Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans Defense Must CONFUSE Anthony Richardson, Attacking Cover 3 & DeAndre Hopkins Breakout

Episode Date: October 5, 2023

The Tennessee Titans take on a division rival on the road this week in the Indianapolis Colts. If they want to walk away victorious they need to confuse rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson as much as possible with disguised runs while hemming him in the pocket with a coordinated rush plan. Next, the Titans will see more zone coverage than they normally do as they face the zone-heavy Colts defense, so Ryan Tannehill and Tim Kelly will need to be ready to face it. Finally, with the struggling Colts secondary, the Titans should be able to get the ball to DeAndre Hopkins at will.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!BetterHelpThis episode is sponsored by BetterHelp. Make your brain your friend, with BetterHelp. Visit BetterHelp.com/NFL today to get 10% off your first month. birddogsGo to birddogs.com/LOCKEDONNFL or enter promo code LOCKEDONNFL for a water bottle with any order. You won’t want to take your birddogs off we promise you. PrizePicksGo to PrizePicks.com/lockedonnfl and use code lockedonnfl for a first deposit match up to $100!GametimeDownload the Gametime app, create an account, and use code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Last minute tickets. Lowest Price. Guaranteed.eBay MotorsFor parts that fit, head to eBay Motors and look for the green check. Stay in the game with eBay Guaranteed Fit at eBayMotos.com. Let’s ride. eBay Guaranteed Fit only available to US customers. Eligible items only. Exclusions apply.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.FanDuelMake Every Moment More. Right now, NEW customers can bet FIVE DOLLARS and get TWO HUNDRED in BONUS BETS – GUARANTEED. 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) Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The Tennessee Titans defense must confuse Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson if they want to win on the road in week five. I'll break it all down on a game plan 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, today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast is brought to you by PrizePix,

the easiest and most exciting way to play daily fantasy sports. Go to prizepix.com slash locked on NFL. That's code locked on NFL, all lowercase, for a first deposit match up to $100. Titans fans, it is a game plan edition of the show, so I'm going to tell you exactly how the Titans can get their first road win of the year and their first division win of the year against the Colts. We'll start on defense, talk about confusing rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, talk about the offense and how the Titans need to have a similar game plan from last

week. And then finally, some updates. Nicholas Petit-Ferrer practicing at left tackle on Thursday. I'm going to talk about the possibilities before we get into all of that. Thank you guys 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. Make sure that you get subscribed. Stay subscribed to the Locked on Titans podcast. It's your team every day. Shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday and even a bonus episode on Sunday as well.

I want to remind you guys I'm going to be going live immediately after the game finishes on Sunday. I'm going to you guys I'm going to be going live immediately after the game finishes on Sunday. I'm going to have an instant 10 minute to 15 minute reaction. I'm going to do a full 30 minute recap on Sunday night as well. So a ton of content coming your way. You don't want to miss any of it. Get subscribed, stay subscribed. But again, the key to victory on defense is to confuse the rookie quarterback. At the end of the day, Anthony Richardson has all the talent in the world. He lacks experience.

Going back to college, he only started for one college season. There is a ton of looks on defense, a ton of coverages, a ton of adjustments that he simply has not experienced. That is not a hot take. That is not an opinion. That is a fact. Okay. He's an inexperienced college quarterback and now an inexperienced NFL quarterback. The Tennessee Titans are a disguise confusing coverage team. This is a perfect opportunity for the Titans to

simply do what they do best. Play zone coverage in the back end. Roll safeties from single high to two high and back and forth. Show man, go zone. Show single high, go cover two. Show cover two, roll one of your safeties in and go invert cover two. The Titans need to do everything that they possibly can to confuse Anthony Richardson, make him hesitate, make him make the wrong reads, make him feel a little unconfident in what he's seeing out on the field.

And I think that it's definitely something that the Titans will be able to accomplish and something, quite frankly, that they have to accomplish because this year, that they have to accomplish because this year, Anthony Richardson has the second best passer rating in the NFL, 135, against man coverage. Richardson is absolutely demolishing man coverage. So play zone coverage, disguise your zone coverages, and confuse the rookie quarterback.

