Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Nov.23- WOAS, HDH, Pro Scope 7 more.

Episode Date: November 23, 2016

It's Wednesday, so it's time for WOAS, HDH, Pro Scope and a special Thanksgiving treat. #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 is Wednesday. It is one day away from Thanksgiving where everyone will likely overindulge on turkey,

but today it's about football here. And, guys, on Wednesdays, as always, a lot of things to get to. We've got our What Others Are Saying segment, Hump Day Happenings. We'll talk about Pro Scope. But first off, our current news segment, Brad Terry. There's not a lot of news, which I guess is good news, if you are the Titans going into this thing, but the biggest storyline, I think, going into Chicago this weekend

is the fact that the Chicago Bears will be without their starting quarterback, N.J. Cutler. Terry, what can you tell us about that as far as his injury? Well, there were reports that Cutler had a torn labrum in his shoulder, and that's probably a season-ending injury, especially at this juncture of the season where there are only five or six games left, depending on whether or not you've had your bye or not. And with Cutler out, they are going to turn it over to Matt Barkley,

who hasn't exactly been stellar when he's been given opportunities in the league. He has zero touchdown passes in his career and six interceptions. So certainly should be a huge advantage for the Titans. But as I wrote about yesterday, you know, you can't take it for granted, even if it is Matt Barkley, because you remember, this is a team that's lost to some pretty bad quarterbacks over the years. They lost to Josh Freeman last year. They lost to Johnny Manziel last year.

You go way back, they've lost to guys like Craig Krenzel and Ryan Lee. They've lost to Geno Smith. So they don't exactly have a great record a lot of times when it comes to quarterbacks that most people would consider to be subpar, if you will. So they're going to have to make sure that they take care of business. You know what, Terry, this, in essence, if it's at all possible, when you're talking about a team that's just under.500, this is a trap game for the Tennessee Titans.

And the reason why I say that is because, just like you mentioned, the season-ending injury for Jay Cutler, but obviously Alshon Jeffery is no longer part of that receiving corps, at least for the next few weeks, because of the, obviously, serving of suspension, which in my opinion means they're going to do what most offenses, when they're depleted at that, would try and do, which is run the football. Jeremy Langford has been extremely effective

when he's actually on the field. He has had some injury issues throughout the season here and there, but for the most part, you're going to get a healthy dose of them trying to run the football. Other news on the injury front, and positive news if you're the Tennessee Titans. And Brad, you can speak to this having played the position, but Taylor LeJuan, the Titans left tackle, left the Indianapolis game on Sunday with a knee injury.

Good results on the MRI. He is listed as day-to-day, but he's a tough guy as all you left tackles are. And I would say he's going to do everything within his power to be able to get on the field Sunday and play in this game. Yeah, I would think so. And I kind of got an indication of that, guys, when we were at a press box and we were watching Taylor LeJuan standing on the sideline. Usually, if it's an injury of some significance,

you won't see him being able to even put the simple body weight pressure on that knee. So maybe it was just a situation where he needed to have maybe some inflammation significance, you won't see him being able to even put, you know, the simple body weight pressure on that knee. So maybe it was just a situation where he needed to just have maybe some inflammation calm down at that time, you know, do a little systems check and make sure, you know, all systems are working and functional. So it's probably a good thing to just maybe take the rest of that game off and then come back this week with a little bit of rehab and get ready for Chicago.

Yeah, I mean, you know, worst case scenario, I i would think would be you hold him out this week and then you've got your bye week uh coming up behind that so if he's not ready to go you've actually got two weeks to heal and then come back and get ready for that stretch run uh taylor one certainly has had a an outstanding season been you know rated as one of the top tackles in the league pretty much all year long. If they don't have him on Sunday, then you're talking about either shifting, putting Dennis Kelly there who came in and finished the game, or you're talking about putting Kelly at right tackle and maybe moving Jack Conklin to left.

