Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans DISGRACEFUL LOSS to Commanders, FIRE COLT ANDERSON & Will Levis Plays Well

Episode Date: December 1, 2024

The Tennessee Titans had a disgraceful performance against the Washington Commanders in a Week 13 loss and coaching is absolutely to blame for this one. Brian Callahan, Dennard Wilson and Colt Anderson did not have their group ready to play even if a letdown from last week was expected. Speaking of Colt Anderson, there is absolutely no reason that he should be on this coaching staff still and should immediately be fired after another disaster performance on special teams in all phases. Finally, the reality is Will Levis played very well in this game. Despite drops, poor offensive line play and being constantly behind, Will Levis played very well in this game. Continuing a trend of good ball for the Titans young QB.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/videosSupport Us By Supporting Our Sponsors!Omaha SteaksFrom legendary steaks to mouthwatering desserts and more, save 50% off site-wide for a limited time at OmahaSteaks.com. Plus, our listeners get an extra $30 off with Promo Code NFL.IceShakerCreated by and used by the Gronkowski brothers, IceShakers has sold over 1 million bottles. They have changed the game with workout bottles, and this is the gift you’ve been looking for… go to IceShaker.com and use the code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout to save 25% on your order.Skylight FrameGet $20 off a Skylight Frame when you go to SkylightFrame.com/NFL.Mint MobileTo get this new customer offer and your new 3-month premium wireless plan for just 15 bucks a month, go to Mintmobile.com/lockedonnfl. Cut your wireless bill to 15 bucks a month at MINT MOBILE dot com slash lockedonnfl.Disclaimer: $45 upfront payment required (equivalent to $15/mo.). New customers on first 3 month plan only. Speeds slower above 40GB on Unlimited plan. Additional taxes, fees, & restrictions apply. See MINT MOBILE for details.Hillsdale CollegeAll of Hillsdale’s courses are self-paced so that you can start whenever, and tune in wherever. Plus, you can go deeper with readings, quizzes, discussions - or just enjoy the lectures. Go right now to hillsdale.edu/lockedon to enroll. There’s no cost, and it’s easy to get started.PrizePicksDownload the app and use code lockedonnfl 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.Click Here: https://prizepicks.onelink.me/LME0/LOCKEDONNFLGametimeDownload 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.FanDuelYou can start the season with a big return on FanDuel. New customers can place a FIVE DOLLAR bet and you’ll get started with ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY DOLLARS in BONUS BETS - if you win your first FIVE DOLLAR BET ! Visit FANDUEL.COM 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)

The Tennessee Titans get absolutely embarrassed against the Washington Commanders, and once again, it's coaching that is the most to blame. That and more 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. Welcome to the Locked On Titans podcast. I am your host, Tyler Rowland, Titans fans.

Today's edition of the Locked On Titans podcast is brought to you by GameTime. Download the GameTime app, create an account, use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. The Tennessee Titans get embarrassed 42-19 by the Washington Commanders, and coaching is the most to blame. Before we get into it, I do want to thank you for making the Locked on Titans podcast your first listen. Each and every one of us brings content all year round, always for free.

You're not going to beat that anywhere else. Make sure that you subscribe. Stay subscribed. It's your team every day. Speaking of every day, shout out to my everydayers out there. Tune in Monday through Friday. Couldn't do it without you guys. If you aren't an everydayer, you need to be one.

But with that being said, this loss is 100% on the coaching staff. 100% on the coaches. And quite frankly, we have said that far too often this year. Too often this season has the coaching been to blame for the Tennessee Titans. And we can get into the run defense issues. We can get into the penalties. We can get into the penalties. We can get into the turnovers. We're going to talk about all that.

We certainly are. We will get into it. But at the end of the day, this football team was not ready to play mentally from the start of the game. It's not about the scheme. It's not about the play calling. That's not the problem. The Titans got down 21 to nothing in the first quarter.

