Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Nov.16- Wednesday means WOAS, Pro Scope & more.

Episode Date: November 16, 2016

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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 Wednesday, and of course on Wednesdays we're all together, Brad back with us after yesterday's show, and as always, guys, on Wednesdays, a lot of stuff to cover.

Obviously, current news. We've got our What Others Are Saying segment and our Pro Scope segment, where we look at things from around the NFL. And, guys, let's jump right into the current news. And, Brad, it's big news for the Titans. And Terry is writing, as we speak, a story on this, but Marcus Mariota named AFC Offensive Player of the Week. That is certainly a big honor for a very young quarterback that's just now starting to put

things together, it would seem. I think that when you have a game like Marcus Mariota had versus a team that gets a lot of national praise. That's something that's going to come out of that. He played mistake-free football, which is something that he had had a problem with earlier in the season and obviously affected their record to this point. It seems that they've addressed this issue, and he seems to be moving in the right direction.

And, of course, the nation is now starting to recognize that. Yeah, Marcus, you know, as crazy as this sounds, this is the third time in his young career that he has been named AFC Player of the Week. Now, usually you have to be part of a win to get that. And as we know, last year the wins were pretty hard to come by for the Titans. But in two of their three victories, Marcus Mariota was named AFC Officer of the Week for his play in that ballgame. And it happened again Sunday as he threw 295 yards and four touchdown passes.

Certainly, as goes Marcus Mariota, so go the Titans. But isn't that the way the NFL is this day and age, guys? It's all about the quarterback. They say it's a quarterback-driven league, and you see teams like the Patriots, of course, in his prime, Peyton Manning being the guys that, as they went, so went their teams, and that's kind of what we're seeing develop here with the Titans. I don't necessarily see it being an absolute having to have a guy

that's an elite quarterback. I think that there has to be a foundation to be able to control the ball, which starts with the run game. From there, I think you can have a guy that doesn't commit to being a liability basically be a good quarterback in the system and win ballgames. So I don't think it's necessarily paramount for a guy to be like a gunslinging Dan Marino type. At least he just has to be able to play mistake like a gun-slinging Dan Marino type.

At least he just has to be able to, you know, play mistake-free football and just kind of keep the thing flowing. That's his job. Yeah, I think, you know, when he's done that, you see, you know, the results. You know, when Marcus has played well, the Titans, you know, have played well and he's directed the offense. And when he plays like he did Sunday, they're a tough team to beat. directed the offense, and when he plays like he did Sunday, they're a tough team to beat. In other current news, guys, and Terry, I'll ask you this to start because we felt like Cody Riggs was a guy that was going to be an integral part, core, special teams player

with this Titans team. Maybe not as much on the defensive side of things right now, but his time with the Titans now done. He was released yesterday from the practice squad to make room for Jeremiah McKinnon, a journeyman out of Florida International that originally broke in with the Dallas Cowboys, who now takes Riggs' spot on the practice squad. What do you make of that? Yeah, I know.

Cody Riggs is a guy that was kind of intriguing when he made the roster last year as an undrafted rookie. I think he showed some skills, not only on special teams, but as a potential nickelback. But evidently there's some sort of falling out of favor or disconnect there that Cody Riggs went from making the 53-man roster for a second straight year and having a strong camp to being booted from the roster on opening day when they claimed Josh Klein off waivers, being re-signed to the active roster and being active, then getting hurt, being released, coming back to the practice squad, and then being let go from the practice squad this week.

You wonder maybe if there's the hamstring and the health issue might be the biggest deal for Cody Riggs because it certainly seemed like that he was making strides toward becoming a contributor for this team. Well, certainly, guys, it was a little bit of a surprise yesterday. Obviously, as I mentioned, Jeremiah McKinnon, a guy that we don't know a lot about and obviously won't learn a lot about probably since he's going to be on the practice squad at this point in time. And, Brad, I know the practice squad obviously is designed for coaches

to be able to have extra players to use in practice, to have guys to groom, to come up, and to hopefully eventually maybe take a spot on that roster if they can develop and be good enough. But what do you make of this move by the Titans with all of this? Well, I guess when you look at practice squad situations, or even guys that are in a backup role, I mean, you know, their job is very volatile. I mean, they all have goals of wanting to make a three-man roster and be active on Sunday.

