Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - NFL Rule Changes, Sounds of The Titans w/ Lewan and Saffold & Friday Mailbag!

Episode Date: May 29, 2020

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Welcome to the Locked On Titans Podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans. Today's Friday edition of the Locked On Titans Podcast is brought to you by Bilt Bar, the best tasting protein bars on the market. Make sure you use promo code LOCKEDON at BiltBar.com for $10 off your first order. Last week we talked about a couple of rules that were up for change this offseason. About three of those. The onside kick alternative. The change to the clock maneuverability that Mike Rabel used in the playoffs against the
Starting point is 00:00:39 Patriots. And also about the sky judge. A possible eighth official added to Cruz to help with reviews and other things of that nature. Well, the NFL owners and the competition committee have made their rulings on those different proposals. So we will go over that and some other updates given by Commissioner Roger Goodell on when we could see coaches and players back in team facilities. when we could see coaches and players back in team facilities. So a lot of updating to do on some national news that does have an impact on the Tennessee Titans. So we will start off with that lead story.
Starting point is 00:01:19 And then we got to hear directly from the left side of the offensive line this week. Taylor LeJuan and Roger Saffold talked with Titans reporters on another conference call and gave their thoughts on multiple different things including what's going on this all season and their expectations going into next year so in our second and third segment we will hear the highlights from those conversations we'll give you Taylor LeJuan first and then Roger Saffold after that once again that audio is going to be coming courtesy of TennesseeTitans.com. So some good stuff there. Once again, I'll analyze some of the highlights from those conference calls. And then we will finish off our Friday episode with the return of the Friday Mailbag.
Starting point is 00:01:58 Got a couple of questions from you guys out there. I will read those, give you my answers, and of course shout out those who are asking questions. Make sure you ask me your questions for next week's Friday Mailbag by following me on Twitter at TicTacTitans. You can ask me in a DM. You can tag me in a tweet. Doesn't matter. I'll make sure to get to your
Starting point is 00:02:17 question. And also, subscribe to the Locked on Titans podcast on whatever platform that you do stream. I will be pumping out content for you guys Monday through Friday all year round. All season, draft season, regular season, postseason, it doesn't matter. I will be here with you guys on the Locked on Titans podcast. So with all of that out of the way, it is time to get into today's news. Hear from Taylor LeJuan and Roger Saffold and answer
Starting point is 00:02:45 your questions in the Friday Mailbag. Let's get it. Last week we heard word that the NFL was looking at three potential rule changes going into the 2020 season that would be voted on on May the 28th. Those votes have taken place and we have gotten a ruling from the NFL on these three proposals. The first of these rules that we will discuss seemed like it was the most likely to actually be changed. seemed like it was the most likely to actually be changed. And that was a loophole in the NFL rulebook that allowed teams to waste multiple minutes of game clock or excessive time on the game clock by committing dead ball penalties with a running clock.
Starting point is 00:03:37 So for example, the Titans in the playoffs were faced with a fourth down, which they were going to punt and the clock was running. were faced with a fourth down, which they were going to punt, and the clock was running. Mike Vrabel had up back Wesley Woodyard commit a false start multiple times in a row. What would happen is, after the penalty was assessed, the referees would run the clock again. The Titans would let the clock get down all the way to close to expiring, and then they would commit another penalty.
