Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans CAN'T GIVE UP on Will Levis, Offensive Line Takes Time & T'Vondre Sweat is FOR REAL

Episode Date: September 9, 2024

The Tennessee Titans lost a brutal game on Sunday to the Chicago Bears and many in the fanbase have given up on Will Levis after one game, but that would be a massive overreaction and anyone talking about starting Mason Rudolph has lost the plot. Next, the Titans offensive line struggled mightily and while it would be easy to expect another terrible year upfront, this offensive line was always going to take some time to be their best. Finally, the defense was tremendous, but rookie T'Vondre Sweat was the big standout performer and Tyler is looking like he will be eating a buffet of crow soon. Subscribe to the TicTacTitans Film Channel:https://www.youtube.com/@TicTacTitansTicTacTitans Merchandise: https://dixons-dream.square.site/shop/tictactitans-gear/C3AAPNWXSXA6SBYG3USV2I7R?page=1&limit=30&sort_by=category_order&sort_order=ascFollow Tyler on Twitter @TicTacTitansFollow the show on Facebook @LockedOnTitansPodSubscribe to the Locked On Titans YouTube channel:https://www.youtube.com/c/LockedOnTitans/videosFor your next listen, check out the Locked On Fantasy Football podcast. Get daily insight to the best Fantasy draft strategies so you can win your league this season. Click HERE to listen now. Part of the Locked On Podcast Network. Your Team. Every Day.Support Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!DoorDashUse promo code LOCKEDFALL24 for 50% off up to $10 value, when you spend $15+ on your first order. Limited time offer. Terms apply. Promo is not valid for orders containing alcohol. HimsStart your free online visit today at Hims.com/lockedonnfl. PrizePicksGo to https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFL and use code lockedonmlb to win $50 instantly when you play $5. You don't even need to win to receive your $50 bonus, it's guaranteed! Prizepicks. Run Your Game.BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/LOCKEDON today to get 10% off your first month.LinkedInLinkedIn Jobs helps you find the qualified candidates you want to talk to, faster. Post your job for free at LinkedIn.com/LOCKEDONNFL. Terms and conditions apply.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotors.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms Apply. Download Gametime today. What time is it? Gametime.FanDuelNow through September 22nd, ALL FanDuel customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get a THREE WEEK free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV. Visit FANDUEL.COM/LOCKEDON to get started.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)

It was ugly in week one, but the Tennessee Titans should not give up on Will Levis. I'll explain on today's edition of Locked on Titans. You are Locked on Titans, your daily Tennessee Titans podcast, part of the Locked on Podcast Network, your team every day. 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. It's time for Overreaction Monday.

We're going to talk about some of the biggest topics coming out of Sunday's loss. Some think it's time to give up on Will Levis already. I don't agree. The offensive line is going to take some time and it looks like Tavondre Sweat is the real deal. I'll tell you which week one overreactions are real and which are fake. Before we get into all of it, do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for free.

You're not going to beat that anywhere else. There's a reason. This is the number one Tennessee Titans podcast in the world. Make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day,

shout out to my everydayers out there tuning in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you're not an everydayer, you need to be one because on tomorrow's show, I'm going to be breaking down the tape and doing our classic Tic Tac Tuesday episode

where I go over everything that I saw on the All 22 film and make sure that you check out the Tic Tac Titans channel here on YouTube. I'm going to have the Tic Tac 4 pack up on Monday night, and then I'm going to have a full breakdown on Will Levis' performance on tape up on the channel on Tuesday morning. So with all that being said, let's dive into today's overreaction Monday.

And the number one overreaction that I am seeing from Tennessee Titans fans is it's time to bench Will Levis. It is time to give up on Will Levis. And I think that that is absurd. It is absolutely not time to give up on Will Levis after his 10th game of his career and one week of the 2024 season. That is an absurd overreaction. Look, I'm not here to make excuses for Will Levis. The pick six is one of the worst plays I have ever seen in my life at any level. High school, middle school, college, pro, doesn't matter.

