Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: NFL Combine news; Jarvis Landry talk

Episode Date: March 2, 2018

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked on Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, how are you? Doing pretty well. What's going on? Not too much. The NFL Combine is underway. It's actually been kind of a slow couple of news days, but the actual workouts start on Friday. So we'll have a lot to look through and digest next week. But a few notes from Mike Vrabel and John Robinson talking to the press on Wednesday. So we'll talk a little bit about that and kind of some stuff that came out of that. Before we do that, I remind you to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes. Just search out Locked on Titans. You can find us on Stitcher.

You can find us on Spotify, wherever you get podcasts. You can follow us on Twitter. I'm at jmorrismcm. Terry is at tlambertfb. The podcast, we have a Twitter account for it. It is at LockedOnTitans. So follow all those accounts. Stay up to date on everything that's

happening. Terry and I also write for MusicCityMiracles.com where we cover the Titans for SB Nation. So check us out there. We love a lot. We're the combine over the next couple of days, over the weekend when guys are on the field running and all that kind of stuff. So we'll be keeping track of all that as it happens. So you can kind of get your information there in between podcasts. So tonight we're going to talk a little bit about DeMarco Murray, Kevin Dodd,

and then just, I guess, some other things that have come out of the combine so far. Dodd, and then just, I guess, some other things that have come out of the combine so far. You know, it was kind of a slow news thing, even with Vrabel and John Robinson talking to the press on Wednesday. Just not a lot of, I guess, questions around this team right now. I think Terry and I were both talking about before we jumped on here was the lack of information or the lack of depth that they went into when asked the question about DeMarco Murray. So it's pretty obvious to everybody, and we've been talking about this since at some point probably during the season, but especially since the season's been over, that it's very likely that DeMarco Murray gets cut before the new NFL year starts. And like I said, just with kind of the lack of depth they went into with those answers there, just kind of helped that theory down the road a little bit.

Yeah, Robinson said, when asked of DeMarco, he said, he's under contract currently and we'll see how it goes. That's it. So, you know, you compare that to his answer on Derrick said, he's under contract currently and we'll see how it goes. That's it. You compare that to his answer on Derrick Henry and he went in depth and he did a really nice job. He had some strong runs for us. He pointed to the game specifically

in Indy against the Colts where he grinded it out and sealed up the game. He went really in depth. You can tell. It's Derrickry's time to shine uh and you know demarco murray is 30 years old so writing's on the wall uh and i think everybody knows it so uh and you know we've talked a lot you know with john ledyard earlier this week about running backs and and guys that the titans going to be connected to, and we've already started to see that at the Combine.

Georgia's Sonny Michel said he had an informal meeting with the team, and Mark Walton said he's already met with the Titans. So, you know, those are two guys. Walton's probably somewhere in the middle rounds, but Michel's going to be a high pick, probably top 40 maybe in the first round. But the Titans are talking to running backs, and it seems pretty clear to me that they're going to add one and DeMarcus finished.

Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, on Michelle, he's a guy that we've talked a lot about and a guy that I would love to see the Titans get. But, you know, it's funny how these things go. But now everything I listen to, everything I read, they're all in on Sonny Michel. So a guy that we thought maybe the Titans could get kind of the back end of the second round, I don't think he's going to be there at this point anymore.

I mean, no question Saquon Barkley is the first running back off the board, probably top 10, top 15, whatever that may be. After that, I mean, at this point could sonny michelle be the second running back taken uh that would have seemed crazy a couple weeks ago but i don't know man everything now it's like once you get into that the next group of guys it's a it's a pretty deep group but it seems like maybe he's kind of coming to the top of that group yeah you've got darius geis in that mix uh and then you've got ron Ronald Jones. So it's going to depend on what sort of flavor you want. Sonny Michel didn't get all the load at Georgia. He shared a lot of time with Nick Chubb, and that's a plus now entering the league.

But, yeah, I think any of those four running backs could end up in the first round. We've talked about it. It's just it doesn't seem like something the Titans need to do, to spend pick 25 on a running back. It's just with Derrick Henry there, I don't see it. I think the depth of this draft, you know, guys like Mark Walton and John Kelly are going to be there in the middle round. I just don't see the need, especially with pass rusher.

