Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Oct. 20- Thursday Coaches and Players Corner & more.

Episode Date: October 20, 2016

It's Thursday and we go Coaches and Players Corner & more on this edition. #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 Titan Insider, Greg Arias, and former Tennessee Titans Pro Bowl left tackle Brad Hopkins. It's Thursday, and we get ever so much closer, Terry, to game day coming up on Sunday, and I guess it's a good thing when we look at what we've got on the show today

because we have our Coach's Corner and Player's Corner segments as always, but we always start with current news, and there's not a lot of news to talk about with this Titans team, so that's a good thing, I guess, at this point in time in the season. Yeah, it's probably not a bad thing. Really the only story that came out of practice today was Antonio Andrews, his response to the Instagram video that he posted regarding the hit on Jordan Poirier was injured on the play, but he's not sorry about posting the video and that people have made too much of a big deal of it. Now, I can possibly see that, but, you know, I think overall,

I think I would rather see Andrews take the high road in this and just, you know, let it go away and run its course much quicker than maybe it did. Absolutely. I would agree with that 100%. You know, you can say, okay, you know, I'm sorry that he got hurt. Maybe it was the wrong thing. Maybe I shouldn't have done it. I did it.

It is what it is. Let's go on and forget about it and be done with it. And you don't necessarily have to say, okay, you know, I was wrong. I should have taken it down if you don't want to, if you don't feel that way. But just give the concession of, okay, maybe I shouldn't have. You're not saying you were wrong, but you were saying maybe there's a possibility. Maybe it was insensitive, whatever. Get over it, move on, move forward, and be done with it. But if that's what we've got to talk about in current news, Terry, as we said earlier, I guess that's a good thing

because nothing to note on the injury report, and everyone seems healthy and ready to go back to work this week. Pretty much. A couple of guys got today off of nurse ankle injuries, but don't think either one of those guys are very serious. Bryce McCain set out with an ankle injury and Anthony Fasano, but didn't seem to be a real big deal. I would think that both guys should be practicing before the end of the week.

The other big catastrophe that happened today, Terry, was the fact that when Mike Malarkey came to the podium to have his post-practice press conference, the media members, there's a little stand on his microphone that holds the tape recorders so that it gets a good sound recording of what the coach is saying. That actually turned over and tape recorders went flying, microphones and stands went flying and it took a little bit of a minute for them to get things kind of straightened out and

back on track. And one of the local television stations, of course, took a video of that and posted it on YouTube. So you can go find that if you want to look that up on YouTube. It was our friends over at Fox 17. And certainly, Terry, that was a light moment for Coach Malarkey and everybody. Yes, it was. And fortunately, I had not placed my recorder on the stand yet, so it did not go flying.

But kind of a comical moment there. And you need some of those from time to time because Coach Malarkey, for people that have never met him, and you and I certainly and Brad have had the opportunity to do so, he's a serious type of guy, but he also has a little bit of a joking streak. He's not like another former coach that we won't mention that never really wanted to joke.

Malarkey kind of has a playful side about him at times, doesn't he? He does, and I think you have to have a little bit of that. I know that the coach and player slash media relationship sometimes isn't pleasant because sometimes things come out or things are said or reported that you don't necessarily want to have to deal with. But when you can make the situation, you know, as amenable as possible and you can have a little bit of a relationship with people in the media, it certainly makes things a lot

better, even through the rough times. Absolutely, it does. And that's one of the things that I personally like about Mike Malarkey. Say what you want about his coaching record in the past, even his coaching record with the Titans, but he is a pleasant guy, and I think he is really a player's first kind of guy, and I think that's why the guys on this team like him in a lot of ways is because of that.

Yeah, I would agree with that, too. I think he lets players play. He expects them to behave and prepare at a certain level of professionalism, and I think the players respect that, and they've bought into it. You're listening to Locked On Titans on the Locked On Podcast Network. And, Terry, as we move forward, it's time for our Coach's Corner segment where we spotlight comments from the opposing coach this week. It's Indianapolis Colts head coach Chuck Pagano

who took part in a conference call with the Nashville media on Wednesday and had several comments and questions that he was asked. And this is one that I thought stood out. It's a short one. It's actually the first one that he was asked, but it was on the Texans game and the way that the Colts lost that game on Sunday night and how the Colts are attempting to bounce back, and this was the comment. Well, it's a long season.

