Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Locked on Titans: Wrapping up the win vs. Houston

Episode Date: December 5, 2017

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Welcome in to another edition of Locked on Titans. I'm Jimmy Morris, joined as always by Terry Lambert. Terry, what's going on tonight? Not a whole lot. What's going on? Not too much. Obviously, the news of the day came from Mike Malarkey's press conference. The thing that you and I kind of both missed during the game, the fact that Daquan Jones went down toward biceps, is going to have to have seizingending surgery sometime in the coming days. So, you know, it really stinks to see that, a guy that there had been a lot of hype on a couple of preseasons, and then we hadn't really seen that come to fruition during the year.

But he really turned it on these last couple games and had, I think, like three and a half sacks in the past two games. So it was really running into form. And obviously you never want to see a guy have a season-ending injury, but it really stinks to see it when a guy seems like he's really coming into form. Yeah, contract year for Jones too. Like you said, he was turning it on late. He's a guy that's always just been kind of solid for Tennessee.

He's not really going to be that flashy guy, but he does a lot of dirty work that's going to go unnoticed. For a group that's been so solid in run defense, it sucks to lose a guy like this. So you're kind of posed with the question of who will fill in for him. Austin Johnson is going to have to step up, a former second-round pick. He had six tackles against the Texans, but he's really going to have to fill in for Jones and make an impact.

Everybody will be happy. Yeah, and like you were saying, you know, we looked at the box score and saw before we came on that he had six tackles, Austin Johnson that is, on Sunday and didn't really notice him out there. So, I mean, I guess that's good. Malarkey said, you know, when asked about who was going to have to Johnson, that is, on Sunday, and didn't really notice him out there. So, I mean, I guess that's good. Malarkey said, you know, when asked about who was going to have to fill in that role, he talked about what Austin Johnson said, that he doesn't maybe get the credit that he should.

So, hopefully that's actually true. He also talked about David King, who's been inactive, kind of filling in that rotation. And then, you know, they've got other guys. I mean, obviously, Jarrell Casey plays at their side, Carl Klug, but he's more of, you know, your pass-rushing guy. He's not – he doesn't hold up really well against the run. So that will be something to watch because that has been something

we haven't really had to worry about is, you know, how the Titans are going to hold up against the run game week in and week out. So that will be something to watch. Now, you know, going into Arizona next week, they don't really have that great of a run game. I mean, Adrian Peterson obviously got resurrected his first game out there. Hasn't done a whole lot since. I think he had one more good game, and he was actually hurt last week

and didn't play. I don't know what his status is. We don't know that yet. But, you know, it may not show up this week, but when you're looking at, you know, those last couple weeks against the Rams, against the Jaguars, teams that like to run the ball and that have good running backs and have had good rushing games, that'll be something to keep an eye on, like you said. So we'll see how much of an impact that has on what they're able to do up front.

Then obviously other big news of the day, even before the press conference, was the signing of Luke Stocker, a guy that has been around as long as he has. He's been in the league six or seven years. He's been with Tampa all that time. Obviously, he was drafted by them, signed a second contract there. They cut him last week. He's a guy that I think that we all hope can come in and kind of fill in the Anthony Pisano role.

And, you know, there's part of me that is like has this dream that soccer is going to come in and fix, you know, whatever it is that's wrong with this rushing game. We talked a lot about how they miss Anthony Pisano really more than we realized they would. And maybe even more than, you know, John Robinson and company realized they would. So maybe Luke Stocker can come in and fill the void um you know in in malarkey talked about how he can line up and play fullback and that kind of stuff and so i mean i had expected that earlier before we knew about the daquan jones injury that um you know it might be jocelyn fowler's roster spot that soccer would get with fowler being a healthy scratch the past two weeks but obviously they didn't have to make that decision with Jones going on IR.

But, you know, again, hopefully soccer can come in and give them something that they've been missing in the run game. And, again, I don't think it's going to be, you know, something where they're just going to, you know, he's going to come in Sunday, they're going to average six and a half yards to carry, and everything's going to be like it was last year. But, I mean, you made the comment. If he can come in and play even just a little bit of that role that Fasano did,

hopefully it will help get some things going in the run game. Yeah, I mean, what does the signing tell you? It tells me that they're not – it tells me that they can do a little bit better than Johnny Smith has given them in the run blocking department. Johnny Smith has been pretty good as a pass catcher, but maybe he's not given them what they need in that tight end two role. And maybe the same can be said for Phillip Supernaw. So I thought, you know,

I think the Titans thought that they were just going to roll out Jono or Supernaw and just keep on ticking along. But, you know, I said when they lost Fasano, that was a pretty big loss there. And we don't really know if Stocker can fill that role. We're about to find out. But Stocker is a guy that can block. He can move a little. He's not a Craig Stevens.

