Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee PIONEERS?? Division Crossover Series: Convo w/ Locked on Bengals

Episode Date: May 13, 2020

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Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, we are back with another installment in our division crossover series. Today, we are going to be talking to James and Jake from the Locked On Bengals podcast. And it was a really fun conversation. Obviously, there's a lot of optimism in Cincinnati right now with the draft pick of Joe Burrow the number one pick at quarterback also Joe Burrow is an Ohio guy so like I said optimism is at an all-time high in Cincinnati right now so we get to talk to James

and Jake about how they're feeling about the Bengals right now on offense and defense also ask them about some weaknesses within the Titans roster that maybe they could take advantage of to start our conversation. Of course, we flip things around to the second side of things where they ask me some questions about the Titans. I get into Ryan Tannehill, Derrick Henry, all the big topics that all of these locked on hosts want to hear about when they're checking out the Titans offseason. So a really good conversation there as we work our way through the AFC North.

But of course, we have to start our show with our lead story. And today and Tuesday on the Midday 180, the popular radio show in Nashville. We got some stories from the early days of the Tennessee Titans, talking about potential names that the Titans could have been other than the Titans. Also talked about why the Titans are not branded as the Nashville Titans. A couple of different things coming out of those interviews from the Midday 180. So we will talk about that. Of course, this episode of Locked on Titans is brought to you by Built Bar. Excellent protein health bars that taste great.

Check them out at BuiltBar.com. Use promo code LOCKEDON and you'll get $10 off your first box at BuiltBar.com. But we are going to get into our crossover conversation with the Locked On Bengals after we talk about these stories from the early days of the Titans. A lot to get into today. Let's get it. After 22 years of being called the Tennessee Titans, it is strange to imagine the team having any other nickname.

But according to a report and a story today, it does appear that the Titans had a very different nickname lined up for the opening of the team in Nashville. And according to longtime Houston reporter John McClain, who went on the Midday 180 radio show today in Nashville, the Titans were originally going to be called the Tennessee Pioneers. But it appears that there was a leak. So the owner at the time, Amy Adams Strunk's father, Bud Adams, decided to change everything.

At that time, there was a large list of possible names, but other than the Titans, some of the names that were getting the most love include, of course, the Pioneers, which was the initial first choice, but there were also some other names like the Copperheads, the Nashville Cherokees, also the Nashville Stars were considered. So those were some top choices other than the Titans and the Pioneers. Ultimately though, owner Bud Adams went with the Tennessee Titansans it was considered at one point in time that the team would go by the city that hosts the squad and go by nashville but we also heard from the midday 180 former titans vice president don mclaughlin talk about that name change and he said

that although it was possible that they would go with Nashville it seemed that it was always best to go with the Tennessee Titans because at that point you would garner more regional fan support and that does make a ton of sense capitalizing on the entire Tennessee market rather than limiting things to just being a Nashville based team with the love of the sport of football in Tennessee, it definitely does make sense. But one thing that was strange is even hearing the Tennessee Pioneers saying that out loud felt very strange. It seems like the Tennessee Titans and the alliteration and how the name rolls off the tongue

was most certainly the right choice for the franchise and 22 years later it appears that the foundation that Bud Adams had laid for this franchise all of that is coming out more positive than could ever be imagined with the NFL draft the uniform changes the upgrades and additions to the Titans facility Bud Adams daughter Amy Adams Strunk has taken over the team and the excellently named Tennessee Titans and taken them to new heights recently. So an incredible story coming out of some of the early days of the Tennessee Titans as a football team and luckily the name of the Pioneers was scrapped to go for a much more sensical name of the Tennessee Titans that capitalizes on Greek mythology and, of course, Nashville being named the Athens of the South.

So all of it lined up to become the Tennessee Titans, which obviously was much better than the other choices that were available at the time. Now, personally, I'm going to keep it 100% honest. I love the name the Titans. If they would have been called anything else, I think it would have been a huge missed opportunity. All of the symbolism that goes around with the Titans and Greek mythology and all of that, I think it's perfect for a football team.

