Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Matt LaFleur PERFECT FIT for Tennessee Titans, Mike McDaniel Skepticism & Kevin Stefanski Interviews

Starting point is 00:00:00 The Tennessee Titans must bring Matt LaFleur back to Nashville if the Green Bay Packers let him go. I'll give you the latest on the Tennessee Titans coaching search on today's edition of Locked on Titan. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network, your team every day. Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland Titans fans. Today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by Fandall. Fandall is in playoff mode every game day during the NFL playoffs. Fandle is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action visit Fandle.com to get started.

Starting point is 00:00:47 On today's show, I'm going to go over all the latest that you need to know in the Tennessee Titans coaching search as we head into week two. Number one, the Tennessee Titans must bring Matt LaFleur in. If the Packers are dumb enough to let him go, he would immediately become my number number one candidate by far over everybody else and I'll tell you why also the Tennessee Titans are finally getting into interviews with some candidates that we're excited about. I'll tell you why I still like Mike McCarthy and why I'm not as high on Mike McDaniel. Also the Titans did their first round of interviews last week. I'll tell you all seven people who did an interview and tell you why Kevin Stefansky is the only one out of the bunch that I'm interested in. Before we get into all of it, do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day.

Starting point is 00:01:43 Speaking of every day, shout it to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys if you aren't an everydayer. You need to be one. The coaching search is heating up and once a coach is hired, we've got to talk about who's going to fill out their staff, then get the free agency, the draft, make sure you stay locked in with the Locked-on Titans podcast.

Starting point is 00:01:59 But with all that being said, again, Matt Lafleur and the Green Bay. Packers collapsed against the Chicago Bears and there were already whispers that Matt Lefleur in the Green Bay Packers could be parting ways after the season due to a contract dispute and if that is the case then the Tennessee Titans need to move heaven and earth to get Matt Lefleur back to Nashville there was an argument to be made that Matt Lefleur was the better head coach out of him and Mike Vrable and that the Tennessee Titans picked the wrong guy to be their head coach

Starting point is 00:02:33 back in 2018. Now I know a lot of people on the Titans fan base absolutely love Mike Grable and they're not going to agree to that but when you look at regular season, win percentage, offensive performance, certain metrics. It's pretty clear that Matt Lafleur has been a better head coach in the NFL during their career so far as head coaches than Mike Rable has been and that's why Mike Lefleur, his brother, Matt Lafleur would immediately become my number one candidate for the Tennessee Titans head coaching job far and away above anybody. else who could even be in the conversation. John Harbaugh, even if Mike Tomlin were to become available, I would take Matt Lafleur over Mike Tomlin, Mike McCarthy, Robert Salah, Mike McDaniel,

Starting point is 00:03:15 Kevin Stavansky, all these other guys that we talked about that I've liked. Lafleur would be far and away above those guys with a bullet number one at the list. And why? Well, the answer is simple. There are just less flaws and less weaknesses with Matt LaFleur than any of the other candidates. Like, look at it. at his win percentage. Some of you guys like to say, Kevin Stefansky, bad coach. Why would the Titans want Kevin Stefansky? Why would the Titans want Cliff Kingsbury? They have losing records as a head coach. Well, Matt Lafleur is one of the winningest head coaches in NFL history in the amount of time that he's actually been a head coach.

Starting point is 00:03:53 He's got a 654 winning percentage in the regular season. Matt LaFleur is 76 40 and 1. 76 40 and 1 You cannot like Kevin Stefansky Like Robert Salah Like Cliff Kingsbury And not like Matt Lafleur better I'm sorry it doesn't work that way He's had three playoff wins

Starting point is 00:04:19 They've made the playoffs Six out of the seven seasons That he's been there And that is just hey He's a winning coach who wins football games You want to talk about offense and Cam Ward Everybody goes, oh, well, he won a lot of those games with Aaron Rogers. Oh, he won a lot of those games with Jordan Love.