Starting point is 00:04:04 all the way to close to expiring, and then they would commit another penalty. And of course, the referees would run the clock again after the penalty was assessed. This is something that Bill Belichick first exposed during the regular season, but Mike Vrabel gave him a taste of his own medicine in the playoffs. And it's obvious that rules like that, where teams are taking advantage of loopholes in the rulebook, need to be changed and of course the NFL and the competition committee made it such that that could not take place anymore. Second we heard about a potential alternative to the onside kick. Now that kickoff rules have been changed in recent years by the NFL which don't allow the kickoff team to get a
Starting point is 00:04:41 running start also makes the players closer together what this does is it makes onside kicks less achievable less likely to succeed which makes comeback attempts less likely as well and the NFL is looking to fix this problem somehow and what was proposed is that the team that is trailing that has just scored a touchdown or scored some points can in lieu of attempting an onside kick, have a one-time, untimed down where they have to convert a 4th and 15 from their own 25-yard line. If they are able to convert that 4th and 15, then they just keep the ball from there and get the opportunity to go down and score. That rule proposal was tabled by the owners and the competition committee and some are
Starting point is 00:05:26 saying that the reason that was not put through is it makes it too easy for teams to make a comeback whereas if you recover an onside kick you are unable to advance it once you recover it but on a one-time fourth and 15 if you complete let's say a 60 yard pass well now you just get to keep the ball with that 60 yard completion in your back pocket and that is absolutely at the core of why this was tabled hopefully the NFL is able to work out some other alternative as the lessened success rate of onside kicks most certainly impacts the excitement of NFL football games and comeback attempts in general. And then the NFL was looking at potentially adding an eighth referee to each of their 17 officiating crews to help with replay reviews that would be known as the Sky Judge, but
Starting point is 00:06:16 they decided not to do that and instead tried to improve communication between the officials on the field and the booth in general. But one change that they did make to the replay system that they did not discuss last week as a potential change is they're making permanent the expansion of automatic reviews so that scoring plays or turnovers that were negated by penalty will be reviewed as well. Also, the NFL added more language around the defenseless player protection rules for kick returners and punt returners that would require teams to give them the opportunity to not only catch the ball but to make some sort of football move afterwards and then finally they did increase
Starting point is 00:06:56 the number of players that can return from injured reserve from two to three so that's something that would have impacted the Titans season in 2019 with all the players they had on IR. The last thing that I want to talk about is Commissioner Roger Goodell did have a conference call today where he talked about them trying to get coaches back into team facilities by next week and also working with authorities around the country and medical professionals to get NFL players back in team facilities by June 26th. And June 26th is actually the date that the offseason program is set to end typically and would go into OTAs and minicamps and more on the field work. Hopefully that does end up being the case and we can get things at least football wise back to normal as soon as possible with all the different sports in America and a lot of soccer leagues around the world that are already up and going in the American sports
Starting point is 00:07:54 like NASCAR has started going again. Hopefully basketball is on the path to return here soon. Obviously just looking to be optimistic, but I would absolutely love to see football back to some normalcy by the time that July comes around. But we are going to continue today's Locked on Titans podcast. We have to hear from the left side of the offensive line. We are going to hear from Taylor LeJuan first, and then Roger Saffold, and then we are going to finish off the show, as do on Fridays with a little bit of a Friday mailbag. If you need something to kick your Friday up a notch, you have to try out Built Bar.
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Starting point is 00:10:32 Once again, use promo code LOCKEDON for $10 off at BuiltBar.com. And then once you take advantage of the offer, make sure that you tag me on Twitter at TicTacTitans and let me know that you have done so. I'll make sure to give you a shout out on the show. But we are going to get into the conference call highlights from Taylor LeJuan and Roger Saffold next. Let's hear from Tennessee Titans star left tackle Taylor LeJuan. He answers a ton of different questions that I found very interesting on his conference call today with Tennessee Titans media.
Starting point is 00:11:16 So I'm going to give you a little bit of the highlights of that press conference mixed in with a little bit of my analysis in this edition of Sounds of the Titans. So let's dive into that now. This audio, of course, is courtesy of TennesseeTitans.com. Taylor LeJuan first gives his thoughts on this offseason. This offseason has been the most, I mean, obviously the most interesting one I've ever been a part of, and I think anybody's probably ever been a part of. But for me, I was out in Arizona training for a couple weeks at the beginning of the off season. Then I was in California for a while. Now I'm back in Nashville, got a spot and I have, I have no doubt that I will be more than prepared for this upcoming season.
Starting point is 00:11:54 It's about making it work and kind of working through the elements, a little bit of adversity, but I think this will be a big thing for guys in the league. You'll see who's, who's really working when they come back, who's, who's going to be in shape and stuff like that, not just on this team, but throughout the entire league. But I think we have a good room, so I think a lot of guys are going to be in shape and ready to go. I'm in total agreement with Taylor there. I think it's a very good point that this kind of offseason
Starting point is 00:12:18 where maybe you don't have the team looking over your back, you're not in the facility with your strength and conditioning coach all over you making sure that you're following your plan and your regimen guys are really going to have to have accountability and hold themselves accountable to get their work done in private settings and obviously I agree with Taylor that this tightens locker room that gives them an advantage over other locker rooms around the NFL And then Taylor talked about the continuity of the offensive line and if that will still matter in the 2020 season. I think the biggest thing about our room is how close we are. So we have guys come in and out all the time, right?