And also, as a podcast host named Tyler, having the team be the Titans, I can't really complain when that's my favorite team. I wonder if I could go back in time and ask myself as a young child when I decided that I loved the Titans, if that had anything to do with my decision. I don't know. Can't rule it out. But either way, I think they picked the right name. What I do want is to hear from you guys. So follow me on Twitter, at TicTacTitans.

Let me know if you liked any of the other names. The Nashville Stars doesn't sound bad. I know that it's a possibility a baseball team may take that moniker right there. But did you like any of the other options? Copperheads, Stars, Cherokees, Pioneers even potentially? Man, what a lucky leak that the Titans organization got that caused Bud Adams to change his mind on the Tennessee Pioneers. That would not have gone over very well or aged very well in today's climate.

But either way, let me know on Twitter at Tic Tac Titans whether or not you think the Titans was the best option. I have a feeling that you will. But if you like some other ones, let me know. Also, just as a general reminder before we jump into the next installment of our division crossover series, I have a lot of great content planned for you guys coming up throughout the rest of the month after we finish our division crossover series. This week, we are going to jump into some draft breakdowns. I'm going to do some deep dives on some individual prospects put up some of my tic-tac titans film breakdowns that I've been

doing on Twitter so follow me there let me know how you feel about the name but stay for the film breakdowns that I'll be posting also like I said make sure you're subscribed to Locked On Titans whether that be on Apple podcast whether you have to follow on Spotify, whatever platform you stream your podcast, just make sure that you are locked into the Locked On Titans podcast. I have some great content coming up throughout the rest of the offseason. Before we jump into our division crossover conversation with the Locked On Bengals podcast, I want to let you guys know a little bit about Built Bar.

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you feel so guilty. Well, the mint brownie, 15 grams of protein, only 110 calories, 4 grams of sugar, 5 grams of net carbs. Either way, you can't go wrong with Built Bar. So go to BuiltBar.com, use promo code LOCKEDON, and you'll get $10 off your first order. Use promo code LOCKEDON, once again, at BuiltBar.com for $10 off. All right, guys. We are here with another edition of our Division Crossover Series. We have the host of the Locked on Bengals podcast. We have James and we have Jake going to get into a little bit of a conversation about what these teams have done in the offseason.

Also, how things kind of profile for their matchup later on in the regular season. So we will be getting into a few things. I'm going to start out by asking them a few questions about how things are looking in Cincinnati at the moment. It's a bright time, I guess. Optimism abound there in Cincinnati with Joe Burrow coming in as the number one pick. So I guess I'll just give you guys a little bit of a blank canvas to start. What's your feeling around the team right now coming off a season where you did get the number one pick so it wasn't a great year but having Joe Burrow in the fold now it kind of changes the way the organization feels do you guys feel that and just what's your general thoughts on on where the Bengals are right now headed into 2020 I feel like if you ask any Bengals fan how do you feel now versus how did

you feel a year ago you're going to get unanimous answers of dramatically increased excitement. And that's with a new head coach last year. The Bengals and their fans were ready for a new coach. They were ready to move on from Marvin Lewis. There was some excitement around Zach Taylor, but I think there was also a healthy bit of skepticism because this is a guy that had never done more than quarterback coaching in the NFL. He was an interim coordinator for the Miami Dolphins for a short period of time, but it was his, it was a big jump for Zach Taylor and their attendance numbers last year kind of

bore out the loss of faith by Bengals fans and the organization their worst attendance numbers since the early 90s which of course known as a lost decade in Cincinnati is not something to be very proud of but bringing Joe Burrow into the fold having an offseason where they spent prolifically in unrestricted free agency I think it's done a lot to rebuild goodwill with the fans and should go a long way in getting more butts in seats will it have a big impact on the team well really that comes down to joe burrow doesn't it and if he makes the year one transition to playing well in the nfl it's not an enviable task to me doing this in an environment where you can't get live reps they're doing their virtual off-season program right now and the rookies just started they just came in this week

but Joe Burrow can't go out there and throw to AJ Green right now even though he's trying to set up seven on sevens as we heard today from Jesse Bates on the Ian Rapoport rap sheet and friends podcast but I think that it's a tough task. And if anybody can do it, I think Joe Burrow has the attitude. His competitiveness is off the charts. His ability to hold people accountable, I think, is something that we've heard about since he was in high school. So those traits could help him hit the ground running