Starting point is 00:04:38 Well, folks, just to tell you, there are people out there who compare Cam Ward skill set to Aaron Rogers. There are people out there who compared Cam Ward to Jordan Love coming out of college. That was their comp for Cam Ward. So if any quarterback or any coach is suited to get the best out of Cam Ward, It's probably the guy who got two MVP's for Aaron Rogers and makes everybody think Jordan Love is a top 10 quarterback in the NFL, which is something that I don't believe. I believe Matt LaFleur has gotten Jordan Love to play above

Starting point is 00:05:10 what I think he was capable of. Now, we'll see if the Packers do move on for Matt LaFleur. I do not think that they will. I do not think that the Green Bay Packers will move on for Matt LaFleur. But if they do, then I guess we'll see how Jordan Love looks with the next guy. But what I do know is, is that during Matt LaFleurrower, Lefleur's tenure in Green Bay. They had three top 10 offenses and should be four. One of them was 11th and that's in yards.

Starting point is 00:05:36 And five out of seven seasons they've been top 10 in scoring. Not only that, but Matt Lefleur, comfortable in Nashville, has experience in the city from the time when he was the offensive coordinator. Not only that, but the connection to Chad Brinker and the relationship there could help the Titans as well. I mean, it would be a home run. Now, I know that some of you guys are saying right now, Oh, that guy that just choked. Bub, blah, blah, blah, that guy that just choked the game.

Starting point is 00:06:03 Okay, that's fair enough. But his best player, Michael Parsons, got hurt, and they lost all five games after that. Michael Parsons got hurt. Packers didn't win another game the whole year. His best player got hurt, and they lost. Not only that, but the Packers kicker, Brandon McManus, missed two field goals and an extra point.

Starting point is 00:06:23 That's seven points in the game. The Packers should have won that game. Okay? Period. The kicker blew it. And that's without Michael Parsons out there. They were up 21 to 3 in a playoff game on the road as a 7 seat. Like, Matt LaFleur has had some struggles getting the special teams coordinator right.

Starting point is 00:06:42 Matt LaFleur has had some struggles keeping things on track. But there is no way that someone who would be out here saying the Titans should hire John Harbaugh. The Titans should hire John Harbaugh. If you think the Titans should hire John Harbaugh, you cannot hate on Matt LaFleur. John Harbaugh is the most chokingest coach in the NFL over the last 17 years. No one has blown more leads than John Harbaugh in the last 17 years in the NFL as a head coach. No one. No one. A historic choker. An all-time choker in John Harbaugh.

Starting point is 00:07:14 So you cannot like John Harbaal and then not like Matt LaFleur. Don't work like that. Can't happen. So, I mean, whether it's the win percentage as a coach, which is truly indicative of future. performance, there is data to suggest that. The offense and what he could do for Cam Ward, the familiarity with Nashville and the organization and the people in it, it is a home run slam dunk.

Starting point is 00:07:38 But again, despite the noise, despite the conversation, I do not believe that Matt LaFleurr will be available. The Packers aren't a bad organization. The Packers aren't that stupid. Like, I just refuse to believe it and I hope I'm wrong. I hope all of you guys are in my comment. on Monday afternoon saying, oh, this guy's dumb, he said he wouldn't get fired, and he did. Good. I hope so. Now, on the other side of that, tons of noise about John Harbaugh this weekend for the Tennessee Titans.

Starting point is 00:08:10 Tons of noise. The latest on John Harbaugh. Who again, I just said he's, you know, all-time lead blower, all-time choker, and that's true. But at the end of the day, Harbaal still is my number two option for the Tennessee Titans. No coach is perfect. None of these coaching candidates are perfect because people aren't perfect, right? Right? And people who hold people to perfection standards,

Starting point is 00:08:33 unrealistic and probably childish. But regardless, Harbaugh has said, and multiple national reporters have reported on behalf of him, that Harbaal is going to take three to four interviews out of the openings that he's actually interested in. All indications say that the Titans are very high on his list of interest. He watched Cam Ward and Jackson Dart tape over the weekend.

Starting point is 00:08:57 He was studying the tape of the young quarterbacks. And again, it's been reported by Albert Breer. Diana Rusini had the Cam Ward tape report. Breer said that the Titans have a quote, real shot. Now, I've got to tell you the honest truth, guys, and a lot of Titans fans won't like to hear this. But the reality is John Harbaal is going to want to be paid as one of the top five coaches in the entire NFL.