Starting point is 00:12:54 They get closer to the group, and then unfortunately they leave. It is a business. And one thing they always say is, hey, there's nothing, there's not a room more tight than anywhere anybody else has been than our room. And so we're going to continue to do that. We talk all the time. Me, Jameel Douglas, David Lee Questionberry.
Starting point is 00:13:13 We got the new guy out there, Isaiah. We're all working out together right now and making it work. It is tough because we ended so hot last year. We ended so strong and if we could start where we finished, we could help this team out quite a bit as a group. And I think that is obviously the goal. Next Taylor gives his thoughts on Derek Henry's contract situation. I think for anybody in the NFL, as a player, you always want,
Starting point is 00:13:42 you always want guys to get paid. I think, you know, everybody plays this game for the love of the game. And when you get into this part, it's, it definitely becomes a business and whether you like it or not, that's just how that's just how it is. And so from a business standpoint, as a friend standpoint, that's all the same for me. I think Derek Henry is one of the hardest working guys on this team. It shows in his play, it shows in who how he is one of the hardest working guys on this team. It shows in
Starting point is 00:14:05 his play. It shows in how he is with a bunch of the guys in the team. And I think he's definitely deserving. Now, I said this to my wife before I even signed my contract was, you know, I think John Robinson's a great GM regardless of whether or not I got that contract. So I think the best thing is going to happen for the team. And I think Derek is going to do an amazing job for us this year and hopefully for a lot more years to come. Can't say Taylor is wrong right there. John Robinson is a darn good general manager. And then Taylor talked about when things started to click last season for the offensive line. We bring in Roger Saffold. He's expecting to play with me all the way up until camp. Dennis Kelly and Jack Conklin are fighting for the right tackle spot.
Starting point is 00:14:49 And then all of a sudden Dennis is like, Hey, now you got to go and play left. And, you know, I definitely threw a wrench in that thing. Like I said before, I had no idea what I was taking, but that, that probably is a big deal to have how the slower start happened. When I came back, I think those guys did a great job. And those first four games, obviously ups and downs and kind of mixing and matching people here and there. But to continue that is just keeping an open line of communication. Like I said, this offense line is
Starting point is 00:15:15 extremely tight. These guys just really know how to work together. Roger and I really started to figure each other out about week seven. I think it was right after the Carolina game, things really started to turn around for us, which is extremely, you know, that's not good to be halfway through the season and then starting to figure it out. But another year of playing together, me not getting suspended is a big one. And then making sure that, you know, the boys stay on top of it. We, like I said, we have to keep an open line of communication. It sounds like everybody's working out really hard and we know what we can be for this team we know that as a group we have an opportunity to do something special and not
Starting point is 00:15:54 only as individuals but the continuity of the offense line and the entire offense itself we take a lot of pride in the the rushing title we take a lot of pride to keep it tannahill upright and so um it just it's become personal for us to be one of the best offense lines in the rushing title. We take a lot of pride in keeping Tannehill upright. And so it's become personal for us to be one of the best offensive lines in the league and make that sort of a goal. And I know that's a huge goal in our room right now. You like to hear the accountability from Taylor LeJuan there. It's obvious that his suspension had a negative impact on not only the offensive line, not only the offense,
Starting point is 00:16:22 but the entire team at the beginning of the season. Next, Taylor LeJuan talked about how you handle the competition between Isaiah Wilson and Dennis Kelly. It's obvious that Taylor has played with Dennis Kelly for quite some years, so maybe their relationship is very strong. But Isaiah Wilson is a first-round rookie, and obviously long-term it would be better if Isaiah Wilson was able to win the starting job. So Taylor talks about dealing with that matchup and dealing with that balance. Yeah, I think that's a good question. I want to approach this year the way I'd like to approach the rest of my career is I'm willing to help anybody and everybody. And anything that I can help Isaiah with, I'm going to help Isaiah with. Anything I can help Dennis with, I'm going to help
Starting point is 00:17:03 Dennis with. What I care about more than anything is winning football games, winning football games, winning, and trying to get in the playoffs and getting that last dance and figuring that whole thing out. That's the most important thing. So relationships off the football fields are what they are, but we all know it's a business. And someday there's going to be some young slappy that comes in probably the top 10 pick that wants to come and take my job.