He can move around a little bit. He's caught, I think he's got close to 1,000 yards in his career. So it's interesting that they're going to roll with four tight ends. Again, it's very Titans-like. But, you know, like you were saying, what does this mean for Justin Fowler going forward? Is he going to get cut? I mean, he's been a healthy scratch for two weeks in a row.

He doesn't seem like a part of the game plan right now, which is kind of odd. It is, and you can't – I mean, I can't see a scenario where they have four tight ends and a fullback active on game day. That doesn't seem like it would make a whole lot of sense. Malarkey said on soccer today that they like his versatility. He can block, he can move, line up in the backfield as a fullback. So you saw that in Supernall early in this game. And, you know, so maybe that's maybe that's a role that they're going to move stalker into um and talk about he has some special team

value as well so to me this is i mean for this immense the fact that we will not see jelson fowler active on game day anytime soon and you know unless you have an injury to one of these guys but yeah like you said i mean it's been it was that wizard hunt year right they kept four tight ends out of camp and um you know it's not like it may have been ridiculous but um anyway and i mean i don't i don't see a scenario where all four of them are not active on game day i guess maybe superdoll what could be down but you know he's he's played somewhat of a role, at least so far. Maybe they're not happy with what he's doing. And I think with Jonu, like you said, obviously they're not thrilled with what he's brought in the run game.

I think maybe part of that is them asking him to do more than maybe he's even able to do. I don't think that he's really – he's not Anthony Posada. We'll just say that. And I don't know if they just missed on thinking that you know the combination of Smith and uh Supernaw could fill that role or if they just didn't think it was important I don't really know what what the right answer is there but again hopefully soccer's a guy that could come in and at least help him and I mean it's a sign that makes a lot of sense it's a guy that um John Robinson is familiar with from his time in Tampa.

So, you know, it makes a lot of sense. And he's a guy that will help him. I mean, not a guy that's going to come in and, you know, catch 10 passes for 100 yards. That's not what they're going to ask him to do. But he's a role player that honestly could play a significant role for this team down the stretch. I totally agree.

And in 2015, they did keep five tight ends uh walker fasano supernaw chase kaufman and craig stevens i forgot about chase kaufman so there you go uh titans going back to their wiz and hunt roots hopefully not but yeah it's a it's a no-brainer uh it's a guy that can help this team uh they clearly need some help up front. You know, we've speculated all along that really the only thing changed here was Fasano. So maybe it's a bigger deal than we think it is. But I guess we're about to find out. Yeah.

So other injury notes, Rashard Matthews has missed the last two weeks. Malarkey said today that he thinks he has a really good chance to play on Sunday. And, you know, again, that's a guy they miss being out there. You know, Eric Decker has spent too much of this year as the number two receiver. The Titans didn't sign him to be the number two receiver. And so I think that, you know, fans, I think some fans had a little bit of an unrealistic expectation when Decker was signed that they were getting the guy that he was maybe two or three years ago in New York.

I don't think the Titans ever thought he was that guy. I think they thought he was going to be a good number three, a guy that could play in the slot, could be effective in the red zone, those types of things. That hasn't necessarily played out, but part of the reason it's been because they've had how many games? I mean, over half the season, probably 75% of the games so far, they've had how many games i mean over half the season uh probably 75 of the games so far either davis or matthews haven't been out there and so

decker's been forced into that role and um you know hopefully hopefully matthews gets back this week and they're at full strength and then you're using those guys the way that they thought they were going to be used using them when they put the roster together this summer. Yeah, and when Matthew's sitting out there, it seems like you lose some explosion on this offense. And that's not to say that Corey Davis can't go do it or Taylor and Taylor can't go do it. They're just not using him like that right now. So Matthew seems to be the guy that they really trust going down the field.

You saw him catch that deep post against Pittsburgh. They really trust going down the field. You saw him catch that deep post against Pittsburgh. You saw him come free on that seam route against Cincinnati that he ended up dropping. But he's the big play guy for the offense, for the passing game. So it goes without saying that Marcus Mariota has been missing him. I think it's no mystery that Mariota threw for 150 without him. So he clearly misses him. I think it's no mystery that Mariota threw for 150 without him. So he clearly misses him.