to go along with his football traits. I just think that we're asking a lot of rookies those traits could help him hit the ground running to go along with his football traits. I just think that we're asking a lot of rookies to go be a playoff team right now, and I think that that is a little bit beyond most Bengals fans' expectations for 2020. Yeah, and that makes sense, and you're right. It's a very intelligent point to point out how the shortened offseason, the unusual offseason could affect this rookie class coming into the NFL. But one thing that'll help Joe Burrow kind of get over that learning curve will be having a good supporting cast around him. I think part of the optimism there in Bengal land is with Joe Burrow.

But what's around him? Because you look at the Bengals weapons, a good back in Joe Mixon, Tyler Boyd, you got A.J. Green possibly coming back healthy. They added T. Higgins. Auden Tate is another big guy. Even somebody like Alex Erickson is a decent player. C.J. Uzama could take a little bit of a leap with an increased role. And then, of course, you have John Ross,

but I have a feeling that maybe that conversation isn't as positive. But it seems like there's a decent set of weapons around Joe Burrow to help him out. The real question for the Bengals' offense now is the offensive line. Getting first-round pick Jonah Williams back in the fold after missing last year with an injury, what's the status of the Bengals' offensive line, and do you think that they'll continue throughout the offseason to work to improve that unit right now?

They're more confident, Tyler, in the offensive line, and by they I mean the coaching staff in the front office, than I think everyone outside of the organization. I think what they've done this offseason shows that. They were open to offensive line in the draft, but they weren't willing to reach. They didn't think it was a glaring need anymore than linebacker for instance. So I think that they feel better about it. They think Jonah Williams is a guy who's going to step

in and play left tackle at a high level, despite not playing a snap last year in his rookie season, because they drafted him 11th overall for a reason and they believe in him there that they're really relying on a lot of these young guys to take a step forward as well mike jordan a fourth round pick out of ohio state last year they're expecting him to take a step forward at left guard they like trey hopkins at center and there's a lot to like he's an average but uh workman like uh type center who's certainly intelligent enough to get the job done and then the right side is as big of a question mark as any part of this line who's going to play right tackle is it fred johnson is it bobby hart question mark question

mark who knows right so i think that that's a spot that they would have loved to address in the draft but they weren't going to reach to do it and they weren't willing to. And then Xavier Suofilo, who's penciled in as the starting right guard, he's a guy that was okay last year for Dallas, but he wasn't a starter. And so how much of an upgrade is he really on this line? So I think they're relying and they're hoping on development and relying on these young guys to be better than maybe the expectations of them are and exceed expectations. But the depth really isn't there. And I think you're right. If you're looking at a weak point and weak spot on this offense, it isn't Joe Burrow. It isn't even the weapons. You rattled off a lot of weapons there. And they have given Joe Burrow the weapons to succeed, but will he

have the time to, and will that offensive line hold up? That's the key, and I think that's the biggest question mark as we move forward and get closer to the 2020 season. Yeah, well, color me optimistic about the Cincinnati Bengals, but I think that if we do get some improvement in the offensive line, they could be a competitive football team. Like you guys said earlier, I'm not willing to go as far as to say playoffs, but I guess I'm a little bit higher on what the Bengals have on their roster

than most people in the media, at least. But I do want to transition the conversation away from the offense and to that Bengals defense. And we talk a lot about the offense because, you know, there's a lot to talk about there. But the Bengals defense last year was abysmal worst run defense in the league given up close to 150 yards a game they weren't much better in the past given up 245 yards a game they're 26 points a game so on defense improvement needed to come pretty fast and it looks like the Bengals used free agency to do that adding a run stuffing

nose tackle like DJ Reeder also adding someone like Logan Wilson and Akeem Davis Gaither in the draft at the linebacker position they made some other upgrades in free agency at the cornerback position with Trey Waynes what do you think we're going to see from this defense this year do you think that the additions they made in the draft and in free agency are enough to get them, you know, maybe not up to one of the best defenses in the league? Of course, that might be too much to ask, but at least enough improvement to be competitive. Do you see that in the moves they made or do you think there's, you know, more that needs to be done? I think there's reason to believe that they could be a top half of the league defense and if they overachieve it could be a little bit better the additions you talked about address one of the significant

