Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked On Titans- Oct 31- Happy Halloween, as we go Offense & Defense on Monday

Episode Date: October 31, 2016

Happy Halloween, as we go Offense & Defense on Monday in preparation for the Titans visit to San Diego. #BHop #TerryMc #GregA Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Now get out there, hit that high note, and take Mad Harmony all the way to nationals this year! Sorry, it's pitchy. Progressive Casualty Insurance Company and Affiliates. Price and coverage match limited by state law. 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.

Guys, it is Monday, and it is good to be back, and it is good to be rested. I know certainly, Brad, Terry, for us, it was an opportunity this weekend to perhaps get a little bit away from football, though, Brad, I know you made a road trip to see your son perform in college, but otherwise, we got a weekend with no NFL action to have to deal with as far as on the Titans front and certainly for me, myself, a little opportunity to rest. Yeah, I think, guys, Titans front, and certainly for me, myself, a little opportunity to rest. Yeah, I think, guys, when you look at the backside, basically of a short week, which the Titans had on a Thursday night game,

it's obviously a good luxury for them to have the weekend off to kind of be able to watch some of the action, kind of heal up a little bit in a longer week heading into next week getting ready for the San Diego Chargers. Yeah, you talked about healing up. According to what Mike Malarkey said at his press conference the other day, next week getting ready for the San Diego Chargers. Yeah, you talked about, you know, healing up. And, Ty, according to what Mike Malarkey said at his press conference the other day, we'll get a chance to do just that. Except for Quentin Spain, most of the guys that either were injured

in the game Thursday night or missed the game because of injuries should be back. As always, we, on Mondaysays do our segments, offense and defense, where we examine the offense for the Titans in the upcoming week. Of course, this week, the visit to San Diego looms on the horizon. We'll also look at the defensive side of things. And of course, current news, Terry, you touched on that, obviously, just a moment ago. Current news being the injury situation.

But the biggest and best news of that, certainly it just a moment ago, current news being the injury situation. But the biggest and best news of that, certainly it's great to be getting guys back, but the fact that DeMarco Murray, who suffered a toe injury Thursday night in the win over Jacksonville, it is no serious injury, though it's something certainly a toe can be very sore and can plague you for a while, but it's not anything structural at this point with him, and they expect him to be okay to be able to go, and that is certainly good news coming up on this road trip. Right. He had an MRI on his right foot to determine what was going on.

Nothing apparently structurally wrong, and they think he's going to be fine to go. That's good news because DeMarco Murray, after Thursday night, was the NFL's leading rusher with 756 yards. And he is 53 yards ahead of Ezekiel Elliott of the Cowboys, who

obviously played on Sunday night. And so there's a chance that, depending on what Elliott did, that DeMarco Murray could be entering this week as the league's leading rusher. And it would be a feather in the cap of this organization if DeMarco Murray could be entering this week as the league's leading rusher. And it would be a feather in the cap of this organization with DeMarco Murray in contention for a rushing title.

Absolutely. But also, if you think about it, Derrick Henry's 16 carries for 60 yards. If there were an issue with the toe, at least they're starting to get Derrick Henry a little more acclimated into the system. Also, it's also good for them to be able to get guys healthy like Kimball Wright, who obviously kind of showing up big on the stat sheet, being somewhat of a go-to target for Marcus Mariota

as he starts to try to play mistake-free football. So while they do have some injuries that are going to definitely have an effect, it's good to get some of their key pieces back into the fold and keeping them healthy as well. Absolutely it is. And Terry, Brad, there were some other injuries, of course. Aaron Wallace suffered a sprained shoulder on Thursday night. He could be limited, could be out, but certainly he has been a player that has been in a backup

role this season and has even been inactive for some games. So while it's certainly a loss and you would like everybody to be happy, at least that's something you feel like this team can overcome if they've got all their starters in place. Right. And to that end, you know, Wallace battling that shoulder issue, and the Titans look like they're going to get Kevin Dodd back. They held him out on a short week with soreness in that surgically repaired

right foot of his. So they think he'll be back and practicing at least by Wednesday. Should be good to go. They're also expected to get Parrish Cox back from the concussion, Rashad Johnson back from the sore neck. Quentin Spain is progressing. They like the way that he's coming along. Shut up.

