Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans BRAND NEW Offense, Offensive Line Starter Clues & Turf Field Age Gap

Episode Date: May 3, 2023

The Tennessee Titans had select players speak with the media on Wednesday and each player revealed a lot in their own way. First, Ryan Tannehill, Chig Okonkwo and Aaron Brewer talk about the changes to the offense. Next, Brewer reveals details about his position switch and we use that to look at possible offensive line combos. Finally, the players discussed the Titans changing to a turf field and the responses outline a generation gap.Follow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Built BarBuilt Bar is a protein bar that tastes like a candy bar. Go to builtbar.com and use promo code “LOCKEDON15,” and you’ll get 15% off your next order.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Don’t miss the chance to get your No Sweat First Bet up to ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS in Bonus Bets when you go FanDuel.com/LOCKEDON.FANDUEL DISCLAIMER: 21+ in select states. First online real money wager only. Bonus issued as nonwithdrawable free bets that expires in 14 days. Restrictions apply. See terms at sportsbook.fanduel.com. Gambling Problem? Call 1-800-GAMBLER or visit FanDuel.com/RG (CO, IA, MD, MI, NJ, PA, IL, VA, WV), 1-800-NEXT-STEP or text NEXTSTEP to 53342 (AZ), 1-888-789-7777 or visit ccpg.org/chat (CT), 1-800-9-WITH-IT (IN), 1-800-522-4700 (WY, KS) or visit ksgamblinghelp.com (KS), 1-877-770-STOP (LA), 1-877-8-HOPENY or text HOPENY (467369) (NY), TN REDLINE 1-800-889-9789 (TN) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

According to some Tennessee Titans players, the Titans have a brand new offense under Tim Kelly. I'll explain who said what and what it means on today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. Let's get it. 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. We got to talk about these comments that some of the Titans players made on Wednesday about a brand new offense that Titans offensive coordinator Tim Kelly is installing right now. We'll go over those comments. Also, we're going to use some comments made by Aaron Brewer to put the puzzle pieces together and try to figure out what the starting offensive line for the Titans could look like. And then finally, the Titans are changing their field surface at Nissan Stadium from grass to turf.

Some people don't mind, but one person in particular is not very happy about it. So we're going to get into all of that and more on today's show. Before we do, I want to thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content on all platforms, all year long and always for free. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast, where it's your team every day.

And shout out to my everydayers tuning into the show all week long. Couldn't do it without you guys, but want to welcome in anybody new as well. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years a Tennessee Titans fanatic, a staff writer for Sports Illustrated over at alltitans.com, and a certified film junkie breaking down the X's and O's with you guys every weekday all year long here on the Locked on Titans podcast. Throw a thumbs up on the video if you're watching right now. I appreciate all the support.

I don't ask for any money. So in return, the press of a button, the least you can do. But moving right along here, we need to talk about what was said today. And Ryan Tannehill spoke with Tennessee media today. And he had a lot to say about a lot of different topics. But what stood out to me was Ryan Tannehill's comments about the new offense. And listen to some of the things that he had to say.

And I'm going to point out what stands out to me most here, but Tannehill says, we have a bunch of guys who have been around, are doing a good job in preparation, learning a new system, being in a new offense, new concepts, all of that type of stuff.

He said, it's a big difference. New terminology, new concepts, huge changes, but a fresh line of thinking on things. Having to get up to speed with how we are doing things, calling things different things, attacking defenses in different ways. He said, they've been using the time to learn the offense, get accustomed to the new terminology, new terms, new routes, a fresh mind, new ideas, new concepts, different ways to attack the defense than we've had around here the last few years. Pressure on the defense might be tempo, might be personnel changes,

different sets in personnel than defenses are typically seeing. That right there is a banger quote from Ryan Tannehill. If you're somebody who wants to see the Titans go away from the offensive philosophy that they've had the last few years, The things that stand out to me most here, quote, big difference, new terminology, new concepts, huge changes. He says they're learning a new system, being in a new offense. I was skeptical throughout the offseason that the Titans would really overhaul the offensive system that they are going to use.