issues that the team had last year and it's controlling the line of scrimmage dj reader makes a big difference in that regard and then it's team speed early in the season you look at the san francisco game week two or three last year. They challenged the Bengals horizontally. They said, can you cover a sideline to sideline? Can you run with our team speed sideline to sideline? And San Francisco is a very fast offense, but the Bengals couldn't do it. So they went out and they spent a lot of draft capital on more athletic linebackers than they had previously.

As you mentioned, Akeem Davis Gaither should be the most athletic linebacker on the team. Logan Wilson, an incredibly productive cover man at linebacker in college, who is truly, potentially a three-down linebacker in the NFL. To go along with last year's rookie developmental kind of player, Jermaine Pratt, who really came on in the second half. Then in the secondary, they go get Von Bell, Trey Waynes, Mackenzie Alexander. The theme for those three players is strong, willing run defenders, adequate coverage players, and in Mackenzie Alexander's case, I think he's a very good slot corner. Trey Waynes, though, is really more of a

marginal upgrade over what they had there in Dre Kirkpatrick, except for that he's a much more willing tackler. He's a much better tackler. He's going to be a lot better in run support. And that's something that the Bengals have needed because they haven't had corners that were willing to play in the run game. So, in summary, they've made moves specifically to improve their ability to contain and control the run. They've added team speed on defense. And if they get a leap from Jermaine Pratt, they get solid play from Josh Bynes.

The only linebacker they signed in free agency should be a solid two-down run stopper. You should see at least improvements in run defense. And what does that mean against derrick henry i don't know maybe nothing because he's derrick henry and because that's how good the titans rushing offense has been but generally i think you should expect to see a much improved unit especially because in the second half last year when the coaches had a chance to put some adjustments in you saw a defense that was at least top half of the league. Well, you give me a perfect segue into my final question for you guys before we flip this over to the other side of the conversation. And that is getting to this matchup that will take place

on week eight in the NFL regular season. And from your guys' perspective, what are some weaknesses on the Titans team that you think that the Bengals could take advantage of to possibly steal that game? Wow, weaknesses for the Titans. I think that the key would be hoping Ryan Tannehill looks like Dolphins' Ryan Tannehill and not like Titans' Ryan Tannehill. Because obviously he played at a high level last year. No, honestly, Tyler, I look at thisans team and they're going to win up front i i feel confident in saying that with their offensive line yeah they they lose uh a right tackle jack conklin they make up for it by drafting one in isaiah wilson who we talked a lot about in cincinnati as being a potential

target for the bengals so i I think that that's the key. Is there any way that the Bengals up front can handle what the Titans do, which includes stopping Derrick Henry or containing Derrick Henry? If that's not the case, I don't really see how it works out. I mean, you look at the weaknesses. I like their secondary. I like their defense. I think they're well coached. There aren't many weaknesses. Jake and I talked about it earlier this week when we were previewing it. And the Titans might be boring in some spots, but they're well coached. They're going to win up front and they have the blueprint to win. And that's what they've done over the past few seasons. And that's what helped them

take down the Patriots last year and get all the way to the AFC title game. Yeah, absolutely right. The Titans are, I guess, quote unquote, boring at a lot of spots, but a little bit better than a lot of people around the league seem to realize. But we'll get into more Titan centric conversation next when you guys fire off some questions of your own to me about the Titans. So we will come back with the second part of our conversation in this division crossover series with Locked On Titans and Locked On Bengals next. crossover week continues here on the locked on podcast network and let's bring in tyler roland from locked on titans and tyler let's dive right in because i think titans fans have to be feeling pretty good given what they did last season let Let's start with Ryan Tannehill. They pay him a bunch of

money. How are Titans fans feeling and how do the Titans feel about Ryan Tannehill? Well, inside the building, the organization feels absolutely fantastic about finally having a quarterback. The reality is John Robinson took over as the general manager of the Tennessee Titans in 2016 and changed this entire organization. He flipped the roster, he flipped the mentality, and the Titans have been a competitive team for four straight seasons, going nine and seven all four, but making the playoffs two out of four. And the reality is they did all of that while having Marcus Mariota at quarterback, which outside of 2016, before he broke his leg, was the only real time he played up to his draft slot.