Starting point is 00:17:26 And I'm going to treat him with respect and teach him everything I can and still beat him out. So I think, you know, it's, it's definitely, it is touchy at first, but when you realize there's so much black and white, like when you're on the field, the only thing that matters is getting the office line better. And the only thing that matters is keeping Tannehill upright, getting Derek yards and winning football games. That's the only thing. And whoever the best person is for that right tackle spot is going to be
Starting point is 00:17:47 there. That's just, that's just what it is. I love Dennis to death. I've had time to spend with his a and not those guys are, they're both great people. So I'm looking forward to watching that battle and looking forward to them both grow as players too. Cause when you have that kind of competition,
Starting point is 00:18:01 it definitely makes you pick up your game quite a bit so it's going to be you know it's tough but it's part of the business it is what it is and i'm excited to see what happens love that answer from taylor there and it will be probably the most exciting training camp battle to watch in terms of a starting position right now off the top of my head is absolutely the most interesting or at least the one that I am most interested in going into the regular season and then Taylor LeJuan talked more about the leadership role that he's going to try to take on this year and then also talked about if it's fair for the team to ask him to take a bigger leadership role well yeah that I mean whoever told you that is smart and probably a little closer to me than I like
Starting point is 00:18:46 them to be, but that is true. That is something that I have. I've thought about quite a bit since the season ended, knowing that if I can be a better leader for this team, it's just going to help. Yeah. This is my seventh year. I have made pro bowls. I have had a certain amount of success in this league that can help out a lot of other guys. And, you know, I think for a while I shied away from that a little bit. I did go to Michigan when I was at Michigan and I was a captain. There was a piece
Starting point is 00:19:14 of me I lost and trying to be that all-American guy. Then I come in here and Ken makes me a captain my second year. And I'm trying to be what I think people need me to be. And, you know, malarkey came, stripped the sea away and all that. And whether that was right or wrong, it doesn't really matter. I think I was just trying to be something that I wasn't. And now that I kind of am more grounded and know who I am as a person and know what I can give this team and know what I can give in this whole career of mine. It's a, it's important to me to take on a bigger leadership role. That is important. It is it's going to help the team. And that's, that's the most important thing.
Starting point is 00:19:53 When you get to a game like the AFC championship game and you realize how close you are, and then you start to realize, Hey, I'm, I'm, you know, I don't have 20 years to play this game. I have, you know, hopefully five good ones left, steal a couple at the end there, but it's, um, you realize how short this career can really be and how much I need to make the most of it. So I look forward to taking up that challenge and being a good leader for this team and doing the best I can to help, uh, turn that page to where we do get farther than we did last year. Yeah. I think if I was the coaches right now,
Starting point is 00:20:25 I'd be pretty pissed off that I haven't taken on the leadership role yet. I think, um, I've, I've done a poor job of stepping up as a leader and that's, that's been by choice and a little more by fear than anything else because of, you know, how I've been bit in the past, trying to think, Oh, I don't want to be something I'm not. And now, um, just like I said before, realizing who I am and realizing what I can bring to the table is really not. And now, just like I said before, realizing who I am and realizing what I can bring to the table is really important. And I owe it to this team to be a better leader. That is such a poignant answer from Taylor LeJuan. Shows just a great level of self-awareness. And obviously, I know that some of you are sitting there thinking, we've heard this from Taylor
Starting point is 00:21:02 LeJuan. I got to be accountable. I got to be accountable I gotta be better blah blah blah we hear it from him all the time he knows what to say he's well spoken he knows exactly what to say when to say it and why he's saying it but you can tell in his voice there's an earnestness there there's an honesty there he wants to be better he wants to be a better leader and I thought it was really interesting hear him talk about how he kind of tried to be something that he wasn't early on. And it led him into, you know, losing that captaincy and trying to regain, you know, the trust of the other players in the locker room. I just thought that was a fantastic answer. Getting into the core, you know, of who Taylor LeJuan is and who he wants to be. And obviously, I do think having things settled in your life,
Starting point is 00:21:46 having a child, having a relationship, all of those things will help you kind of settle into who you are as a person. You know, we look at these guys, these professional athletes, and think of all the money that they make and the fame that they have and their prowess as a human being. And sometimes we lose that they're just human beings who are kind of going through life trying to figure out who they are as well. And anybody out there who's obviously over the age of 18, gone through their 20s into
Starting point is 00:22:13 their 30s knows that the maturation process from being an early young adult in your early 20s to getting into your 30s and settling down in life, it's just different. It's just a different mindset. You're a different person. You mature. I mean, that's the best way to put it, and it seems like Taylor has finally kind of settled in. The last thing that we're going to hear from Taylor LeJuan here is just talking about the communication between that offensive lineman and how things are looking right now considering where the offseason is. I mean, communicating is just talking, right? And Ben andger do a great job of doing that
Starting point is 00:22:45 during the game um roger and i go off the sidelines after every series talk about what we saw what we felt how i can help him more how he can help me more in certain situations that open line of communication it's not like being a rookie we're like oh is this guy gonna yell at me ben and i have yelled at each other before roger and i have yelled at each other before. Like that is just part of the deal. We just go out and do our job and staying in a constant line of communication about what we're seeing on the field at those times, even in practice, is huge. So that's not just for us three.