Starting point is 00:09:18 There's some rumors that suggest he wants $20 million a year. I don't really care about those rumors. I don't know that I believe those rumors, but it doesn't take a rumor or a report for a logical person to say, oh, John Harbaugh is a Super Bowl. He's been a really good coach for 17, 18 years. He's going to want to be paid very well at the top of the market. Like, you don't got to pay attention to rumors and reports if you're logical and know the NFL to know that. So, John Harbaugh is going to want to get paid a lot of money, okay?

Starting point is 00:09:46 And my personal opinion is, and again, I'd love to be proven wrong for John Harbaal to be the coach of the Titans. But my opinion is John Harbaal is using the Tennessee Titans as leverage against the New York Giants because he actually wants to go to the New York Giants who are a much more competitive roster with a much more pocket rich, with a much more cash rich owner. I think Harbaal is using the Titans who are a great destination. You don't use a crappy destination as leverage because then the person would just say, oh, come on, that's a crappy destination. You only use another good option as leverage.

Starting point is 00:10:21 So I personally don't think that Matt LaFleur will be fired. I don't think that John Harbaal will pick the Titans. I think it's kind of a leverage play to get more money out of the Giants, in my opinion. But again, those are by far my favorite head coach options for the Tennessee Titans. And I certainly hope that I am wrong on at least one of those accounts. Because if Matt LaFleur does become available, I do think, 100% I do think, Matt LaFleur would be the next Tennessee Titans coach. Too much connected tissue makes too much sense with Cam Ward.

Starting point is 00:10:51 Mike Borgonzi, Chad Brinker. Bring me Matt LaFleur if the Packers are dumb enough to fire him. But with that being said, if we're not talking about Matt LaFleur, we're not talking about John Harbaugh, then we got to talk about the guys who did get interview requests because the last time I talked to you guys, we talked about the embarrassing first week that the Tennessee Titans had in the head coaching search,

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Starting point is 00:13:25 and is not appropriate for everyone. Event contracts are offered by Robin Hood derivatives LLC, a registered futures commission merchant and swap firm. And so let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, getting you guys up to date on everything you need to know heading into week two of the Tennessee Titans head coaching search. We talked about my top two potential candidates, Matt Lafleur, if he is let go by the Green Bay Packers, And then John Harball with the former head coach of the Baltimore Ravens with some big news that will probably happen on Monday morning. He's going to reveal his three to four teams.

Starting point is 00:14:15 And I do expect the Tennessee Titans to be in that mix. But now we need to talk about all of the new interview requests that the Tennessee Titans had to get new head coaching candidates in the building in week two. Before we dive in, thanks again for making Locked on Titans. You were at first list. And I also want to say this. We'll move on to the content. But thank you all so much for your kind words and your appreciates.

Starting point is 00:14:36 and not just on YouTube, but on Twitter and Instagram and everywhere. You know, you guys were so courteous and so kind with the, you know, the event that I dealt with last week with my dog passing on. I cannot thank you all enough for the well wishes and the kind words. Thank you so much. It did me truly mean a lot to me to hear from all of you guys. But with that being said, the Titans finally requested Mike McCarthy. Finally, we got a request. And Mike McCarthy, I found it interesting.

Starting point is 00:15:07 Mike McCarthy's in-person interview with the Tennessee Titans will take place on Saturday, this upcoming Saturday. And right now, as things stand, we'll probably get more information throughout the week. But as things stand, that is the latest scheduled interview that the Tennessee Titans currently have. Every other virtual or in-person or whatever has either already happened or is set to happen this week during the work week. Mike McCarthy is the last interview they currently have on the schedule. I expect that to change, but I do find it interesting because that could tell us

Starting point is 00:15:39 that Mike McCarthy is who they actually want, and they're going to save him to last, so that they can go through everybody and give them an opportunity to change their mind. Hey, we want Mike McCarthy. Let's talk to everybody else before. And then when we get done, we talk to Mike McCarthy last. If we weren't impressed by anybody before him, then we go with the guy that we wanted all along,

Starting point is 00:16:02 and we have Mike McCarthy. Now, I will tell you this, with John Harbaal coming on the market, with Kevin Stefansky coming on the market, with Matt LaFleur potentially hitting the market, all those guys would be over Mike McCarthy for me, who was my original number one pick before the firing started in the NFL

Starting point is 00:16:18 and before Black Monday hit. So Mike McCarthy is still a very, very good option in my mind, but certainly has moved down the list. And I think that some of these other coaches, you know, John Harbaugh also has a Super Bowl win, but has been more productive and more consistent as a coach as of late. Matt LaFleur doesn't have a Super Bowl win, but has been a better head coach in the NFL over the last seven years than Mike McCarthy was