You know, you've got a couple of options at 25, like Arden Key and maybe Harold Landry, who we both think is going to go higher, but every mock in the world points Harold Landry to the Titans. So I think there's bigger pressing needs. But at the same time, you know, John Robinson is a guy that likes to move around. So what happens if he trades back and, you know, gets down to pick 35 and 50? Could the Titans be in on one of those top four guys? Yeah. Could one of those four guys fall there?

Absolutely. So we'll see. I'm kind of leaning more towards somewhere in rounds three and four rather than pick 25, though. Yeah, I think you're exactly right, and it is just going to kind of depend on whatever team decides to go ahead and pull the trigger on a running back what's the type of guy that they need um and like you said with michelle i mean you do have the i guess the advantage of him not carrying the full

load at georgia he's fresher that way but then it does leave some question marks over you know could he be that guy the bell cow guy but titans don't need him to be that guy and honestly i mean not many teams use a bell cow anymore so yeah it's gonna be interesting to watch how that plays out and we'll get we'll get some more feel for where these guys are probably going to go after they run because um i mean i think teams probably put a little bit too much emphasis on 40 times but we'll get a better idea of how these guys are going to kind of stack up after they run on Friday. So that leads us into our second topic that came out of the Vrabel Robinson media blitz, and that's Kevin Dodd, a guy that has been a favorite topic of Titans fans for a year and a half now, I guess, somewhere two years, whatever it's been.

fans for a year and a half now, I guess, somewhere two years, whatever it's been. He's a guy that obviously there was a lot of hope around when the Titans took him at the top of the second round a couple years ago, coming off that National Championship game against Alabama where he sacked Jake Coker like 72 times. And so there was, I guess, buzz and all that stuff. And he had the foot issue early in his first OTAs. And then it just never has gotten back to being anything since he had those foot surgeries. You know, and so there's been a lot of speculation that the Titans will cut him and all that stuff. And, you know, so they asked Mike Braybill about him.

the Titans will cut him and all that stuff. And, you know, so they asked Mike Vrabel about him, and I think it was actually Karski that really asked him twice, I think once in the main media session and then once when he had him on the radio show, the Midday 180. And I thought Vrabel would give a really good answer. He said, look, you know, Vrabel said he saw Kevin Dahn and just basically told him, look, come in here in shape, ready to compete. We'll work with you, and we'll see what happens.

You know, so he hasn't written him off yet, which I think is, you know, obviously a smart move on Vrabel's part. But, you know, he wants to get his coaches with him, get the staff working with him, see what they can get out of him before they start to make any kind of determination on, you know, whether or not he's going to be on the roster. So he's not going to be a guy that you see cut before training camp, not like DeMarco Murray. That's not going to happen.

But the jury's still going to be out on whether he actually makes this roster in 2018. Yeah, and the thing with Dodd is what can't you improve? It's athleticism. And I'm just not sure he's the athlete needed to be an impact guy on the edge. not sure he's the athlete he needed to be an impact guy on the edge you know 65 277 almost 280 pounds just doesn't really have that twitch doesn't have that first step or speed to really get after the passer i'm just not sure what he does well to this point and you know so it's not totally on him he's been bitten by injuries time and time again. It's hard to say if he's even been at full strength.

I don't know that he's even had a full off-season's worth of training. So hopefully he'll get that this year. But, you know, if anybody's going to get something out of him, it's Vrabel. You look at his pedigree, you know, he's an outside linebacker himself. And he mentioned at the podium, he said that transitioning from defensive end in college to standing up as an outside linebacker, it doesn't happen overnight. I know we're in year two, but you've got to factor in the injuries here. So he's a guy that's going to get another chance to make the roster.

If you pegged him on the 53 man right now, I'd say he's somewhere near the bottom. You just got to hope that he can stay clean, stay healthy, and just hope that the Titans can get something, anything out of him. Even if it's a fourth pass rusher, if he can just give some decent reps, some decent spot reps, that would be a win for the Titans. Can he stand up and play? I mean, I think that's the question. Yeah, I mean, that's the question now.