Starting point is 00:23:15 It's the entire offensive line. And I think it's in all of my career, the communication has probably been better than ever. Love hearing that the communication is as good as it's ever been in Taylor's career. That's fantastic news for all Titans fans. We are going to come back and hear from left guard Roger Saffold. We are going to hear from Titans starting left guard Roger Saffold, and he starts off by just giving his thoughts on the 2019 season that was. There was definitely an adjustment last season, just with everything being new.
Starting point is 00:24:01 And I think that just having that kind of like perseverance to kind of just keep working through it and then start meshing with the offensive line, it allowed us to find a lot of success towards the end of the year. You know, I really like the mentality, the direction that we're kind of going into next year. And I think that we should expect to be on the same plane, you know, just to continue using the years from last season,
Starting point is 00:24:28 but always challenging ourselves to be better than before. Then Saffold gives his thoughts on the Ryan Tannehill extension. As far as Ryan, I mean, Ryan played extremely well. You know, he deserves the deal that he has, and, you know, our biggest thing is how can we play better so that we can continue to let him shine on the field. You know, for us, we know that pass protection was a problem. And, you know, it's something that we're constantly working on,
Starting point is 00:24:55 constantly focusing on. You know, the direction that we're going in the offensive line room, I feel like we're gelling really well. We're working really well with Coach Carter. the offensive line room, I feel like we're gelling really well. We're working really well with Coach Carter. And I just really plan on seeing some success this next upcoming season. You know, Ryan did a great job being at the helm.
Starting point is 00:25:17 And, you know, I think, once again, it just comes down to the mindset of this entire team to just carry on with that momentum and just keep working to be our best selves come game day here in 2020. And then Saffold, like Taylor, was asked when did things start to click last year? I think that it just came down to confidence and just kind of letting go and just playing the game. You know, we really wanted to put ourselves in position to win more games. And sometimes we could have been, you know, trying to be too perfect instead of just, you know, kind of going with the flow of the game.
Starting point is 00:25:47 I think that when we allowed it to happen, we were able to kind of fine tune some things. I would say that it was probably after the Denver game. And I think that we were just clicking from that point on. Once you start seeing success, you can just continue to build off of it. And, you know, the great thing about this offensive line is just, you know, no matter how good people tell us that we're good or how
Starting point is 00:26:09 bad they tell us that we're bad, you know, we're constantly coming into work to try to better ourselves. And I think that having that kind of growth mindset really helped us to, you know, be consistent all the way through for the rest of the season. You know, when you look at games and games of success over and over again, one step short from making the Super Bowl, that should give you a lot of confidence going into the next season to be even better for yourself and for your team. And how can they carry that momentum into next season? I think just, you know, the overall chemistry with the offensive line
Starting point is 00:26:42 is a ton better, especially with Taylor. I think that we started feeding off each other really well after, I think the sixth game of the season. As far as just for myself, you know, just kind of the concepts that the coaches are looking for, you know, kind of the way that they want us to handle certain types of protections, you know, the techniques, you know, we started to figure that out better and better as the season went on.
Starting point is 00:27:06 And now it's kind of second nature. The fact that they can tell me something and I can regurgitate that back to them, the way that they see it is really helpful and kind of understanding plays and understanding technique. And now I have a better grasp of that. So it's going to help me in the future, especially in practice. And how much faster of a start can you all get off to when you do get back on the field,
Starting point is 00:27:32 when you're not having to learn and think so much and you can just kind of do? You just kind of get to play free. And I think that that's what every football athlete is kind of looking for, not to think too much, not to overthink situations just to play and then when you have any problems you go over it with a tape but usually when you play like that you have good things that you get to teach off of after the game for us you know once again it comes down to just kind of leadership kind of keeping our guys motivated keeping our
Starting point is 00:27:59 guys uh you know just wanting to get better every day. And once we start growing collectively, that's when things really start getting fun, like we saw at the end of the season. When Saffold signed with the Titans, he was coming off a Super Bowl appearance with the Los Angeles Rams and then went to the AFC Championship game in 2019. How motivated does that make Saffold to get back to the Super Bowl and actually win? take Saffold to get back to the Super Bowl and actually win? It's huge. I think that just, you know, my passion for that is through the roof.