I don't think you would want to do something like that in the middle of a game, especially in the situation that they were in because, you know, Jack Conklin, you know, on Sunday had already been, you know, all week he'd been leading up to being a right tackle. You don't want to make a left tackle out of him unless you're desperate. But with a fresh new week, Brad, would you consider possibly shifting Jack Conklin, who's now probably your best offensive lineman at Taylor LeJuan,

not available, would you consider playing him at left this week? That is a conundrum because you would think that obviously you'd want your best pass protector playing the best pass position if Taylor LeJuan is actually not healthy and ready to go. But I think in essence you're creating then two situations

because Jack Conklin is definitely suited at this point because of repetitions etc. etc. for right tackle. He's doing a very good job at right tackle. That's not an issue. But now when you're moving into left tackle, there's the adjustment first off to the left side, which should be a huge amount for an athlete like Jack,

but yet still something to be worried about. And then you've got a guy that's got a feeling in at right tackle. So now you have two situations. Rather than just dealing with the one and hoping that either Dennis Kelly or, you know, maybe it's a simple rotation of doing things a little differently, you know, can actually give you a field in space there while Taylor LeJuan heals up.

I agree with Brad on that, Terry. I don't think you move Conklin if it's me. You put Dennis Kelly in. Remember, he came in in the Green Bay game after LeJuan had been ejected and played the majority of that ball game just like four minutes had been gone off the clock when he came in and the Titans were able to use tight ends use backs to help chip if Kelly needed the extra help and he did an admirable job in that situation I certainly think he could come in and do that against Chicago and as Brad said you've

only created one situation then that you have to deal with as opposed to moving Conklin over and perhaps he struggles at the left side having not played there at the NFL level and maybe even Kelly struggles at the right side as well and then you've got multiple issues for an offensive line that's played pretty well and for an offense that's been clicking right along of late. Yeah, that's probably the best-case scenario. I was just throwing it out there as a possible option and what all it would entail if you decided to make that switch.

Oh, totally. That's not preposterous by any stretch, Terry. It's actually a really good idea when you think about it. People were thinking after Jack Conlon got drafted, ooh, Taylor, you know, but obviously that wasn't the case. They felt pretty good in moving him over to right tackle and letting Taylor develop over at left. So they did pretty good.

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I know this is going to be particularly close to your heart, what we find from the guys over at Pro Football Focus today. Because when they graded the Titans' offensive performance against the Colts, how many of the offensive linemen do you think, Brad, were in the top five? Hmm.

Now, I will say this, kind of giving a little bit of perspective on this before I actually make a guess. Offensive line play is a premium nowadays. So if guys are playing exceptionally well, I would expect the media to really pay attention to that. So I'm going to say three. Terry, you want to take a swipe at it? I agree with Brad.

I'll say three. Nope, you missed it. Four out of five. Marcus Mariota crashed the party at number two. Other than that, it was four other offensive linemen led by Jack Conklin with an 82.9 grade, Mariota 81.7, Quentin Spain at 79.9, Taylor LeJuan at 76.4, and Ben Jones at 74.0, and this is what they had to say about the Titans offensive line and their performance against the Colts. The Titans offensive line was responsible for just eight total pressures

on 45 dropbacks for Mariota. And for the season, they're now allowing pressures on just 28.2% of Marcus' dropbacks. That ranks as the eighth lowest rate for qualified quarterbacks. And Jack Conklin, he was a standout in this game, despite allowing his first-ever career sack, which, by the way, it took 388 pass-blocking snaps before Conklin allowed that snap. And now Conklin is the sixth highest-rated tackle in the NFL, one spot below teammate Taylor LeJuan, who comes in at fifth.