So the Titans had average to below average quarterback play throughout most of that stretch and a quarterback that John Robinson inherited. And John Robinson came from Tampa Bay where he preferred, at least it seemed as an organization, Tampa Bay preferred Jameis Winston. So it is possible that John Robinson liked Winston over Mariota anyway. So when you think about that, and finally now Marcus Mariota is out of the building. The Titans have settled on Ryan Tannehill. It's the quarterback that they chose and that they picked with that general manager in place.

So I think the organization feels great. The fan base, as with most fan bases. Is a little up and down. Some people worried about regression. Worried about Ryan Tannehill from the Miami Dolphins. Showing back up. But I think the overwhelming feeling. Amongst the fan base is just excitement.

The Titans offense last year. Was as good as it has been. In over a decade. Maybe two decades. Depending on how you look at things statistically. And I think most of the fan base is generally just excited to have that same core group back and hope that they can see similar results because explosive offensive football is a site for sore eyes in Tennessee. So nice to see Ryan Tannehill back. I think most of the

fan base and the organization would agree it is a positive thing. Let's stay on the offense and talk a little bit about the wide receivers. A.J. Brown, obviously a revelation as a rookie, an excellent second round pick. Turns out to be, at least so far, the best receiver out of that mix at Ole Miss. His teammate, Marcus Wheaton, by the way, was one of the guys that the Bengals signed late last year. A little bit of a connection there if he ends up making the team for those two. But what about Corey Davis?

Is he going to live up to his draft position, do you think? I mean, he took a little bit of a step back, I think you could argue, last year. Is that more of a factor of A.J. Brown being really good and Derrick Henry being really good? Or is there room to grow for Corey Davis? Well, I think the reality was A.J. Brown was just hot last year and Tannehill felt comfortable with him. They had immediate chemistry. I think that did cause Corey Davis to go to the back burner. Corey Davis does get open.

Corey Davis is one of the best blocking wide receivers in the NFL. I'd say the best blocking wide receiver in the NFL. If I had to put money on it, uh, he's fantastic. He's a great teammate. He doesn't complain about the ball coming his way or his lack of production. And I'm sure in his mind, you know, you, you can be the best teammate in the world, but it's only human nature to, to worry about how you're performing. Everyone wants their team to win, but they want to be a part of it too so I think that at this point regardless of what Corey Davis does this year he won't be in Tennessee past this next season the Titans declined his fifth year option and for good reason it would have paid him 15 million dollars which Corey Davis is not worth that kind of money at this moment in

time even if I think that he's a little bit better than his production says. So I think he can be a productive wide receiver. I think he is a natural number two physical wide receiver in the NFL, but sometimes guys just need a change of scenery. Sometimes they just want a change of pace, a change of environment. And I got a feeling that like Marcus Mariota, who, you know, is took a backup spot. So in theory, he could have been a backup for the Titans, but sometimes you just want to get out of the environment that you've been in where things didn't necessarily go according to plan and just start fresh. And I think that no matter how Corey Davis performs this season,

he is going to move on to get that fresh opportunity afterwards. And I wouldn't say it's because he's an outright bust or anything like that, but the Titans have A.J. Brown now. He fits their system perfectly. And there's no way that the Titans are going to be willing to pay the money that Corey Davis is going to want to keep him around. So he should have a good, productive season, barring any kind of outstanding leap. But I just don't think he has the talent of a fifth overall pick.

That doesn't mean that he can't be a starting level player in the NFL, though. Unlike Corey Davis, things have gone according to plan for a guy like Derrick Henry, who set the world on fire last year, carried the Titans to the playoffs, was the sole reason that offense or a big part of that offense in every big win. When you look at his future, and obviously he signed his franchise tender, do they expect to get a long-term deal done with him before the start of the regular season? How is that looking? Well, I think right now that's a complicated question, and the Bengals are going to face a situation like that with Joe Mixon, of course, here shortly. So the issue you run into is just the overwhelming evidence that giving running backs big-time money is a bad idea.