There's 10 games to go, and none are more important than this one. So you look at the tape, you make the corrections. It's disappointing, yes, but you've got to move on, and you can't dwell on it. Certainly, Terry, as a media member, we don't have the same situation to dwell on losses the way that players do. We talk about it. We may rehash it throughout the course of the week, but it really doesn't affect us the way it does players. I've got to think, though, that this is one that's really going to sting the Colts.

Yeah, I would think so. I mean, you gave away a 14- point read with about three minutes to go in the game and that certainly uh cannot boost morale and i think if you're the colts the best thing you can do is to come out and put that behind you against the team that you have dominated in recent years and go out and take care of business on sunday And if they can do that, then that will help to, I guess, bandage some of the wounds that are evident from having lost that game to the Texans and the way it went down Sunday night. He also went on to say, Terry, in talking about the Titans, really good football team.

They've got an identity on offense, an identity on defense, and special teams. Offensively, obviously, it's running the football. It's no surprise they make no bones about how they want to build that offense and what they want to do and how they wanted to control the games. So he certainly, as everyone has that's watched the Titans or looked at film, knows that the Titans are going to come out and want to run the football and smash mouth. And he is a team defensively that is really struggling. This doesn't appear to be a good matchup for the Indianapolis defense against the Titans team with what is fast becoming

one of the better offensive lines in the league. No, you're right. It's not a good matchup, at least on paper, for the Colts because I think they are 24th against the run and 28th against the pass and something like 30th overall. So you're talking about a team that really has struggled at times defensively and probably having to rely maybe a little bit too much on Andrew Luck and the offense to bail them out.

Yeah, and when you talk about those statistical numbers, what's the best way to stop a quarterback like Andrew Luck from being able to beat you? It's keep him on the bench. And if the Titans can come out and run the football effectively against a run defense that is not very good, obviously that means that Andrew Luck is going to be on the bench and that the Titans have an opportunity to control the tempo and pace and clock in this football game and do what they want to do. And I think that's exactly what they're going to try to come out and do.

The Colts, I think, will come out and try to maybe add a safety to the box, do something to try to help the run game and force the Titans to pass. I just don't know if they can get it done. Yeah, it's going to be a tall path. And if the Titans are able to run the football the way they want to run it. The key to them for victory is, one, obviously win the turnover battle, but two, they're going to need probably about 33, 34 minutes in time of possession so that they don't give the Colts opportunities with the football

for Andrew Luck to work his magic. opportunities with the football for Andrew Luck to work his magic. And, Terry, in this game with Andrew Luck, we saw Cody Kessler throw for over 300 yards last week against the Titans' defense with Terrell Pryor and a cast of really unknown receivers. Certainly Andrew Luck, a much more accomplished quarterback than Cody Kessler, at least at this point in time in Kessler's career. He may get there eventually, but at the moment he's not.

And then when you look at the Colts' offense, guys like T.Y. Hilton, Dwayne Allen, they've got some weapons. So that has to worry you looking back at last week and seeing what Cleveland was able to do throwing the football and what the Colts potentially could do with their offense, which is better than Cleveland's. I don't think there's any doubt about that. I think, you know, luck alone makes them, you know,

very dangerous on the offensive side of the ball. Now, Allen is nursing an ankle injury, might not be able to play at the game. But Jack Doyle, who is a former Titan, picked up off waiver by the Colts when he was a rookie, is having a nice year as one of the Colts' tight ends. They've been using him a lot more this year, especially after losing Kobe Fleener to free agency last year. And, of course, you mentioned T.Y. Hilton and his ability to be a big play receiver and get down the field.

So he's a guy that has the speed to create separation from the defensive backs. We know that the Titans secondary is not the fastest in the world. That's a guy that's going to have to figure out a way to game plan and contain if they want to hold this Colts offense in check.