That is not scheme. That is not play calling. That is having your football team mentally locked in and ready to play a football game. And at the end of the day, that was the biggest issue with this game. Period. I mean, you look at the second half. The second half was 14-12. Like, it was a pretty close second half, but the Titans get beat 28-7 in the first half,

and again, we could talk about all the little itty-bitty reasons why, but at the end of the day, it is about being mentally prepared to play a football game and the Tennessee Titans were not. And look, throughout the week, throughout the week, we talked about what I think the Titans record will be the rest of the way. We talked about my prediction for this game on Friday's game plan show. And I thought the Tennessee Titans would lose this game. I thought the Tennessee Titans would lose. Alright? But not like this. And we also talked about you play a game against Houston on the road, a big emotional

win against a division rival in a tough fought game that went down to the wire. It is going to be hard to bounce back on the road against a good football team and get a win. For a Titans team that we were excited after last week, but I tried to express caution. The Titans are not a good football team all of a sudden because they beat Houston on the road. That doesn't mean they're a good football team.

Now, they could play better football down the road, and I expect them to play better football than this, but at the end of the day, we all knew. I am a podcast host, and I knew that it would be difficult for the Titans to get this win on the road. If you're Brian Callahan, the head coach of the team, how do you not recognize that this is going to be even more difficult because of last week and have your

team more locked in? Look, what happens is everyone gets emotional during these games, all right? You're watching the game. Your team is losing. You feel negative emotions. You don't get your endorphins. You don't get your dopamine releasing. You're angry. Fire everyone. I am not going to sit here and tell you that the Titans are going to fire Brian Callahan. They're not going to fire Brian Callahan. He's not going to be fired after the season. But I will tell you this, and we will have these conversations as we go into the offseason and throughout the offseason. Brian Callahan is 100% on the hot seat next year.

If things don't go well next year for the Titans, Brian Callahan will be fired in the season because we have seen too many times this year the team is not prepared to play, the team doesn't have a good plan out there, and look, the defense, we'll talk about the defense. The defense is not necessarily on Brian Callahan. He doesn't make the defensive plan.

But the players were not mentally ready to play in the game. They weren't focused. They weren't locked in. And quite frankly, there was terrible effort out there on the field. The Titans haven't been one of these bad teams that have quit and have shown poor effort throughout the last couple of weeks. But there was terrible effort in this game, especially two of the Titans' best

players, and Tavondre Sweat and Jeffrey Simmons. We'll talk about them when I do tighten up, tighten down here in just a moment, but the effort from the Tennessee Titans, the mental engagement, I would tell you this, that the mental part of effort, effortort is often physical. Alright? How much effort you're giving is a physical thing. But the mental part of effort is focus. And the Tennessee Titans were far from focused to start this game. And that

is how they got their absolute butts kicked in the first half and lost this football game. Nothing they could do in the second half of the game would have mattered because the Titans got crushed at the beginning. And look, outside of the mentality coming into this game, not being locked in, not being focused, embarrassing yourselves,

now we get into the granular details. Penalties. 12 penalties for 93 yards. They had 11 penalties in the first half. Not mentally focused. Not prepared. The head coach did not have his team prepared to play. Period.

Period. And then the special teams play. How many of those penalties came on special teams in the first half? Five? Six? Block in the back. Block in the back. Holding. How long does it have to go? How long does it have to go before Cole Anderson is fired? And I don't want to see anybody, I don't want to see anybody online this week or in the chat this week

blaming Cole Anderson. It is not Cole Anderson's fault anymore. It's Brian Callahan's fault. I am done blaming Cole Anderson. It is not Cole Anderson's fault anymore. It's Brian Callahan's fault. I am done blaming Cole Anderson. It's not Cole Anderson's fault that he has his job. It's Brian Callahan's fault that Cole Anderson has his job. Cole Anderson isn't going to voluntarily fire himself. When have you ever seen anybody voluntarily fire themselves for doing a terrible job? Nobody. Of course, Cole Anderson isn't going to go in and say, coach, I'm awful at my job. I am resigning. Brian Callahan should have fired Cole Anderson a month ago. It is now on Brian Callahan.