I think the Titans are going to need him this week. We talked a little bit about this before we went on. This is, I feel like we've kind of glossed over this matchup in the coming weeks, but I'm pretty terrified about this matchup. Yeah, and that kind of leads us

naturally into another conversation about Logan Ryan, who is in the concussion protocol. Malarkey confirmed that today. We all pretty much knew that seeing the way that he went out of the game on Sunday. That's a guy the Titans really need to play on Sunday because the Cardinals, at this point, Larry Fitzgerald is you know pretty much their passing attack right and so you need you need a guy that matches up well against him you need a guy that can play in a slot against him and that's obviously Logan Ryan for this defense

I like their chances of at least being able to limit what Fitzgerald does on Sunday if if Logan Ryan's able to go. If not, you're probably looking at a scenario where, and you brought this up before, that Bryce McCain is the slot guy with Sims and Dory on the outside. And I don't know about you, but the thought of Fitzgerald lining up and running a bunch of routes against Bryce McCain, it pretty much terrifies me.

Yeah, it's going to be awful. I hope if Ryan is out, they'll come up with a different plan. I'd much rather see a Dory Jackson get a shot at him. But Fitz is going to get his regardless of who's on him, honestly. Logan Ryan is the guy with the most experience, and he's got the size, and he can be physical with him out of the slot. So that's a guy that's needed, and we can kind of hope and cross our fingers that he can play in Arizona.

Because honestly, if he doesn't go, it might swing my win-loss prediction. Yeah, it's going to be a big deal. And we're talking about, I don't know how many of you play DFS, but you're going to want to be all in on larry fitzgerald if logan ryan is not able to go uh again i just i just don't like any other any other guy the titans can roll out against him and you know for sure i was going to get 10 15 targets even if logan ryan does play um and i just think those targets are going to be a whole lot more productive, obviously, if Ryan is not out there. So that will be something to watch.

And like you said, it really will. I mean, it will make that much of a difference. And you don't think of a corner being, you know, somebody that moves the line that much. And I don't think Vegas will affect the line based on Logan Ryan playing or not. But just when you look at the matchups within the game, that's obviously a really big deal. And it will probably be something that, you something that people that don't pay as much attention

to the Titans as we do, it probably won't be something that they'll notice and won't be that much of a talking point throughout the week. Yeah, totally agree. They can't trot out Bryce McCain. In the couple plays that I saw, I think he was lined up against Steven Anderson against Houston. And Anderson was actually a draft favorite of mine. He was a late-round pick.

He might have been an undrafted guy. But still, the second string tight end for the Houston Texans absolutely torched him multiple times. So beat him on out routes, beat him over the middle. So I can only imagine what Larry Fitzgerald would do to him. So like I said, Bryce McCain can't be their answer there. They've got to go with Dory in the slot if it comes to that. And we'll all just kind of pray that Logan plays.

Yeah, and in other injury notes, Delaney Walker, Malarkey said he's day-to-day with his ankle injury. But that happened, you know, kind of middle of the game, and he came back and played. So I wouldn't expect him. He may miss practice tomorrow or Wednesday, but I wouldn't expect him to miss the game. And then Derrick Morgan apparently has a knee sprain, but I don't think that kept him out of the game on Sunday.

So I would expect him to play. And then your boy Sylvester Williams injured an ankle apparently. So we'll see if he's able to go. But, again, the loss of Daquan Jones, I mean, that's a big deal. And like we said, it stinks to see that with how he was coming on and playing. But you can't complain as far as the injuries the Titans have suffered this year. Really, really lucky on that front. And, I mean, you know, they're looking further than the Texans.

They played this past week, and just all the injuries they've piled up. And you saw them lose a bunch of guys even during that game on Sunday. They had four or five guys that went out with a concussion. Just crazy. So the Titans have been lucky on the right side of that. And so hopefully that continues. One conversation real quick before we get out. You were talking about deep shots to receivers,

and I brought this up on Twitter on Sunday during the game. I didn't understand why we see so many deep shots to Decker versus Corey Davis. It seems like they've taken, you know, a couple, but, I mean, I thought they'd take a couple a game. I mean, I kind of thought that was where they brought him in here. And then, of course, you know, somebody responds and says, well, that means he's a bust. And, Adam, have you noticed, like, I don't think that that, to me, is a ridiculous comment because they're not trying it. It's not like, I mean, when you look at the balls that Mario threw to Decker, he didn't have a bunch of separation.

