Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Dec.9- Prediction Friday

Episode Date: December 9, 2016

It's Friday, we predict the winner of the Titans vs/ Broncos matchup. #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. Guys, it's Friday, game week again after having last weekend off with the bye, the Titans set to host the Denver Broncos, and we've got a lot of things to get to on today's edition.

Let's jump right into things, Brad and Terry, and talk about the current news. And it's not exactly good news if you're the Titans at this point in time. Because as of Thursday, practice, no Jarrell Casey. And certainly that is a big potential absence from the Titans' defense, Brad, if Jarrell Casey cannot go. Absolutely, Terry, Greg. If you're thinking about how effective the pass rush has been from the middle of the field, it allows Brian Arakbo and Derek Morgan the ability to get after the quarterback because basically the pocket is being pushed backwards. When that doesn't happen, that allows the quarterback

to not only have more time in the pocket, but also step into his throws and deliver more accurately without guys in and around his feet. That is going to be a huge void, and that means the guys are going to have to really step up in that interior turn. Yeah, I think, you know, I talked to Jarrell today. He said that he would be able to play even without practicing on Sunday. But Mike Malarkey was a lot more cautious, saying that, look, there are still more games beyond this one to play.

So I think it's very much up in the air as to whether Jarrell Casey is going to be on the field or not Sunday. I think tomorrow or today, Friday, could be a very telling day in terms of the fate of Jarrell Casey for this week. Amazingly, he has only missed one game in his six-year NFL career. That was the finale of the 2013 season when he had a knee injury and they held him out. Now, Brad, defensive tackle, defensive end, the positions that Jarrell plays, as he said, he could go without practicing as far as that's concerned. I mean, obviously there's things that he has to do assignment-wise,

but he knows the defense. If health permits Sunday, he could still go without the practice, couldn't he? Yeah, but, okay, so what you expect from Jarrell Casey is a difference maker, a playmaker, a guy that challenges double teams, a guy that can't be blocked one-on-one, that kind of guy. Well, a guy that's basically coming out 75%, I mean, he's no better than, say, maybe a late-round pick or something like that. I just think that his effectiveness goes down.

Sure, can he get out there on the field and be productive? That's one thing. Being effective, that's another thing. You know what I mean? Effecting the game is completely different than just being productive. Other news for the Titans coming out of today, the fact that it's still unsettled at who will be the starting cornerback in the spot formerly occupied by the artist known as Parrish Cox and Terry,

a couple of guys in Bryce McCain and Valentino Blake. I keep wanting to say Antoine, but it's Valentino. One of those two guys is going to be the starter in this thing, in that spot come Sunday. Yeah, Coach Mike Malarkey and defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau both said today that they would not be starting a rookie, even though LaShawn Sims and maybe Kalen Reed might rotate in in certain packages or sub-packages.

But it looks like it'll either be Bryce McCain, who has been the nickelback all year, or Valentino Blake, who has been a backup and special teamer for most of the year. One of those two guys is going to start. And, yeah, I think in a game as big as this, I think even though both those guys have been a little bit suspect at times, I think it's probably the right move to go ahead and start the veteran guy, the guy that kind of knows what to expect,

because one of the strengths of the Broncos offense is their wide receivers with Emmanuel Sanders and Demarius Thomas. I'm not sure that you want to try and trust Kalen Reed in his first NFL game or LaShawn Sims in what would really amount to his second game of any sizable action to hold down the fort with Demarius Thomas running down the seam or running a slot route. So do you agree with that, Brad? I would, but I'll also say that maybe this defense won't be challenged as much

with Trevor Simeon basically coming off of injury. Now, I do think it's going to make the pass rush imperative because any time you have adjustments that need to be made in the back end, speeding up the quarterback's clock makes them more advantageous in that secondary. But unfortunately, like we just finished talking about, Terry Gregg, the pass rush is going to be affected

by not having Jarrell Casey in the middle. They're going to have to manufacture pass rush, in my opinion, meaning blitzing guys, meaning using scheme more so than talent to give them an advantage. And they can do that this week because Trevor Simeon is definitely exploitable. But for the most part, you've got to make him a little bit rattled. And that's exactly what Dick LeBeau does there.

