Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Caleb Farley Issue, Stat Surprises From Week 3 & Titans Cut a Player

Episode Date: September 26, 2022

The Tennessee Titans have a major issue at cornerback. Titans fans watched Terrance Mitchell go from the Patriots practice squad to giving up numerous big plays on Sunday all while a first round cornerback who is healthy sat on the bench. Tyler goes over what Mike Vrabel had to say about that decision and why it only hurts the Titans now and in the future. Next, after taking a look at the game from a statistical standpoint, two players really surprised; David Long & Dennis Daley. Tyler talks about which stat really stood out. Finally, the Titans made some roster changes on Monday by signing one player and cutting another, but the player cut isn't who Titans fans are expecting. Tyler dives into the two moves and what they could mean.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!LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFLBuilt 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.BetOnlineBetOnline.net has you covered this season with more props, odds and lines than ever before. BetOnline – Where The Game Starts!BriteCoThe guys at BriteCo Jewelry Insurance made buying insurance for your engagement ring, your watch, or whatever so easy you can get covered in 2 minutes on your cell phone. You won't find a better deal on coverage that's so affordable. Go to https://brite.co/lockedon/PrizePicksFirst time users can receive a 100% instant deposit match up to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That’s PrizePicks.com – promo code; LOCKEDONBetterHelpIt’s not a crisis line, it’s not self-help, it’s professional therapy done securely online, available to people worldwide. And they have a special offer for my listeners: get 10% off your first month at Betterhelp.com/LockedOn Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to the Locked on Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland. Titans fans, the biggest question coming out of Sunday's win over the Raiders was what happened to Caleb Farley, especially considering what Terrence Mitchell did. What did Mike Vrabel have to say about that decision on Monday? Then, after looking at the game through the numbers, what was my biggest surprise on offense and my biggest surprise on defense?

And finally, the Titans cut a player on Monday. It may not be who you expect. I'll break down all of that and more 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. Titans fans, I am still wondering what you are wondering.

If Terrence Mitchell is going to give the Titans what he gave them on Sunday, then why in the world can't Caleb Farley play? What did Titans head coach Mike Grable have to say? I'm going to dive into his quotes. Before I do, I want to let you guys know that today's episode of Locked on Titans is presented by PrizePix. PrizePix is daily fantasy made easy. Pick two to five players, and if they score more or less than PrizePix projection, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry.

First-time users can receive a 100% instant deposit matchup to $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix $100 with promo code LOCKEDON. That's prizepix.com, promo code LOCKEDON. Thank you guys for making the Locked On Titans podcast your first listen every day. If this is your first ever listen or you haven't subscribed yet, make sure that you stay locked in to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am going to be putting out daily, Monday through Friday, free Tennessee Titans content

all year round on all platforms, including the Locked on Titans YouTube channel. Subscribe there, smash the notification bell, and throw a thumbs up on the video. It does go a long way to help support the channel. You can find my instant analysis and film work on Twitter at TicTacTitans.

Check out the show Facebook page at Locked onTitansPod. But again, guys, the number one question for me coming out of that game is what in the world is going on with Caleb Farley? And Mike Vrabel was asked a ton of questions about Caleb Farley, what the Titans might do going forward. Vrabel said this when asked about Farley. He said he's seen some growth from Farley, but, quote,

and we're going to continue to give him opportunities and make sure he is ready to go and is competing each and every week for the opportunity to play. He said, quote, we just wanted to try somebody else, try somebody new, give someone else an opportunity, and that may change this week. That was on a short week. That could have been something different for the game plan this week. He said they caught some balls on him.

Obviously, we did the job we wanted to on Devontae Adams and Darren Waller, but Matt Collins really came up big, so give him a lot of credit. We just gave up too many X plays defensively in the second half, end quote. Well, I want to dive into this quote a little bit more. We're going to continue to give him opportunities and make sure

he's ready to go and is competing each and every week for the opportunity to play. Well, didn't seem like they gave him a lot of opportunities out there on Sunday. He played one defensive snap, and it was when Christian Fulton got hurt at the end of the game. He played more special team snaps. That's not a lot of opportunities. You sign a practice squad player in Terrence Mitchell off of the Patriots practice squad,

not even your own. And here's what really bothers me. As he said, that was on a short week. That's what it was on a short week. He kept saying on a short week. Well, you would think that on a short week, you'd be more likely to go with the player that's been in your building for the last, not only since the all season, but over a year for more than a season. So saying it was a short game week doesn't help me wrap my head around the decision

to play Terrence Mitchell out there over Caleb Farley Mitchell gave up six catches on eight targets For 102 yards and a touchdown. He got purely embarrassed By Matt Collins on that last drive literally embarrassed as a man Matt Collins doing the too small Symbol to him in the end zone. And guys, I can, that end zone play, it literally felt like you were playing jackpot in the backyard with your friends. The way the ball was just

lobbed up high. Both guys are just shoulder to shoulder standing with each other. And it felt like Mitchell didn't even jump. Okay, so to the second part of that. What I'm getting from Mike Vrabel here, and as he was, you know, kind of needled a little more throughout the second part of that, what I'm getting from Mike Vrabel here, and as he was kind of needled a little more throughout the press conference about it, basically what Mike Vrabel is insinuating is Caleb Farley mentally doesn't understand the calls.