And if you do that, he is going to throw you the ball. The Titans will be able to create multiple turnovers by confusing Anthony Richardson and what he's seeing out on the field in zone coverage. This is not a heavy man week. And another reason not to be heavy on man coverage, when you play man coverage, you don't have all eyes on the quarterback. It makes it easier for the quarterback to scramble. It makes it easier for the quarterback to have lanes and get down the field.

The Titans cannot allow that. So whether it be attacking the weakness of Anthony Richardson or whether it be limiting his strength as a runner, the Titans need to play heavy zone coverage, disguise, and confuse. All right? That's what they have to do. On the back end, on the front end of things, obviously the Titans need to stop the run.

Okay? Jonathan Taylor will likely be back in this game. The Titans are going to have to stop the run. You get Anthony Richardson in the third and long situations, and then you can play those disguise zone coverages that I'm talking about. So stopping the run is obviously a pillar at that when you play the Colts and you play Jonathan Taylor, really any version of the Colts in the past few years, like the Titans, they're going to run the ball. So you only get the opportunity to confuse the rookie and to do all those things in coverage

if you stop the run. All right. That's the number one thing, obviously. But to stop the rookie, and to do all those things in coverage if you stop the run. All right, that's the number one thing, obviously. But to stop the run, there's going to be a lot of pressure on the Titans' edge rushers. Harold Landry, Arden Key, Danico Autry out there. If Weaver comes in, if Gibson comes in, whenever you're playing a quarterback-focused rushing attack like the Colts can have, your edges are going to be absolutely critical. All right, they're going to have to your edges are going to be absolutely critical. All right? They're going to have to make sure that they don't lose contain.

And that is not just in run defense. That is in rush, pass rush. And that's why I saved my favorite point for last. My everydayers and people who have been listening to me for multiple years know that when we've talked about game plans in the past, Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and it's funny because we've been talking about that this week, and then Shane Bowen, the Titans defensive coordinator, went out there, and who did he compare Anthony Richardson to?

Josh Allen and Lamar Jackson. Well, the Titans have lost to those guys before. They're good quarterbacks. The Titans have beaten Lamar Jackson and Josh Allen multiple times as well because they always have a good plan for their mobility. And what the plan is, you mush rush. And what is a mush rush? A mush rush is basically a disciplined, coordinated pass rush where you're not going all out aggressive to get to the quarterback.

You're trying to keep him in the pocket, hem him in the pocket. Never let him break contained to the quarterback, you're trying to keep him in the pocket, hem him in the pocket. Never let him break contained to the outside. Never let him find an avenue to go through the interior of the pass rush and go up the field. If you keep Anthony Richardson hemmed in the pocket all game long and you make him consistently make accurate throw and accurate throw and have 10, 11, 12, 13 play drives down the field, eventually the inaccurate rookie quarterback who is confused by the defense is going to make mistakes. The Colts need big explosive plays and runs

to deal with the Titans' defense. If the Titans make the Colts earn it, death by a thousand paper cuts, over and over with accurate throws from the pocket, I think Anthony Richardson makes mistakes. The Titans have used this against Lamar Jackson. They've used it against Josh Allen. They've created turnovers. They've won games where people thought that they were going to lose. Now, the Titans are favorites in this game,

which I think is a dangerous game to play. But either way, the mush rush with the contained discipline rush with the zone coverage in the back end and all eyes on the quarterback, rush with the zone coverage in the back end and all eyes on the quarterback, disguising, confusing. It all works together. It's a game plan the Titans have used before, and they need to use it again. Now, one thing I will say is I saw Arden Key talking to the media earlier this week, and he said that the Titans are not going to treat Anthony Richardson like they did Jalen Hurts or Lamar Jackson, those guys, and they're not going to mush rush, and they're just going to be as aggressive as normal. And they compare them a lot to Deshaun Watson.