One more thing on the current news, guys, before we really dive into game analysis. Terry, you wrote a story today on Brett Kern, and he's a guy obviously as a punter that you don't get a lot of feature-type stories on, but he was talking about his cleats in the story and the fact that he's had the same pair for three years, and he wears them to practice and to games because he likes the way they feel. They're broken in, and that's kind of interesting considering other guys such as DeMarco Murray wear a brand-new pair every week

and other guys, and Brad, you can certainly speak to this too about how it was when you were in the NFL, but guys do different things with the shoes, but it's kind of uncommon to have someone that would have them for three years. Yeah, it really is. You know, Kern, he kind of likened it to a baseball glove you know when you put when you get your baseball glove broken in you know it feels exactly right on your hand and it feels it allows you to be able to catch the ball with comfort and that sort of thing and you

put a different glove on yeah you can still catch the ball but it doesn't feel right because it's not made to fit you it's not broken in right and that's the way he is with his cleats he likes the cleats to be broken in the way he likes them he does have a backup pair he said just in case something happens to his uh trusty pair that he says you'll probably have to retire at the end of the year and go with another pair but uh it's interesting you know how guys you know and i talked with the equipment manager, Joey Barranco, a little bit about it, just kind of get some background off the record. And he said that a lot of it depends on, one, the guy's personal preference,

and two, the position that they play. Because a guy like DeMarco Murray, who does a lot of cutting and a lot of twisting and turning as he's carrying the football and whatnot, is going to go through a lot more shoes than, say, an offensive or a defensive lineman that's basically in one, you know, one smaller area for the bulk of the time. Or a punter. Yes. Hey, Terry, do you remember when Chris Sanders was one of the receivers here?

He had such an issue with turf toe that, remember, he used to have to cut the top out of his cleats because of, like you just talked about, all the stopping and starting and the cutting that he had to do to run his route. So it's crazy how, you know, in essence, those shoes are so important. They're a very vital part of particularly field position guys, you know, their ability to run fast, to obviously divert angles and do all those kind of different things that we see receivers do in the field.

So pretty interesting. Yeah, another guy, Brian Arakpo said that he goes through about six pairs a year, and he said that he makes the change whenever he feels the bottom of the cleat starting to wear just enough that it's causing him to slip on the field. He knows that it's time to change out and go to a new pair. It usually takes him about a week of practice to break in a pair. See, that's what we used to do when we had the seven studs, Greg. We used to just switch out the cleats, not the whole entire shoe.

Do you remember those back in the day, Terry? They used to have what looked like a drill on the sideline, but it had an adaptable kind of cleat remover. Oh, yeah. Screwed in. You have like seven new cleats on your shoe. You're out there and you've got more traction. You can replace the whole shoe.

Yeah. Well, now they've gone to the molded kind as opposed to those inserts. Well, guys, obviously it's a big game coming up on Sunday with Denver coming to town, and you touched on it just a little bit ago, Brad Terry, talking about Trevor Simeon. Obviously he has struggled a little bit. There are some question marks as to just if he will be able to play, and if so, how effective will he be? And certainly if he struggles or if he cannot play, you've got to like the Titans' chances

against a rookie quarterback in what would be just his second game action should Paxton Lynch come into the game. And guys, I think that is the best thing for the Titans against this offense if you can have that happen and wind up with the luxury of having a rookie quarterback in the game. Brad, obviously, Simeon's a little bit better, a little bit more experienced, still not very good. This offense is, I guess, not as good as what people thought it would be coming into this season and certainly early on. Well, it's not getting carried away. He's only 12 months older than Paxton Lynch, and he's not

some savvy season veteran by any stretch. Because remember, he's not getting carried away. He's only 12 months older than Paxton Lynch, and he's not some savvy season veteran by any stretch. Because remember, he's only the quarterback because of the exodus of the two guys that were on the roster before him, and Brock Osweiler and, of course, Peyton Manning, who retired. But I will say that when you look at basically the Broncos' offense versus the Titans' defense, there should be an advantage for the Titans' defense, just like you talked about. This year, turnovers are up.

They created 21 turnovers so far. Net yards are down. They're just at about 1,200. Compared with the Titans, you're at 1,600. It's not like to say the Titans are some juggernaut of an offense, but when you look at the total yards completed, Tennessee Titans have 4,500 yards compared to the Broncos' 39. They're down offensively.