Because Vrabel talked later, we want someone who knows what call we're in, understands what we're trying to accomplish with that coverage. So clearly, the issue here is Caleb Farley mentally is not handling the playbook. You can read between the lines. And I guess I get to a point where Caleb Farley's issues mentally, are they worse than what you're getting from Terrence Mitchell? Is it worse? I just don't see how it could be worse

than what Terrence Mitchell gave you. I just don't understand. And to me, if that's what Terrence Mitchell is going to give you, Caleb Farley should have played anyway because now you're not getting better play by not playing Caleb Farley and you're also not getting Caleb Farley any reps so that he can improve.

So you're killing yourself from two angles. You're not doing any better out on the field and you're not setting your future up. You're doing better in the real time and you're doing yourself a disservice in the future. You're hurting yourself in two ways. Caleb Farley needs to play. If all they have to offer me is Terrence Mitchell, yeah, when Elijah Moulton gets back, Ugo Amadi gets back. If you want to keep McCreary

and Fulton on the outsides, and then go ahead and play one of those two at the slot, and that's why you don't have Caleb on the field, then fine. But Greg Maben, Terrence Mitchell, Chris Jackson, I mean come on, man. These guys

aren't any better than Caleb Farley, and they have way less potential to get better. So what are we doing? What are we doing? And quite honestly, I feel similarly with Dylan Radins. Yeah, Dennis Daly played a decent game, and actually, we're going to talk about that in just a moment. But like, you have a first round and a second round pick

in their second year who aren't contributing anything to the offense or the defense. Hell, Dylan Radins didn't even play special teams barely. So you got to get some juice out of that squeeze. And I got to tell you, I wouldn't do it, but can't be surprised if both those guys are cut next offseason. What are they giving to the team? And if the team is this scared to play them, then I don't see how it gets better.

But the Titans are hurting themselves right now and in the future by playing guys who aren't any better than Caleb Farley over Caleb Farley. Even if it's a mental issue, let him work through it because if Terrence Mitchell understands what the game plan is

and understands the coverage and that's what he's going to give you anyways, then what's the point? Anyways, we're going to move forward here. There are some numbers that really surprised me when I started going through them on Monday morning, reviewing the game from the statistical angle. I'm going to share my two biggest surprises with you guys, one on offense and one on defense. Before we get into that though, I do want to tell you a little bit more about our friends over at PrizePix. PrizePix makes daily fantasy simple.

All you got to do is pick a roster of two to five players. PrizePix is going to have a projection set for each of those players. If it's Traylon Burks, two and a half catches, more or less. Derrick Henry, 79 and a half rushing yards, more or less. Derrick Henry, 79.5 rushing yards, more or less. David Long, 5.5 tackles, more or less. All you do is pick a team of 2-5 players, you look at their projection,

you determine whether you think it's going to be more or you think it's going to be less, and if you get it right, you can win up to 10 times your money on your entry, and right now, for my listeners, if you go to prizepix.com or you download the PrizePix app, you use the promo code LOCKEDON. Once again, that's promo code LOCKEDON.

You're going to get a 100% deposit match on your first deposit up to $100. So you use promo code LOCKEDON at PrizePix. You deposit $100, you get a free $100. You deposit $50, you get a free $100. So you use promo code LOCKEDON at PricePix. You deposit $100, you get a free $100. You deposit $50, you get a free $50. A 100% deposit match for first-time users when you use promo code at PricePix.com or

on the PricePix app. Titans fans, we are going to continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We just talked about what I feel is the biggest conversation around the game on Sunday moving forward into the week. Just Caleb Farley situation. But once I started looking at the game, not from a talking point standpoint, not even from a film standpoint, which I've been watching the game and doing all my film preparations for tomorrow's rewatch Wednesday.

You won't want to miss that. Started looking at the game from a statistical standpoint as well, diving into the PFF grades and all the other things that pop up. There are two things that really stood out to me that surprised me, quite frankly, based on when I initially watched the game. Number one, I am going to take an L on this one for you guys. I was 100% wrong on one of my tighten downs yesterday. It was David Long Jr.

David Long came out there, had the best defensive grade of any Titans player with an 81.5, was excellent in coverage with an 80.1 coverage grade. Looking at everything David Long did out there, he had a hurry on the quarterback. He had seven total tackles, five of them being solo. He only missed one tackle.