But from what Ryan Tannehill is saying here, they are literally learning a brand new playbook, a brand new system. He says it right here. New terminology, new terms, new routes. I think that's key. The type of route combinations and routes that would be typically used in the Titans offense under Todd Downing are going to be different now than what we see from Tim Kelly's offense going forward. I can think specifically, we want to see more crossers over

the middle of the field. We want to see more slot fades, attacking the defense vertically more often. I mean, this has me fired up, guys. These comments from Ryan Tannehill about the new offense have me fired up. But it wasn't just Tannehill. Chig Aconquo talked about the new offense as well. And here's what Chig had to say. He said, we're getting more up-tempo. We're still working through all the details and the bumps

well this is Aaron Brewer actually my mistake my mistake he says we're getting more up tempo we're still working through all the details all the bumps it's smooth it's early in the process but we're getting there operation is faster we're getting

in and out of the huddle so playing faster, playing with more tempo, not just on the field, but in the huddle, in the operation standpoint, that's going to be real important. And now we get to what Chigaconquo had to say about this new offense. He would say, quote, I would just say, I see a lot of speed is involved, a lot of speed, a lot of plays where we're trying to go really fast and just get what we can before the defense can get there. Trying to outflank guys. Again, this is what we have wanted from the Titans offense for quite some time. Get back to more

of what we saw with Arthur Smith. Think about play-action bootlegs with the tight end coming across the formation into the backside flat for a little dump-off. Getting guys the ball in space quickly. Not these long, developing plays, these sit-down routes, these deep posts that the Titans are trying to hit when they don't have the time to do it. The Titans' offense works best

when they get the ball to their playmakers quickly and let them dominate run after catch in space. That's when the Titans offensive players are at their best. So an offense that continues to do that is what the Titans want. Ryan Tannehill saying new routes, new terms, learning a new offense, huge changes, big difference, new terminology, new concepts, fresh way of looking at things. See, this is why I wasn't as concerned when Tim Kelly got promoted. A lot of people were like, oh, same old, same old. They're just freaking, you know, giving us the same thing

in a different package and telling us to be happy about it. I mean, Tim Kelly is not going to run the same offense that Todd Downing did. And there may be some similarities in there, but hearing all of this from Tannehill, from Brewer, from Okonkwo, I mean, this gets me really excited for the changes that Tim Kelly is making.

And we'll see more of those changes as we get into the preseason games, of course, because we can actually look at the plays that the offense is running. But so far, so good when it comes to the Titans making changes on offense from a schematic standpoint. Personnel, we could talk about another day,

but schematically speaking, this is the type of stuff that you wanted to hear from the Titans players early on. The changes are so drastic that it's like learning a brand new offense entirely. So that's good news, in my opinion. But with that being said, we are going to move forward.

Who is going to start on the offensive line? Aaron Brewer gave us another piece of the puzzle. I'm going to combine that with a free agency piece of the puzzle, and we'll start to look at the combinations that we're most likely going to get on the starting offensive line. At the end of the show, we're going to talk about the turf that the Titans are putting in at Nissan Stadium. A couple of guys don't care.

One veteran is not happy about it. So we're going to go over all of that in just a moment. Before we continue, I want to let you know that today's episode of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by Bilt Bars, the best tasting protein bars in the galaxy. Look, you get the best of both worlds with Bilt Bar. You get all the health benefits that you need from a protein bar, low calorie, low sugar, high protein, high fiber, but you also get all the taste benefits of a candy

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Pick up a box of the best tasting protein bars in the world. Built Bars right now. And you will thank me later. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast. We just went over some quotes from Ryan Tannehill, Aaron Brewer, and Chigakonkwa about the changes that are being made to the Titans offense. And I wouldn't even call it changes. They are starting with a brand new offense under Tim Kelly. And that's very exciting to hear if you're a Titans fan.