But where the challenge is going to be this week, guys, is defensively. The Denver Broncos have one of the best defenses in the AFC, and they're going to have a hard time, I'm talking about the Titans protection, keeping the likes of DeMarcus Ware and, of course, Vaughn Miller out of the backfield. They've got guys in the secondary, too, that can actually pick things up.

They've got 10 interceptions all year versus 35 sacks. So, Marcus Mario is going to have to definitely mind the store and be very cognizant of ball security because this is a very opportunistic defense that can actually turn turnovers into points. Terry? Brad, you took the words right out of my mouth.

The key, in my mind, in this entire game is how well the Titans take care of the football. I think the good Marcus Mariota that we've seen over the last three or four games with no turnovers, I think that's the Marcus Mariota that has to play on Sunday. The Marcus Mariota that had issues with turnovers in games like the Vikings game, the Chargers game, the first Colts game, that Marcus Mariota is the one that the Denver Broncos are going

to try and see show up on Sunday and see if they can rattle him into a key mistake, get a turnover or two, maybe an interception or fumble or whatever. But I think it is very imperative for the offensive line to give Mariota enough time to throw the football, to make the correct reads and the correct decisions, make his throws without forcing him into a situation where he may have to scramble and then may make a bad decision by putting the ball up in a bad situation.

Guys, you got my point and covered it well. I think it's the offensive line that's the key to this game. Certainly Marcus has to do his part, but if he doesn't have the protection, and we know how quick Von Miller can get to the quarterback if DeMarcus Ware is in the ballgame, he too can get there in a hurry. They've got some other guys that can rush the passer. So to me it's about the offensive line. They have to protect Marcus, and they have to have a running game.

They have to be able to get DeMarco Murray slash Derrick Henry and even Marcus if he decides or if they decide to have him go on some design runs. They need to get, I think, to the 115, 120-yard range of rushing offense to have a good shot. If you can do that against this defense, you get that kind of yardage, even if it's collectively, I think that can open up some things and make it a little bit easier in the pass game. And again, that all falls back on the offensive line. Well, real quick, I think that you're right about that 100%.

When you're talking about the average that the Broncos defense is giving up this year, it is ironically 122 yards. So I think that when you look at the Titans' offense possibly being as effective as they can be, it's run the football probably right downhill at that Broncos' offense. Don't get into passing situations because of those edge rushes, man. This could be a terrible, terrible situation, Terry. Yeah, you've got to stay out of third and seven or longer

because you know they're going to pin their ears and come after you in that regard. So you need to have some third and two, third and seven or longer because you know they're going to pin their ears and come after you in that regard. So you need to have some third and two, third and three, that sort of down and distance situations when you're in those third downs because that at least keeps play action alive and keeps the element of the thought of the run game there, especially if DeMarco Murray is on his game and is moving the ball on the ground, that sort of thing.

It at least keeps that thought in the back of their mind and maybe slows down that pass rush just enough to allow the play to take place. Guys, could we see a little bit of the exotic? You know, we've seen at times some things. We saw the Taylor LeJuan touchdown reception that he had in a game, but it's been more smash mouth than exotic. Could there be something exotic in this game plan for the offense

to try to do some things to maybe not necessarily trick, but keep Denver off balance and help the offense be able to move the football this week? Well, there are plays that they work on every day or every week in practice, you know, trick plays, you know, things that are, you know, where, you know, things that you don't expect to happen could happen. It's just, and then some of those are actually in the game plan. It's just a matter of whether the time and the down and the distance and all that situation is right for that play to be called.

They've got to get the right look from the defense. They've got to be in the right down and distance in terms of where they are on the field and even what the score is when you pull those trick plays out of the bag. But those type of plays are in the game plan virtually every week. I will say, though, let's compare these two teams to, like, heavyweight fighters, okay? I don't think that this week's opponent, Terry Gregg, is one that you have to deliver a haymaker to early.