I mean, the evidence is just overwhelming. At some point, backs big time money is a bad idea. I mean, the evidence is just overwhelming. At some point, it just stares you in the face. Now, one thing that I think the Titans are considering, and I do think that they eventually get a long-term deal done with Henry, because in my mind, I go back and forth all the time, speaking of the evidence, and then looking at Derrick Henry as a player. And at some point, you just kind of come down to Derrick Henry's a unicorn. I think it's possible that out of all these running backs that get big-time money and fail, I think that maybe Derrick Henry is an all-timer.

Maybe he's special. Maybe he's going to be different here. He has a work ethic that is different than an Ezekiel Elliott. He has the physicality that's a little bit different than a Le'Veon Bell. He doesn't have the prior injury history of todd girley he has more tangible success not only at the nfl level but at the college and high school level than a david johnson so out of all the guys that got paid recently it derrick henry has something that they don't have so while he lacks in the receiving area i think that it's possible that

he's just an NFL unicorn and his combination of work ethic, physicality, and, uh, you know, the team that he went to in the scheme that they run, it could make him be worth a long-term contract. Now, Christian McCaffrey money at 16 million, uh, APY. I don't think that the Titans are going to pay that, but somewhere 13 to 14 million. I do think that eventually they, they get a four year deal done with Derrick Henry and try to front load the contract so that they can walk away later on if he has the typical running back decline. And you make a good point because he is 250 pounds and they don't make running backs that big. I think he probably deals more damage to the

guys hitting him than he receives when he does take the amount of a beating that running backs in the NFL take. Let's switch gears though, talk defense, because I think if I look at this defense, Bengals fans probably know the names Jeffrey Simmons, Harold Landry, Vic Beasley, maybe Adorea Jackson, probably Kenny Vaccaro, maybe Kevin Bayard. Everyone knows Malcolm Butler from his performance in the Super Bowl. You have one of my favorite draft picks in the 2020 draft in the second rounder, Christian Fulton.

But what about Daquan Jones and Jack Crawford, Jayon Brown, Adorea Jackson? Tell me about some of these guys that Bengals fans might not know as much about who are the under heralded guys on this defense but don't say jonathan joseph because bengals fans do know who he is yeah uh at this point jonathan joseph is i i'm putting him at uh number one on the depth chart for assistant coach uh that's that's his. Yeah. And with bringing back something you brought up earlier, the limited all season and what that'll do to rookies, having a guy like Jonathan

Joseph in the locker room and in the cornerback room, I think could help somebody like Christian Fulton, who you brought up, who I'm really high on and excited to see what he can do now. But some of the unheralded guys on the titans defense are basically everybody i'm pretty impressed with with you rattling off most of their names uh although kevin byard is the highest i still i believe that he's still the highest paid safety in the nfl and has been uh basically a turnover machine since he came into the nfl i believe he has the most interceptions of any player since his rookie season and he didn't even have an interception his rookie years so uh really impressive there kevin byard's one of the best safeties rookie season, and he didn't even have an interception his rookie year. So really impressive there.

Kevin Byard's one of the best safeties in the league, and everyone should know his name. So just file that away. He's one of the best players in the league. But some of the more unheralded guys that should be talked about, the inside linebacker group of Rashawn Evans and Jayon Brown. Rashawn Evans is your classic get downhill, get through gaps, break up runs in the backfield, blitz, physical, make play, sideline to sideline.

Jayon Brown is your prototypical undersized pass coverage linebacker. But they're both absolutely excellent in their role. They do exactly what they were drafted to be. And Jayon Brown is who I really want to point to. He is only six foot. He's out of UCLA, a fifth round pick in 2017. But like I said, he is one of the absolute best coverage linebackers in the NFL. And the Bengals try to get really fast and really athletic at linebacker this all season.