Anything that happens on special teams is on Brian Callahan. And Denard Wilson ain't even sniffing a head coaching job. Not anytime soon. Run blitzing against a team that runs the option and letting Jaden Daniels have bigger holes and letting the running backs have bigger holes because you're blitzing and allowing the quarterback to read the blitz and then make his decision. I mean, it's pure insanity. So this loss is 100% on the coaching. And I am not going to call for Brian Callahan to be fired this season, but he is absolutely a top candidate to be fired

during the season next year if he doesn't turn this around quick. Because this is embarrassing and it's on the coaching staff for not having the team ready and prepared to go. 100%, no doubt about it. There are a ton of players to blame as well, but the coaching is where we have to start with a loss like this. But let's talk about some of the player performances and tighten up Up, Tighten Down. And Jeffrey Simmons and Tavondre Sweat got their lunch money taken in this one. Do want to let you guys know that today's episode

is brought to you by Ice Shaker. Hey, Locked on Titans fans, I know you're like me and your holiday shopping list is, let's just say, far from complete. Well, if that's the case, I've got the perfect gift for passionate sports fans in your life. Perhaps you've heard of Ice Shaker. Ice Shaker is now officially licensed with the NFL, NHL, NBA, NCAA, and the MLB and makes an ideal gift. It's created and used by the Gronkowski brothers. Ice Shaker has sold over 1 million bottles. They have changed the game with workout bottles and this is the gift

that you've been looking for. Go to ice shaker.com. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL at checkout to save 25% off your order. Order your team-branded bottles today at IceShaker.com. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL. Again, you're going to get 25% off your order. Ice Shakers, show your support for your teams with the best-branded workout bottles on the market. Ice Shakers, remember, it's LOCKEDed On NFL at checkout for 25% off your order. Today's episode is also brought to you by BetterHelp. My favorite part of the holidays is definitely chilling at home

in a cozy environment and watching the snow come down. How do you stay cozy during the winter months? Wrapping up in some blankets, a mug of hot chocolate, watching your favorite movie. I will tell you this, that therapy is a great way to bring yourself some comfort that never goes away even when the season changes. I've worked with BetterHelp before. It was a great experience. So if you're thinking about starting therapy, you got to give BetterHelp a try. It's entirely online. It's designed to be convenient, flexible, and suited to your schedule. All you have to do is fill out a brief questionnaire

to get matched with a licensed therapist, and you can change therapists at any time for no additional charge. Find comfort this December with BetterHelp. Visit betterhelp.com slash locked on today to get 10% off your first month. That's betterhelp, H-E-L-P dot com slash locked on. Titans fans, let's continue today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast, recapping a disgraceful loss to the Washington Commanders for the Tennessee Titans.

I just talked about the coaching staff and how I am not somebody who's going to tell you that Brian Callahan needs to be fired now or this offseason. He's not going to be a one-and-done coach, but he should be absolutely at the top of the list of coaches that could be fired in the middle of the season next year if these coaching losses continue for the Tennessee Titans. You only get so many excuses before it's time for you to pay the piper, And Brian Callahan has not had his team ready to go too many times this season. And that's exactly what happened here. But at the end of the day, there are some players that deserve some blame here. Now, again, I'm blaming the coaching staff for the loss. But at the end of the day, some of the problems that the Titans had out on the field

were, you know, poor performances by some of their most important players. Before I get into it, I do want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Throw your Titan ups and your Titan downs down in the chat. Hit me up on Twitter at TicTacTitans and let me know your thoughts there. But starting with Titan Downs, because after you get beat 42-19, you start with the Titan Downs. And my number one Titan Down in this one is Jeffrey Simmons. Jeffrey Simmons should be embarrassed.