I mean, I think that you can go a couple rounds with this team and kind of spar with them a little bit, feel them out, wait for them to make a mistake and then counter with something that actually puts them on the canvas. But for the most part, this isn't a team that you need to press against. Offensively, they don't have near the firepower that they've had before to kind of put up huge points, putting the Titans in a pickle. So I just think if they just play, I'm not going to say conservative, but at least to

the effect of them not necessarily creating turnover. Don't do too much. You know what I'm saying? They have a strong enough rushing attack to where they can be in control, control the pace and tempo, and stay out of third and long situations like Terry talked about, and move the chains. One area, guys,

that we talked a lot about earlier on in the season, because there were some evident struggles there, but of late, we haven't really talked about it that much, are special teams. The Titans have not been bad special teams-wise. They haven't really talked about it that much. Our special teams, the Titans, have not been bad special teams-wise. They haven't given up the punt and kick returns that we saw a couple of times there early on that cost them in some big situations, but they haven't really gotten a lot

out of their special teams to help them as far as big returns to set up field position, either in punts or on kickoffs or turnovers on kick coverage or punt coverage. That could be big this week, and hopefully maybe the Titans can find a player or two there to help them out as well. Well, you're right. I think if they're going to get a big play out of special teams, it's probably going to come more from the coverage team rather than the return teams. I think when you look at the Titans return unit, Mark Mariani, not as fast as he used to be.

Obviously, he's had some leg injuries in the past. You remember the serious broken leg that he had. A steady, dependable guy, but not a real threat unless the blocking is just superb to take one back a long way. But the Broncos have had some issues themselves on punt returns. In fact, they have benched Norwood, their punt returner, after he had a couple of fumbles in the game against Kansas City, I believe it was. So they'll be trying out a new punt returner, only his second game back there.

And if you're the Titans, that may be something you want to try to exploit with a, you know, maybe something like a directional punt, something like a knuckleball punt or some high hang time just to see if you can, you know, catch a break on a muff. Yeah, I'm actually sitting here trying to figure out statistically who they have returning. Because a still position like you were trying to allude to, Greg, is going to be so imperative in this game.

You want to give the Broncos a long field to work with, therefore allowing them more opportunities to make mistakes. If Marcus Mariota can start closer to midfield, that's definitely an advantage for that offense. I kind of agree with you when you're talking about, If Marcus Mariota can start close to the midfield, that's definitely an advantage for that offense. And I kind of agree with you when you're talking about, I'm not going to say inefficiency, but not near as effective as they've been in the past with the field game and special teams.

And maybe Marcus or Mark Mariani has slowed a step or two, but blocking also needs to be more effective, too, giving them lanes to run through. I just sit there and watch Tyree Hill. Obviously, this guy has the fastest due in the NFL, but he just ran untouched in the end zone on a punt return. I wouldn't like to have those kind of luxuries as well, but it also creates, by giving a guy that's catching those punts an opportunity

by creating good rushes. Guys, it's that time again, time for us to make our predictions on who will win the game on Sunday and why. Now, Brad, we normally start with you, and we will again today. I think I know where you're going, but I'll let you tell that, and then I'll know if I was right or wrong. Well, I will say yes, I'm going to pick the Titans, but in my opinion, really, guys, the Titans are

favorite. You know, as a matter of fact, they're minus one as favorites in this ballgame because, you know, they're playing exceptionally well right now, I'm saying, at least controlling the things that they can control. And this offense led by the Broncos is not the same kind of high-powered offense that we've seen in years past. You know, defensively, they can definitely make plays and make it a long day affair for any offense, but for the most part it doesn't have near the teeth that it's had to pass.

So at home, with the momentum that they have of being at least tied for the top of the division with Houston and Indianapolis, you know, I expect the Titans to take full advantage of where they're sitting right now, not only within the division, within the conference, and get what could be a pivotal AFC win down the stretch. Terry? Yeah, Brett, I think when you look at this game and you look at the denver broncos i think you see an offense like you mentioned earlier that doesn't have a whole lot of firepower and and it's not because of the fact that they don't have playmakers on the outside they do in thomas

and sanders but they're a little bit suspected quarterback. If Trevor Simeon plays, he's not going to be a hundred percent. If Paxton Lynch plays, he's obviously a rookie. Seven of the points they scored last week in a win over Jacksonville came via the defense return and interception for a score. So I look at this, given the firepower that they have on defense

and the lack of firepower that they have on offense, I think this is going to be a low-scoring game. I think probably the combined total is going to be somewhere right around 40 points or so. And I think the advantage that the Titans have, as long as they don't turn the ball over and as long as they can protect, is in the offensive line and at quarterback. But they're better than the Broncos at both of those positions. I think that could be the difference in the game.