Starting point is 00:16:44 and is a much younger player who can grow, or much younger coach, who can grow with Cam Ward over the 62-year-old Mike McCarthy. So those are my reasonings there, and Kevin Spankees, same thing as Matt LaFleur. It's the same conversation of a young, offensive head coach, who I still think is a very good head coach. but is younger so he can grow with Cam Ward and is maybe more modernized in his NFL approach. But regardless, I would still love Mike McCarthy as the head coach for the Tennessee Titans. I just think there are better options whereas, you know, a week ago, just a week ago,

Starting point is 00:17:15 there weren't better options. But Mike McCarthy will get an interview and with all the hubbub about Mike McCarthy and all that that I've spoken to quite a bit over the last couple of days. That was good news to hear. Not only that Cliff Kingsbury, who is one of my favorite king, to be the Tennessee Titans next head coach. I know a lot of people do not like Cliff Kingsbury. I understand that there are concerns about him being able to lead a football team, about schematically the second half of seasons. Sometimes his offenses aren't as productive.

Starting point is 00:17:46 That's been a thing all the way back to college with Cliff Kingsbury. Again, there are no perfect candidates available. Human beings are not perfect and all of these coaches have upsides and downsides. If you are unable, if you cannot say, oh, this coach does this well. This coach doesn't do that well. If you aren't able to point out one good thing and one bad thing about every single head coaching candidate, I'm sorry, but you are illogical, you're immature, your childish. Because that's not reality. If you think that there's a perfect candidate or a candidate with nothing going for them,

Starting point is 00:18:19 that's just not the case. That just can't be the case. That's not an accurate, intelligent way to view these people. It's how I feel about, you know, players. If you can't name one thing that a player needs to improve on or doesn't do well, then you are not a smart evaluator because nobody is perfect and every player has strengths and weaknesses. So keep that in mind.

Starting point is 00:18:40 But Cliff Kingsbury, like Mike McCarthy, is a free agent. They aren't on a team, they aren't employed, so they are going to have in-person interviews with their first interview, not a virtual. Now, the next guy that got an interview request from the Tennessee Titans, is maybe one of the more polarizing candidates that we could talk about, and it's Mike McDaniel, who was just fired by the Miami Dolphins. Me personal, I know there's a lot of people out there

Starting point is 00:19:06 who love the idea of Mike McDaniel as the head coach for the Tennessee Titans. I am going to push back on that. Mike McDaniel is not head coach material, in my opinion. His biggest weaknesses as a coach are the things that the Tennessee Titans need the most leadership, culture. And I know that there's videos out there of, you know, Mike McDaniel's former, I think I saw Taran Armstead, one of their former offensive linemen saying nice things about him.

Starting point is 00:19:34 And I'm not surprised by that. I think that Mike McDaniel is not a terrible coach. It's not like all of his players hate him. But look at what happened in Miami. Jalen Ramsey revolted. Yeah, Ramsey is a bit of a diva, but it's not like he's revolted on every coach that he's ever had. Okay?

Starting point is 00:19:53 Tyree Kill, revolted and was, I mean, doing crazy. Now, Tyree Kill is pretty crazy. I get that too, but I'm just saying. Tua was acting out all year long at press conferences and saying weird stuff like telling Cam Newton, oh, if you could do it, you would, get out on the field, and it's different. Well, Cam Newton won MVP.

Starting point is 00:20:14 Tua, what do you, you know? Like, just zero control over his players. If you look at the Miami Dolphin season, they made so many mental errors in critical moments, And it wasn't just young players, it was their captains. Jordan Brooke, Zach Ziler. Players on offense, their captua making a bad interception. Their captains, their leaders made the dumbest mistakes of any players on their team.

Starting point is 00:20:41 That to me is a leadership problem with the coach. I would love, I would love, I would be overjoyed over the moon, infatuated with the idea of Mike McDaniel being an offensive coordinator. for the Titans with a defensive-minded head coach like the guys were about to talk about here in a second. But Mike McDaniel as the head coach of the Tennessee Titans absolutely out on that.