Well, the Titans did that against Watson and Watson got out of the pocket a ton, was able to play make and hurt the Titans. So I don't think the Titans should do that. I think they need to go to that plan that they have for Lamar that they've had for Josh Allen, mush rush, be disciplined in your pass rush, keep the rookie in the pocket. Make him make accurate throws against zone coverage all day where he's shown he hasn't been able to do that so far. That is the path towards success for the

Titans defense. I think Kevin Bayard gets an interception this week. We'll talk about that a little more when I get into the individual stuff that I want to talk about late in the show, but now we're going to move to the offensive side of the ball. Derrick Henry has to continue to reign, but Ryan Tannehill needs to continue throwing bombs.

So we're going to talk about the offense in just a moment. Before we do, though, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Bird Dogs. You guys know I you by Bird Dogs. You guys know I love my Bird Dogs. The best shorts, the best joggers, sweatpants. They have polos. They have hats, everything. All of the materials are so breathable.

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You won't want to take your Bird Dogs off. I promise you. Titans fans, let's continue today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about what I want to see schematically from the defense. Now I want to dive into what I want to see from the offensive side of the ball. Of course, at the end of the show, I'm going to zoom in from team stuff, talk about the individuals that I'm watching in this game and who I think needs to step up.

We got to talk about Nicholas Petit-Ferrer getting reps at left tackle at the end of the show. I mean, that's a huge development. So we'll dive into that. But first, the offense. Before we do, thank you guys for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first to listen each and every day. Remember, Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round, always for

free. Make sure you get subscribed, stay subscribed. Also, make sure that you check out the Locked on NFL kickoff live show. It goes live every Friday at 2 p.m. Eastern time. It's available on all the Locked On NFL YouTube channels. So that's Locked On Titans. If you're subscribed, you're going to see it on Friday, 2 p.m. Eastern. Got a ton of great hosts, a ton of great inside analysis

from local experts like me covering all the different teams. Make sure that you find your way to Locked On NFL Kickoff Live every Friday, 2 p.m. Eastern on any Locked On NFL YouTube channel. Looking at the offense. So, over the past two games, the Colts' rush defense has allowed 350 yards. In the first two games, the Colts' rush defense only allowed 150 total.

So who are the Colts for real? What is the real Colts' run defense? We're going to find out this week because Derrick Henry, throughout his career, has dominated the Indianapolis Colts. I mentioned it yesterday on the Crossover Thursday show with Zach from Locked on Colts. I mentioned it yesterday on the Crossover Thursday show with Zach from Locked On Colts. Henry has seven 100 rushing yard games against the Indianapolis Colts in his career and 14

appearances against them. That's the most single yard 100 yard rushing games, single person 100 yard rushing games against any single opponent in the NFL. It's funny because number two is Henry against the Texans and was six, and number three is Henry against the Jags, five, but whatever, Derrick Henry. And this is since 2010. Henry got drafted in 2016.

Henry's averaged 91 yards a game against the Colts, and that includes two games in his rookie year where he got a total of a game against the Colts, and that includes two games in his rookie year where he got a total of three yards against the Colts. So that's obviously bringing that number down. The Titans have won five straight games against the Colts, six of the last seven, and a lot of that has to do with Derrick Henry, who went for over 100 rushing yards in both games against the Colts last year.

And here's why that matters. The Colts have the same defensive coordinator as they had last year. It's Gus Bradley. So what the Colts want to do on defense against the Titans, they've already seen it. They've already dominated it. So I think that regardless

of what the Colts want to do, Shaquille Leonard, almost said Darius. Shout out to my guy Will Lomas who said, Derek Henry hit Darius Leonard so hard he had to change his name to Shaquille. That's a funny joke. Appreciate that, Will. But the reality is regardless of the renewed personnel for the Colts, they're running the same scheme.

And I think the Titans are going to be able to run the ball down their throat. Now, that's not good enough on its own. The Titans have to attack the Colts zone coverage. Going into week four, the Colts played more zone coverage than any other team in the NFL. They like to play cover three primarily. It's a Gus Bradley defense. He comes from the Legion of Boom of Seattle. They want to play cover three and they want to play cover two, mostly cover three, especially on early downs. Well, playing against cover three is something that the Titans have seen a lot. And in cover two, the Titans are going to be able to sit down underneath, find those over the middle zones. But I able to sit down underneath,

find those over the middle zones. But I want to focus on cover three because that's what the Gus Bradley defense is based on. Now they're going to mix in cover two. And if they're smart, they'll mix in some man because that's what the Titans struggle against. But if the Colts continue to play that cover three that they like, it's going to be a big week for the tight ends and stretching the seam.