There's an outside shot that he could be back and practicing, but more likely he's out this week and probably gets a chance next week to play. Yeah, it's great to have some of those guys back that were battling some injuries. Rashad Johnson, the guy that probably was held out maybe just so he can get an extra week of rehab so that way he can get ready for what's going to be a tough play of the game down the stretch. So whatever they need to do basically in the training room

or whether it's just get a little bit of extra work, this is the time of the year basically when those things start happening, when all the aches and bruises and pains be something that players have to manage. So the Titans just have to be smart. And we'll certainly talk more about the importance of both Rashad Johnson and Kevin Dodd coming up a little bit later on in this program when we talk about the Titans defensively. And certainly we know that they're going to have a role, and it hopefully will be a big

role coming up this weekend. But Terry, now that the Titans have had a little time off, they'll go back to work on a normal week. What's the schedule look like for this week as far as the practice schedule and how the Titans will go about that? Well, they'll come in and get an introduction to the Chargers tomorrow, today on Monday. They'll then begin

to start the normal week again. They'll have a little bit of extra time because of not playing on Sunday. So they'll use Monday to kind of get acclimated to the Chargers and then come Wednesday, it'll be a full go. They'll be back in their normal routine of Wednesday practice, Thursday practice, and Friday practice

and get ready to take that trip out to San Diego to take on the Chargers. Now, Brad, you went through this in your NFL career, having played games on Thursdays and Mondays perhaps at various times. Do players like that? Obviously, the extra rest can help. Yeah, I mean, sometimes the shakeup in schedule is something that's kind of refreshing. But do players like that? Obviously, the extra rest can help. Yeah, I mean, sometimes the shakeup in schedule is something that's kind of refreshing. And obviously, any time you can get a little bit of an extended break, it obviously helps a little bit, just being able to take a breath.

And also, I think of the guys, when you're talking about changing a couple of time zones, they're going to go out a few days early and just make a trip of that, and therefore they'll get themselves anlimated to time zone change. And that'll also be a little bit of extra time to kind of spend just kind of getting your body back into some sort of, you know, at least normal health, and that way you can go out and compete on Sunday. You're listening. Now, from what I understand, they may be heading out there on Friday evening. So, you know, just to get acclimated, like you said.

So, when you play, did you like going out a day early when you went to the West Coast or did you like staying on the routine of leaving Saturday at Saturday? Well, I put it this way. When you have further to travel and shorter time to do it, it does make for a more hectic pace. You know, you don't really feel as relaxed. You're all still rushed. If you go out there a day or two early, sure, there is a possibility of getting distracted, maybe even letting your guard down a little bit because it does turn more into a vacation than a business trip, which is what we normally like to do things, especially when you have a 24-hour turnaround.

So it's kind of six of one, half dozen of another, Terry, when you're talking about guys that will definitely take advantage of an opportunity to, you know, see the West Coast. Maybe some of them haven't been to La Jola County or San Diego County to see some of the sites. Sometimes that can be a hindrance. But then also, it's one of those times that guys can bond. The road sometimes makes teams play better together because it's essentially your back against the wall.

No one's usually in your favor when you're talking about a road team. So it allows those guys to, on the road, kind of be more cohesive and learn to play well with one another. So it can be six of one, half a dozen of another, like I said. You're listening to Locked On Titans on the Locked On Podcast. Daddy, where do babies come from?