Will Levis' pick six was one of the dumbest things I have ever seen done on a football field. No doubt about it. The fumble, yes, bad protection, but he's also got to have a better timer in his head of when to get rid of the ball. Those are all real things. The second interception, it's the end of the game.

He's trying to make a play. It is what it is on that one. those are all real things. The second interception, it's the end of the game, he's trying to make a play. It is what it is on that one. The miss to Calvin Ridley on the post, the miss to Calvin Ridley on the deep shot down the left-hand side, those are bigger issues to me than the second interception. So those are all things that I'm not going to excuse from Will Levis. He had like a 32 grade on pro football focus, and look, PFF isn't the end-all be-all, but it just

demonstrates how poor Will Levis played in this game. It was a terrible game from Will Levis. But again, it is not time to give up on Will Levis. I mentioned it's only his 10th game ever starting in the NFL. You have to take that into consideration. Also, the Chicago Bears defense is excellent. That's an excellent defense that the Titans played against on Sunday at home week one.

And Brian Callahan acknowledged in his press conference on Monday they did not handle the noise well. The silent checks on the offensive line, the adjustments, the team as a whole, specifically the offensive line, but the team as a whole did not handle the environment very well, which was something that I was concerned about all last week. Okay, so you take a great defense, a tough environment, a young quarterback in his 10th game ever,

and let's say this, Brian Callahan did not have his best game. The Titans had a very low play action rate. I believe it was around 20%. Might even have been below 20% on the play action rate. I talked about this on the game plan Friday, and I talked about it all week last week. The Titans needed to run the football. They needed to play action off of that to make it easy on Will Levis. We didn't get enough screens. The run game took a backseat and Brian Callahan talked about it on Monday in his press conference. He said, I don't want to play out a shotgun as much as we did. I would like for the numbers to be more balanced, but when it's second and 12, if you're under center, you're not fooling anybody.

You can't play action pass on second and 12. That's not going to fool anybody. So the Titans got in a tough spot. Now, I'll explain on tomorrow's show when we get into the scheme and what I saw on tape, why the Titans struggled more to run in the second half. Spoiler alert, the Bears started blitzing on early downs

in the second half. We'll talk about that started blitzing on early downs in the second half. We'll talk about that more along with the front changes on tomorrow's show. Make sure that you're tapped into that. But overall, Brian Callahan could have been better with the play calling and put Will Levis in a better spot. Again, tough defense, 10th game ever, all of these things. Now, is it fair, also want to mention, All of these things.

Now, is it fair, also want to mention, that Will Levis was pressured the second most in the NFL this weekend. 47% of Will Levis' dropbacks, he was under pressure. The Titans' offensive line was 28th in pass block grade on Pro Football Focus. So, I don't want to make excuses for Will Levis, but there are also a lot of things outside of the game itself that must be considered here. Not outside of the game itself, but context around his performance that has to be considered.

And I'm just saying it's not time to give up. I am not going to sit here and look you in the face and tell you, no, Will Levis is still going to be good. Just give it time. My confidence was a bit rattled from that game, and yours should be too if you're being honest. There's no way that you can be an honest fan and not have your confidence in Will Levis a little rattled

by what we saw out there. But it is not time to give up on Will Levis. It's absolutely not. A part of that overreaction is, I'm seeing a lot of Titans fans say, start Mason Rudolph. I've seen it. They need to play Mason Rudolph.

The moment that they play Mason Rudolph over a healthy Will Levis, the season is over. The season is over the moment that happens. If at any point in time this season, the Titans start Mason Rudolph over a healthy Will Levis, the season is over. Mason Rudolph is a good backup quarterback. He can stem the tide for a couple of weeks. He can drive the ship home. But you ain't winning nothing in the NFL with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. You're not winning a playoff game. You're not

making it to the Super Bowl. You aren't accomplishing anything that matters. So, if you want to say that you're out on Will Levis, understandable. But people saying that they need to start Mason Rudolph, the season is over. Will Levis' career with the Titans is over the moment that you start a healthy Mason Rudolph over a healthy Will Levis. That is an absurd overreaction. And wanting to give up on Levis is already an overreaction. But putting Mason Rudolph in ends the Titans season. It's over.