But looking forward, we also got some interesting quotes here from Aaron Brewer about what he is practicing on, what position he's been working on throughout the all season. And to me, that gives us another clue as to what the Titans offensive line will look like this year. So we're going to talk about the combinations that could be put together. At the end of the show, we're going to talk about the players' reactions to a turf field going in at Nissan.

We'll discuss all that, but right now, it's about the offensive line. Do want to thank you guys again, though, for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there listening to the show Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you're new or you're just not

every day yet, you got to get on that wave, baby. Monday through Friday, free Tennessee Titans content on all platforms all year long. There's no reason not to tune in every single day because it's your team every day here on the Locked on Titans podcast. But Aaron Brewer

had a quote here that I want to go over with you guys. It doesn't seem like much and it may be obvious to some, but for him to come out and say it directly within a Titans organization that is pretty tight-lipped, pretty surprising. Aaron Brewer said, quote, he was asked about playing center,

and he said, quote, that's the goal, me working at center and taking over that role. Center fits me well. I'm in the middle. I get to face off against big noses. I get natural leverage. Good spot for me. End quote.

So Aaron Brewer is telling you what we already knew, but it's nice to hear him come out and confirm it because that means that the coaching staff has confirmed it for him as well. Aaron Brewer is a center. He confirmed in the press conference he plays around 290 pounds. If you're 290 pounds as an offensive lineman in the NFL, you need to play center, not left guard. Brewer got destroyed last year playing at left guard.

He's too small to play guard, to play tackle. He needs to play center where that length issue, where that size issue is minimized. I think he could be a pretty decent center, but he surely can't play guard. So I agree with Aaron Brewer here. Center fits him best. It gives him leverage opportunities to use his

strengths as a player. But with that being said, we know that Aaron Brewer is playing at center, and he said that's a role that he expects to take over starting center. He talked about Ben Jones a little bit during the press conference as well. But if Aaron Brewer is at center, we go back to free agency when Andre Dillard said his goal is to play,

laugh, tackle. That's what he thinks he was brought here to do. And we've heard Rand Carthon talk about versatility, but they have said they're going to give Andre Dillard a chance at left tackle first. So, with that in place, let's assume that Andre Dillard plays left tackle. Aaron Brewer is at center. What possible combinations can we make around that? Put in the comments right now what you think the Titans starting offensive line should be on day one. Let me know your thoughts. But for me, this is pretty simple.

this is pretty simple. Andre Dillard at left tackle. Then you slot in Peter Skowronski at left guard. You have Aaron Brewer at center. You have Daniel Brunskill at right guard. And then you have Nicholas Petit-Ferrer holding down at right tackle. To me, that is the obvious starting offensive line for the Titans based on what we know right now.

Dillard, Skowronski, Brewer, Brunskill, Nicholas Petit-Ferrer. Okay? I'm okay with that. And their backups directly, you'd have, once Radins is healthy, he can back up at guard or at left tackle. You have Jamarco Jones still on the team, who probably will be a backup at guard. Then you have Corey Levin, who will be the direct backup

at center. And then you have Jalen Duncan, who will probably be a backup offensive tackle, backup guard as well, another versatile guy. So with Radins, Jamarco Jones, Corey Levin, and Jalen Duncan, that's versatile guys right there that kind of play up and down the line. Corey Levin could play guard or center. Jamarco Jones, guard or tackle. Radins and Duncan, guard or tackle as well.

So it makes sense there. I want to mention Xavier Newman. As a guy who may surprise and make this roster, I could see Xavier Newman making it over Jamarco Jones. But right now, I'm going to give the edge to the veteran, Jamarco Jones. Because clearly, the Titans didn't cut him. So they're keeping him around for a reason. So we'll see what happens there.