Now when you look at the Colts running the football, that's an area that they've not always been overly successful. They've always been more of a complementary team. Even back in the Peyton Manning, Edgeron James day, Edgeron James certainly had the ability to have big games, but he didn't have to. That offense leaned on Peyton Manning, Marvin Harrison,

the receivers that they had, Reggie Wayne, and you didn't have to have the running game. The running game is not that strong this year. Granted, I think it's a little improved over what it's been the last couple of years, but still, if you're the Titans, you can come in with a sense of, okay, we don't think that they can beat us with that. Certainly we can play them straight up as far as the run game goes and think we can compete with them.

You've got to be worried, I think, about the secondary and what you're going to do back there more so than the running game. Would that be correct in my estimation on that? I would think so. And I think when you look at, you know, the way the Colts are built, that's obviously the pass game is the key to trying to attack the Titans. I think when you look at the run game of the Colts, you're right, probably a secondary part of the Indianapolis attack.

Now, in order to slow down that passing game, that means the Titans' pass rush, which has posted six sacks in each of the previous two games. It's going to have to be able to, one, pressure Andrew Luck, which I think they can do, and two, bring Andrew Luck down to the ground, which is not an easy task, because even though he's been sacked 23 times, Luck is a guy that is a lot like Ben Roethlisberger and Cam Newton in the fact that he's so big and so strong that you can get a hand on him you can you know grab him and have him almost to the ground and he's something he's going to find a way to get away from you or get the pass off I think that is a great point and exactly what I was thinking myself that you can affect him with the pass rush but he is still

able to move around throw on the run very accurate still throwing on the run you can affect him with the pass rush, but he is still able to move around, throw on the run, very accurate, still throwing on the run. You can't just affect him with the pass rush. You've got to get him on the ground. That means sack Andrew Luck, where he obviously can't throw the football at that point. That puts the Colts in situations where then you know they've got to pass, where pass rushers and the Titans have several that have performed well.

Arakpo, Morgan, Casey, Carl Klug have all been guys that have been improving in the last couple of weeks. Those guys can just pin their ears back and come after the quarterback more so than having to worry about things when you get the Colts in a third and long situation as opposed to them maybe being in the third and three, third, and four where they have the option to still run or pass. So you've got to put them in those situations, and that starts by not just affecting Andrew Luck.

That means sack Andrew Luck. Another six-sack performance I think would bode well. Obviously that's going to be a tall order, but you get that number against Andrew Luck, and you've got to think you've got a pretty good chance of winning that ballgame. Yeah, I would think so. I think even though that is the Colts bread and butter, I think it's a situation where, yes, you do want to make them one-dimensional.

If Andrew Luck has to attempt 45 or 50 passes on the day, the Titans are going to get their fair share of hits on it. And I think, you know, I think if they are able to just run the ball effectively enough, if they can run the ball 20 times, pass the ball 35 times, I think they would like that ratio much better than running the ball 12 times and passing it 50 times. You're listening to Locked On Titans on the Locked On Podcast Network, the world's fastest sports audio network, fastest growing sports audio network. Football is back, and SeatGeek is the smartest, easiest way to find tickets for the games

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Terry, let's continue on. One more thought, obviously, in our Players' Corner segment, if I can speak all of a sudden. We will look at the comment from Andrew Luck, and he had an interesting comment also, Terry, about the Titans' defensive front. And this was what Andrew Luck had to say on his conference call today. They've got really good players. They've got a very sophisticated scheme, and they know what they're doing.

They do a heck of a job. Obviously, Casey and Arakpo are premier. They've got good cover guys with McCourty and Cox and studs everywhere. Interesting thoughts there from Andrew Luck about the Titans' defense, and certainly I would agree that Arakpo and Casey are premier, certainly with the way they've been playing this year. Although one might think, well, you know, Cox and McCourty have struggled at times, but they've also made plays at times as well.