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Guys, it's time we bounce into our segments of offense and defense, and let's start first with the offense. And obviously, Brad, we go back and look at the preseason game just momentarily here. I know that it's hard to compare preseason with the regular season, but the Titans certainly had a big effort running the football in that game against San Diego in the preseason opener here in Nashville. 33 carries for 288 yards, but more importantly,

it was DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry. 93 yards for Murray, 74 yards for Henry in that first matchup. And those came against what would have been at least the first and second team guys you would think, obviously, as opposed to a lot of the guys from the end of the roster for San Diego that would have been in training camp at that time. Yeah, there are completely different teams, though. You're not talking about pedestrian approaches that training camp usually has. You're talking about extensive game plans that are usually has, you know, you're talking about extensive game plans

that are usually, you know, designed around this specific game. So you look at the Titans' ability to get sacks, with Brian Rackboy having seven sacks in the season, Jarrell Casey and Derek Morgan, they're contributing with sacks. That's one of the reasons why the Titans are ranked up there at the top in being able to get after the passer. The San Diego Chargers aren't bad either. Melvin Agram has four sacks on the season. So that's something that the pass protection is going to have to definitely after the passer. The San Diego Chargers aren't bad either. Melvin Averill has four sacks on the season.

So that's something that the pass protection is going to have to definitely be aware of. Now, they've done a pretty good job of keeping Marcus Mariota clean this year and also providing that run balance that they need to have on the road, particularly with the second-ranked rushing attack. So Melvin Gordon also is a guy that's rebounded from a terrible first year and not being able to find the end zone to having eight touchdowns already on the season. So that's something that the Titans defense is going to have to be worried about a little bit and to tighten up that interior part.

So that way Melvin Ingram does give them some options. Because, you know, Phillip Rivers is basically an electric guy. He's already thrown for over 2,000 yards to this point, and I think 13 touchdowns versus four interceptions. So he's having a pretty good year. That's the mind of the story. Yeah, when you look at this Chargers defense, the way the Titans have to attack it, I know they want to run the football,

but you can't ignore the pass. The San Diego came in, I think, allowing just over 240 yards a game through the air. And I think when you look at a team that's struggled like that and given up a lot of yards, you have to be able to take advantage of that. So you've got to get guys like Delaney Walker, Kendall Wright, involved in your offense early and stretch the field a little bit and then start feeding the ball to those two running backs

like the Titans really want to do. Yeah, Terry, you mentioned those stats. And while the Titans had a field day running in that preseason game, San Diego right now, they are ninth in the nfl in run defense giving up 90.1 yards per game as you mentioned they are 25th in the nfl in past defense giving up 241.7 yards per game they've given up in eight games 1934 passing yards so certainly san die Diego has had trouble on the back end defensively stopping the pass. And go back to the preseason game and look. It wasn't much.

It was a sample size. But Marcus Mariota, 5 of 5 for 45 yards against them in very limited work in that preseason contest. So you would think, guys, and Brad, you can speak to this, that he might have a little bit of confidence, at least from that very limited amount of work, but still against what would have been the Titan, or excuse me, the San Diego first team secondary at that time. Absolutely. But you're going to have to expect the San Diego Chargers to manufacture a pass rush and put together some exotics that try and confuse Marcus Mariota. You know, sometimes that's where the decision-making has been an issue this year

that might make the ball leave Marcus' hands before he's ready to and creates turnovers, and that's what they're going to try and do this week. So they just have to be at least pretty focused on what they're trying to do and not let any sort of, you know, ebbs and flows of the game affect exactly what they're going to do because the San Diego Chargers defense is going to throw the kitchen sink, basically, at a young quarterback and hope that they can be funneled and that way they can get those turnovers and get the offense,

get the ball back into the hands of Phillip Rivers. And another thing, too, the Chargers, their defense, they've had trouble holding on to leads late in ballgames. They've blown, I think it's three games already this year where they had leads in the fourth quarter. That may sound familiar to the Titans because they've done some of the same things. Titans have never really had much luck out there on the West Coast, especially in San Diego. But if they can stay close, the Chargers' history this year shows that the Titans will have a chance maybe to pull this thing out.