I'm going to say 20-17 Titans. Brad, you didn't give us a score on your prediction, so what's your final? Yeah, let me think. Okay, so the way I'm thinking that they're going to be effective is by running the football. I'm predicting a touchdown at least by each one of the running backs,

Derrick Henry and DeMarco Murray. And I'm also predicting a rushing touchdown from Marcus Mariotis. And I think that that's the way they're going to control the game and ultimately distance themselves and Broncos is running the football. So it's like what Terry was saying, a low-scoring affair,

but I'll say 21-10 Titans. Wow. That's pretty close to what I had, Brad. I'm actually going to go 20-10 Titans winning the football game, and I think it comes down to two things for the Titans, and I said earlier the offensive line, I stand by that. They've got to be able to run the football, protect Marcus when he throws the football. Marcus can't turn the football over.

If they can do that offensively and move the football against this Broncos team control field position, then certainly I don't think that this Broncos offense is good enough, even with the question marks in the Titans secondary. And we've seen them be exploited for several yards at times by not-so-great quarterbacks. Cody Kessler comes to mind in that. That would certainly be Trevor Simeon and or Paxton Lynch. It would be in that same category at this point in time.

And if the Broncos have to go long distances, drive the football 70, 80, 90 yards for touchdowns and for points in this game, I don't think they can do it. Give me the Titans 20 to 10 to win it. Guys, we've all three picked the Titans again. I think the last time we all three picked the Titans, were we right or were we wrong? We were right. It was not that long ago.

As a matter of fact, I think it was going into the bye week that we all picked the same team to win. I believe that's right. You a matter of fact, I think it was going into the bye week. Did we all pick the same team to win? I believe that's right. Did we get the same team, Terry? I think so. Yeah. Well, let's see if we can do it again. So three for the Titans.

Well, guys, time for the final thoughts. Terry, go ahead and give us your final thought on this Friday edition. We've touched on the final thought that I had and I think it's the fact that the Titans have to play turnover free football or at least win the turnover battle. And given the fact that their defense hasn't forced

a whole lot of turnovers, I'm going to say the offense needs to play turnover free. If they can do that, I think Marcus Mariota and this offense will make enough plays to get the job done. Brad? I call this, when you talk about this game itself, albeit the Broncos aren't the same team that we talked about last year

and the year before, you know, being contenders, you know, obviously. But I think that when you talk about nationally recognized teams and therefore nationally recognized games, this one, like the Van Bay Packers game, is going to give the Titans an opportunity, if they play well, to really take a step forward in making a name for themselves. Quietly, the prognosticators are saying this is a team that could easily win the AFC South,

and they're starting to kind of warm up to the Titans as being a playoff team. But I went over the Broncos, led by obviously Vaughn Miller and the likes. That could definitely put women's sales in the Titans for at least a little more recognition. And the Dawgs think so too. Absolutely. My final thought, guys, comes back to the offensive line.

And we know that Jack Conklin has played well as a rookie, and I think he's going to be tested in this matchup by Vaughn Miller and perhaps DeMarcus Ware and probably some other players for the Broncos. But to me, it's about Taylor LeJuan. Taylor has played well, though, in the last few weeks. If you look at the numbers of PFF, his play has slipped a little bit. He's had some issues with some penalties.

He needs to get back to his top game. And I think having the week off, getting rested, having an opportunity to get away from it a little bit should allow him to do that. Obviously, the offensive line as a whole has got to play well, but I really expect and think we're going to see a big-time effort from Taylor LeJuan in this game. And if he can deliver and Conklin on the other side can deliver, protecting those edges against this Denver pass rush, as Brad said earlier,

run the football up the middle, the Titans are going to be in good shape. So looking forward to seeing those bookend tackles, two of perhaps the best young tackles in the NFL, do it against some of the best pass rushers in the NFL coming up this Sunday. Guys, that will do it for us. A great show again today. We hope everybody enjoys the weekend and the games, and we'll see you again on Monday for Locked on Titans.

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