He should be absolutely embarrassed by his performance in this game. He got manhandled. He got bullied. He got pushed around over and over and over again in this game. He got manhandled. He got bullied. He got pushed around over and over and over again in this game. An absolute disgrace for Jeffrey Simmons and the way he played out on the field today. For you to make a hundred million dollars and then to put up performances, you don't get paid a hundred million dollars to have one good month. good month. That's not how this works. You got bullied out there today. Bullied by the Washington Commanders offensive line. I am just, Jeffrey Simmons is my favorite player on the entire team. He's my favorite player on the entire team, but I am disgusted by what I saw from Jeffrey Simmons

out there today. I mean, absolutely bullied in the run game over and over. The Washington Commanders ran for 267 yards right up the gut. All over. They didn't need to go outside. They ran right up the gut. And I saw a lot of people saying, Tyler, you said nobody runs on the Tennessee Titans. Jeffrey Simmons is the one who says nobody runs on the Tennessee Titans. And Jeffrey Simmons got treated like a

punk all day long. Out physical, destroyed all day long. A number one above all else, tightened down for Jeffrey Simmons. And it hurts me to say it. It does. But it's the truth. And I know that I'm legally not allowed to say this. I'm not allowed to say it. But Tavondre Sweat got bullied too. Tavondre Sweat was a punk out there too. He got pushed around like a child all day long.

And they ran right up the gut on Sweat and Simmons every single snap. I mean, Bryan Robinson ran for like 10 yards to carry for the first quarter. Right up the gut. A despicable performance by Tavondre Sweat and Jeffrey Simmons. Every single issue with the defense starts up front with those two players who pissed down their leg all

day long. They got bullied by the commander's offensive line. I have never, never in my wildest dreams expected the performance that we got from Tavondre Sweat and from Jeffrey Simmons. I mean, Sweat did nothing in this game.

Absolutely nothing. Just despicable, man. Despicable performance by Simmons and Sweat. Terrible. And then you go one level further. One level further. Kenneth Murray and Jerome Baker. Disgraceful.

Out of position, pushed around, like they were in a blender all day. This team, this team cannot deal with a running quarterback. They have no idea how to stop a mobile quarterback. And it's crazy because Denard Wilson just came from Baltimore, where he had Lamar Jackson, and then before that he came from Philadelphia, where he had Jalen Hurts.

And Denard Wilson, if the Titans play a mobile quarterback, just end the game. I mean, they made Sam Darnold and Drake May look like prime Mike Vick this year. They made Malik Willis look like a starter. Despicable. From the middle of the defense, Simmons, Sweat, Murray, and Baker.

Baker. I mean, people like to hate on Jack Gibbons. I was missing Jack Gibbons so bad in this game. I mean, just destroyed in the middle of the Titans defense. Terrible, terrible, terrible, terrible performance by those four players. Now, outside of that, I don't have a ton to be mad at here other than Jaquan Jackson.

He's got to go. He's got to go. I defended Jaquan Jackson early in the season. He wasn't making dynamic returns, but he was holding on to the football, which was new for the Tennessee Titans from the last few years. season. He wasn't making dynamic returns, but he was holding on to the football, which was new for the Tennessee Titans from the last few years. But if you're going to have five fumbles

in six games, get off the team. You provide nothing. You're Tajay Spears' friend, and Tajay doesn't even play anymore. Get Jaquan Jackson out of there. He's done. There's got, there has to be, it's crazy to me to look around the NFL at how many teams have a competent returner.

And the Titans just cannot do it. They just can't find a guy. Just, I mean, they can barely find people to hold on to the ball. Let alone guys who provide value in the return game. Like, they have to go out in free agency and get a veteran returner instead of relying on rookies. Period.