He had five run stops on his own. Yeah, he was targeted two times and he gave up two catches. But that was for one yard. One yard. So, I didn't think David Long had a great game and that was on me. I misread what I Long had a great game, and that was on me, I misread what I saw initially from the game,

but hey, that's why I give you guys my instant reactions, my raw reactions to what happened in the game, and I recognize that there are going to be some times, where, you know, I see things incorrectly, or I don't pick up on a certain trend, or things like that, and that's why we got five episodes a week, baby. So I can go back through and get all that good info to you guys.

So I thought David Long played well on my rewatch of the TV copy and going back through some of the numbers. And like I said, the number that really stood out to me that surprised me, David Long leading the Titans defense with an 81.5 grade. I thought that was impressive. And he had a much better game than I saw initially. And the Titans are going to need that. They're going to need David Long to be awesome.

Especially now that Zach Cunningham is going to be out. Which, speaking of that though, interesting, Dylan Cole had the third best defensive grade for the Titans with a 70.7. Tart was number two. Christian Fulton, number four. Demarcus Walker, number five. Danico Autry, number six. Jeff Simmons, number eight or number seven.

So I guess if David Long can get back to that level that he was playing at when he was playing his best football last year, which a lot of David Long's game, in my opinion, is feel and instinct. He's not a guy who linemen get on him and he sheds blocks and goes and makes a day. He darts towards the ball. He plays with aggressiveness and physicality.

He goes after it. And that will give you some mistakes where he goes to the wrong place. But when he's playing his best football and he can just trigger on instinct, that's what the Titans defense needs right now. That's what they need desperately to help them in run defense. He can only do so much about the cornerback problem. But in run defense, to sure that up and get the Titans back

to the run defense that they should be, even with the injuries. The Raiders had 91 yards, 5 yards per carry. The Titans didn't do great in run defense. They just got up by two touchdowns, and the Raiders had to throw. If it would have been a close game, like, I am so terrified of what the Colts' run game may be able to do to the Titans' run defense. Literally terrified. And speaking of do to the Titans run defense. Literally terrified.

And speaking of that, the Titans made a move on Monday to try to sure some things up. I'll explain that at the end of our show. But Bud Dupree, David Long Jr. surprised me. He played very well. I didn't see it out there. So some people said in the comments that they thought he played well, this and that. You were right. I was wrong. David Long played very well. I didn't see it out there. So some people said in the comments that they thought he played well, this and that. You were right.

I was wrong. David Long played very well yesterday and they need him to do that on offense. The big surprise to me, Dennis Daly, Double D, as Mike Vrabel is calling him. He had

75.6 pass blocking grade. Second best on the team behind Derrick Henry, the best of any offensive lineman. He allowed zero sacks, only one pressure for one hit. In run blocking, yeah, it wasn't awesome. 41.9, not great in run blocking. No lie there.

But I didn't think he was bad either. There were some runs that went to the left that looked pretty good. So I was very surprised by Dennis Daly. I thought, I gave him a major tighten up yesterday. I thought that he played pretty well when I watched the game. Turns out

he did play very well based on some of the numbers, some of the sacks, pressures, things like that. Outside of Dennis Daly, Aaron Brewer really struggled in pass block. He had a 46.5 pass blocking grade, gave up two pressures. He's really struggled in pass protection early on this season, but a decent day in run blocking for Aaron Brewer at 65.1. Ben Jones had a great day out there, 74.3 in run blocking, 70.6

in pass blocking, only one pressure allowed. Nate Davis, another good day for Nate Davis, 73.1 in pass blocking, 66.6 in run blocking with only one pressure allowed. NPF. Got some help from Jeff Swaim here and there. Got some help from the running backs, but it was a struggle. And listen, Max Crosby is awesome. I don't know how else to put it.

An NPF is a rookie. Three pressures allowed. No sacks, though. Did give up some tackles for loss in the run game. He had a 42.5 run blocking grade, 46.3 sacks though. Did give up some tackles for loss in the run game. He had a 42.5 run blocking grade, 46.3 pass blocking grade. So obviously not great. But Mike Vrabel talked

about Dennis Daly. He said, Double D's figuring out what we do here on the fly. We did a nice job protecting all day against a good defense. And heck, I agree. So NPF, not great. Very surprised by how good Dennis Daly was. But either way, this goes back to what I said on Twitter

leading up to the game. Offensive line has not been nearly as bad as people say. Yeah, Derrick Henry's been hit behind the line of scrimmage on a certain amount of his runs. Some of that is Derrick Henry's fault. Some of that is the play calling fault. Not that the offensive line has been awful. Offensive line has been generally okay. And the analytics and the statistics actually show that as well. So don't hate on the O-line too early. Yeah, the Titans

need to be better there, but it hasn't been terrible like some fans are saying it has been. And it's another surprise. Pretty good day for the Titans' offensive line against the Raiders. Moving forward, though, I talked about how David Long being back on track is going to help the Titans run defense. The Titans made a move on Monday. They cut a player and signed a player in hopes to help that run defense out even more.