What are they going to do at best? 7-10? And then they have a terrible draft pick to try to get their next quarterback in the future? There is no validity to starting Mason Rudolph over Will Levis. Nothing but pain and suffering for Titans fans if they go that route. So don't give up on Will Levis just yet, folks. It's still pretty early. But one overreaction from week one that I am buying into is that the offensive line may

struggle for quite some time. First, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by HIMS. No man wants to lose his hair, but for men, it's actually very common. And now with HIMS, the solution is simple. Try HIMS Hair Loss Solutions, and you'll be joining hundreds of thousands of subscribers who got their flow back. HIMS provides access to a range of hair loss treatments that work all from the comfort of your couch. They offer personalized chewable,

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consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate prescriptions products require an online consultation with a healthcare provider who will determine if a prescription is appropriate. Prescriptions apply. See website for full details and important safety information. Titans fans, let's continue this overreaction Monday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about not giving up on Will Levis just yet.

Now I want to talk about the offensive line. And at the end of the show, we'll talk about big Tavondre Sweat, who was incredibly impressive. Before we continue, though, do want to thank you again for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. Remember, tomorrow, we're diving into the tape,

and I'll tell you what I saw. Check out the Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel as well, where I'm going to have the film breakdowns out on that channel. Tic Tac 4-Pack, the four best plays of the game for the Titans will be up on Monday night and then Tuesday morning, 8 a.m., a Will Levis breakdown to go over what went wrong there as well. So make sure that you guys check that out.

Also, I am the new host of Locked On NFL. Locked On NFL is now two shows. I host the morning show. Tony Wiggins hosts the afternoon show. You get Locked On expert insight. You get hot opinions, which you know I'm always bringing. It's under 30 minutes every day. It's the new Locked On NFL.

It's twice a day. Make me, the madman, Tyler Rowland and the barber, Tony Wiggins, your second listen at the new Locked On NFL on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, guys. The offensive line struggled. And the overreaction that I'm seeing is that

the offensive line is terrible again. Now, it doesn't help that Joe Alt locked down Max Crosby. A lot of people are, ooh, gross. And, hey, listen, you guys know I was a big Joe Alt locked down Max Crosby. A lot of people are, ooh, gross. And listen, you guys know I was a big Joe Alt guy. Some people out there were telling you Joe Alt can't hack it at the NFL level, and I don't know about that. But anyways, it was a struggle. No doubt about it.

I mentioned some stats earlier. The Titans were 28th as an offensive line and pro football-focused pass-blocking grade. The Titans allowed the second most pressure on their quarterback in the NFL so far this week. 47% of Will Levis' dropbacks were under pressure. JC Latham gave up one sack and five pressures. Peter Skowronski gave up five pressures, zero sacks though.

Cushenberry had a pretty good game, Zero pressures or zero sacks, one pressure. Dylan Radin, zero sacks, two pressures. Andrew Rupps had struggled, but in his 15 snaps only gave up one pressure and zero sacks. NPF gave up one sack and two pressures. The offensive line wasn't good and specifically J.C. Latham. Daryl Taylor, who was literally just acquired by the Chicago Bears after cutdowns, they made a trade to get him over from Seattle. Daryl Taylor, not Montez Sweat. Daryl Taylor against JC Latham, dominated. Daryl Taylor had a 50% pass rush win rate in that game. That means 50% of Daryl Taylor's pass rush attempts,

he got a pressure on the quarterback. He won the rep. The strip sack on Will Levis, J.C. Latham let Daryl Taylor beat him. And this was the problem with J.C. Latham coming out of college. He is not the athlete that other offensive tackles are. He is not as good of an athlete as a Joe Alt. He's more powerful.

He's got stronger hands. He's got a bigger butt. He's got strong hips. But he isn't as good of an athlete. And that's why some people thought he couldn't be a left tackle at the NFL level. He needed to be a right tackle. Because he's not as athletic as you need to be. And week one, number one matchup,

Daryl Taylor, an athletic pass rusher, not a big power guy, beat him with inside counters and with speed. And it was exactly what you worried about with JC Latham coming out of college. We saw it on tape. That's what happened. But I want to say this.