Okay, guys, let's look at it from this viewpoint just momentarily. Obviously, we've talked about San Diego giving up the 241 yards a game passing, but the Titans receiving core, it's still the same receiving core that has struggled at times this season to find answers in the passing games. Kendall Wright's had a big game coming back. He had a good game on Thursday. They were able to do some things Thursday, throwing the football around a little bit against Jacksonville. But can they come out and make the plays necessary to take advantage of this secondary with the issues that they have in the fact

that they have struggled to get separation at times against defenses this season? Yeah, but we've seen Kendall Wright get into the secondary deep. We've seen Delaney Walker be an effector at linebacker level. And you've got a run game that's as respective as the Titans run game this year, even with Marcus Mariota's ability to run himself. You know, there's three layers of defense right there that have to be basically, you know, perfect almost for the Titans to not take advantage of that.

And can they do that consistently? Obviously not if you're talking about the number of yards that they've been able to give up. So I think the fact that the Titans can be affected at all three different levels, you know, kind of gives me the indication that they should be okay against the San Diego Chargers who are a little porous in the back end. Let's move on to defense and talk about the Titans' defense and what they have to do.

And, guys, Terry mentioned it a moment ago the Titans have struggled on the west coast in recent history and it all starts with Phillip Rivers who is obviously an elite quarterback he is a franchise quarterback has been for many years he's seen Dick LeBeau defenses before there's not a lot that this guy and probably nothing that he hasn't seen in the NFL. So the Titans have to come up with ways to do things to affect the players around him, I think, in this game, because you're not necessarily going to distract Philip Rivers with showing him things he's never seen. Obviously, you can affect him with a pass rush and getting him on the ground, guys.

things he's never seen. Obviously, you can affect him with a pass rush and getting him on the ground, guys. Well, one of the things, too, one of the things that, you know, this Chargers team with Phillip Rivers, it reminds me a little bit of the way the Indianapolis Colts are. They have a superstar quarterback. They have a couple of weapons. You've got tight end and a wide receiver. You've got Antonio Gates.

You've got Travis Benjamin. You know, but they're weak in other areas. At running back, they're average. Offensive line, very average, maybe even a little bit below average compared to the way a lot of offensive lines are. A lot of the offense, virtually all of it, falls on Phillip Rivers' shoulders, much like it does with the Colts and Andrew Luck. The Titans simply cannot afford to allow Phillip Rivers to have his way

and to beat them the way that Andrew Luck did a couple of weeks ago. They have got to be able to shut down some of those weapons and get pressure on Phillip Rivers and make him get rid of the football much quicker than he wants to. I think also when you look at their ability to control the ground, they're doing that a lot better this year between Melvin Gordon, who's actually found the end zone a lot more this season than he had last season. And the fact that, like you mentioned, Greg,

Phillip Rivers being an elite quarterback, he's having an exceptional year. You mentioned it earlier, him throwing for over 2,000 yards to this point already. He's only thrown four interceptions, which obviously shows that he's still, you know, at the top of his game, basically. This is a game, I think, in my opinion, fellas, where there has to be mistake-free football by the Tennessee Titans to give them an opportunity. Not only because it's a road contest,

but because you're playing against a savvy veteran like Phillip Rivers and company. Now, Brad, I want to ask you this specifically. Terry, also, obviously, you can weigh in. But Ken Wisenhunt, of course, he is the offensive coordinator at San Diego. Does that really play a factor into anything with the team itself going into this game, wanting to go up against his offense and shut him down, or is that just something that's more made up by the media as something to talk about and the fans for something to think about?