But let's just say this. If the Titans do not go with that starting lineup of Dillard, Skowronski, Brewer, Brunskill, and Nicholas Petit-Ferrer, one alternate version of the

lineup that I think that we could see is Dillard at left tackle, Brunskill at left guard, Brewer at center, Nicholas Petit-Ferrer at right guard, and then Peter Skowronski at right tackle. If they think that Skowronski is better as a tackle than a guard, and we have heard whispers that

NPF could be moved inside. And some people thought that Nicholas Petit Ferrer needed to move inside coming out of the draft. So if the Titans determine that Skowronski is a tackle, then I think there's a chance that we have Dillard at left tackle, Skowronski at right tackle, NPF at right guard, Brunskard at left tackle, Skowronski at right tackle, NPF at right guard, Brunskill at left guard, and then Brewer at center. So it's the same combination of those five guys, but just in a different way.

I think that could make a ton of sense as well. So, we're not going to know. I just know the way the Titans are going to do this. They're not going to release it publicly. They don't allow the reporters to report on it at practice. We are not going to be told the exact starting lineup for the Titans offensive line probably until

the final preseason game. Maybe not even then. We might not even know. So for the time being, in my mind, one of these two combinations is going to be the starting offensive line for the Titans. If I had to put my money down right now, it'd be Dillard at left tackle,

Skowronski at left guard, Brewer at center, Brunskill at right guard, and Nicholas Petit-Ferrer at right tackle. That's what I would go with. And based on what we heard from Aaron Brewer on Wednesday and what we heard from Andre Dillard in the Titans front office earlier in the offseason. I feel good about Dillard at left tackle

and Brewer at center. And now we can play the mystery game with the other positions as well. Not just the starting lineup, but of course some of the backup spots that'll be up for grabs as well. But with that in mind, we are going to move forward.

The last topic of the day, we're talking turf. The Titans are changing from a grass field to a turf field at Nissan this year. And there is a big age gap between the guy who cares and the guys who don't care. So we're going to cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, nearly 25 years as a Tennessee Titans fanatic,

staff writer for Sports Illustrated, alltitans.com, and a certified film junkie breaking down the X's and O's with you guys Monday through Friday all year round here on the Locked on Titans podcast where it's your team every day. Another big shout out to my everydayers tuning in five days a week.

You guys are the lifeblood of the show. Thank you so much. If you aren't an everydayer yet, what are you waiting for? Your team every day, 30 minutes for free. Can't miss out on that all year round. But moving right along.

So the Titans are changing from a natural grass field to a turf field. And I know that there is some data that says, you know, turf fields are, are make players more prone to injury. But one thing that we do have to consider, and I talked about this when the details of the new stadium came out, is the Titans grass field was garbage. It was one of the bottom two worst grass fields in the entire NFL. I'd say probably up there with the Chicago Bears.

The Titans grass field was way worse than other grass fields in the NFL, your average grass field. The turf that the Titans are going to is not Ast astroturf. It's not your daddy's turf. It's a new advanced form of turf that has cork in it, and it literally has to be watered. You have to water the turf that the Titans use

because it's got cork in it. There's some organic matter involved. It's not the black pellet flying up turf that you're thinking of. matter involved. It's not the black pellet flying up turf that you're thinking of. Now, there's different scientific research out there on how valid the argument is that

turf makes more injuries. And as you guys know, I'm not a scientist. It's not what I do, mate. Alright? I talk about football. So, I'm not going to dive into all the different research and everything that goes into that, but what I will dive into is Ryan Tannehill's comments about the Titans going to a turf field. And the last thing that I want to mention here is, before we get into it,

the Titans are already using that exact kind of turf field in their practice facility. The practice bubble that they practice in all week long, that's the turf that they're going to have on the field. So, whatever. You know what I mean? But here is what Ryan Tannehill had to say about that new turf field. And he's not happy.