That's pretty good stuff, guys. And, Brad, obviously when you've got two tackles playing at that level, that's certainly a good thing for any offense and any quarterback. Exactly. Not to deviate from that stat, that's actually phenomenal, and it's good to see the Titans having that kind of stability. On Monday night when the Monday Night Football crew was actually in Mexico City featuring the Raiders and the Texans,

they were talking about the fact that Derek Carr hadn't been sacked almost all season. Now that's, like, incredible. And if you think about how well the Raiders are playing right now, when you have that kind of protection, that would obviously show the kind of success. I think that one of the reasons why the Tennessee Titans, or at least, you know, tickling the areas of being at 500, are because of them having good protection

and obviously a sound ground game. So kudos to the offensive line. Yeah, I would agree with that. I think it's a direct correlation, too, because when you have protection, it allows you to go through your progressions and make the right read. It allows you to put the ball where you want it. It cuts down on interceptions. You talked about Derek Carr.

I think he only has four interceptions all year. So when you're getting that kind of protection, it helps out all the other areas. And when you're constantly on the run, then that's the more likely mistakes are going to happen. And you've seen the Titans kind of clean up the mistakes the last two or three games, and I think that's a good positive sign. And the offensive line's contribution to that cannot be understated, really.

Absolutely. And, guys, when you think about it coming into this season, what was one of the biggest question marks for this team? The offensive line. They were starting a rookie at right tackle. Taylor LeJuan certainly had the potential but hadn't played up to the level that he's playing at this season. There were questions about Quentin Spain.

Ben Jones coming over was the new guy to lead this group. Chance Wormack, a first-round pick that hadn't lived up to his expectations. He's hurt and gone. Josh Klein has stepped in, and what are they doing? They're one of the top units in the NFL. So certainly nothing to be upset about from that standpoint, and I think you've got to give a lot of credit to Russ Grimm and to Mike Malarkey for what they've been able to do

to get this offensive line to play the way that they have up until this point. Hey, Terry. Greg, I got one real quick, what others are saying. Here, listen to this quote. I really like Marcus. I have known him for a long time. He's been to our football camp in Louisiana every year, and he's gotten better every year.

Playing is your best experience, and he has improved. I am a big fan. A big fan. You know who said that? Probably Peyton. And you're probably right. So the fact that Peyton Manning, obviously a guy that I guess he's kind of close to the vest when you're talking about Tennessee Titans. Kind of

maybe a love-hate relationship there. Having gone to school at the University of Tennessee, which has such a huge influence on our fan base, him just recognizing the fact that Marcus Mariota obviously having spent some time with him at his camp is really, really developing nicely in the league, and it's probably a good thing that Marcus could hear that. I think so.

Anytime you get praise from a guy who's a legend, it certainly can't be a bad thing. I think people are starting to see with the improvement that Mariota has made, even within this season, you know, not necessarily, you know, just the, you know, from last year to this year, but, you know, from game two or three to now, the improvement that he has made has been remarkable. And I think that people are starting to see that he has a very high ceiling as a quarterback and that he's a guy who, you know, if they put a few more pieces around him, could become one of the top five or six quarterbacks in the league over the next couple of years.

And that's a good thing if you're Peyton to say, especially if you become the owner of his team in the future. I'm kidding. I'm kidding. We're not trying to start anything there. Let's move along after that bad joke. Hump Day happenings, guys. And obviously I mentioned earlier that tomorrow is Thanksgiving. And, by the way, there will be no podcast on Thanksgiving. We're going to take the day off and spend it with our families

and hope you do as well and enjoy a lot of turkey and enjoy a lot of football. And there are multiple games that will take place, guys, on Thursday. And there's some good and interesting matchups along the way on these Thursday games, aren't there, Terry? Yeah, there are. You've got two division battles in the early games. You've got the Minnesota Vikings headed to the Detroit Lions. That essentially is for first place in the NFC North.

And then you've got the Dallas Cowboys hosting the Washington Redskins, and both of those teams are right there in the thick of the NFC East race. And also Redskins right now, I believe, would be holding a wild card as well as nipping on the Cowboys' heels for the division lead. And then the night game, you've got an interesting matchup. The Colts, who just finished off the Titans on Sunday, going to play the Pittsburgh Steelers, but they're going to be without a key contributor, Greg.