And sometimes I guess, you know, when depth is an issue, you're trying to find guys that can actually get on the field and make a difference. It's easier for those guys to kind of be interchangeable. So I don't think, obviously, when you're dealing with a situation with a starter or an incumbent, you hear much of Trey talks and things like that because they've pretty much established themselves. But the guys that are trying to earn spots, the road can be rocky sometimes.

I'm sure he'll find himself on another roster, another team will take a chance on him, and he'll have another opportunity to do something with another squad. So we'll see. Yeah, and I think part of what you're seeing there, too, is the way John Robinson, coming from the New England Patriots model, the Patriots, their practice squad and the bottom part of their roster, those last couple of spots, are always fluctuating. It's always very slushy, so to speak.

They're guys who are on the active roster, then off the roster, then on the practice squad, off the practice squad. And that happens a lot. A lot of times it's maybe just to allow you to get through a practice or allow you to get through a game because maybe you need an extra linebacker or you need an extra wide receiver or something due to injury. We saw that with the Titans last week. They thought they might need an extra running back,

and they did in practice but not in the game. So they brought David Blue-Ellen up to the active roster, and that was the beginning of the end for Cody Riggs. And then, you know, it's a flexible situation, the practice squad and the bottom of the roster. As far as John Robinson is concerned, nothing is set in stone. And I think, you know, guys like Cody Riggs, you know, they bounce around a lot because of that. One thing, guys, that we can tell,

a measurable difference between Jeremiah McKinnon added yesterday to the practice squad and Cody Riggs. Riggs 5'8", McKinnon 5'11", 195 pounds. So they certainly did get a little bit bigger at that position if that, in fact, means anything at this point in time for a guy on the practice squad. Moving forward, our What Others Are Saying segment that we do every Wednesday where we look at things being said about the Titans from around the NFL.

And as usual, guys, Pro Football Focus brought us some great stuff today. I've got a lot of good numbers here for you. And most of them surround Marcus Mariota, who obviously being named the offensive player of the week in the AFC had to do something to earn that his 84.9 quarterback rating by PFF for this week was by far his highest of the season and this is what they had to say about Mariota he closed out the victory completing 16 of 18 attempts 19 yards or less He was 13 of 18 when blitzed with four touchdowns and six of nine when under pressure, representing the highest grade of the season for Mariota.

Now here's some of the numbers, guys. Under pressure, 12 times he was under pressure. His quarterback rating was 146.8. was under pressure, his quarterback rating was 146.8. 17 times under no pressure, it was 146.6. When he was blitzed 18 times, he was 140.9. And when not blitzed on 11 plays, 158.3. All that averages out to 149.8 for his quarterback rating. Those are pretty impressive numbers across the board. Yeah, they really are. And I think the thing that stands out to me, and Brad, you know, certainly feel free to agree or disagree,

but the fact that the numbers are pretty much unchanged, whether or not he was being blitzed or pressured, and when he was not under pressure. Early in the season, you know, the numbers, there was a serious disparity in the numbers when you talked about him being under pressure or him being blitzed or him operating under center versus the shotgun and those sorts of things. But at least on Sunday, and it appears to be more consistently, you know, week by week as well. He appears to be figuring things out and the numbers are not vastly different no matter what the down and distance or what the situation or what the defense throws at him.

Yeah, you're right about that, Terry. I think that, you know, it just simply comes down to better decision making. I think when he makes better decisions, it doesn't put him in perilous situations. What I mean by that is when he's, you know, secure with the football, when he makes better decisions, it doesn't put him in perilous situations. What I mean by that is when he's secure with the football, when he's managing the football, the game correctly, then he stays out of third and long situations where a guy can get incompletions and affect his passer ratio and all those things. But I think when you see him taking what the defense basically gives him,

they're trying to confuse him a lot in instances, and he'll just roll outside of the pocket. If he has, you know, the ability to get a first down, he will, and he'll slide and get down, or he'll get out of bounds, or, you know, he'll do whatever he can to extend the drive. I think that that's smart decision-making from a developing quarterback. Now, guys, I'm going to throw a curveball at you here. Marcus, 84.9 was his grade from PFF.