I am not willing to call this overreaction 100% real. And the reason why is because this is what I expected. I tried to tell you guys, I think the Titans could get off to a slow start this year. The offensive line is young. The offensive line is new. It will take some time. Rookie offensive linemen never play that well. So if you have J.C. Latham struggling at left tackle, it could make it difficult on the Titans. And if J.C. Latham didn't struggle so bad, the Titans hit a touchdown to Calvin Ridley on the post route, and the Titans don't give up that strip sack,

which turns into three points for the Bears. So it's literally a 10-point swing because J.C. Latham got beat so bad. But, again, I think it would be an overreaction to say that the offensive line will be bad all year long. And I saw some people even saying, Bill Callahan can't fix this line.

That is an overreaction. So it's not an overreaction to say that this offensive line may struggle for a while, because I've been saying that for weeks, that this may be a slow start, because the offensive line is going to have to gel. The Titans still have a young quarterback with a lot of new pieces and a new system.

And look, yesterday's game, Sunday's game, was so ugly that people are furious. I'm furious. It sucks, man. It sucks. The Bengals got embarrassed, and all of my local friends who are Bengals fans are clowning on the Titans because they had a historic loss, maybe the worst regular season

loss of all time. They were discussing that on the Pat McAfee show. Was this the worst regular season loss of all time? So I'm pissed off. I'm mad. Alright, that sucked, man. No doubt about it. But that feeling and that anger makes us kind of make it seem worse than it was. Okay? So the offensive line will struggle, but I do not think that the offensive line is going to be bad all year long.

J.C. Latham is going to get better. He's going to learn. They're going to gel together. The offense as a whole is going to play better together. And they're not going to see the Bears defense on the road week one with a fired up crowd every single week. So look, next week, it doesn't get much better. Let me tell you that because the Jets defense is good. But the Titans are at home and that should help them a little bit more.

But I'm just saying, this offensive line may struggle, but I think it would be a complete overreaction to say that the offensive line is going to be bad all year, and that Bill Callahan can't fix things. So, just keep that in mind. Patience is not something that we have on the internet. Patience is not something that we have in today's society. But this will require a little

bit of patience. It will. So keep that in mind. Now on the flip side, I'm just going to hit this quickly because I want to keep energy high. Calvin Ridley is the man. That is not an overreaction. Calvin Ridley had three catches for 50 yards, should have had five catches for 150 yards and two touchdowns if Will Levis hits him when he's wide open. And those weren't the only two plays where Calvin Ridley was open. Calvin Ridley was number one in the NFL this weekend. 115 air yards unconverted. So he's open.

The ball is thrown to him, but it's not a good throw. 115 yards. Calvin Ridley should have had extra with how open that he was. So the offensive line gives a little more time as they improve. Will Levis gets a little more comfortable. Brian Callahan gets a little more comfortable. Things will get better. Things will get better.

And one of the main reasons things are going to get better is because of the Tennessee Titans defense. Some people think it might be an overreaction to say that this could be a top five defense. I do not think so. Before I tell you about it, though, I do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel Sportsbook.

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number one sportsbook. Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Looking at some week one overreactions. I saw people giving up on Will Levis. I saw people calling to start Mason Rudolph. Both of those things are absolutely ridiculous. Saw people saying that this offensive line is going to suck all year and that Bill Callahan can't fix it. I also think that's ridiculous, even while saying that I think the offensive line will get off to a slow start, but I've been saying that. Calvin Ridley is legit. That's not an overreaction.

Calvin Ridley is going to be great this year. But I want to get into the defensive side of the ball because right now, we got Monday Night Football left as of this recording, but the Titans are the number one defense in the entire NFL. So I think there's some overreactions here that maybe we should be buying into with the defense. Before I get into them, thanks again for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day.