Yes, absolutely, which leads us to our Pro Scope topic, and we'll get to that in just a moment. But, Brad, your thoughts on these Thanksgiving Day matchups, and what game do you feel like might be the most interesting of that grouping well i think basically um kurt cousins harassing the general manager asking him how he likes him has been so conversational that i can't wait to see him matched up against you know another uh dynamic duo in uh dac pres, of course, Ezekiel Elliott. This is a divisional game, one of which both sides know the implications. So there will be nothing that needs to be said to get these guys amped up for playing against one another.

So that's one matchup I'm really looking at. And, of course, a Sunday night contest, too, featuring two teams of 7-3, fighting for the top of the AFC West in the Chiefs and the Broncos. Normally this is kind of like a shootout. I'm not sure what we'll get when we're talking about Trevor Simeon versus Alex Smith, who's just kind of seen kind of vanilla pedestrian at this point, but yet the team only has three losses. So tonight will be pretty exciting to watch.

Absolutely. I'm looking forward to pretty much all the games, depending on Thanksgiving, watching those. And that will move us along to our Pro Scope segment. And, Terry, you mentioned it a moment ago, certainly big news coming out. And we never want to see anyone injured, especially concussions, because certainly we know, and Brad, I'm sure you know guys in the NFL circles, the guys that you played with and against that have had issues with concussions.

But Andrew Luck will be out for this game. Apparently, guys, we watched the game and we didn't see anything that told us that he got a concussion in that Titans game on Sunday. But apparently, Terry, that is exactly the case with Andrew Luck. And he will miss this game on Thursday night. Yeah, I mean, you know, they didn't say exactly what had happened, but I've got a pretty good guess. I'm going to say that it probably was on a play where he did not get sacked, but I think it was Austin Johnson came down and hit him hard, and he hit the back of his head on the turf there at Lucas Oil Stadium,

and, you know, he was down for maybe just a split second, and he got back up. You know, you don't know for sure, but my guess would be that that might have been the play where Andrew Luck may have sustained that concussion. It's interesting, too. Evidently, it wasn't affecting him enough to come out of the ballgame or that they didn't even detect it. But in the aftermath of it, they now announce he's got a concussion

and he's going to miss a key game thursday night against the steelers no that's that's you know what the funny thing about it is the way that that happened is usually the way that you know concussions happen with you know the big numbers that we're talking about um and i agree with you 100 terry or um i think that when you and i were sitting there watching it, Derek Morgan had Andrew Luck wrapped around the waist or at least around the legs, and when Austin Johnson hit him from the top, remember, he couldn't brace himself,

and he did hit the back of his head on the turf. I think that you're right. That's when at least the possibility of a concussion could have happened. But just the fact that he was actually able to get up from that a little bit dazed, but to continue to play is what a lot of players continue to do unless you're actually able to see visibly some sort of sign that says you need to be dealt with. That's usually par for the course, just something as simple as that.

It doesn't really seem like it caused much damage, but yet still it's going to cost them a game in essence. And, Brad, you and I sat there in the press box after the game and listened to Andrew Luck on the intercom system with his interview from the press room. And I didn't detect anything with him that would indicate that there was any kind of issue going on at that point. And I know there was certainly nothing that you and I discussed after having listened to his comments post-game. Okay, so I got knocked out by Jeremiah Schotter in the old bet, Terry Gregg. Terry Gregg.