There were two players on the Titans that graded higher this week than Marcus. I bet you you can probably guess one of them, but I bet you will not get the second. Any takers? Wow. Jarrell Casey and Rashad Matthews. Nope. 0 for 2. Terry?

I'll say Delaney Walker. That's one. And Ben Jones. Nope. Delaney Walker with 89.4. Did grade higher than Marcus, of course, obviously. His 124 yards and touchdown on 9 targets being the reason for that. But when I tell you the second one, you're going to go, yep. How about Kevin Bayard? 87.8 for Bayard for his performance as a safety on Sunday against the Packers. That's very impressive.

I think, you know, you're talking about a guy that's really starting to come on. They're starting to trust him more and more in that defense. He's gotten a start or two under his belt, in part because of the injury to Rashad Johnson, but in part because he's earned it. I think as much influx as the secondary has been, as much criticism that we've heaped upon them at times, and certainly other media people have as well, Kevin Byard definitely is the bright light in that secondary.

He's a guy that looks to be a long-term keeper. Yeah, I tell you what, I mean, I think that he was a steal, basically. I mean, there was a lot of conversation about this kid coming out of MTSU, out of Murfreesboro, just south of us. And just to see him be such an effective open field tackler. I mean, I think he had like seven solos over the weekend just by himself. And, you know, for a guy that, you know, is basically designed to, you know, hawk receivers, you know, to be that effective in, you know,

the running aspect of it and everything else like that, it shows his diversity. I think his kids being a part of that future there on the defensive side of the football. Now, Terry, I've got to go back and brag on Brad just a minute. He took two guesses. He picked Ben Jones and Jarrell Casey as his two guys that were higher than Marcus. Both those guys were actually second. Ben Jones on the offense, second to Delaney Walker.

Jarrell Casey with an 80.5 second on the defense to Kevin Byard. So, Brad, you were definitely in the ballpark, even though you didn't necessarily get the right two right off the bat, but having both the number twos is not bad. Actually, it was Terry that said Ben Jones. I did say Jarrell Casey, so we both will split that one. Okay. How about that? Alright. I'm sorry, Terry. Then both of you together you combined to get the second two. That's pretty impressive. Some other numbers across the board.

I mean, Ben Jones was a 76.7. Anthony Fasano graded out with a 74.7 in that game as well for him. And, guys, in the top ten players of the week, of course, Marcus Mariota and Delaney Walker. Mariota coming in at number three on the top ten performers of the week while Delaney fell in in the number eight spot for the Titans. And that's pretty impressive when you look across the board and see the other players on the list this week.

There was no other team that had two players in the top ten. So I guess you could say the Titans at least dominated the top ten with two, 20% of that top ten, no other team with more than one player. Funny how you have to get the exposure. Yeah, go ahead. Yeah, go ahead, Terry. That's pretty impressive, you know, when you think about that. And, Brad, I think I'll let you go ahead, but you were going down the road that, you know, you're starting to get a little bit of attention and people are starting to see

what's happening with this team. No, no, you're starting to get a little bit of attention and people are starting to see what's happening with this team. No, no, you're exactly right. I was actually going to say it's funny how playing 500 ball or above kind of gets people talking about you. And I think that beating the Packers in the fashion that they did is one of the things that's got the nation buzzing about what the Titans can actually do in the AFC South. And of course, now you have to continue that going on the road this Sunday and getting a win in a place you've never gotten a win against a quarterback you've never

beaten. We keep coming up guys every week and throwing out these things that the Titans haven't done and they seem to be now checking some of these things off. I mentioned again I think yesterday about having not beaten a franchise top-tier quarterback. They've done that. Now the next one, obviously, beat the Colts. Yeah, that's something that's been on the to-do list for quite a while. I think when you look at it, the time is right.