So Tannehill said this when asked about the turf field. He says, I don't love it. I'm sorry, that just makes me laugh. I don't love it. I've always enjoyed playing on grass more than turf. Just easier on your body, your joints, your skin as you're on the ground. And nobody's on the ground more than Ryan Tannehill, boy. Back

into the quote. But that's where we're at right now. Played a lot of games on turf. We're going to play a lot more games on turf now. I don't think it affects the quality of the game or anything, but it definitely affects how you feel the next day. Let me just say this.

That's an old man talking to you right there. Tannehill is like, hurts my joints, hurts on my skin when I'm on the ground. Makes me feel worse the next day. Plus, Tannehill is an older player who thinks about the quality of the game. If you've been working at your job for 10 years, you could probably point out a bunch of stuff

that could make it better for the employees. Little quality of life aspects. If you're a gamer at all, you know about that term quality of life improvement. But if you're brand new to a job, you may be so worried about doing the job that you haven't thought about all the little quality of life things.

You don't care that the vending machine doesn't work. You don't care that the Coca-Cola hasn't been restocked in the pop machine in six months. If you worked there for 10 years, you're like, where's the Cokes? Where's the blah, blah, blah. You know what I mean? If you've just been working there a month, you're too busy trying to do the job to care about what the vending machine has so it makes sense that Ryan Tannehill

being the older statesman being the aged veteran is all worried about these little details you know what I mean the grass field but can we just for a moment talk about what Chigaconkwo and Roger McCreary

had to say about the grass and the turf and how little it matters to them. Roger McCreary said about finding out that the Titans are going to turf at the stadium. He said, I just found out about that this week. I mean, I'll play grass, turf, no matter what. I'm just going out to play, so it don't matter what the field is. I love Roger McCrary, man. That dude is a Mike

Vrabel prototype when it comes to personality. Grass, turf, no matter what, I'm going to go out there to play, so it doesn't matter what the field is. He talked about it being the same as what they use in the practice bubble already. He said it's the same. So it's great. Ain't a big deal to me. I love that answer from Roger McCreary. And then Chika Conquo talked about the turf as well.

And again, another young guy going into his second year who don't give a dang about the playing surface. Chick said, I've never really been a dude who cared about playing service, turf, grass. I don't really care. I don't really look at all that stuff like that. I guess I always hear guys talking about they don't like turf because of non-contact stuff,

but I don't think I've ever really had a problem with turf. I had turf all throughout college and high school and stuff. So again, to me, this is a classic example of an age disparity. Tannehill is

old. He doesn't like the playing surface. He doesn't want the turf feeling his skin when he's on the ground over and over after being sacked. He's worried about how his body feels the next day. And these young guys are like, shoot, I don't care. I'll play on asphalt. Just line up the ball.

Let's go. So I thought that was interesting. Me personally, look, the Titans grass field, it could have been grass all they wanted, but it's garbage by the end of the year. And a bad grass field is going to get people hurt too. So

change the turf. Who cares? I mean, I love the fact that it's a new modern version of turf. Like I said, again, it's got cork in it. It gives easier than regular turf. You got to water it even. It's so organic. So now I'm not going to sit here and act like, again, I'm not a scientist, mate.

I don't know. I don't know the ins and outs and the science behind grass and turf and the organics used and the materials and all that. All I know is sounds healthier than regular turf. And it sure as the world sounds healthier than the Titans garbage grass field that I mean

it looks morbid by November every year. So I can't say that I'm too upset about the change. Would love grass, but if the Titans can't properly maintain grass, go with turf. It's that simple. But that's going to do it for me today, folks.

I'll be back with you guys tomorrow to cap off the week of the Locked on Titans podcast. Next week, we're getting into deep dives and breakdowns on all the prospects from the draft. We'll have some OTAs, some mini camps coming up soon. Make sure that you don't miss any of the daily free Tennessee Titans content that I'm putting out all year long here on the show. 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. Bye.