Well, I think if Ken Wisenhunt were emotionally connected with this city, he wouldn't have had a problem, and therefore he probably would still be the coach here. So I really don't see him having any sort of a feeling any way or other about the Titans or their direction that they've gone or anything of that nature. If you want to look at anything that Mike Malarkey's ever done, he's not going to look at Mike Malarkey's Titans day. He's going to look at anything that Mike Malarkey has ever done, he's not going to look at Mike Malarkey's Titans

day. He's going to be looking at how Mike Malarkey basically coached teams before here, like maybe in Jacksonville, those kind of tendencies. But I don't think he feels any sort of special way about Nashville because he never was really connected very emotionally in the first place. I think if there is an advantage, it might be

because the Titans obviously should know how Ken Wisenhut operates as far as his offense. He likes to get four and five receivers out of the route. He's not going to max protect very much. So if you're Dick LeBeau, you know that. You pin your ears back, you send all kinds of blitzes, and you make Phillip Rivers uncomfortable in the pocket back there,

and you hope that your secondary and your linebackers can keep guys like Antonio Gates from burning you in big play. We're closing in on the end of our time today, guys. back there, and you hope that your secondary and your linebackers can keep guys like Antonio Gates from burning you in big play. We're closing in on the end of our time today, guys. As always, we close with final thoughts. Terry, lead us off with your final thought on this Monday edition. Well, yet again, you know, I mean, we've crossed this bridge several times talking about bad streaks, bad karma that, you karma that the Titans are trying to erase.

And if they can go to San Diego and win in a place where they have rarely won over the last, probably ever since they've been the Tennessee Titans, if they can pull out a win, not only would that give them the confidence going forward, but it also would put them at five and four. It's been a long time since this team has been above 500 in the second half of the season. You probably got to go back to 2010, 2011, maybe, to find them over 500 in the second half of the year.

This is another pivotal game in a season full of games where it's been, you know, milestones for the Titans to accomplish if they want to stay in this race. You know, you touched on a few good things there, Terry, particularly when you talk about playing above.500, which is something that the Titans haven't been able to share in a number of years. If you can imagine how good that would feel to actually go on the road against a tough team like San Diego, get a win, and ultimately control, hey, maybe your destiny in the AFC

South. That's got to be pretty good. And people have got to be patting Mike Malarkey and John Robinson on the back for the job that they've done for the season. So I think it's possible, not only because we've seen this team in preseason and there is a relative familiarity, but also because this team basically, if they can play mistake-free football, has the talent and the ability to hang with basically anybody in the league.

And if they can continue to play consistent with the run game, obviously giving up the quarterback, making Phillip Rivers uncomfortable, then this is an opportunity for that playing right back to Nashville to be one of the best ones they've had in a while. My final thought kind of mirrors what both you gentlemen have said. We've talked the last couple of weeks about them being must-win games. The Colts were a must-win game. They didn't get that done.

Jacksonville, a must-win game. They did get that one done. Excuse me. I don't think that necessarily this one is as much of a must-win game simply because it is San Diego, it is on the road, and obviously it's much tougher to take that wagon train trip, if you will, all the way to the West Coast and try to get a win with the things that go along with it. Obviously, it's important.

It's a very important game. This team needs to, wants to, the fan base wants to see them get to above 500 at this point in the season, as Terry mentioned, for the first time in forever. So while it's important, I don't feel it is a must-win game. The players just need to go out there. Brad mentioned play loose, must-win game. The players just need to go out there. Brad mentioned play loose, mistake-free football. They have to avoid, again, as you said, Brad, the big mistake in this game. They can't have the turnovers. They can't have the dumb penalties. Obviously, there's going to be

little mistakes. Maybe you miss a block here that costs you a play on this or that. Those things happen in the course of a football game, but the things they can control, the mental errors, the dumb penalties, those kind of things, they have to avoid those if they're the course of a football game. But the things they can control, the mental errors, the dumb penalties, those kind of things, they have to avoid those if they're going to have a chance to win. Obviously, as we carry on throughout the week, we'll get more in-depth about this Chargers matchup coming up. Again, for Brad Hopkins and Terry McCormick, I'm Greg Arias.

We hope you've enjoyed it. You've been listening to Locked on Titans on the Locked on Podcast Network, and we will see you again on Tuesday. You are Locked on Titans on the Locked on Podcast Network, and we will see you again on Tuesday. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast. Part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day.