In both games against the Colts last year, the Titans' leading receiver was a tight end. It was Chigaconquo in game one, and then it was Austin Hooper in game two. Now, they didn't have crazy astronomical statistic games, but the reality is, in a cover three with deep, deep, and then the middle, the seams, the seams.

The seams are where that coverage is vulnerable. And who's best at running down seams? Tight ends. So I think whether it be Chigaconqua or whether it be Josh Wiley, and people were worried about Josh Wiley. He's been a full participant all week. I think he's going to be fine. This is another week where Josh Wiley needs to make a catch down the seam.

NWI down the seam. And they're going to take shots from the safeties. But that's what's going to be open against the cover three coverage. So look for the Titans to hit quick ones to the sideline on early downs because in cover three, it's just basically man coverage at that point if you're on the outsides against the cornerback because it's not like a cover two where they have flat zone responsibilities

and they're going to be driving up. If the wide receiver on the outside goes vertical and you're in cover three, the cornerback has to stay with them. So you ride vertical and then you cut out to the sideline. The Titans should be able to consistently pick, pick, pick, pick, pick

to the sideline to the outside. It's to the outsides and then the seams. That's where you attack against cover three. So the Titans are going to have to continue pushing the ball down the field. I've talked about it all week. Ryan Tannehill, second in the NFL right now in average depth of target, 10.4 yards. Ryan Tannehill, 19% of his passes are 20 yards down the field or more, highest in the NFL. Seven big-time throws of 20 yards or more.

That's tied for second in the NFL. Tannehill is throwing the ball down the field. He needs to hit those seam routes. He needs to hit those deep ins. He needs to hit those deep outs. That is where you attack a cover three. And if they go to cover two a ton, then the Titans just go to the dagger concept

that they've been practicing all year long and definitely in the preseason. So it will be a heavy zone coverage day, which is different than what the Titans have seen so far this year. They need to be ready and have the right route concepts to attack that and have the proper plan. I do believe that they will. I also believe that they'll be able to run the football.

And with that in tow, I think the Titans will win this game. But we'll reaffirm my prediction for this game. Also, zoom in on some of the individual stuff that we need to talk about. I think it's going to be a big day for DeAndre Hopkins. Also, Nicholas Petit Ferrer practicing at left tackle on Thursday. We got to talk about all that. Before we get into it, though, do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by PrizePix.

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LockedOnNFL. Use the code LockedOnNFL for a first deposit match up to $100. It's PrizePix. Daily fantasy sports made easy. Titans fans, let's cap off today's game plan edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. We talked about what I want to see schematically from the offense, what I want to see schematically from the defense. Now I want to zoom in, talk about some individual players

before I get into it. I want to remind you guys, I'm going to be going live immediately after the game on Sunday here on the Locked on Titans YouTube channel, breaking down kind of my instant reaction, my first emotions from the Titans game, whether they win or lose. Sunday night on the YouTube channel, I released my full 30-minute recap going more in-depth into what I saw from the offense and defense. We have more of a schematic conversation there.

We also do tighten up, tighten down where we talk about the good and the bad individual performances in the game. What's next? Wednesday, Tic Tac Tuesday for the film, Crossover Thursday, a ton of stuff coming up. So make sure that you get subscribed, stay subscribed, make the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen each and every day. But, talking about some of the individual stuff,

I think this is going to be a big game for DeAndre Hopkins. I think this is going to be the best DeAndre Hopkins game of the season so far. I think sitting down in the nooks and crannies of zone defense, I think having one-on-one opportunities on the outside against cover three, I think this

is an ideal place for DeAndre Hopkins to have seven catches, 110 yards, and a touchdown. Like, I think this is a big DeAndre Hopkins game. I also obviously think that Derrick Henry is going to have a big game. You're talking fantasy, daily fantasy. I like Derrick Henry in this game. Again, both games last year, over 100 yards against the Colts, has historically dominated the Indianapolis Colts when he's been the starter. I think that Jeffrey Simmons has to show out in this game, and I also think this needs to be a big game for Harold Landry and Arden Key, and I described that earlier, why the edges are so important against the quarterback run. Ryan Tannehill. Finally, Ryan Tannehill.