Starting point is 00:28:31 You know, after going to the Super Bowl and then realizing that we were one game from getting into the playoffs with the Titans, I was really driven. You know, my entire focus was driven to, you know, getting back to the Super Bowl. Total, complete confidence in myself and my teammates. And basically, what can I do to get us there again? This time we know, you know, having a slow start won't help us at all. We really had to, you know, kind of gut wrench through the season to get everything back
Starting point is 00:28:59 the right way for us now. I think that now that we know our capabilities, you know, having that fast start is always in the back of our minds, but we're not putting any pressure on us. We know that the hard work was what got us there. So for me, you know, I constantly, even, even the day after I lost the Superbowl, all I thought about was getting back. People thought I was crazy for coming to the Titans, but look at us now.
Starting point is 00:29:26 So I have nothing but confidence in my team, and I can't wait to get back in that position again. And then finally, Saffold gives his thoughts on Isaiah Wilson and Nate Davis as the two youngest members of the offensive line group. Well, as far as Isaiah is concerned, I mean, you know, you love having a big body over there. I've seen, you know, just a little bit of his gameplay. But what I really love is I love his work ethic.
Starting point is 00:29:53 I'm seeing him constantly posting about workouts. And, you know, work is definitely huge for us. You know, the sky's the limit, man, for all these rookies, man. You know, it's kind of like what type of mindset will you have and will you fight through the adversity to be your best self when you're needed. So until we get him on the practice field, I won't really have a good idea for sure. But I'm liking what I see for right now just out of what he's doing during this offseason. for right now just out of what he's doing during this offseason.
Starting point is 00:30:29 As far as Nate is concerned, Nate constantly has been trying to just, you know, get better. You know, he's constantly learning from his mistakes. You know, when we're in meetings, you know, he's on top of his information and he's answering questions and doing better. He's a better rookie for these next four games. But both of them, like I said, man, just potential is just through the roof. I mean, I'm very, I'm very excited to see what both of them can do. And, uh, I'm very excited to see, see Nate for sure, because I know that Nate's been, been working.
Starting point is 00:30:59 All right, guys, that's going to wrap up our sounds of the Titans. Hope you enjoyed those highlights and that analysis. We are going to get into the last segment of our Friday show, a little Friday mailbag. See you on the other side. Let's go into the weekend with a little bit of a friday mailbag we are going to start with the first question here from alberto tenorio he says everybody expects a tannahill regression and i understand it but what are the possibilities that he maintains or improves his level i mean he
Starting point is 00:31:42 will now be the starter from week one and and the offense has last year's experience. So here's what I will say. It's not just that Tannehill will be the starter from week one, but, bringing it back, Taylor LeJuan will be in the lineup from week one, which will help the offensive line play at a better level. And the confidence from last year, I think, will help the Titans' offense. And Arthur Smith is in his second year of play calling instead of his rookie season where he you know logically was taking his lumps early on and learning on the fly so I think those things are reasons for optimism not necessarily just
Starting point is 00:32:15 Ryan Tannehill improving his plate now he played at some historic levels last year he's basically Joe Montana so I think even with some, he could still be a very solid and winning quarterback for the Titans, can get the Titans to the Super Bowl, even if he does regress a little bit. But we could see some improvements in certain areas because Ryan Tannehill, although he had all that success last year, he still got sacked a ton. So if the offensive line is better in pass protection, that continuity that they established at the end of the year, if they're able to kind of keep that going from week one, that means Tannehill will be upright more,
Starting point is 00:32:51 and then that will allow him to maybe improve his play. So there is potential there, but even with some regression, if the Titans are able to keep him upright, he was, according to that article from Doug Fara that we talked about, he was the best passer in the NFL with a clean pocket so if the Titans are able to keep that pocket clean more than they did last season due to the continuity and everything going on with the offensive line and having the unit together from the start then there's definitely optimism that Tannehill you know can improve