If they can't do it now, how much longer is it going to take them to be able to beat the Colts? Because here they are right in the thick of the AFC South playoff race. And yes, they didn't get it done against the Colts the first time. But if you can go into Indianapolis and you can come away with the win, not only do you put yourself a little bit closer and you stay in the race with the Texans for the AFC South crown, but you probably bury the Colts' hope to make the playoffs, and that's the team that has dominated this division year in and year out and been a thorn in the Titans' side for a number of years.

So I think when you look at it in those terms, it's very important because it does two different things. It keeps the Titans in it, and it kills off the Colts' hope that they can win. Well, I think if you're looking at 6-5, this team automatically gets respected. It hasn't garnered in a number of years. You talked about, Terry, them being ripe for the picking, so to speak. In Indianapolis, they are. Andrew Luck and Marcus Moriota have basically identical numbers.

Eight interceptions for Marcus, seven interceptions for for andrew luck 2482 yards versus 2565 yards i mean they're almost till the tape numbers matching but when you look at the ground attack frank gorgeous isn't near as effective as demarco murray is this season which in my opinion is advantage since he tightens uh the pass rush forapolis Colts, which was such a huge part of their success early on, it just basically is nonexistent. Walden is their sack leader at seven sacks, but give me Brian Arakbo against that front for the Annapolis Colts, who's already had issues protecting Andrew Luck this season.

So it should be an opportunity for the Titans to feast, basically, on that quarterback that is basically the straw that stirs the drink, so to speak. So take care of, you know, is basically the straw that stirs the drink, so to speak. So take care of him. You take care of the Colts. Obviously we'll have more on this matchup in our Thursday and Friday shows, but, guys, it's time to move along into our Pro Scope segment where we take a look at something happening from around the NFL.

And this was a pretty big happening to me, guys, and I know when we talked about it prior to the show, you guys said the same thing, and we go to Dallas and Tony Romo. For anyone that might not have heard, Romo does a press conference yesterday where he comes out and without quoting him says, this team belongs now to Dak Prescott. He has earned the right with what he has done this season to be the quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys,

and I'm going to back him up. I've got his back. I'm going to be the backup quarterback for this team, and there should be no controversy going forward. Brad, that's a huge statement from a player on a team to make to the rest of his team and to the league, isn't it? Well, it's just another example of his leadership qualities and i'm sure that if there's football left for tony romo someone is going to acknowledge that and you know obviously give him another opportunity i think he's basically he wasn't forced to but jerry jones being the businessman that he is and someone i guess that stands by his word it always said he

was going to go with tony romo which basically put the ball in Tony Romo's court. So I think that Tony Romo trying to diffuse any sort of conversation that could negatively affect this team, he fell on his sword. He said, hey, look, what this team is doing right now is exceptional, and I can't at this point compete with that. I think that, in essence, it was a smart thing to do because regardless of how good Tony Romo still can be, just the rapport that Dak Prescott has developed

with that offense and you know just how things are clicking on all cylinders with them, there's no way that Tony Romo could come in and play that well in that offense the way that they're playing, no matter how good Tony Romo still may be. So I think in essence he had to address that. It would have been far you know that well in that offense the way that they're playing, no matter how good Tony Romo still may be. So I think, in essence, he had to address that. It would have been far worse if he came in there and actually got a loss, you know, the first time out. And that probably could have happened because he just doesn't have the, you know, the chemistry right now with that offense that Dak Prescott does.

So it was a smart thing by all parties. Smart thing for Jerry Jones to at least say, look, and we say look i said i was a stick by my god i'm i'm willing to go down with that ship but it was also very smart and such a tremendous show character that tony romo just basically now it's that you know this team does belong to you somebody else yeah and you know that probably was hard for tony robo or personal level because you know the cowboys have been his team uh... he's been a leader that name for the you know, that probably was hard for Tony Romo on a personal level because, you know, the Cowboys have been his team.

He's been the leader of that team for, you know, a decade or so. But you're exactly right. And when you say that the way this thing is going with Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott leading the way, two rookies, you know, the old adage is you don't lose your job to an injury, you know. But, you know, the truth of the matter is occasionally you do when you're a guy who's at the end of your career, like a Tony Romo is, like a Drew Bledsoe was when he was replaced by Tom Brady.