It's not even that, like, you know, I mean, obviously the injuries have played a part in this. But like you said, just the size that he is, I mean, he just doesn't seem like that guy. It was kind of a weird pick from the moment that he is. He just doesn't seem like that guy. It was kind of a weird pick from the moment that it happened. John Robinson has done a great job, obviously. It's hard to be very critical of him because it seems like he's pushed all the right buttons.

But that one, I don't know, it never really made sense to me. And I think that obviously, and the sad part is we may not ever know just because of the injuries. And that's the other thing too. I mean very well said that he needs to trust his foot. John Robinson said the same thing. And Robinson said last year it still didn't seem like he really did.

Will he ever? I mean those are things that we don't necessarily know the answer to right now. But I'm just not sure he's ever going to be that guy. I'm just not sure he's ever going to be that guy i'm just not sure it's a it's a good fit so um again hopefully he comes in he's healthy and he's ready to go and they can get something out of him because you know you're still talking about a high second round pick uh you know talking about a guy that they that they spent a lot on not necessarily money wise but just when you talk about the pick invested in him and in a position that they really needed to get right um and they've been lucky enough to get by.

You know, Derek Morgan and Brian Arakpo, their health has held up unbelievably well for two guys that have had injury issues throughout their career. They've stayed pretty remarkably healthy the last two years. Titans have gotten lucky. Yeah. So, I mean, you can't count on that for a third year in a row. So, I mean, that's why they obviously have to address the issue in the draft, draft early in the draft because they've got to get a guy that can come in and help them there next year but i don't know i just i i would i would imagine at this point they are not counting

on getting anything from kevin dodd anything they do get from him would just be you know like playing with house money i mean i i can't imagine that there's anything that's going to happen between now and the draft that makes them think okay we don't need to spend a first or second-round pick on an edge guy. Yeah, and the writing's on the wall. And keep in mind, he was selected at 33, Titans pick at 25, and they still need a pass rusher. So it's interesting to think about, you know, we always talk about John Robinson and how much he values production. Dodd had 15 sacks in his final year at Clemson.

You just wonder if Robinson would make, I don't want to say mistake, because injuries factor in here. You just wonder if he would pick from that same tree again, and get the super productive guy over the athlete. Pass rusher is the one area where I will kind of agree with rustin webster uh give me the athletic freak on the edge and and let me develop him over the guy that's going to give max effort uh but maybe isn't the most athletic guy so uh and you kind of see that with sam hubbard versus a guy like arden key you know key would have the the big athletic upside

there so that's going to be interesting to watch if the Titans do go pass rusher. What type of prospect are they going to target? Yeah, and what we'll be watching on Arden Key will be his weight when he comes in. I don't know when the D-linemen weigh in, probably not until Saturday. But he's a guy that ballooned up between, what, 16 and 17. So it'll be interesting to see where he's at there, because that'll make a big difference in where he goes in this draft.

But anyway, so all that stuff, we'll kind of keep watching it as the combine rolls on. Coming up, we're going to talk a little bit about Jarvis Landry, who his name is still floating around out there as a guy that is going to be on the trading block, and do we think he's a fit for the Titans? So we've talked a little bit about this already, and again, I think there's just something to this market and receivers. We can't ever have enough of needing to sign that guy or draft that guy or whatever it may be. But Jarvis Landry has been, I guess, told that he can go out

and start to look for a trade. And the Dolphins have franchised him, so at this point, you've got to trade something to get him, and you've got to work out a contract with him, which is he's going to get a lot of money. He's been a productive guy in the league, but but again a guy that averages under 10 yards per catch um a guy that is is you know does his best work in the slot and it is a you know an exceptional slot receiver but where the titans are right now with what they have on the roster I just can't see, number one, giving up a pick or two for him,

and then two, paying the contract that it's going to take to get him here. I just don't see that as being a thing the Titans need to do. Yeah, it's weird. It seems like you either love Landry or you hate him. I think he would be a big upgrade for what the Titans currently have. We saw Eric Decker running out of the slot. That's just not a guy that's going to – that's not a great athlete. But, you know, how great of an athlete is Jarvis Landry?