Starting point is 00:21:04 Do not think that that would be a good idea. Do I hate Mike McDaniel as the head coach as much as I hate some of the guys who the Titans already talked to? No, don't get me wrong. It's not, you know, I would be like, okay, I guess we'll see. He does have creative offenses. He could probably make Cam Ward look pretty good.

Starting point is 00:21:21 But, you know, like, I'm not going to, sit here and say, disaster, you know, like I tend to do. But it's not, Mike McDaniel is not high on my list as a head coach. Now, if he were the offensive coordinator, then, you know, I'd take my shirt off and twist around my head like a helicopter because that would be absolutely incredible. Now, outside, and again, that'll be an in-person interview for Mike McDaniel since he has been fired.

Starting point is 00:21:44 So, first one. And if you didn't know this, Mike McDaniel is biracial. So the Titans have already interviewed, Van's Joe or not Vince Joseph. Rahim Morris, they're interviewing on Monday in person and then when Mike McDaniel is interviewed in person because the Rooney Rule must be in person interviews, not virtual. So with Mike McDaniel and Raheem Morris

Starting point is 00:22:06 by Wednesday or Thursday whenever the Titans finish their interview with Mike McDaniel, they'll officially have satisfied the Rooney Rule requirements for the NFL and they can actually legally hire their head coach at that point in time. So I'll update you when that actually have. but something to keep in mind with Mike McDaniel is, although it doesn't seem like it and some may not realize that, Mike McDaniel is biracial and would there in fact satisfy the Rooney Rule as the second candidate that the Titans have interviewed.

Starting point is 00:22:33 Now, Robert Sala is another guy who would also satisfy that rule. Now, I don't say that. Some of you guys are disingenuous and obtuse and try to act like when I inform you about the Rooney Rule requirements and where the Titans are at with that in their search, that that means that I don't believe these candidates are worthy. that is absolutely false, that is absolutely not the case. Robert Sala would be one of my favorite hires. I think right now my updated list, he would be my number five candidate for the Tennessee Titans. Robert Sala has been requested for an in-person interview, for an interview in general.

Starting point is 00:23:05 The thing is, I'm recording this right now without knowing whether San Francisco beat Philadelphia or whether Philly beat San Francisco. So whether Sala is able to do an in-person interview this week or whether it has to be virtual because they're still in, that remains to be determined. Either way, the Tennessee Titans will talk with Robert Sala this week. And I love that as an option. He was my number two favorite candidate behind Mike McCarthy before some of the other names got put on the market with the firing.

Starting point is 00:23:31 So those are like the experience guys who have been previous head coaches. And then we get to the young guns. The young hot defensive coordinators. Chris Shula got a virtual request. He's a defensive coordinator from the Rams. Jesse Minter is the defensive coordinator for the Chargers. He got a request Jeff Halfley for the Green Bay Packers Got a request in Halfley's interview

Starting point is 00:23:54 Can now be in person because the Packers lost All three of those guys, hot defensive coordinators who haven't been And I mean like their names are hot you lunatics out there Thinking I'm talking about they're good looking or whatever I mean hey I don't know you know you want to say they're good looking or not But you know what I'm saying they're buzzing okay But let me just say this I'm interested in these DCs

Starting point is 00:24:16 I don't think that they're terrible options they're not at the top of my list, but I wouldn't absolutely hate these guys. I would take a Shula, a mentor, a Hathley, far before I took a Morris, a Nagy, a Joseph, and some of the other guys that we're going to talk about from the first round of interviews. So keep in mind what I'm saying here when I say this. But I want to make this point about these coordinators.

Starting point is 00:24:35 So like, this is what happens in the internet age. Okay, a little soapbox moment for you. Whatever you did last is how good you are to the internet. you could go 100 straight games with five touchdown passes and 100 wins you could win a hundred games in a row

Starting point is 00:24:56 with five touchdown passes every single game but the moment you lose a game the internet's going to say you suck oh he's not as good as we thought oh this guy's a bozo that's the way the internet works that's how it works nowadays

Starting point is 00:25:10 microwave brains is what everybody has so just because Chris Shula's defense wasn't dominant against Carolina or just because Matt Lefleur just lost in a choke job to the Bears. The last thing that happened doesn't define people.