I haven't called Ryan Tannehill out as somebody who needs to have a great game in a while, but against zone coverage, Tannehill needs to anticipate throwing windows. Tannehill needs to be able to diagnose. It's not as easy as man coverage. Oh, it's man coverage. I know that Hopkins is going to run this route. I'm going to throw it to him.

All right, in zone, you kind of got to evaluate things a little bit quicker. You got to throw with anticipation. All the stuff that Ryan Tannehill kind of struggles with. So it's got to be a big game for Ryan Tannehill to diagnose what the Colts are doing in their zone coverages. All right, it's going to be big. So Hopkins, Simmons, Henry, Tannehill. And I said I think Kevin Byard gets an interception over the middle of the field.

The Titans are going to show too high safety with Kevin Byard and Imani Hooker. They're going to run cover to invert where on Kevin Byard's side, it's the cornerback that actually is the deep half. It's going to allow Kevin Byard to sink into the middle of the field, and he's going to intercept Anthony Richardson over the middle. So I think that's happening. And at the end of the day, the Titans haven't won on the road. This is a division game.

Their best players, Tannehill, Hopkins, Simmons, Henry, Bayard, they're going to have to step up. That's all there is to it. Okay. Now, the last few things that I want to talk about here, Nicholas Petit-Ferrer was getting work at left tackle in practice on Thursday. I think that's the obvious next move. If Andre Dillard struggles mightily, you go to NPF at left tackle.

That's the next move. And I know some of you guys wanted Dylan Radins. I would like Dylan Radins to get a shot, but I think Nicholas Petit-Ferrer is more of a pure offensive tackle than Dylan Radins is. And I like Radins as the number one backup at guard. You have Dylan Radins at guard, Corey Levin at center, and then NPF is the backup tackle, or Andre Dillard if the switch happens.

You have Justin Murray as well. The Titans are developing a little bit of depth. I wouldn't say there's a lot of high-end talent on the offensive line, but at least they're starting to build some depth and some guys that you can at least trust and lean on if you need to put them in. I mean, Andre Dillard, despite what everybody said, has still been a little bit better than Dennis Daly was last year. So having him as your number one backup tackle

wouldn't be the worst thing ever. He can play a little bit of guard too. But I don't think the NPF starts at left tackle in this game. I think the Titans are just getting him ready to go. If they need to do that, I think Andre Dillard does come out as the starter in this game. But just interesting to see NPF in practice next to Peter Skowronski working at left tackle.

I think that's something that we obviously have to monitor going forward and something that we've been talking about for quite a few weeks. Craig Aukerman, the Titans special teams coordinator, said that Kyle Phillips will be back there catching punts if he's able to go. I know that frustrates a lot of you guys, but at the end of the day, a fifth-round draft pick who can only play in passing situations needs to add extra value to this roster, and the way that Kyle Phillips was supposed to do that

when he was drafted was as a punt returner. So I don't think it's just nuts to throw him back there. I think they have to try and do that. But with that being said, that's all my individual notes. Again, 23-17. I think the Titans beat the Indianapolis Colts 23-17, if the Titans don't force a turnover, I think it'll be a lot closer game. Maybe 24-23 like Zach predicted.

23-20 could also be on the table as well. But I think the Titans find a way to win this game with it being a rookie quarterback. I think Richardson is going to be a big problem for the Titans going forward. So is it C.J. Stroud. But for right now, a rookie in week five, Titans will find a way to get this win. So that is going to do it though for me, of course, in this game plan, Friday edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. As always, I am your host. I just want you guys to know right now the outro sounds

chopped and screwed to me and stuff, but I am your host, Tyler Rowland you guys to know right now the outro sounds chopped and screwed to me. But I am your host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans. What are we in Houston? Yeesh. Let's go with Dom.