He's not going to take the top off the defense. He's just a reliable guy, a guy that's going to make some moves in space. But is he a true difference maker? So you kind of got to weigh it. What's he going to do for the money I'm going to be paying him? I'm just not sold that the Titans want to pay him and give up a mid-round

pick. You only got six picks right now in the draft. Robinson doesn't strike me as a guy that gives up those picks easily. He's already given that seventh round pick up for David King, the lineman uh so i just i i keep hearing the titans as as a potential suitor i maybe it's because they they do need another

receiver uh and they have money but i just i don't see it adding up yeah i don't either and i don't know i just they've got guys on this roster. They've got Taewon Taylor. They've got Tajay Sharp. There's just a lot of pieces that they can use to fill that role that – I mean, they're not going to be as good as Jarvis Landry because, again, he is a really good player. But what's the drop-off between Jarvis Landry and those guys? I mean, obviously that's

probably a ridiculous statement um but I don't know just with the money and having to put a pick out there I just don't see it as a need I mean the Titans they've got they've got needs that they've gotten like really you know holes that they need to fill fill we've talked a lot about you know obviously an outside linebacker inside uh interior offensive line um even inside linebacker i mean i would think that's a place they need to upgrade before they start looking at giving up something big for a wide receiver so i don't know i mean i would i would be less shocked to see them sign a free agent like a sammy walk-in or something like that when not having to give a pick to get the guy versus making a deal for Jarrett. I just don't see it.

I know fans want it and they want the big-name guy and all that stuff, but I just don't see how it makes sense for this team right now. I'd much rather see them put Taylor and Taylor in that role and just turn them loose. Just watching his Western Kentucky day, I think he's got that ability. Now, he had a lot to learn last year, but so did all the rest of the receivers. I mean, you saw Rashard Matthews out there making mistakes. And Taylor seemed lost in the offense, but so did everybody else.

So it's really hard to say what the Titans have in Taylor right now. But, you know, I think if he showed a little more, I don't think we'd be talking about this. So, I don't know. It seems like if you go sign Landry, because like you said, you're going to have to sign him to a new deal. It's going to be three, four years. So that's essentially thrown into towel to me on Taewon Taylor

because a guy like that is not going to win on the outside consistently. A guy like that is made for the slot. that is not going to win on the outside consistently. A guy like that is made for the slot. So I'd much rather see them just roll with Taylor out of the slot and grab another guy on the outside, whether it's, you know, you've seen Bryce Butler's name thrown around. It just doesn't have to be anything game-breaking. I don't know that the Titans need one of those.

I think they just need that solid guy that can fill a third, fourth, fifth receiver role. Yeah, absolutely. And, again, just give it a pick to do it. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense. So keep an eye on that. I mean, that will be one of the bigger stories of the combine here. So we'll see if they're able to get anything done for him.

But I don't think it will be here. All right, so that will pretty much wrap us up for tonight. Again, we'll have a ton to talk about next week after we see these guys on the field in Indianapolis over the next couple of days. So we'll kind of break all that stuff down, and we'll be watching, obviously, the running backs. We'll be watching Harold Landry, a guy that we've talked a lot about, that his testing at the Combine could possibly put him out of range for the Titans.

So we'll be keeping an eye on all that stuff, and we'll break all that down for you next week. In the meantime, like I said, check us out on Twitter. I'm at jmorshamcm. Terry's at tlimbertfb. Podcast at LockedOnTitans. If you have any questions or any suggestions or whatever, just hit us up there, and we'll be glad to –

we're always glad to get feedback, and we'll do questions, answers, and that kind of stuff from there. So check that out. And in the meantime, again, musicmiracles.com. You can check us out there. So for Terry, this is Jimmy saying thanks for listening to Locked on Titans, and we will talk to you next week.