Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans LEGEND Chris Johnson Reveals HEARTBREAKING Medical News & Defensive Roster Picks

Starting point is 00:00:00 Chris Johnson is a franchise legend. So despite his sad medical announcement, the focus should be on honoring his legacy. That's what we'll do 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.

Starting point is 00:00:35 On today's show, we are going to honor the legacy of Chris Johnson. It was a sad, sad day in the Tennessee Titans community as C.J. 2K, one of the most legendary players in franchise history, made a big personal announcement, letting the world know that he has been diagnosed with ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig's disease. I am not a doctor. I am not here to give you the medical facts of this and that, what it can mean. but what I do know is it's a debilitating disease where your body essentially betrays you.

Starting point is 00:01:09 The Chris Johnson that you know and love is still the same person. His thoughts, his verve, his energy, his excitement, all real. But unfortunately, he's trapped within a body that is now, again, betraying him. The reality is with this disease, and while there are examples of people living for quite some time and quite a coincidence, Tim Shaw, another Titans former player as someone who's dealt with this,

Starting point is 00:01:34 disease. There have been others out there as well, but it's a disease that carries about a three to five year lifespan, essentially, after you make the announcement. So while this day and a lot of the conversation around CJ's announcement makes it feel like, you know, he's left us. That's not the case, but it also does come with a sobering reality that most people don't have long to live once this happens. And, you know, while again, that's, incredibly sad. It's heartbreaking news. It's, you know, you think about his family, his strong wife who was there with him during the interview with Michael Strahan on Good Morning America, which I encourage any Titans fan who maybe didn't know about this news until hearing it from me

Starting point is 00:02:19 or maybe hasn't seen that interview. You were busy at work. You had a long day, whatever. I encourage you to take six or seven minutes and watch the interview as brutal as it is. I think it's important for awareness to be spread about these things. and for people to kind of get a better understanding. And when it's a football player who you know and you love, and it's sad that sometimes it takes things like that, but it allows you to empathize in a way. And hopefully that creates a better world.

Starting point is 00:02:47 All of us can empathize with the struggle that Chris Johnson's now going through to see him in the chair. You know, it's a strange irony and a sad irony that a guy who made his life, made his career, made his name, made his place in all of our hearts. through the incredible abilities of his body. Like professional sports is about your ability to control your body and make it do incredible, tremendous things

Starting point is 00:03:16 and high pressure, high leverage, incredibly quick situations, right? That's what sport is at the end of the day when you break it down. To see a guy who looked like Superman physically for most of the time that I knew him look the way that he does now, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, it's, awful. It's sad. You know, it, it's brutal to think about. But in all of that, I think we have to find a way to transcend through the sad feeling that we all collectively feel together and honor him and cherish those moments and speak about how he brought us joy. You know, Chris Johnson's lasting impact on the planet Earth will forever be that he brought joy

Starting point is 00:04:02 to everyone who watched him play football. And, you know, we can talk about all these big things and, you know, money and politics and laws and rules and all of the big time issues that truly do affect all of us and affect our world. But we're on this rock for a short time, man, and feeling joy in your heart and feeling happiness. And, you know, that's really the greatest gift that you can give, whether it's entertainment or whether it's a call to a friend or, you know, whether it's a, soft touch on the hand to a loved one, a hug to a stranger. A smile. you know, like the smallest things in life mean the most. And Chris Johnson may just be a football player, but, you know, he made us happy, right? I think about those times as a Titans fan.

Starting point is 00:04:54 After the Steve McNair, Eddie George era, things were weird. and me personally, my high school years, 2005 to 2009, those were the hardest years of my life, probably. My life was in disarray. My, you know, everything was shattered, quite honestly, for me compared to what it should have been. A Titans football, man. And the reality is, I know that they had the 2008 season

Starting point is 00:05:21 where they went 13 and 3 and got the number one seed and think about how much joy that brought us to experience that season. but with what was to come afterwards, the couple of seasons before where the franchise was in transition, I'm going to be 100% on. When Chris Johnson was drafted, I was like, who is this bum? I've never heard of Christ East Carolina. Oh, we just took the guy who ran fast in the 40-yard dash.