Yeah, they have. And I think the key is the first part of what he talked about, Arakpo and Casey. Between them, they have 10 sacks already this year. Derek Morgan's got another three, so that's 13 out of their top three pass rushers. I think when you look at a rack pro, he claims that he's not doing anything differently than he did last year when he had seven sacks for the whole season. Now he's got seven in six games.

He said that basically what he's doing is that he knows he's healthier. He's another year removed from the pectoral injury that he had with the redskin, and he's also another year older and wiser in the Dick LeBeau defensive scheme that he came in here and had to learn last year. So he thinks those are the reasons that it's really adding up for him and making him more productive. He is on pace to have something like 18 sacks. He's never had more than 11 in any season he did.

That is rookie year. So you're talking about a career year type of performance so far from Brian Aracco. If that pace continues for him or anything close to that pace, he winds up the year with, say, 14 or 15 sacks, then the Titans have to take advantage of that. And that has to be a staple of their defense. It has to be a staple of this team in terms of using that to create ways to win ballgames.

I think you hit on it when you said another year into the system of Dick LeBeau. I think the entire defense is benefiting from that because as I mentioned in the start of this segment looking at these guys and certainly McCourty and Cox are two guys that fall into this they're guys that have struggled at times but have made plays at times and I think a lot of that has to do with what they're doing defensively because schemes and things that they're doing are allowing these players yes they're giving up some plays at times to bend but don't break philosophy a little bit at play there. But when it comes time to need a play, they've been able to make those at some key times,

certainly in the wins. There have been some times they've struggled in some of the losses with that. But I think some of that has to go to credit Dick LeBeau and the way he schemed this thing and what he's doing with the pieces that he has at this point in time with this Titans defense. Yeah, I would agree with that. I think, you know, you cannot underestimate the contributions and what Dick LeBeau brings to this defense and what he brings to this team.

I think when you talk about the way that Dick LeBeau has played over the years, I think, or has coached over the years, I think you're talking about the guy who's one of the legends of the game, and players respond to that. Players know how to execute his system because he teaches it so well. He tells them what he expects, and they get it done, and I think that is one of the reasons that he's had so much success over the years is because players really buy into it. As we count down towards the end of another

edition of Locked on Titans, it's time for our final thoughts. Terry, your final thoughts on this Thursday edition. Well, my final thought is this. I think the Indianapolis Colts today had an injury report that looked like half their roster on it. And the Titans had two on it. So you combine that, and I realize some of those guys are going to play on Sunday that are on the Colts injury report, but you combine that with the fact that the Colts are coming off an embarrassing loss

at the tail end of the Texans game, and that they are basically fighting for their lives to stay alive in the AFC South. This is a golden opportunity for the Tennessee Titans to erase a lot of bad karma and to get a victory against the Indianapolis Colts. I'm interested to see how they're going to handle it. victory against the Indianapolis Colts, I'm interested to see how they're going to handle it. I would agree with that 100%. And my final thought is about the fans

because the Indianapolis Colts are one of those teams that's not that far from Nashville to Indianapolis. There are a lot of Colts fans here in the Middle Tennessee area. There will be Colts fans that will likely make the trip down from Indianapolis. Now, we saw on Sunday when Cleveland came in, and Terry, you and I remember two years ago when the Browns came to Nashville, there was an invasion of Browns jerseys in the stands. We did not see that on Sunday. We need the same kind of effort for this Titans team from the fans this Sunday

where the fans don't sell their tickets or they sell them to other Titans fans and this truly can again try to become a home field advantage because Terry we saw twice on Sunday against the Browns that the Titans fans were able to affect plays in the late portions of the ball game by being loud and making noise at home and truly providing a little bit of a home field advantage. That's got to continue to happen but the titans have to do their part they win football games that can continue to happen it kind of goes hand in hand if those two things happen we can see again perhaps soon so hi this is

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was not a place that visiting teams want to play. That has not been the case as of late and I think it has to get back there again. We'll wait and see, obviously, on Sunday if that happens or not. That will do it for us on this Thursday edition. We'll remind everybody Brad joins us again on Friday where we will give you our predictions on Sunday's game.

Until then, we'll see you Friday on Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, the daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.