jacksonville on Sunday and certainly that is discouraging that you get blown out by 21 by a team with just two

wins but I think we can see some factors into that perhaps they were tired obviously after having played such tough games emotional games against Denver and Kansas City, back-to-back travel to Kansas City, throw all those things into it. Maybe we can excuse some of that away. Certainly, I think some of the lack of effort obviously has to be addressed. But still, looking at all of that, the team played close in their losses to everybody else that they faced and lost to this season. So I think that is something that you take away as encouraging as well. Oh, I would agree.

I think going forward, I think you use the wins to build on, but then you use those losses to say, hey, this is where you've got to get better. And certainly that's something that could be a motivating factor, and I think will be for this team going in because you mentioned it. For the most part part it's a pretty young football team a lot of guys just into their second contract as you mentioned a lot of guys in this last draft class being counted on there'll be some free agents of course added another draft class coming in for next season so I think this is certainly something that could be

a big motivator for the current core group going forward. I definitely agree. I think you're exactly right, Greg. Moving on to third down. The key part here, Terry, obviously we just mentioned that that could be a motivating factor, but what's it going to take for this team to regroup? Obviously it was such a deflating moment in Jacksonville, not only just to lose, but to lose badly and have a poor performance. And, of course, Marcus Mariota going down with the injury that's going to put at least some question marks around him going into next season.

Where do you go if you're the Titans to try to begin to regroup with this thing? Well, I think you try to rally around Matt Cassidy, and you try to get the veteran to play well. And then you try to take care of business. We talked about the trouble that they've had in the division games. I think you try and take the first step toward improving that by winning on Sunday. And that win not only would give you a second division win

and kind of erase some of the stigma that they've had there. But I think it also gets you to 9-7. It gives you the opportunity to say that you've had your first winning record since 2011. So there are still things to play for, just not quite the stakes that they had hoped it would be. I think that's the biggest key right there, Terry. You mentioned it, 9-7. Getting to that winning record, okay, you didn't make the playoffs, but at least you've had a taste and know now as a collective group

because the largest majority of this team, and certainly guys that are Titans draft picks or Titans people that have never played for another team, have not tasted that in their careers, and that would be huge. And to get a win over the Texans and get one of those hurdles out of the way because the only team that they've beaten in the division of late

has been Jacksonville, and they've, as you said earlier, managed to split with them every year since 2008. So get that monkey off the back with Houston getting a win there, and then you go into next season having to do the same thing and exercise some demons against the Colts. I think that is a good start on Sunday to get the win over the Texans for those two reasons. Oh, I agree.

Now, let's move on to fourth down and talk about something that should get the fans excited. Now, it's a little bit of a long shot, but it should get fans excited, Greg. That's true, and we want to talk about draft position because certainly, obviously, Sunday is a big game. The Titans would like to go win that game, close the regular season out on a positive note and erase some of the bad taste in the mouths of themselves

and the fans after the Jacksonville debacle. But the next big thing for this team is the draft coming up, and right now the Titans, Terry, as everybody knows, hold two draft picks in the first round. They don't have a second round pick at the moment. They also do not have a sixth round pick. But if you're not going to have a second round pick, having two first is not a bad thing. And at this point in time, they sit currently, Terry, holding the fifth overall pick in the first round, which comes from the Rams via the trade. And right now the Titans pick would be at number 16 if the draft occurred today.

Obviously coming up on Sunday, some things can change. Both those picks could go up and be higher picks. The Titans pick could certainly go down and be even lower. But here's the scenario, Terry, that I'm looking at if I'm a fan, and that's the Rams pick at number five. If both Chicago and Jacksonville can win on Sunday, that's a big if. Neither team is great, but certainly both of them could win. And with the way Jacksonville played against the Titans playing against the Colts

who've been eliminated from the playoffs, you've got to think they've got a puncher's chance. That number five pick could go as high as number three. Yeah, that would certainly be a benefit for the Titans. They can get all the way up to number three. Granted, if they get a top five, you've got to like, but if you can get to number three and you think that the Browns and the 49ers

who are locked into the top two picks most likely, both those teams are in need of a quarterback. Quarterbacks have gone with the first two picks the last two years. It's not out of the question that it could happen again this year.

If that is the case, then you're the Titans. You're sitting there at number three. You might have your choice of the best player on the board, on your board, which might be somebody like Miles Garrett of Texas A&M, an outstanding pass rusher. Absolutely.