So the fan base should understand what what athletes at the linebacker position can do for you like that. Jayon Brown's incredibly unheralded and another another guy that I give a lot of love to on social media, at Tic Tac Titans, where I do my film breakdowns for the team, Daquan Jones started out as a prototypical five technique coming out of Penn State in the Titans 3-4, transitioned after a pectoral injury and a bicep injury, transitioned to a nose tackle more

permanently. And people want to talk about Jeffrey Simmons taking a leap, and that's why the Titans traded Jarrell Casey. The reality is, is Daquan Jones has been excellent as an interior rusher and a run-stuffing nose tackle for quite some time, at least the last two seasons. And him kind of being a steady performer allowed the Titans to go away from Casey at a 13 million dollar salary so Daquan Jones who's also as a big man he is a big guy has also dropped back into coverage a little bit and the Titans disguised blitzes so uh Daquan Jones and Jayon Brown and then finally I will say Adoree Jackson, the Titans, picked up his fifth-year option for 2021 to pay him $10.2 million that season. Adoree Jackson came in as more of an athlete than a cornerback, but has developed his skills

and give a lot of credit to Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, who was the Titans defensive back coach the last two seasons. Really got Adoree better at his technique and expect him to be the number one cornerback on the titans for many years to come he's an athlete who's improving his technique and he's become one of the better matchup corners in the nfl and with all the speed in the nfl nowadays at the wide receiver position he is a a key call to their transition from a disguised blitz defense to a press man blitz defense and i think that what we've seen from the coaching staff there's a theme uh all over this team of overachievers or guys developing and and that's certainly a credit to mike vabel and his staff i do want to take a moment because kerry coombs is a name that is

very well known in cincinnati he coached colerain School, which was actually a rival of my high school in the area. I went to Princeton High School, our listeners all know, and I got to watch Colerain break my heart more times than I care to remember with Kerry Coons as a coach. Ohio high school football is nothing to mess with. Ohio high school football is some studs coming out of Ohio. Yeah, There's some pretty good players coming out of Ohio. When you look at the amount coming out of Texas, Ohio is certainly in the conversation for top five football states. Top five.

Yeah, no one's claiming number one for Ohio, but I think with Texas, California, and Florida, there is no competition there, but top five I think makes sense. Which is pretty great for a random state in the middle of the country. Seems like that's always happening. The presidents, the astronauts, the world leaders. Ohio produces greatness. There you go.

Some shout-outs for Ohio from our counterpart from the Locked on Titans podcast. Kevin, it has been a pleasure. We'll talk to you again before week eight. Yeah, absolutely. It has been a pleasure. We'll talk to you again before week eight. Yeah, absolutely. It has been a pleasure to talk to you guys. And of course, I know that we will only get one of James and Jake when the regular season actually comes. But it has been a pleasure talking to both of you and look forward to our next conversation

in week eight. Okay, guys, I hope you enjoyed that conversation with James and Jake from the Locked On Bengals podcast obviously it should be a fun game to watch when they face off in week 8 in the regular season remember that will be the Titans first game

after their bye week so if the Titans don't find a way to win that game you're going to see a meltdown on the podcast. There's going to be many Titan downs to go around if that takes place. But I'm pretty optimistic about the result of that game. But of course, that is going to do it for me today, guys. And now that you are done listening to this edition of the Locked on Titans podcast,

check out the Draft Dudes podcast still doing breakdowns from the draft. Also talking the 2021 draft. If you guys are like me, you're a draft junkie. Never too early to get started on next year's draft and never too late to continue breaking down this year's draft as well. So

check out that podcast. But I'm going to be back with you guys tomorrow. We have another AFC North division crossover conversation to go over and to go through. So that'll be fun. And then, of course, as I mentioned earlier in the show, I have a lot of good content coming out in the next few weeks for you guys. So make sure that you are subscribed or following the Locked on Titans podcast so you get these new episodes as soon as they drop.

I will be back with you guys tomorrow. Hey, while we're here, start sending in those mailbag questions to me on Twitter, at Tic Tac Titans, anything you'd like to ask. Titans, general NFL, other sports, food, music, movies, TV, pop culture, anything that your heart desires, anything you could possibly think of, I will answer for you guys to start getting those questions in. But as always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.