Starting point is 00:25:27 Cam Ward has a bad game. It doesn't erase the five good games he had before that. You have to look at things in the totality, not just what happened last. If I go to my favorite restaurant all the time and then one day I go and they do a poor job, I get bad service.

Starting point is 00:25:47 You know, my steak is overcooked. They forget one of the items. The, you know, something's wrong, whatever. That doesn't mean that the last 10 times I came to this restaurant were all so bad and now it's not my favorite restaurant anymore. Life is not perfect. People are not perfect. They're not going to be great every single time.

Starting point is 00:26:06 Now, I'm not here to tell you that, hey, if Chris Shula's Rams defense gets absolutely destroyed in their next game and, you know, maybe that is not a good song. because the next guy we're going to talk about the last guy from this group, maybe we should have taken his last performance as a sign. But I'm just saying those of you were like, oh, did you just see Carnell Tate not have a game? Oh, did you just see Arvel Reese didn't have a good game?

Starting point is 00:26:29 Oh, did you just see Dante Moore from Oregon didn't have a good game? Now he can't declare he can't come out and be a pro. Like, the last thing that happened isn't the only thing that happened. So I can't take people who get in the comments and say, do you see Chris Schullis' defense against the Panthers? We can't hire him. Okay, so the entire regular season and everything that Chris Chulah's defense is done

Starting point is 00:26:49 and everything who he is is a coach and a person, none of that matters anymore because the Panthers scored 27 points and the Rams still won. You know, it's just illogical, it's childish, and I hope that most of you listening aren't that microwaved brain to think like that. But with that being said,

Starting point is 00:27:08 the last name of the new interviews that the Titans put out was Arthur Smith. and like I joked about, Arthur Smith, Titan scored 13 points. Their season low against the Ravens in the last game that Arthur Smith was with the Tennessee Titans and maybe that was foreshadowing. I say that tongue and cheat, you know what I mean, but I have zero interest in Art Smith. I think that is one of the most laughable options that there is. This guy does not know how to use his best players.

Starting point is 00:27:35 He does not know how to have a diverse offense outside of a heavy tight-end look. He is overly dependent on the run game and isn't creative enough in the passing game down the field. I have no interest in Arthur Smith. He is not a leader. He is not a smart offensive mind. I am so totally out. He is just a run-of-the-mill average to below-average offensive coordinator. He will never be more than that. I am out on Arthur Smith entirely could not be any less interested in Arthur Smith. But with that in mind, let me know how you would rank all of those candidates who are getting interviews this week with the Tennessee Titans. Now we got to go over the list of candidates that just got interviews with the Tennessee

Starting point is 00:28:13 and the reality is I think there's only one good candidate out of the seven. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook. The wild card round is here and Fandall is officially in playoff mode. Every game day during the NFL playoffs, Fandall is giving customers even more ways to get in on the action because right now every NFL playoff game day, Fandle is using, users get a profit boost pack waiting for them inside the app. Each game day, you'll see a pack loaded with multiple profit boosts. You can apply to the bets that you like the most. Open your profit boost pack first thing on game day and see what boost you want to apply.

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Starting point is 00:29:29 And let's cap off. Today's edition of the Locked-on Titans podcast. We talked about Matt LaFleur's situation, John Harbaugh's situation with the Tennessee Titans. Those are my top two names to watch. We talked about the new interview request that the Tennessee Titans went with in week two of their coaching search, Mike McCarthy, Cliff Kingsbury, Robert Sala, my top names out of that list, along with Chris Shula,

Starting point is 00:30:07 who I'm very interested in. I'm starting to warm up on Jeff Hathley as well. He was really cooking Ben Johnson late or early in that game, even if the Bears ended up coming back. What an incredible start to the NFL playoffs as well. Great football games all over the place. But speaking of not great, the Tennessee Titans' first round of interviews in their head coaching search, I called it embarrassing last week, and it absolutely was. But now that we have the totality, the Titans have officially announced who they met with.

Starting point is 00:30:36 We could kind of review the list and talk about what might be the reasons for that. And number one on the list for me is Kevin Stepansky. Former Brown's head coach, when he was fired, he immediately rocketed up to my number one head coaching candidate for the Titans. Previous head coaching experience has dealt with a less than ideal organization. Probably knows how to navigate those waters. even though I think the Titans are a far less dramatic organization than the Cleveland Browns behind the scenes.