Starting point is 00:05:48 Who is this guy? And look how wrong I was. Shout out to like 15-year-old me who didn't know a dang thing, but that goes to show you how hard the draft is still. But for him to turn into what he turned into, and I talked about it in my little short video, but I think that we talk so much about winning that again we overrate or underrate the joy.

Starting point is 00:06:15 I just want to feel happy. I just want to be entertained. I just want to be excited about my football team. And, you know, while I'm working 50, 60, hours a week, slaving away at my job, paying bills, worried about the money. How do we get the 401K? How can I retire? Kids, school, bills, work, job, my back hurts, blah, blah, this and that, all the struggles.

Starting point is 00:06:44 I got Titans football. Man, I'm excited for the game Sunday. Hey, did you see Chris Johnson on Sunday break off that 80-yard run? Man, that was just that split second to take us away from all the horrors and hardships. and that was Chris Johnson, and he was all we had. He was all we had. Vince Young was up and down. Every draft pick never seemed to work out,

Starting point is 00:07:06 and the chance Warmax, and heck, I couldn't even be 100% happy in the 13 and 3 season, because we had freaking Kerry Collins, and everybody knew that that wasn't real. But Chris Johnson was real. And whenever I went to a party with my friends or had a fantasy draft

Starting point is 00:07:24 or was watching Sunday ticket with the boys or went to play Madden and do a fantasy draft. People are clamoring to get Chris Johnson because he's so fun to play with on the game. Like it just gave the Titans something to be proud of. Something that people respected. People respected Chris Johnson as a playmaker.

Starting point is 00:07:48 People respected Chris Johnson as a talent. He gave the Titans something to be, proud of. So there weren't a ton of wins. There was only a couple of good moments team-wise in all of it. But I mean, 1,200 yards in year 1, 2000 in year 2,000

Starting point is 00:08:07 in year 2,500 yards of record that still hasn't been broken. 2,500 total yards in 2009 in year 2. Offensive player of the year. 1,300 rushing yards the next year. 1,000, 1,200. 1,000 again in his final

Starting point is 00:08:24 year. You know, we can talk about all-time rankings and Mount Rushmore's and those talks don't feel appropriate today, in my opinion. What does feel appropriate is again reminding folks. And I know that some of you guys are younger,

Starting point is 00:08:41 maybe you weren't really, you know, aware for the CJ 2K years, but having him when we had nothing else, it just meant everything. It meant everything. So, thank you, Johnson, stay strong.

Starting point is 00:08:59 ALS.org, if you feel the need to donate to improve research and all that, you know, however you want to do it, man. Honestly, my view on these kinds of things has changed. Thoughts and prayers. People always, you know, thoughts and prayers, what's it? But like, man, the power of positive thinking

Starting point is 00:09:19 it's stronger than just about anything you could imagine. So never downplay. thoughts, prayers, good vibes, good emotions, vibrations, whatever you call it, whatever you want to explain it as, send them to Chris Johnson, his family, and all of us in the Titans community today, man, because all we got to each other in this long road that we call life. Sad news, but try to find yin and yang,

Starting point is 00:09:45 trying to find a positive in everything, and the joy that Chris Johnson brought to all of us outweighs the sadness that this announcement brings. that's about all I can say on the topic again nothing I can say can take away the pain that you feel but with that being said let's do what we all love to do most and talk about the Tennessee Titans

Starting point is 00:10:06 because my roster predictions got to continue we did offense yesterday time to dive into the defense and we start with the defensive line do want to let you know that today's episode is brought to you by Indeed workplace chaos can show up fast That's where Indeed sponsored jobs comes in.

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Starting point is 00:11:49 Now, I want to keep the conversation going, look, it's hard on a day like this, you know, focusing on football and things like that. But that's what we need to do here on the Locked-on Titans podcast. That's what Chris Johnson would want us to do is continue to love our favorite football team. And again, on yesterday's show, I did my offensive roster predictions.