And the player that was cut, probably not the player that you guys hoped it would be. We'll get into that in just a second. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We went over the biggest storyline coming out of the game with Caleb Farley not playing. We went over some of the surprising statistics and analytics that jumped out to me from the game. One on offense, one on defense.

Now we got to get into the roster moves that were made on Monday. There were two of them. A player was cut. I'm going to tell you who that is. Before I do, I want to thank you guys again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content, free and available on all platforms all year long here on the Locked on Titans podcast.

Make sure that you're subscribed on whatever platform that you do stream. Tomorrow, we're going to have Rewatch Wednesday. I'm going to go over the schematics of what the Titans did on offense and defense in that game. Thursday will be Crossover Thursday with the hosts of Locked on Colts. New hosts for Locked on Colts. So I'm sure

you guys will enjoy their candor. Very excited to have Zach Hicks and Jake Arthur as members of the Locked On Podcast Network in the AFC South and then Friday another game plan Friday where I get into what the Titans need to do to win this incredibly important divisional game

against the Indianapolis Colts but moving forward here into the roster moves the player that was cut was not Terrence Mitchell no it was not Terrence Mitchell it No, it was not Terrence Mitchell. It was outside linebacker Derek Tuska. Listen, the Titans are

scrambling. They're searching. Trying to find any way to have some semblance of play on the edge. The Titans have become basically a purely 4-3 team. They only run four-man downline setups. Trying to minimize the need for outside linebackers.

That's what they're trying to do. They're trying to use Tuska in that role when they still try to go with a front seven, a base front seven. They'll try to have an outside linebacker. Typically, it would be Harold Landry. Of course, we know he's out for the year, but they would use Ola Dainey there.

I saw him use David Anini there during the preseason. But basically, what they try to do is have that extra outside linebacker as an overhang defender over the slot so they can keep a base front seven against teams nickel packages on offense when they go three wide receiver. Well, the Titans simply don't have an athletic enough guy to do that. Tosca can't do it. I don't think Ola

Dainey can do it either, but they try. But Ola was out. So, here's the reality. We talk about the pro football focus grades. You know who was last on defense for the Titans? And I believe he was the lowest graded Tennessee Titan that played offense or defense.

It was Derek Tuska. The guy gave you nothing in run defense. Nothing. The Titans cannot get any semblance of edge defense in the run game at all. And here's the other thing. Danico Autry finally made an impact in the pass rush in this game.

Had a couple of pressures. Danico Autry can only play on the inside now. He's not going to be able to play on the edge as a defensive end in a four-man front. And playing him out there on rundowns has taken away his effectiveness as a pass rusher on the interior. He's more beat up. He's more tired.

The Titans didn't necessarily need Danico Autry to play rundowns last year. They had Bud, and they had Harold Landry. Heck, they would even use some of their interior defensive linemen out there. But now, with the need and the depth issues, Autry's had to play more early downs, and it's just not working out, and you're hurting yourself in two ways.

Not only are you bad at run defense with Autry in there, but he's not as good in pass rush, which is killing you as well. So, Tuska out. Not Terrence Mitchell. Replacing him, Mario Edwards, a longtime veteran in the NFL.

Played seven years in the NFL. He's played in 86 games, 25 of those being starts. He has 118 tackles in his career, 16 and a half sacks. He's a guy who was really good against the run earlier in his career. As he's gotten older in his career, he's turned into more of a pass rush guy. But either way, they pulled him off of Jacksonville's practice squad. They're just searching for anybody who can play 4-3 defensive end and hold up against the run. So that Danico Autry doesn't have to play all the time

and can be more effective in the pass rush. So let's pray that a longtime veteran like Mario Edwards can find a way to give the Titans some semblance of edge defense against the run. They're going to need it against Indianapolis, who is going to pin and pull like the Giants did all day long. The Colts saw that tape. They are going to get and pull like the Giants did all day long. The Colts saw that tape. They are going to get the Titans in shotgun,

and they are going to run pin-pull plays with Jonathan Taylor up the gut all day long. The Titans had to do something different, and hopefully Mario Edwards will be able to help. That's all I can say. We have to hope that an improved David Long, who's getting more comfortable, and an improved run defense on the edge will get this Titans defense back in the right direction.

Let's hope. That's going to do it for me today, folks. I'll be back with you guys tomorrow for Rewatch Wednesday, breaking down what I saw on the tape from an X's and O's standpoint. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.