Starting point is 00:33:20 certain areas instead of maybe some of the areas that he was prolific at last year, like yards per attempt and things like that. The Titans had a ton of explosive plays, and maybe next year as an offense, they won't have to rely so much on those explosive plays. They can just be more consistent by keeping Tannehill upright and having more continuity on that offensive line. The next question comes from Kareem labib on twitter he says love the pod listen almost every day question for you well thanks kareem do you know if henry is attending virtual off-season program or if he is quote unquote holding out okay so i don't know absolutely for certain if derrick henry is in the conferences, in the Zoom meetings. But, but, one thing I will tell you is,
Starting point is 00:34:06 he already signed his franchise tender and said he does not intend on holding out. So if there's anything that he is mandatory, supposed to be involved in, Derrick Henry will absolutely be there. So no, no sort of holdout, and I would not be surprised to know that he is attending all the virtual meetings and everything like everybody else. Henry is a team player. He's a leader. And I think at this time, he really does think the Titans are going to get a long-term extension
Starting point is 00:34:29 done for him. So with that in mind, there's no reason for him to, I guess, be petty and have sour grapes and kind of hold out on certain things. There's just no reason for him to do that. Nothing positive he can gain from doing that at this moment in time. The next question that we have here comes from TitansFan66 at TitansFan661 on Twitter. He says, for the Friday mailbag, if the Titans don't get Clowney, what do you think the Titans should do with the extra cap?
Starting point is 00:34:56 And I've talked about this a little bit in different episodes. I think that it would be wise to go out and get a veteran backup quarterback. I'm not certain that I trust Logan Woodside or Cole McDonald to be the Titans backup if Tannehill gets injured for a couple of games or even has to go out for a half of football. That's just how I feel about it. Maybe Logan Woodside proves me wrong in the preseason. I'm hoping for that. I want nothing but the best for the guy, but at this time, I'd like to see them go out and get a veteran quarterback who can actually potentially win them some games if needed. Blake Bortles is still for the guy. But at this time, I'd like to see them go out and get a veteran quarterback who can actually potentially win them some games if needed. Blake Bortles is still on the market.
Starting point is 00:35:29 Trevor Simeon is still on the market. And they have much more starting experience than Logan Woodside and Cole McDonald combined in the NFL. So that's where I think the Titans could go. And of course, if they miss out on Crownie, they could get more reinforcements for the defensive line in the pass rush group. I don't think that would be a terrible idea either uh next we have a question from john porter he said if you were the gm i like this question who are the titans you would extend
Starting point is 00:35:54 how long and how much other than the king if you could extend cory davis for three years 15 to 18 million for the life of the contract would you okay so two different questions there I would make sure that I extend Jonu Smith I think he's coming into his own and I think right now you could get him at a bargain because of his lack of production I think after this season when he has a full season as tight end one his price is going to go way up also Jayon Brown they have to secure Jayon Brown he totally changed the pass defense once he was able to actually get on the field consistently in 2017 so I think those two would be the number one guys that that I would look at right now and coincidentally their contracts will be up
Starting point is 00:36:34 after the end of this season and then as for Corey Davis yeah they could get Corey Davis at three years uh six million dollars a year three years 18 million then absolutely you re-sign Corey Davis at three years, $6 million a year, three years, $18 million, then absolutely you've re-signed Corey Davis. But I've got to be honest with you, I don't foresee that. What I see more likely is an $8 million to $10 million deal for Corey Davis next year from a different team. We saw Robbie Anderson get a one-year $10 million deal from the Panthers. And although Corey Davis doesn't necessarily have the production that Robbie Anderson had,
Starting point is 00:37:09 I still think Corey Davis will be in that salary range next year he'll probably get a one to two year deal with about 10 to 12 million dollars per year and another chance to take an opportunity where they're banking on his talent and him improving with a new situation so that's that's what I would say but yeah if they could get a bargain on Corey Davis like that, then of course you got to explore bringing him back. But that is going to do it for today's show and this week of shows for the Locked On Titans podcast. Now that you are done with this episode, make sure you tell your smart device to play the Locked On NFL podcast. There's a lot of national news.
Starting point is 00:37:41 We talked about it quite a bit in our first segment, but there's a lot more national news. And obviously you could get a much larger deep dive, much deeper deep dive into those topics on the National NFL Show. So make sure you check out the Locked On NFL podcast. I will be back with you guys next week for another week of Locked On Titans episodes. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans episodes. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.

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