It can happen when the younger guy who becomes a better alternative and a long-term solution to the position, which Tom Brady did, obviously, in New England, and now Dak Prescott looks like he's on the verge of doing in Dallas because there's, one, no reason to upset the chemistry of this team because they're 8-1, and two, Dak Prescott looks to be your quarterback now for the next five to ten years, so why would you go back to Tony Romo? Absolutely, and of course, it's a good position if you're Dallas because certainly not this season. You have to keep Romo, obviously, for a lot of different reasons this year,

one being that you've got a rookie starting quarterback. No matter how well he's playing, that could change at some point in time. But if he continues out and plays this way throughout the course of the season, they've got several teams around the NFL, guys, that would probably love to have Tony Romo as their starting quarterback next year. So we could see this guy wind up in one of several different places as the starting quarterback, and that's certainly something that the Cowboys can use as a capital, as John Robinson would say, to be able to trade him and pick up draft

picks or another player or whatever throughout the course. So it's certainly a good position right now for the Cowboys. I think that it actually works out well for both parties in that, first off, the Cowboys found themselves a steal in the fourth-round pick that is obviously the future of this franchise, along with Ezekiel Elliott, but also the fact that coming off of an injury, Tony Romo has had an entire season basically to heal up. So he'll go to his next stop if he decides to play some more,

at least a season fresher than he would be if he had to go through the rigors of an entire year, and then this happened to him. So it worked out both on all accords, I think. Guys, it's time to finish up with our final thoughts on the day. Terry, we'll let you lead off with this one. Final thought for this Wednesday edition. Well, my final thought is the fact that, you know,

the Titans are finally seemingly back on the national radar. You know, not that that's, you know, always a good thing because you don't want the microscope on you all the time, but this is a team that's been off the radar and off the, you know, there's not even been a blip for the last two and a half years. But somehow one win over the Green Bay Packers has seemingly put this team back on the map. And I think now you have to start building upon that if you want to continue to earn that respect and to be regarded as one of the better teams in the National Football League.

I think in the past couple of years, the only time there had been anything centered on this team and focused on this team was at draft time because they were picking in the top two or three picks of the draft once the season ended. Now you're starting to see the play on the field be the story, and I think that should build confidence in that locker room, but you've got to take care of business. Yeah, you know, my final thought, I think, piggybacking off what you just said, Terry, was basically the Tennessee Titans now have a national brand, and that is Marcus Mariano.

The national media wants to see him succeed. You know, they feel that this is a guy that can kind of carry the banner of, you know, and that is Marcus Mariano. The national media wants to see him succeed. They feel that this is a guy that can kind of carry the banner of a team that he has helped be part of the foundation that could be a contender for years to come. And the more that he shows those types of conversations to be true by winning ballgames and playing state-free football, the more you'll start to see a police check come to this team so other other people on this roster will start to read the benefits of international

exposure that this team is going to receive you know as long as much mario continues to turn upwards so you know that that's been put in place for reasons former heisen trophy winner uh... scott you know west coast to him, which is attracted to a lot of media entities. If they continue to win ballgames, expect this team to almost take on a rock star feel, in essence.

My final thought on the day is I'm going to throw this coming Sunday's game into the must-win category, guys. I know that's tough, but I really think it is, because a lot of things. First off, they probably should have beaten the Colts here. Everything was in their favor to get that win. They were unable to get it done.

Now they have an opportunity to go to Indianapolis riding perhaps as much confidence and feel good as they have in a long time coming off that win over Green Bay. The Colts are still in a delicate situation because of issues with their offensive line, injuries, a lot of different things. The Titans need to go up there and exercise the demons, get the win in Lucas Oil Stadium, beat Andrew Luck, get to six and five, have a game with the Chicago Bears coming up that's very winnable before the bye week. And I think this is key right now. Get this win. Get to 6-5. Get above that 500 mark, and who knows what could happen down the stretch

towards the end of the season. That's going to do it for us today. Been another great show. We hope you've enjoyed it. We'll see you again on Thursday. Locked on Titans. You are locked on Titans. Your daily Tennessee Titans podcast.

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