Starting point is 00:12:09 We had 25 guys on offense, four tight end, seven wide receivers, nine offensive linemen, two quarterbacks, three running backs. Go back and check that out if you missed it. But today we do defense and we start on the defensive line. Before we do, though, I want to thank you again for making Locked on Titans. Your first listen each and every day. Monday through Friday, Tennessee Titans content all year round,

Starting point is 00:12:30 always for free. Make sure you get subscribe, stay subscribed. It's your team every day. I think the Titans are going to stack out the defensive line. Robert Salah talked about how they really want numbers there because of the rotation. Remember, they only want players playing 60% snaps at max. That's about 40 snaps at a 66. You know what I mean?

Starting point is 00:12:53 Robert Sala said that's about the number, about 40 snaps out of 60, 70 play game. Something like that for the defensive side of the ball. So they want big time numbers on the defensive line. And I think that obviously now includes defensive tackle and defensive end. We can talk about edge, but I think for the Titans moving forward, defensive tackle, defensive end linebacker, safety, cornerback, and nickel. We should have six positions and look at them like that.

Starting point is 00:13:19 So that's what I'm going to do going forward for the Titans. But I do think that they are going to stack out the defensive line. I think that they want those numbers there. I think obviously Jeffrey Simmons, John Franklin Myers, Solomon Thomas, and Jordan Elliott, in my opinion, are locks on the defensive line at defensive tack. But I think Jackie Marshall is going to make it. And I was skeptical about Jackie.

Starting point is 00:13:42 But I will tell you, in the off-season content that we've gotten from the Tennessee Titans, I've heard a lot about Jackie Marshall. I've heard his name a lot. They're really pushing him. And I had this thought about Jackie Marshall. So Robert Salas said recently that in a perfect world, if Jeffrey Simmons took 40 out of 60 snaps in a game, it would be all 40 passes

Starting point is 00:14:17 so that Jeffrey Simmons can rush the passer. And he said, Jeffrey Simmons is a great run defender, great run defender. But like, we're going to leverage Jeffrey Simmons' talents the most if he's as fresh as possible

Starting point is 00:14:29 to rush the passer. Robert Sala, there was a press conference in San Francisco that I saw him do one time talking about the run game and the past game and some of the comments that you hear from him,

Starting point is 00:14:41 you've got to kind of read through him a little bit. Robert Sala does not, care about run defense. He doesn't care at all. He really doesn't. Like, you got to stop the run because you got to stop the run, but he does not care. He wants to rush the passer, stop the pass. And there is a strong correlation. If you look at the data of past defense and pass offense and playoff success, like the teams were the best pass offenses, the teams are the best past defenses, often the teams that win the most games.

Starting point is 00:15:11 So, Robert Sala knows that. And with that in mind, if Jeffrey Simmons, if John Franklin Myers, if they want those guys as fresh as possible to rush the passer, then that means that the backups,

Starting point is 00:15:36 if the Titans had to have backups, who were better at run defense or better at pass-run, What would they want? Better at run defense. Because if you want to prioritize using Jeffrey Simmons snaps on passing downs, that means that you have to rest him on rushing downs. There we go. We all got it.

Starting point is 00:15:58 Do you see my thought process here? I thought about this over the weekend. So Jackie Marshall, the Titans late round rookie, defensive tackle. What was this scouting report coming out of college? explosive off the line of scrimmage, former edge rusher with good movement and penetration ability,

Starting point is 00:16:25 really good against the run, firing off across the line of scrimmage, penetrating gaps. Not very polished as a pass rusher from the interior because he was a former edge and just naturally college guys often are more athletic than they are polished technicians, which makes sense. They're amateurs.

Starting point is 00:16:43 So if Jackie Marshall in the scouting report, wasn't a very good pass rusher and was more of a good run defender. Well, doesn't all that line up? If we want Jeffrey Simmons out there on passing downs, then we need backups who are good at run defense. And if Jackie Marshall is already good at run defense, just not a good pass rusher, well, good thing,

Starting point is 00:17:03 I don't need him to rush the passer. I didn't even stop the run and spell Jeffrey Simmons. So Solomon Thomas can do a little bit of boat. Jordan Elliott and Jackie Marshall are run defenders. Now, I look at like Timmy Horn, Cam Horsley, guys like that who could potentially get a sixth spot. I could see the Titans going with six defensive tackles. You have three different waves, right?