Remember, tomorrow I'm diving into the tape on the Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel. I'm actually breaking down the film itself. I can't have the film on this channel, guys. So, head over to Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel. I'm actually breaking down the film itself. I can't have the film on this channel, guys. So head over to Tic Tac Titans YouTube channel. Check that out. And make sure you check out Locked on NFL. I got a promotion.

I'm now the host, the lead host of Locked on NFL every day, Monday through Friday. Make sure you guys support me over there as well. I definitely do appreciate it. But Tavondre Sweat. We can talk about the defense as a whole, but Tavondre Sweat was awesome in this game. Particularly in the first half,

maybe a little bit of a slowdown in the second half, but Tavondre Sweat was the second highest graded Tennessee Titan period on the day, 77.7 overall grade on pro football focus. He had two pressures. He made multiple plays in the backfield where he maybe didn't get the stat. He didn't get the tackle for loss. He didn't get the tackle, but he made the play. And you're seeing non-Titans accounts. Other national NFL people or whatever share the all 22 clips of Tavondre Sweat.

I'm going to be doing a Tavondre Sweat film breakdown on Wednesday. That'll be out on Wednesday morning. So I'll make sure to get that out. But I'll tell you guys, obviously, I was not high on the Tavondre Sweat pick. I've said that ad nauseum at this point. But if he puts in a month, if he plays like this for three more games,

I have a whole apology situation that I am going to be rolling out. I'm going to give a formal apology on the show, submit an apology document online as well. I will go as far as to buy a Tavondre Sweat jersey if he keeps this up. I mean, hey, I go over 180 draft prospects a year.

I'm not going to get them all right. But with how fierce I was and my hatred of that pick, it deserves quite the fierce apology as well. So it's week one. It's one week against a bad interior offensive line. But to Andre Sweat, people saying that he's a beast,

I do not, that may be an overreaction, but I don't think that it is. I think to Andre Sweat is for real. He's the real deal. I mean, what we've seen in the preseason, what we heard of in training camp, what we saw in week one, how could you say anything else? How could you possibly say anything else other than

this guy's a monster? And Brian Callahan in his press conference said, Tavondre Sweat was incredibly impressive in the game. So who am I to tell Brian Callahan he's wrong about what he saw? So who am I to tell Brian Callahan he's wrong about what he saw? Tavondre Sweat, get excited, folks. Titans got a real player there. Outside of Sweat, though, the whole defense, I mean, the secondary clamped down against a really good wide receiver group. Okay?

Amani Hooker was phenomenal. You want to ask, who was it that was first then in pro football focus grading for the Titans? If Tavondre Sweat was second with a 77, who was it that was first then in pro football focus grading for the Titans? If Tavondre Sweat was second with a 77, who was first? It was Imani Hooker with an 87. Remember, there were people out there saying the Titans should cut Imani Hooker in the offseason. Insanity, okay? Insanity. Imani Hooker's a good player.

But outside of that, Harold Landry, three pressures, had a sack. He looked good out there. PFF gave LeJarrius Sneed a terrible grade. They gave him a 38 grade. But I thought LeJarrius Sneed was good in the game. I mean, overall, he played pretty well. I thought LeJarrius Sneed made some plays. They didn't even challenge Chito.

Roger McCreary had three tackles for loss out of the slot. Roger McCreary, also a very good player that some Titans fans underrate. So, would it be an overreaction to say that this defense is going to be a top five defense? It's going to be harder in weeks to come than rookie debut Caleb Williams. It's going to be harder in weeks to come than rookie debut Caleb Williams. It's going to be tougher,

but I think this defense is a top-five defense. They looked phenomenal. And remember, I said, if the Titans are going to be great on defense this year, Tavondre Sweat has to be great too. And boom, and then boom. The domino effect. Sweat was great.

Titans defense was great. And I think. The domino effect. Sweat was great. Titans defense was great. And I think that's going to continue. So I don't think it would be an overreaction to say that this defense is going to be one of the best in the NFL. But let me know down below. Do you think any of these overreactions are true or false? Excited to see what you guys got to say. Thumbs up on the video.

Tighten up down in the chat. That is going to do it for me today folks as always I am your host Tyler Rowland and this was Locked on Titans