So Jaquan Jackson, a guy I defended at the beginning of the year because he wasn't dropping the ball. Now, if you're going to fumble constantly, you cannot be out there. You just simply can't play. And he's not providing any value on offense. Just get him off the team. It's that simple. It's that simple.

So, tighten down for the defense. I thought Amani Hooker got the interception, but he was awful in run defense, and that was the problem. 267 rushing yards allowed. A disgrace. That is getting bullied to allow that many rushing yards.

I mean, the Titans almost allowed two 100-yard rushers in Bryan Robinson, and then Chris Rodriguez had 94 rushing yards. That's a disgrace. That is a team playing with no backbone. And there are words that I want to say that I don't say on this show because it's a family program, but I just cannot believe, I cannot believe how bad the Tennessee Titans were in the run defense.

Just can't believe it. It's a shock. It is an utter shock. And it's what lost them the game other than just mentally not being prepared. But on a bright note, there were some players on the offensive side of the ball that did play well, including Will Levis, who was excellent in this game. And it's been a month now of Will Levis playing great football.

Do want to let you guys know that today's episode is brought to you by Fandle. Look, folks, get ready to tackle the final third of the NFL season with Fandle, America's number one sportsbook. Because right now, new customers can bet $5 and get $150 in bonus bets if you win. The FanDuel Sportsbook app gives you everything you need to place live bets on the NFL all in one place. So, you get a hunch in the middle of the game. You can check out the latest stats. You can view live play-by-play and so much more on the same exact page

where you place your bets on FanDuel. Make sure that you visit FanDuel.com to join today. You'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. started with $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. Again, you'll get started with $150 in bonus bets if you win your first $5 bet. That's Fandle.com. Never waste a hunch and make every moment more with Fandle, an official sportsbook partner of the NFL.

Today's episode is also brought to you by GameTime. GameTime is the best place to buy tickets, period. They have the best features in the industry. And now, they have a new feature that makes GameTime even better. It's called GameTime Picks. GameTime Picks makes getting tickets to see your favorite teams play live even easier. GameTime Picks filters out the fluff to show you only incredible deals on great seats so you don't have to waste time searching through thousands of tickets.

GameTime also has a panoramic view from your seat so you literally know what you're going to be looking at when you sit down. And if you toggle on the feature in the app, you get all-in pricing. So the price that you see for your tickets is the price that you pay for your tickets. Take the guesswork out of buying tickets with GameTime. Download the GameTime app.

Create an account. Use the code LOCKEDONNFL for $20 off your first purchase. Terms apply. Again, create an account. Redeem the code L-O-C-K-E-D-O-N-N-F-L for $20 off. Download the GameTime app today. What time is it? Game time.

Titans fans, let's cap off today's edition of the Locked on Titans podcast. Tennessee Titans get absolutely embarrassed in a disgraceful first half. 42-19 is the final score. Brian Callahan did not have his team ready to play. Employing Cole Anderson is almost a fireable offense in itself, and Brian Callahan will be on the hot seat going into next season. No doubt about it. Jeffrey Simmons and Tavondre Sweat and the linebackers got bullied in this game.

They should be embarrassed of themselves. But moving to the offensive side of the ball, I think you've got to be impressed with what Will Levis has done here. This is four straight games now where Will Levis has played really good football. Now, he was 18 for 37. That doesn't look very good. Admittedly, 18 for 37

doesn't look very good. 212 yards, two touchdowns, zero interceptions. The reality is there were six drops in this game. And tons of mistakes. Two drops by Nick Westbrook-Akene.

I think there were three drops by Tony Pollard. Calvin Ridley just stopped running a route at one point when Will Levis delivered a good ball. I mean, there were at least five or six drops. And if Will Levis is 24 for 37, 23 for 37, that's fine. That's fine. Travis is 24 for 37, 23 for 37. That's fine. That's fine.