That's because you must have hit your head on the concrete there because all that was was a little bit of thin carpet, like within houses back in the 60s and 70s, over concrete. Yeah, those are floor mats. That's exactly what the turf seemed like. But it was actually Jeremiah Trotter, the big head, that knocked me out. And the thing is, had that concussion protocol been in place then, that was something that I would have probably missed a game for

because, I mean, I was out cold. And when I got up, no one actually even knew that I got knocked out because it was during the transition on third down of us going off the field. And, you know, that happened in an instant instant and i didn't say anything to anybody so had i gone to silence said man i just got knocked out on the field and the concussion protocol been in place that would have been something that probably had to deal with for the next four or five days and probably would have missed a game just like what happened with andrew up that's some scary stuff guys it really is and certainly yeah it, you know, you know,

they're in the old days, they would talk about, you know, you guys would say, I, they got, you know, got my bell rung or whatever. And nobody really thought a great deal about it. You just shook it off and you came back in on the next play once your, once your vision returned and once you, you know, once part of the headache went away, but nowadays, you know, they are taking much more precaution in regards to things like that. And I think, you know, it's better, but it's still got to improve in order to make player safety the goal and the priority.

Guys, we are nearing the end of our time for this Wednesday edition and normally we close every show with our final thoughts and we're going to take a little spin off of that today because it is Wednesday the day before Thanksgiving and again for our listeners there will be no Thursday Thanksgiving Day podcast rejoin us again on Friday but what we're going to do today, guys, is what we're thankful for in the world of sports. And, Brad, you thought up this idea, so take it away and tell us what you're thankful for in the world of sports. I'm thankful for two Zeniths in Dallas that have given us so much to talk about all season. I think that we've been forced with either talking about the comeback of Russell Wilson

and how this team seems to be really focused to return to a championship or the dysfunctional story about Cam Newton and his fall from being last year's MVP and that 15-1 record as they're sitting two games below.500, just the collapse. But when you've got Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott to talk about, just how professional they seem in such a short amount of time. Basically, they're contributing to making America's team great again.

The conundrum between whether to play an aging veteran quarterback that's meant a lot to their franchise, or continuing to ride this wave of success that they've, you know, been able to attain by having these two rookies side-by-side each other. So I think that's a great story, and I'm thankful for those two at least

coming into the league and giving us something to talk about this year. Terry? Yeah, Brad, you know, you talked about, you know, the Cowboys being better. I'm going to stick here at home and say that, you know, one thing that I think that I'm thankful for, and don't get me wrong, you try to be unbiased as a media person and a journalist, but I think the Titans are better. They're improved.

They're not there yet, but they are improved. They have come through the train wreck of 2014 and 2015. I think they are getting better, and I'm thankful that they're at least competitive and putting a decent product for the fans of Nashville to watch again. Terry, I had to take a deep breath when you started talking because I thought you were going to steal my idea. We didn't talk about this, but what I'm thankful for, it's pretty simple. It's Mike Malarkey.

Think about it, guys. This was a guy that was panned by the critics. Vicious things as far as not personal attacks, but as far as football went. This guy can't win. He's terrible, blah, blah, this and that, that we heard from everybody, even the fans. And now, don't get me wrong. I'm not saying he's the next coming of Bill Belichick and that the Titans are going to be a dynasty,

but I certainly think that Mike Malarkey is proving the critics wrong in what he's done, and he's done it in a way, Terry, Brad, you guys, we've had the opportunity to meet and talk with Mike on multiple occasions. A personable guy, a friendly guy. He doesn't really try to get around answers. He'll give you an answer to a question. It might not always be exactly what you want, but he's been good to deal with from

that standpoint, and I think he's been good for this team and this franchise, and certainly the numbers of what this team have been able to do this year and the improvement they've made bear that out. So I'm thankful that Mike is at least proving the critics wrong for a little while, and having a little bit of success at this point in time as a head coach

because I think he's a good guy and I think all good guys deserve a break. That's my thought for the day. Guys, it's been fun this week so far. We've got one more show to come up on Friday, but Brad, Terry, to you guys, my friends and my partners,

happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the day. Happy Thanksgiving. Happy holidays, Jim. Absolutely. Happy holidays. Everyone be safe out there in your travels, and enjoy family. Enjoy your time away from whatever it is that you do,

and just embrace those that you love the most, and make sure you tell them that you love them if they go back to wherever they came from, too. Absolutely. Safe holidays. Happy Thanksgiving to our listeners. We'll see you on Friday. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast.

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