Starting point is 00:17:32 One, two, and three. I could see that. And if that's the case, that I think Jackie Marshall as a three technique, and then Timmy Horn, Cam Horsley is more of a, you know, nose tackle type, I think that could make sense. But I'm going with five guys

Starting point is 00:17:51 at defensive tackle right now. That's where I'm going to land. Now, we move to Edge, and I have one surprise at Edgerusher. Germain Johnson, Caldric Falk, Femiola Dejio, Jacob Martin, Jalen Harrell, locks. They are absolute locks

Starting point is 00:18:07 to make the roster. No doubt in my mind. Those five guys are going to make it. I think the Titans are going to want to have, again, a ton of depth on the defensive line. So I think Truman Jones, another name that I've heard a lot about in the, like the media stuff that the Titans have posted,

Starting point is 00:18:32 he had a sack and mandatory minicamp as well. I think Truman Jones is a guy who has impressed the coaching staff. And think about it this way. Caldric Falk can rush from the interior, right? Well, if Keldrick Falk can function as a defensive tackle on pass rushing downs, then you do have six defensive tackles. So if you consider Keldrick Falk to be interior and defensive end, then you have six defensive tackles and six defensive ends.

Starting point is 00:19:10 And now you're good to go on any rotation that you want to do from a three-line perspective. Think about hockey shifts, lines, three lines of defensive linemen, three lines of defensive line. But seriously, you're good to go. You can do it that way throughout the game. Now, it doesn't work perfectly

Starting point is 00:19:27 because obviously Keldrick Falk will have to be probably in that second group. You would have Solomon Thomas and Keldrick Fulk as your backup interior rushers. But if Keldrick Fulk is part of the starting edge group which Remain Johnson, and then part of the backup interior defense, line, he can do both.

Starting point is 00:19:44 So I think that sort of versatility allows him to kind of count for both, which makes it 6 and 6, but it's only 11, and that's what versatility can do for roster math. But with that being said, let's move to the back 7. We've got to talk linebackers, and we've got to talk secondary.

Starting point is 00:20:00 But 5 interior defensive linemen, six defensive ends, we've got 11 guys, we add that to the 25 we had on offense, and we continue moving forward with my roster predictions. Let me know your defensive roster predictions down below. Fans, let's cap off today's edition

Starting point is 00:20:37 of the Locked on Titans podcast. Again, we talked about Chris Johnson, the announcement that he made, his career, and the impact that it had on all of us. We talked about the defensive line numbers and how it's going to make an interesting conversation for how the Titans want to put the roster together. But now I want to move to the Back 7

Starting point is 00:20:53 talk linebackers, talk secondary. Before I do, I want to thank you for making Locked on Titans your first listen each and every day. Speaking of every day, you guys got to join the Locked on Titans every day. or club, hit the link down below in the description. You're going to get commercial-free versions of the podcast in your podcast app. You're going to get added to a locked-on Titans every day or group chat with me and a bunch of other

Starting point is 00:21:14 every dayers again, hit the link down below, join the Locked on Titans, every day or club. Now, with that being said that we moved to lineback. And I think the Titans would love to keep six linebackers, but I think they only keep five. Cedric Gray Anthony Hill Cody Barton James Williams and Muhammad Diabati

Starting point is 00:21:39 that's what I think it's going to be I don't see anybody else being good enough to make it I just don't buy it they don't have anybody I mean there are young guys think like Chad Banks

Starting point is 00:21:58 for example is a guy who I hope can make a play and move up the roster. Dorian Musai, Mani Powell, Sean Brown, all these, like I just I'm not overly impressed by the talent there. I don't think they need to keep too many people. And honestly, that's a theme.

Starting point is 00:22:19 Because in the secondary, I went with the bare minimum in my mind. I went with five cornerbacks. Like, they don't need to go with a bunch of these untalented head corners. I think Alante Taylor, Cordell Flott, Marcus Harris,

Starting point is 00:22:39 Arlocks, I guess Josh Williams, the 6'3 cornerback from Kansas City to be a special teams player and a depth piece outside. Micah Robinson, I know he's been getting worked a little bit by Cornell Tate, but otherwise he's been impressive.