He delivered countless fantastic strikes, touchdowns to Nick Westbrook-Akene, two of them, a couple of good hits to Calvin Ridley. He made an incredible pass to Tyler Boyd on the sideline on a corner out against man coverage. He made an incredible pass to Chika Konkwo on a third down as well. So, was it perfect? No.

Rarely ever perfect. Rarely ever perfect. But, I mean, Will Levis did everything that he possibly could. He literally did everything that he possibly could. That play did everything that he possibly could. That play to Calvin Ridley on third and, what was it, 20? Where he broke multiple sacks and got out of the pocket

and completed it to Calvin Ridley down the field for a first down. I mean, that was impressive. That was impressive, man. So, of all the players that did not play well in this game, Will Levis was not one of them. He was the only bright spot

for the game, quite honestly. Chika Konkwo played pretty well for the most part. NWI played pretty well for the most part. NWI played pretty well for the most part. Outside of a couple of drops, of course. But if you got NWI dropping passes, it's more about the team than it is NWI. I mean, give me a break. You know, I will say I was not very impressed with Tony Pollard in this game.

Pollard has had a great season. I'm not going to pretend like Tony Pollard just won bad game and he hasn't been great all year, because he has, but he had three drops in this game in critical situations. He had the fumble early on that just really hurt the team, so that wasn't great, but outside of Tony Pollard, I mean, the offense wasn't the big issue in this game. The offense scored 19 points,

went for a couple of two-point conversions, or at least one that they didn't get. And there was multiple fumbles. So, I don't know. It's just a weird game, because the offense really did not play that bad. I think the offense probably played well enough to win. But with Tony Pollard's fumble,

Jaquan Jackson's fumble, the defense being despicable, the special teams being a disaster, and the coach not having the team ready to play... the defense being despicable, the special teams being a disaster, and the coach not having the team ready to play. I mean, what are you supposed to do? What are you supposed to do? So, to me, you look at the offensive side of the ball,

there was a lot to like. And that starts with Will Levis once again, who had a very good game. He played very well in the game. Was he perfect? No, again, he wasn't perfect. game. He played very well in the game. Was he perfect? No, again, he wasn't perfect. But if you're, if you're coming out of this game and you're blaming Will Levis, or you're saying Will Levis played bad in this game, like,

I mean, you either are a moron or you need to go to an optometrist. Like if your eyes aren't working and you're not wearing glasses or you're not wearing contacts, I could give you a pass. You can't see. It's not your fault. You can't see. But, man, I'll tell you, if you're hating on Will Levis after this one, I just don't know.

I question your sanity as a human being. So, drops, penalties, a lack of focus, a lack of effort. All of that comes back to coaching. And that's why my biggest takeaway from this game will continue to be that this is on Brian Callahan and he's not

getting fired this year. He's not going to be a one and done coach. That's not getting fired this year. He's not going to be a one-and-done coach. That's not what good organizations do. But he better have this team ready to play at the start of next season because he will be very, very high in the odds for first coach fired. And if he doesn't fire Colt Anderson this offseason or now, or if Colt Anderson is the special teams coach at the start of next

year I will be first in line to say Brian Callahan needs to be fired so you could take that to the bank because just like with Mike Vrabel employing Todd Downing and Craig Aukerman if you are gonna if you are gonna willingly have terrible position coaches who are not good enough Willingly have terrible position coaches who are not good enough. That's your fault as a coach, no matter how good you do other things. Period. So, with that being said, though, that is going to do it for me today, folks. A very frustrating loss for the Tennessee Titans.

A very angry fan base. And you should be. You guys should be angry. And I'm pretty salty too. No lie about it. But at the end of the day, I did think that they would lose this game. But the lack of preparedness to start out this game,

it's unacceptable. It's truly unacceptable. But with that being said, that is going to do it for me today, folks. Thumbs up on the video. Tighten up down in the chat. Get subscribed. Stay subscribed. I am your

host, Tyler Rowland, and this was Locked on Titans.