So it's not like, you know, he's getting more than Davis is. I just don't know. I mean, we need to go back and watch the coaches film and see what kind of routes Davis is running. But is it not weird that they haven't done more of that with him? It is. And for the Davis is a bust crowd. You're talking about a team that's throwing for 150 yards a game,

and you're going to call the receiver a bust. It's just not what they want to do right now uh you know for and we can we can disagree about it about whether that's right or wrong they're just not a prolific passing team right now uh so i think i think davis's progress was obviously hurt by the the hamstring and it goes deeper than just the the play on the field he didn't get that experience you know he seven, eight games behind in his rookie year. So it'll come. And, you know, whether or not this coaching staff is the right staff

to maximize that, that's another conversation. But you have to consider the situation with any receiver. And it's all tied to the quarterback. It's all tied to the passing game. And the passing game just is not working. Is he a part of that? Absolutely. But, you know, I kind of put that more on him as an inexperienced route runner,

you know, inexperienced in the playbook and all that. We've seen miscommunications there. But to your point, Davis is a pretty good athlete. You know, we didn't get to see the combine numbers on him, but just on tape alone at Western Michigan, he's a pretty good athlete. You know, we didn't get to see the combine numbers on him. But just on tape alone at Western Michigan, he's a pretty good athlete. He's a guy that ran down the field, ran by guys, jumped over guys, you know, mossed people for footballs. So I don't understand why you're trotting out the aging slot receiver

who moves like a tight end. Why are you giving that guy the deep ball? Especially when you've drafted Taewon Taylor, who's proven that he can make plays down the field. He's proven that he can run by people. So that part of it is frustrating. It's like I told you yesterday, you know, with the deep ball, you either get a pass interference call,

which is going to benefit you and give you a first down. You're either going to make a big play or it's probably going to be incomplete. I just see no downside to it when the matchup is there. When you've clearly got one-on-one, why not? Yeah, I don't know. There are so many questions I have about the play calling and just the way guys are used in the offense. That's to me, and I don't know, I mean, I've gone back and forth on Hrabiski

and on what, you know, how much of the issue he is. But it just seems like there are some things that seem obvious that they should be doing or at least trying, and they don't even try them. And, I mean, they have to have a reason. I don't know what those reasons are, but it just, I don't know. There are some things that, like you said, when you see them happen, when you see them take a shot at Taewon Taylor, it pays off. When you don't see them ever even try a deep ball to Corey Davis,

like you said, when he did so much of that in college, it just, I don't see them ever even try a deep ball to Corey Davis like you said when he did so much of that in college it just I don't know those are the things to me even more so than just like when you look at the game and the way the game is called um I don't know that that's that's the frustrating part to me it just feels like they're not maybe using guys in the most effective way so I don't know we'll see I don't I don't know how much of a change we're going to see on that as the year goes along and we won't know how much of the ways that they're using Corey Davis, like you said, are affected by the time that he missed with the hamstring injury. Because I think there's probably some things that would have been solved for him that they just weren't able to do in camp.

And I think a lot of times they'll just kind of scrap that stuff because they don't feel like they have time to put it in, you know, whatever. But it seems to me like when you've got an offense that's been as stagnant as this offense has that you would try some other things. But – and we were talking about this before we went on. You know, the fact that Derrick Henry rips off that 75-yard run at the end of the game and, you know, the Titans got the game into the fourth quarter and in the run game, you know, they kept pounding and kept pounding and kept pounding

and finally they hit that big one and put the game away. In some ways I feel like that could maybe be the worst thing that could happen for Malarkey and Hrabisky because they feel like what they're doing is working, and they're like, well, look, look what happened, kind of results-oriented type thinking. And we know that that can lead you astray at times, and so I wonder how many changes they would make if this team was, say, you know, instead of being 8-4, they were 6-6. If they would have some more, you know, serious internal conversations

about these types of things that they just don't necessarily have to have because they are 8-4. It all comes back to consistency. You know, I don't really care about the 75-yarder. You can't take it away from them. It happened. But I'd much rather see that yardage accumulated five yards at a time, like they did last year.

So they've got to figure it out. I think they've been very fortunate to have such an easy schedule. They've played some really bad quarterbacks and gotten really fortunate to escape some games with the mistakes that they've made. And that's what makes it so hard to really hop on board with this team because you've got, on the one hand, they're great, they're going to the playoffs. On the other hand, there's so many obvious problems. So I don't know.

It's such a weird spot to be in from an observer, from a fan. You can just hope that they, they start to, you know, fix some of these issues that, that have been plaguing them for the past two weeks. So anyways,

I think I lost Jimmy there. So we'll wrap it up back tomorrow morning. we'll have a deeper discussion of the Cardinals. We'll get into some more numbers. As always, you can find our work on musiccitymiracles.com, and we will talk to you all tomorrow.