Starting point is 00:31:05 Like Amy Adams Strunk is nowhere near as crazy and wild and impactful like trying to make people do certain stuff as the Haslins. I'm sorry, that's just not the case. So experience, dealt with that kind of organization, offensive coach who can get the best out of a quarterback, took old man Joe Flacco to 11 and 5, Baker Mayfield to the playoffs in his second year. I'm a big fan of Kevin Stefansky.

Starting point is 00:31:32 He met with the Tennessee Titans on Saturday. And I think that one thing that we have to take into account here is with the Baltimore Ravens coming open. If the Green Bay Packers opening comes open, those are better jobs than the Titans. Okay, those are better jobs. And the more, I know that it sounds like, oh, well, the more that good job openings come open,

Starting point is 00:31:52 that means less for the Titans. But there are so many good candidates now. These teams can't hire, multiple people. So if John Harball goes to the Packers and the New York Giants want to hire Mike McCarthy, well, that leaves a lot of great candidates for the Titans and I gotta tell you folks, the Titans are one of the top half of the job openings. The Titans are an attractive job opening two potential head coaches because of Cam Ward and Mike Borganzi. No state taxes, new stadium coming, an owner that's gonna have to be more patient because she's got egg on her face because of the last few years,

Starting point is 00:32:27 Mike Borgonzi and the new coach are going to get a massive amount of patience that has not been afforded to Brian Callahan and Rancart Thong. Because Amy Amstruck has no choice but to give more patience because she looks impulsive and all that. So the Titans have to do that. You know what I mean? So I think that makes it better for the Titans. I know that seems

Starting point is 00:32:46 counterproductive and counterintuitive but I think it actually makes it better for the Titans because they're going to get somebody good because they're one of the top options and there are quite a few top options as coach. So, with that in mind, Stefansky met with the Titans on Saturday for an in-person interview. He has by far and away the best name of the first round because the other guys are Rahim Morris, who just got fired by the Falcons who couldn't take, if he can't take that Falcons roster to the playoffs,

Starting point is 00:33:16 how's he supposed to take the Titans? What are we talking about here? And then Matt Nagy, Nagy's gotten quite a few interviews. I have talked at nauseam about why you need to say no to Matt Nagy. If you don't know why I don't want Matt Nagy, I don't know what to do. Go back and watch the episodes, watch the short video. I've been as open as I can be about my distaste

Starting point is 00:33:36 for Matt Nagy and why I don't think he's qualified. Vance Joseph is an option. I don't want an old defensive coach. I don't want an old defensive coach. I'm out on that. Same thing. Steve Spagnola, 66 years old. Not a chance.

Starting point is 00:33:51 I'm hiring a 66-year-old defensive head coach to get the best out of Cam Ward. No. We're not doing that. Luan Arumo, same thing. 60-year-old defensive coordinator. Wasn't that good in Indianapolis. Only had a few spurts of things in Cincinnati

Starting point is 00:34:05 when they were really carried by a great offense. So out on Lou Anirumo. Jason Garrett, laughable. Like I said, Mike McCoy, that was a courtesy. Absolutely laughable. Now, could Matt Nagy be the offensive coordinator with a Jesse Mentor or Jeff Halfley? Sure, could Rahim Morris be a defensive coordinator

Starting point is 00:34:24 with Chris Shula, Jesse Mentor, Mike McDaniel, Cliff Kingsbury, Mike McCarthy, sure, could Jason Garrett be a quarterback coach on one of these staffs? Sure, but as a head coach, what are we talking about here? I mean, what are we actually talking about? So that is the absolute latest with everything you need to know about the Tennessee Titans head coaching search. I would imagine with interviews and everything kicking off here, we're going to get even more news throughout the week. Make sure that you stay locked in with the Locked on Titans podcast.

Starting point is 00:34:53 But again, thank you all so much for the well wishes. I'm not going to act like, you know, everything's okay. I'm struggling. I'm sad. It's tough as a lot of you guys know. But regardless, all of your well wishes, your kind words, all of that, your prayer requests, it really does.

Starting point is 00:35:10 It really does mean a lot to me. So thank you, everybody. But that's going to do it for me. Today, folks, as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Matt LaFleur PERFECT FIT for Tennessee Titans, Mike McDaniel Skepticism & Kevin Stefanski Interviews

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