Starting point is 00:22:56 But this is a position where I could see the Titans making an addition. let's go get Kenny Moore. Let's bring him in. Give Marcus Harris someone to compete with. And at minimum, Kenny Moore could maybe play some safety.

Starting point is 00:23:12 Because the safety group is rough too. I went with Kevin Winston, Tony Adams, Amani Hooker, who are all locks. There's your three safeties. And then Jerich Reed? Maybe it would be Kendall Brooks, Sunusi Kane, Bishop Fitzgerald, the undrafted free agent,

Starting point is 00:23:31 I think might have a shot. But this is a position where I think the Titans ultimately bring in new blood. Like, I put Micah Robinson and Jerich Reed in there. But I don't think those guys are going to make the roster.

Starting point is 00:23:55 They're placeholders. I think the Titans are going to keep five cornerbacks. They're going to keep at least four safeties. I just don't know if all five quarterbacks and all four safeties that the Titans have right now or that the Titans ultimately signed are actually on the roster right now.

Starting point is 00:24:15 I just don't buy it. So that's where I'm at with the secondary. It's terrible. The depth is just absolutely terrible. And it's no surprise that when the Titans signed Andre James, they tried out

Starting point is 00:24:33 Obie Melanfonwo the safety. So the Titans were trying out safeties looking to add more safety talent because they don't like what they have and they should. Quite honest.

Starting point is 00:24:48 So, with that, that's 50 players. We have five defensive tackles, six defensive ends, five linebackers, five cornerbacks, and four safeties.

Starting point is 00:25:06 Quick math, 5, 16, plus 9, 25. So, Cam Ward, Mitch Trubisky, Tony Pollard, Tajay Spears, Nick Singleton. Cornell Tate, Calvin Ridley, Wondale Robinson, Chimdeka, Alicayo Manor, Bryce Oliver, Xavier Restrepo. Gunner Helm, Daniel Bellinger, Kylan Granson, Jaron Kanek. Dan Moore, J.C. Latham, Austin Declis. Peter Skorosky, Cordell Voulson, Jackson Slater, Fernando Carmona, Pat Coogan, Austin Shlopman, Jeffrey Simmons, John Franklin Myers, Solomon Thomas, Jordan Elliott, Jackie Marshall,

Starting point is 00:25:51 Jermaine Johnson, Keldrick Falk, Femiola, Dejio, Jacob Martin, Jalen Harrell, Truman Jones, Cedric Gray, Anthony Hill, Cody Barton, James Williams, Mohamed Diabadi, Diabati. Alante Taylor, Cordell Flott, Marcus Harris, Joshua Williams, Michael Robinson, Kevin Winston, Tony Adams, Ammonie Hooker, Jerich Reed. And then, of course, we have to have our specialist. Morgan Cox at Long Snapper, Tommy Townsend, at putter, punter, and Joey Sly, at kicker.

Starting point is 00:26:26 That's 53 people again. This is my summer prediction. So I'm allowed to change my mind as we go through training camp. Okay. But right now, as we stand, that's where I'm now. And again, I don't think that we need Levis because his contract is up at the end of the year. Mitch Trubisky is better. If nobody's going to trade for him, let it go. There are no running backs outside of the big three that have any defining qualities that make them rosterable. Kala Mullings, if he turns into a special team's demon.

Starting point is 00:26:58 But I don't know, I would rather keep Xavier Restrepo. Again, Xavier Restrepo, I think, is earning it. And I think the Titans should keep seven wide receivers and how much talent they have. On the O line, I want to keep a bunch of numbers because they've got to have depth there. On defense, we've talked about everything. So that's where I'm at.

Starting point is 00:27:24 Let me know what you agree with, what you disagree with. Hit me up online. Social media. You can find me anywhere. I'm on all the apps. comments below, but that's going to do it for me today, folks. CJ 2K forever, man. CJ2K forever. As always, I am your host, Tyler Rowland,

Starting point is 00:27:42 and this was Locked on Titans.

Locked On Titans - Daily Podcast On The Tennessee Titans - Tennessee Titans LEGEND Chris Johnson Reveals HEARTBREAKING Medical News & Defensive Roster Picks

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