Jonathan Allen, the pass rusher from Alabama that won so many awards, will be there at number three if quarterbacks go one and two. And you've got your choice of all the cornerbacks too, Terry, which obviously is a position of need. So certainly the Titans would have to feel good about that if it occurs to get to number three. And then on the back end of that, the number 16 pick that the Titans currently hold, if the Titans should lose to the Texans, and if several other teams could lose or should

lose, the Titans could go as high as number 12 on that list, Terry. But at the same time, there's kind of a wash in this thing because the Jacksonville-Indianapolis game plays a factor. Jacksonville has to win for that number 5 pick to be able to have a chance to get to number 3. For the number 16 pick for the Titans to potentially get to number 12, the Colts would have to win. So you kind of have good news, bad news in that one of the two

obviously will lose that game unless they can figure out a way to end up tied, and then I'm not sure what that would do to the whole scenario. Yeah, that would certainly, you know, play into it. You know, obviously that game and the ramifications that come along with obviously affecting the draft status of both teams. But I think if you're the Titans, you probably would prefer to have the Jaguars win that game, get that pick up number three or number four, and then take your chances that your pick might be, you know, a little bit lower but not so bad.

Absolutely. I think that would be the best scenario because you're going to get a top-tier player one more time in the draft. Of course, the Titans had the number one pick last year traded out of that. But this is the potential, Terry, and I've said this to you before, last time that the Titans could be picking this high in the draft unless they were to make some kind of trade of course to go up in a draft

and get into the tops again in the future but this is the last time if I'm John Robinson I'm thinking I'm going to be picking in the top 10 to 15 range obviously the goal is to pick closer to number 32 every season and so take advantage of that pick take the best player available up at number three or

four if you get there, number five, and then potentially look to find a cornerback because this is a loaded draft at cornerback when you get to 15, 16, 17, wherever the Titans might be with their actual pick in that first round. Yeah, that certainly is a position of need, and I think that's something they've got to look at, with at least one of those picks, especially since they don't have a second-round choice. And I'm of the thought process, and I know a lot of people are,

that you can never have enough pass rushers. So if the Titans get it number three and have a chance at Garrett or Allen or any of the top guys, they take their guy, whomever that may be, to add another pass rusher to Casey, to Morgan, to Arakpo, to Kevin Dodd, hopefully, who will bounce back and have a second year where he meets the potential the Titans felt like he had. That gives you another guy in that to try to get after the quarterback,

which in turn could help the secondary as well. And of course, Terry, as we go along through the offseason here, we'll talk about some of the potential free agents. The name Eric Berry comes to mind as a guy. By the way, the Titans have $48.7 million against the cap to use. That would get an Eric Berry's attention monetarily to potentially get him to come here and play for the Titans, but certainly that's something we'll address in the future. Oh, there's no doubt about it.

I think, you know, something like that, when you've got that much money to spend, you've got to use it on impact players, and I think that's what John Robinson will try to do this offseason. Terry, time for the final thoughts on this Tuesday edition. Your final thought for today. Well, my final thought is just how fast the season has gone by. I think, you know, it just seems like, you know, a blink of an eye that training camp was here,

and we were talking about getting ready for the season and wondering what this team was going to be. I think now we kind of know, you know, that this is a much improved team. You know, obviously didn't reach the potential that they wanted to, but certainly much better year and better things on the horizon for this franchise, it looks like, in 2017. My final thought is coming up this Sunday. It will be the final game, obviously, of the regular season,

final home game of the regular season. And I want to encourage the listeners to come out and come to this game. If you don't have tickets, you can find them. The secondary market is out there. Go to SeatGeek. Check out SeatGeek. Try to get you some tickets there. Come to this game and watch this team and support this team.

And let's give this team a send-off on Sunday if you're Titans fans. Not necessarily because they've gone to the playoffs. Obviously, they're not. But a packed stadium and a large, boisterous crowd I think would do wonders for this team going into the offseason as compared to coming in to a half-empty stadium with

mostly Texans fans in there cheering for the opposing team. This team has improved. They are currently six games better this season than they were a year ago. They are three games better this season than they've been in the last two years combined. And if the fans want to do something for this organization to show appreciation for the improvement, I think Sunday's the opportunity to do it.

Send them into the offseason with something encouraging and something to look for that they can come back in 2017 and know that they can have fans pack that stadium for home games. Terry, that's it for us. We'll be back with you on Wednesday with more Locked on Titans. Enjoy the rest of your day, and we'll see you then again, Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.

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